It could well be said that the very backbone of this beautiful genre of ours, known publicly as designer vinyl, urban vinyl, pop culture or sometimes just “those strange plastic collectible toys that people seem to be so crazy about”, is DIY.  Let’s face it… if there were never any budding creative talents who decided they just had to rip open a box containing a plain white vinyl character and proceed to go “mad scientist” on it by hacking apart, gouging, drilling into, melting, reassembling, sculpting, gluing various artifacts onto and painting the hapless little critter; the fresh, ongoing aspect of our dear toy niche would have dried up and blown away a long time ago… another flash fad in a sea of consumerism.  Artists, designers and mad geniuses are the life blood of our world!

The very thing that pulled me helplessly down this rabbithole was my first custom Qee gallery event here in San Francisco.  What an eye opener that was!!  “People take THIS?… and make THIS?!!?!… AMAZING!!”  Love at first sight!  I admire so many people in this industry… artists, store owners, producers, gallery owners… We are an amazingly lucky bunch to be surrounded by the crowd that we find ourselves in… But the energetic few who are highlighting the holy hell out of the DIY movement are the flag-bearers that are constantly infusing this scene with fresh blood.  There is an understanding that, sure, companies have creative minds behind their projects, but to tap into the inspired energy of artists everywhere, from the Manhattan studio to the backwater shed, has a huge multiplier effect on the entire body.

Artists start from an inspiration, perhaps they’ve witnessed a custom show that blew their minds; challenged their preconceptions of art.  They try their hand and get hooked.  Soon they are seeking venues to show their works, finding others like themselves, realizing there is whole, wonderful world of this tasty lifestyle out there.  Maybe they create a slew of amazing work and finally have a production piece in the pipeline… maybe they just master one-off customs and develop a style that stands up and gets noticed.  Whatever the journey they are certainly the inspirational food that nourishes the next budding artistic appetite and the path begins again.  This cycle is the engine that propels our industry.  Without this continual replenishment, how long could the body last?  Would stale production pieces designed in a think-tank powered by “professional” college trained designers be enough to create the hunger in collectors?  Could we survive on the hi-carb diet of endless licensed sets and still be the delightful niche that we are?  Thanks and praises to the customizers and their canvases.  Support your local vinyl artist and the platforms they imbue with their genius!  They could well be tomorrow’s super star.

Kevin Winnik and his team of avid vinyl addicts have been amassing an amazing body of over 500 custom pieces in their Custom Qee Gallery!! This is a must see!!  If you weren’t a believer before, you WILL be when you see the amazing collection of pieces on display there.  Now go be amazed, buy yourself a DIY Qee and get to work!  You may very well be the next custom vinyl Picasso!