Meet Joey Martinez | ViciousByJoey

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

Hi Joey, what was your thought process behind starting your own business?
Without going into too much detail, It was more of a do or die moment for me. It was a point in time where I really didn’t know what direction my life was going to go into so I decided to do something that I kind of had a passion for at the time and it stuck. I don’t really look at myself as a business owner first, I see myself as an artist first.

Alright, so let’s move onto what keeps you busy professionally?
My art is a measurement of where I am at a point in life. I’ve made entire projects or bodies of work that I’ve scrapped because It was no longer relevant to where I was. I think the biggest thing that sets me apart is my authenticity, I feel as if someone can see my work and know things about me and my personal life, my work is a direct reflection to me and I how I feel or felt. I’m really not near where I want to be but I know I’m getting there, and even that’s something I don’t really recognize. I’ve been in the process of getting a trademark for about a year now, I just barely become a legalized, registered, tax paying business, so I feel as if I’m still laying down the foundation but I’m confident that I’ll get to where I want to be soon. Everything in time. The only way to really get over these obstacles is patience and being able to trust yourself even when you really don’t want too. The biggest lesson I’ve been able to take from managing this brand is again, patience, everything happens at the right time. I get frustrated knowing I’m better and more skilled than a lot of brands and creatives but, it’s just not my time yet and that’s okay. One thing I want people to know about my brand and it’s story is that it was spawned from me becoming a stereotype, my goal at a young age was just to not become stereotype that’s associated with being a Latino person in America, and I failed. I became and I am part of the problem, I was to a degree, a violent person, some of my closest friends and people around me were criminals and thugs. I know that we are who we associate ourselves with and so that’s me, that’s what Vicious stems from, a understanding that I am part of the problem but I’m also part of the solution.

Let’s say your best friend was visiting the area and you wanted to show them the best time ever. Where would you take them? Give us a little itinerary – say it was a week long trip, where would you eat, drink, visit, hang out, etc.
I’ve only been to LA like twice but hit little tokyo and go to every niche museum possible, and don’t wear any fitteds you will get pressed. The Boyle Heights swap-meet goes crazy.

Shoutout is all about shouting out others who you feel deserve additional recognition and exposure. Who would you like to shoutout?

My photographer Harry, his instagram is @harryjir , without him there is no way my work would get the recognition it gets.

Website: www.viciousbyjoey.com

Instagram: @viciousbyjoey

Twitter: DsVicious

Other: personal account: @RanchoJoe on instagram

Image Credits
@HarryJir