Meet Brock Seals
Meet Brock Seals - The man painting St.Louis one mural at a time, with up to ten murals done all in 2020. Seals has been a recognized name within the city’s creative community since the start of his artistic journey. Well respected by his peers for the opportunities he has provided them with to display their work in his art show ART, MIMOSAS,& PANCAKES, and for the impact he’s had on the creative scene here as a whole. Learn more about Brock Seals and his artistic journey below.
Instagram:@sealsbrock
WHEN DID YOUR ARTISTIC JOURNEY START?
“It started in 2012. I was coming back from Columbia College in Chicago, studying fashion because that’s what I was doing in high school. Me being out in Chicago for the first time, by myself, I was not focused at all! So eventually I came back to the crib and start going to Flo Valley Community College and remembering just wanting to try art because they had no fashion courses there. What’s crazy is that art always seemed cool but I hated it in high school. So, fast forward to Flo Valley art classes, I still wasn’t focused and I remember getting sick of the class talking bad about my art during the critiques. That’s when I started to take it serious. The people around me started to notice and just thought I had a hidden talent, but it was really me just learning it and putting the work in.”
HOW LONG DID IT TAKE YOU TO FIND YOUR STYLE & AND HOW IMPORTANT TO YOU IS IT TO HAVE YOUR OWN STYLE?
That was my main goal from the jump. Even when I was starting out, I wanted to have something that people recognized me for. Louis Vuitton, Gucci, Nike, you know all them brands when you see it. I found out that I was good with making patterns and really nurtured it and kept going. It maybe took about 2-3 years of trying it to get something solid that I could continue to add too. Honestly, til this day, Im still finding new techniques and experimenting with it.
Having your own style is important, that’s everything. I could be successful without a signature style but I wouldn’t feel fulfilled. Getting paid for it is cool and all, but I feel good knowing that I can put my heart into this shit and it can reflect as me. You know, even if this shit don’t sell, I know it’s me.”
I FEEL LIKE YOU’VE BEEN A STAPLE IN THE CTIY’S CREATIVE SCENE FOR A WHILE NOW. WHEN DID YOU FEEL LIKE IT ALL STARTED TO POP FOR YOU, OR WAS IT A GRADUAL THING?
“It was a gradual thing. I would say when I first did the cleats for Janoris Jenkins ( Cornerback for the St.Louis Rams 2012-2015) that shook everything up. That’s when I realized that this wasn’t just local anymore. It was on a bigger stage and I stayed consistent from there.”
SPEAKING OF ST.LOUIS, WHAT ARE SOME TIPS YOU COULD GIVE PEOPLE HERE ON HOW TO MANEUVER THROUGH AND SUCCEED AS AN ARTIST?
“I would say use the open market to your advantage. It’s not necessarily hard to start painting for the first time tomorrow and link up with someone who has been doing it for a while. You can go to one art show and almost meet everybody, as opposed to being somewhere else bigger and it’s different levels and you may not always be hip or have access. St.louis is small, its close-knit, making it easier to make connections because everybody know somebody that know somebody. However, with being here, it can only go so far. The market isn’t big enough. It comes down to money at the end of the day.”
YOU’RE STILL HERE. DO YOU ENCOURAGE CREATIVES TO MOVE FROM ST.LOUIS OR STAY HERE AND BUILD?
“If you’re going to be here, move around and travel. You can’t stay here. Traveling and bringing shit back is what works best for me.”
LETS TALK ABOUT YOUR ART SHOW, “ART, MIMOSAS,& PANCAKES”. WHEN DID THAT START?
“I started that up in 2014 and did it five years straight. AMP has helped me a lot and means the most to me. All the creatives who pull up, showing love and support to the other artist and myself is huge to me. Not only me, but it’s important for the city. That’s our space to kinda come together and establish the creative scene. If we don’t do it, nobody else will. VIBES kicked everything off. ART, MIMOSAS,& PANCAKES was definitely a product of VIBES.”
DO YOU CREATE ART FOR THE SHOW, OR DO YOU USE ART YOU ALREADY HAVE?
"It’s a little bit of both. Im always working on something so the current piece that Im working on, I typically go with that. But for real though, the show is really focused on the other artist. I don’t want to be like this my show, my art you know. I really am trying to spread that opportunity and space for everybody else. I want to give them a chance to sell and display their work. It’s not about me - it’s for the city.”
IS IT A LONG THOUGHT PROCESS BEFORE YOU START A PAINTING OR DO YOU GET STRAIGHT TO IT?
“I honestly just sit down and get straight to it. If I think too much, I ain’t going to do it. That’s just for me though, it may not work for other people. If I try to sit down and think too hard on it, it will not get done. I would probably be on my phone somewhere.”
PROUDEST MOMENT AS AN ARTIST?
“It would have to be running into Nipsey Hussle. It was insane! My boy Rasheed worked with Nip. So when they came through for a concert he hit me and let me know, like, I know you be doing yo thang, you got something you want to give to Nip? I pulled up to Ruth Chris, where they were, with some shoes I painted, a painting I had made a few hours before, and another painting. It was about 6 people at the table, I had my boy Nick with me recording. I sat down and gifted him the painting and he was really rocking with it. It was brief, but out of all the interactions I’ve had with different celebrities, Nip seemed really down to earth and really interested in what I gifted him. He ended up putting me on the list to the show he had that night and everything. Im like bet! This was like a year before he passed away, and the fact that I got the chance to meet him before his death was a reminder for me to keep going.”
HOW DO YOU FEEL ABOUT COMMISSIONS?
“It’s a way to go about them. Some people hit me up and request something that’s more of my style, but then there’s times where people ask for portraits and it be tuff for me because they may want it to look a certain way as opposed to my style of painting. I’ve learned to say no to the ones I know aren’t for me. It’s crazy because sometimes, from the way a person may reach out to me, I automatically know it ain’t the one for me. We talk a lot about customer service, but people need to understand how to be better customers too, it goes both ways.”
BIGGEST LESSON YOU’VE LEARNED COMING UP AS AN ARTIST?
“Don’t chase the money, don’t chase the money. You chase the money and you’ll lose yourself and the art will reflect that. Instead of doing what you want to do, you’ll be doing what people want you to do.”
HAS THE PANDEMIC AFFECTED YOU?
“Detrimentally. Shit went up! When it first kicked off, it was the first time people canceled an ordered on me due to something outside of me. Then come April and May, the orders start jumping. Everybody was at the crib with extra money to spend so they was buying art. I’ve made the most money I’ve ever made this year. I did up to 10 murals in 2020 and its a blessing. It lets me know that I’m moving the right way, in the right direction.”
WHAT’S YOUR VOICE AS A CREATIVE?
“I represent black culture. From fashion, music, entertainment, sports, all that. I want to show people who look like me that art can be your career. Growing up I didn’t see any painters, I didn’t even think it was something attainable. I just always heard of a starving artist. One thing that opened my eyes was seeing an all white painting or an all blue painting sell for millions. I didn't understand when I was young but I understand now, and it’s like this can actually be life changing if you stay with it.”
