Meet Polo Cutty | Creative, Graffiti Artist & Big Homie

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

Hi Polo, why did you pursue a creative career?
An artistic or creative career is really the only career type that makes me happy. I’ve worked in several other fields like data entry, catering, and taught literacy to a group of kids in middle school. Jobs that you wouldn’t necessarily associate with creativity, that I’d still try to make creative and fun in my own way.

Being artistic was something I was always going to do wether i was getting paid for it not, as a graffiti writer, a lot of the time you end up paying for your art, with no reward other than self satisfaction and a stroke of your ego, from your peers.
The medium has grown in popularity now, from streetwear and high fashion’s adaptation to corporations trying to get an edge and fit in with the “young folks”. I’m in a position in which I can really reap the rewards of staying dedicated to that particular art form.

Currently my work finds me.
I cant say i’ve found my own path because I’ve never branded myself as an artist that works within a particular field.
People that have followed me for awhile have seen my progression and the different ways in which I’d express myself, memes, skits, or paintings.
I’ve really just kept creating, trying out new tools and mediums and have been able to get people to reach out to me, as my platform and the projects i’ve worked on have grown.

Alright, so let’s move onto what keeps you busy professionally?
I just create whatever i feel like. One morning i might wake up with a concept for a skit, and tell my wife or call a friend to help film, another day i might just work on canvases in my apt.

I’m a visual learner so it makes things easier for me to comprehend when i have an image to represent a concept. So everything I make is basically just how i deal with my own thoughts and with everything that i’m learning. I like working with different mediums, I really don’t trust other people with translating my thoughts so i’d rather try and learn how to express them in other ways wether it be oil, airbrush, or working on code.
It’s easy to work and create, the hard part is putting yourself out there to have your work critiqued by everyone. I think all people that work as an artist or a creative feels attached and self conscious about their work.
I try to not to stress bad opinions, i tend to keep a positive mental attitude. A lot of my work is meant to be humorous, and part of my success is that i make people feel good.
So I guess what i would want people to know about my brand and my story is that it’s going to continue to grow as i do and expand as I learn more and grow as a person.

Any places to eat or things to do that you can share with our readers? If they have a friend visiting town, what are some spots they could take them to?
In no particular order because I don’t really plan things out, more of a go with the flow type of person and the way LA traffic is set up I like to kick it in one section not really going to move around the city all day.

so if we were in the valley I’d take em out to eat at build a burger on vineland its the new spot thats pretty good customized smash burgers. and we’d probably hit Pogos or Oh’gradys been going to those bars for years, no matter how long I’m gone i know i can always come back and see people i know.

Other spots I like to go to is Thai Angel, a bar in Ktown that has a pretty good kitchen. Escuela in Hollywood and Sunset Mariscos in Beverly hills. are both good restaurants.

if I were to just hangout in the city. I’d go to El Pato in Boyle Heights or Hang around the arts district Downtown.

Shoutout is all about shouting out others who you feel deserve additional recognition and exposure. Who would you like to shoutout?
I’d definitely like to recognize my high school art teacher Ms. Shufelt and two of my friends that had passed away Mort and Trigz, and they had all encouraged me to create art, so without them I wouldn’t have felt like it was really an attainable career for me. I grew up as a first generation child, so I’m sure other first gen kids could relate with their parents only giving them two career paths, Doctor or a Lawyer. I’d also like to give a shout out to Devin Troy Strother, Andrew Callahan and the channel 5 team, they were instrumental in introducing me to new audiences and also just making more people aware of my work. Last but not least my wife for her continual support.

Website: www.aterriblesite.com

Instagram: Polo_cutty

Twitter: Polo_cutty

Image Credits
Nate Kahn, Riccardo Stanley