KCK artist sells “wearable art” after talents helped him escape street violence

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Adrian Maddox, 42, grew up in Wyandotte County, Kansas surrounded by negative influences — drugs and street crime — which he saw claim the lives of many in his community.

Maddox used art as his escape. He was talented and used it to create pieces that eventually did lift him from the threat of street life and led him to discover his passion. In 2018 Maddox started AMADD Designs, a business he dedicated to using his artwork in the creation of paintings, logos, clothing and other merchandise.

In the six years since starting his business, Maddox has designed hundreds of logos for local entrepreneurs who are wanting a distinct look for their new ventures, and he makes clothing he calls “wearable art.”

Recently, Maddox sat down with The Kansas City Star’s culture and identity reporter, J.M. Banks, and talked about his lifelong love of art, turning his talent into a business and using art to move through grief.

Banks: Can you begin by telling me about your early life and upbringing?

Maddox: I was born and raised in Wyandotte County and I graduated from Schlagle High School. It was hard at times living in the inner city. We all faced adversity in some sort of way. I was from a single-parent home at the time. The environment and community around us growing up was pretty tough. You saw drugs, sex, prostitution and murders. I tried to stay busy with church, sports and boy scouts then I started to tap into art. It was the artwork that became my escape.

Can you tell me what you enjoy most about creating art?

My mom says I have been drawing since I was two. She said when we would go out to eat after church I would get a napkin and take a pen and start drawing. It was a way I could create something through my own intellectual creativity that doesn’t exist. You pull out a piece of paper or canvas and ask yourself what am I going to create that’s going to set me apart from the previous artist. It is also a stress reliever and I can put that into the artwork. It is a passion and I know what I am supposed to be doing here with my art now.

How did you start your design business?

I have always drawn and I have always had people tell me I should start my own business or do something with my work. But I felt like it was not my time yet and I sat patiently until 2018. When I first announced that I was in business I had people requesting me to make their logos before I even had finished mine.

Can you tell me about what kind of things you create?

I create custom hand-drawn art, business logos, facilitate paint parties, paint custom shoes that I call custom steppers, custom crowns which are painted hats, and my clothing line. I refer to my clothing line as wearable art because anybody can make clothes but it is the time, effort and essence put into it that makes it art. I actually call my artwork my assignments and I found my purpose doing this.

Can you tell me about your clothing line and what sets it apart from other brands?

It is not just a simple shirt or a hoodie. With technology and machinery now, anyone can get on YouTube and figure out how to make a “T-shirt”. You just have to download an image that someone else has created, put it on a garment and sell it. I figured I would use my own intellectual creativity to implement them on clothing to make wearable art and people that wear it to become like a mobile gallery. I allow my clients to pick their style of the garment and other things. All of my designs are hand drawn and I don’t use any sort of technology or anything to create the images.

What are the challenges that you face in your career?

Sometimes the adversity in artwork is just like the adversity you face in life and you have to overcome it. I have had to move forward through adversity, death and grief when my son died and I took the challenge to do a portrait of him and that was hard. I did one of him when he was living but this one was different because everything had to be perfect. But the only way to get through it is to go through it. He was 17 and given fentanyl. Me and my wife are now grandparents to an 8 month old grandson that never got to meet his father.

What kind of design work are you most often commissioned for?

Mostly business logos and branding. This seems to be an entrepreneur boom in the last few years with people wanting to start their own business or brand. I have done so many logos and couldn’t begin to tell you how many. I have two portfolio design books, and one of them I know holds up to 800 designs that is filled, and I just started on the second one.

What is the most fulfilling part of your work.

Being able to share my work with others and getting their opinion of what they see. You could ask five people their opinion on one piece and they’ll give you five different perspectives. I love creating something for someone and revealing it and seeing them smile or see them actually cry. That is a blessing, to be able to feel the enjoyment they have seeing something I have created.

Do you have a personal motto or philosophy that guides you?

It isn’t a movement if it stops moving. Growing up my grandfather used to tell me when I cut the grass that if I keep stopping it will take longer. So I said to myself I am going to keep drawing and eventually it will lead to opportunities and it did.

What are your goals and plans for the future?

I want to get the brand in reputable retail stores and working more with upper echelon clientele. I would like to get my work in actual galleries and in front of collectors. I want to open my own gallery for the kids because that is where I started and art allows for so many possibilities for kids to be creative.

What advice would you give to someone who is looking to follow the same career path as yourself?

Just do it. If I could do it through everything they can too.

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