Jimmy Luna | Artist & Founder

We had the good fortune of connecting with Jimmy Luna and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Jimmy, we’d love to hear about how you approach risk and risk-taking.
You gotta fly. You gotta turn all the other voices of fear off in your head and mindlessly pursue what you’re after. Most people are afraid to chase what they’re after because of X Y and Z and never find their wings because of that. My whole life has been predicated on taking risks and doing what I love to do and even when things get rough I’ll know I’ve made the right decisions because I trust myself. I remember back when I first left my mom’s home to be in the world on my own with nothing but the idea of being creative and among other things like bein’ broke and homeless and overall lonely, I had a choice to make. I could let all of that stuff hold me back or could I just take a chance on myself and let the world know I exist in my own way. When you find your wings, don’t be afraid to jump off the edge, you never know, you might fly if you just seen what it do. And even if it fails, you’ll have something to talk about before you leave Earth!

Let’s talk shop? Tell us more about your career, what can you share with our community?
Be you. If there’s anything you can learn from me and my life, it’s that being unapologetically you will get you way farther in your career/life than anything else. That doesn’t mean go out and be mean to people and say “oh but that’s me,” but just don’t try to be someone you aren’t and don’t have to be. I’ve seen many people who feel like they have to put on a mask and portray a certain image, but at the end of the day being me has allowed me to connect with great people from all around the world through the internet that’ve helped me during very rough times in my life. I’ve lost my mom, been homeless, been betrayed by close friends and watched my whole life crumble in front of me a billion times in my short time on this planet and through trusting in my craft and just continuing to be vehement in my pursuit to become known, i’ve always received some sort of return for my efforts and most importantly, I’ve stayed me. My life has never been an easy path but my mindset is what has allowed me to be fire at whatever I do and receive genuine support. Desperation will always bait you with promises of quick success, however what is real will prosper. Be mindful of this, trust that you are good enough and that your decisions will always benefit you, be genuine with yourself and the world and remember that closed mouths do not get fed and you’ll be alright. That’s how I’m rollin’ right now.

If you had a friend visiting you, what are some of the local spots you’d want to take them around to?
Man. I would turn back time to about summer 2011, I would get us some bikes, get out early in the morning about 8am. We’d bike it from my old apartment on Ackerfield Ave. to PAL. See what’s up with my friends there, play some Halo 3. Get some more friends to bike it with us to the Gamestop on Paramount Blvd. where Fresh N Easy use to be. Go look at some games, play the display games a little bit. Take the shortcut from there to Lakewood Mall, go walk around the mall, probably run into some friends there. Go to Mayfair Park, hop in the pool til we get tired, go back to whoever’s house had a game system and who’s parent’s would let more than 3 of us in to play them. Bike it back home before the street lights come on. Do it all again the next day. I really suck at having fun nowadays, my girlfriend is teaching me right now haha

Shoutout is all about shouting out others who you feel deserve additional recognition and exposure. Who would you like to shoutout?
Mom. Dad. Tiffany. PT. My big bro. Leon. Everyone from Sunrise Mountain High School in Vegas that supported me from 2014-2016. Everyone from Paramount High School that supported me. The McDonald’s on Cherry and South by Food4Less & the old PAL center. The McDonald’s on Lake Mead and Hollywood by the gas station. The kind people at House of Blues Foundation that gave Tribe our first show. Tyler, the Creator. Earl. Syd. Frank. Donald. Rocky. Malcolm. Cudi. Wiz. Kendrick. Everyone who supports me now and everyone else in between that i’m drawing a blank on. Thank you. You all played very significant roles in my life and provided memories that i’ll never forget until i’m gone.