Q&A: Exclusive interview with Houston street artist ‘Be someone’
High above I-45 on a train bridge at the threshold of downtown Houston resides one of the city’s most controversial pieces of art “Be someone.”
Locally renowned street artist “Be someone” sits down with The Signal reporter Leif Hayman for an exclusive interview to discuss the famous art piece, the story behind it and recent attempts to deface it. Because the work was put up without permission and is considered an illegal act of vandalism, the artist has chosen to remain anonymous.
Q: Was “Be someone” your first piece?
A: No, I had been tagging a lot for about a year and then decided to do that spot.
Q: What made you choose that spot?
A: Well, first off, it’s somewhat of a “heaven spot.” You can kind of refer to it as that because heaven spots are spots that are harder to get to, more dangerous to get to or just higher, elevated spots. Second would be the amount of traffic that goes through there. So, it’s a prime spot.
Q: Do you think the location has anything to do with its popularity?
A: Yeah, definitely. I mean, it’s seen every day by millions of people.
Q: It’s arguably the most iconic piece of art in Houston right now.
A: A lot of people like to say so. I mean, I’m starting to believe it, but it’s not like I claim that yet. You know?
Q: So, it’s still new to you?
A: Well, it’s not new. I guess I don’t pay attention to it like that. I just want to keep doing what I’m doing and try to get other spots, but that’s the best one yet.
Q: What do you think of the attempts to alter and deface “Be someone,” specifically when people changed the words to “Football” and then “Be One?” What do you think about “Football” first?
A: Well, if they would’ve done a good job, it would’ve been fine, because it was Super Bowl weekend. But, they did a terrible job… terrible job… terrible, terrible, terrible job. Yeah, of course you’re gonna get mad, cause why the hell? It’s just too much. Why even try that if you’re not gonna do better, you’re not gonna top it. If you’re gonna top it, that’s a different story. But yea, I was pretty upset, because I knew how much work had to be put back in it… it was too much. It had to be fixed.
Q: And then “Be One.”
A: Honestly that just came from somebody just messing with it and everyone just interpreted it how they wanted to. So, somebody interpreted it into that and they took it, they rode with it. But the person that really just painted over it was just trying to mess with it.
Q: Do you think the messages are exclusive? You can’t be someone if you’re being one?
A: No, they can intertwine, but I just think I would keep them separate, I would promote them separate if I did promote “Be one.” I think being someone, being able to capture yourself first has to be first before you can unite. You can’t unite if you don’t know who you are. Or maybe you can find yourself with that group of people, but I think you have to work on yourself first before you can provide your full potential of being united.
Q: So, you think “Be someone” is finding yourself, figuring out who you are, being happy with yourself.
A: That’s the interpretation I take. I think “Be someone” is finding you. Because once you find you, you can spread as much of you to the world as you can. That’s how I do it. As soon as I found myself, I was able to understand who I was, understand what I can do, understand where I can go and understand how I can help, or in what way I can put my two cents into the world. And I decided to do it with art. With art, graffiti and the whole “Be someone” movement.
Q: So, that’s what started you out?
A: Well, the thing is, I used to write just regular graffiti, and that didn’t mean anything to anybody, only if you were into graffiti. So, if you read something across the street and it says BLOB, cause that’s what I used to write, it doesn’t mean anything. So, one time, I was like, man, if I’m really gonna be writing something up there, I want people to appreciate it and read and figure out what they wanna do in life cause I was in a time where I was trying to figure out what I wanna do. And, you know, it’s an ongoing thing. So just falling back into that phrase, fall back into the movement, it helps you capture yourself, it helps you find a way to evolve as a person and do what you can do for the community. Cause it’s an ongoing thing. It’s not just that and that’s it; it’s universal; it’s broad. You figure out how you wanna use that.
Q: Are there any other messages you’re pushing right now?
A: I kind of tie it together to “Dream Bigger.” I did that for a little bit, but at the same time I went back to just focusing on “Be someone.” Sometimes I put up little messages here or there that I think are good for that day or how I’m feeling. Like, I like to say, “Value your effort.” Because, if you value your effort, if you go back in and you focus on what you have been doing and evaluate what you are doing, then you’re gonna find that you are taking a step forward, whether it’s a baby step or a big jump.
Q: So, what stuff are you working on now?
A: I’m definitely droppin’ more tees.
Q: If someone wants to see or buy your work, where can they go?
A: They can go to Instagram, @BeSomeone, and there is a link on there, BeSomeoneCo.com.
Also published on Medium.
