Meet Richard Ford Iii | Illustrator & Graphic Designer

We had the good fortune of connecting with Richard Ford Iii and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Richard, what led you to pursuing a creative path professionally?
I’ve genuinely loved animation and comics since I was little, and that love grew into a desire to make my own worlds. Following my passion and earning a living from it felt like the natural path to take. Nothing compares to being in your creative space and just…creating! I’ve always wanted to be independent, and I enjoy the freedom that comes with being an artist, but being a freelancer in particular requires a lot of responsibility. As a result, I set out to become the employer or boss that I would like to work for.

Can you open up a bit about your work and career? We’re big fans and we’d love for our community to learn more about your work.
I think the best way to characterize my art is as a blend of graffiti and anime/manga influences. It is essentially a fusion of Black American and Japanese culture. Two things that have fulfilled my dreams; Working with Japanese corporations or those with a division here in the United States is one. (Music video for WagakkiBand by Universal Music Japan; Capcom USA via their Creators program) The second and most recent one was made possible by the “Dear Black Folks” campaign of BEAM (Black Emotional and Mental Health Collective). When I first started doing graffiti, I imagined my art to be displayed across the nation. I was able to display my artwork on billboards, bus stops, and subway stations in Los Angeles, Oakland, Atlanta, and New York thanks to this campaign.

My faith and refusal to give up allowed me to get to where I am now; I also allow life to happen. This relates to the earlier comment of serendipitous moments and simply being in the right place at the right time. If something is meant for you and you pursue it, it is yours to have. What is meant to be will happen. Just have patience and trust the process.

Being your own worst critic is the toughest part of being an artist. My advice is to shape your words in a way that elevates you rather than tear you down. Apart from what has been mentioned so far, my story is that I am a visual artist with many ideas, stories, characters, etc., but I also enjoy bringing other people’s ideas to life. I know there are those who are not gifted with my talent, yet they have a vision that they want to bring to fruition.

If you had a friend visiting you, what are some of the local spots you’d want to take them around to?
It’s funny because I may have to follow through with this itinerary. Not in any particular order, and also based on my best friend’s interests. For food, we have Kokomo (Brooklyn), Red Rooster (Harlem), Rai Rai Ken (East Village), Hanoi House (East Village), and Supreme Restaurant (Chinatown). For drinking, some of the restaurants mentioned have decent drinks, but Sake Bar Asoko (Chinatown) and Sake Bar Decibel (East Village) would be the best for us. Stores such as Kinokuniya, Bookoff, and Toy Tokyo fulfill the majority of our nerdy needs, while Soho would be an interesting trip for fashion and photography. No matter the time of year, there are plenty of festivals and events, but the problem is that a week is not enough time for NY. 

The Shoutout series is all about recognizing that our success and where we are in life is at least somewhat thanks to the efforts, support, mentorship, love and encouragement of others. So is there someone that you want to dedicate your shoutout to?
My life is filled with such an eclectic mix of people and serendipitous moments that it hurts that I can’t include them all. Family is definitely first on the list. Although they were not professional artists, Mom and Pops knew how to hustle. Mom went the corporate ladder route, Dad owned his own clothing store, and aunts and uncles made similar life choices or took a shot at both; thus, I gained a wealth of knowledge from all of them. This, along with their general experience, street smarts, or spirituality, provided me with the strong foundation I have today. 

In my late teens, my father introduced me to his friend, “Uncle Mike,” because he knew I enjoyed Detroit techno and that “Uncle Mike” was pals with the genre’s pioneers. Over the years, “Uncle Mike” has imparted many words of wisdom that have been extremely helpful to me as an artist.

During this period, I also made some really important friends who helped me with my “artistic launch.” Friends like Joseph, who introduced me to graffiti, Nile, who taught me about car culture, and Sterling Toles, who was just a “big brother” and had deep discussions with me about music and visual art.

Despite a few generational gaps, I think one thing that unites us all is that we are Cass technicians. Cass Tech is a high school located in Detroit, Michigan. It has strict requirements about GPA averages and no fighting, but it also offers students the opportunity to select a major, extracurricular activities related to that major, and an abundance of resources that truly help you succeed in life. In my own experience, I was in a setting that was safe and permitted me to be myself.

Website: https://rf3rd.com/

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/rf3rd/

Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/rf3rd/

Twitter: https://x.com/rf3rd

Image Credits
Richard Ford III (RF3RD)