Stephen Dickens
DCL
If you've sniffed me lately, or read this post, you know that I'm still loving the Beacon Bird Bath body spray made by my friend Stephen Dickens. And if you happened to check out his Etsy store, you might have noticed some really crazy awesome t-shirts in amongst all the natural scented stuff. Turns out, Stephen is the kind of Renaissance man who makes his own deodorant and clothes. So I got him to stop by for a little Q&A.
PG: Hey Stephen. How did you start making these cool t-shirts?
SD: I believe I started altering my t-shirts about 8 years ago while in grad school. My fiancée, Marsha and I didn't have any money for any new clothes, so I would dig inside our drawers for a t-shirt that perhaps needed new life sewn into it. I also draw and paint, and often use a technique where I cut up or erase a drawing or sand over a painting in effort to bring out some other interesting qualities that I felt were missing — I suppose this was somewhat similar, with me destroying or "upcycling" my old t-shirts to make another t-shirt. I would hand sew, very crudely, simple face designs using the thread as my drawing implement. After making a few designs and wearing them, friends would want one, then it was friends of friends.
PG. Let's take a look at your favorite designs. First up, is the Marsupial Pocket. How did you come up with this?
SD: I believe the marsupial pocket started as a conceptual idea. I was interested in the t-shirt becoming this utilitarian article of clothing, especially for writers or artists who carry compact sketch books around and favorite pens and pencils. I guess i wanted to alleviate some of the junk I carry in my jean pockets and transfer it to the t-shirt. Somehow. I am currently working on refining the designs of the pocket and it being able to zip closed and zip off of the t-shirt... Stay tuned!
PG. Next up is the style you call Pink-Eye-Redesigns. What's up with these?
SD: All of the t-shirts I use have been recycled from various vintage stores or from my or my friends personal collection. The t-shirts I gravitate towards have some type of graphic that I can use with my sewn elements of the Pink-Eye faces. Sometimes the original t-shirt design is subtle, while other times I really try to utilize it to a greater degree. The content of the pink-eye faces are directly related to elements of my drawings. Pink has always been a very important color for me in my paintings and drawings, as well as the human face. Unlike my paintings and drawings, in which there is a heavy emphasis on Freudian psychological concepts, my t-shirts were meant to be whimsical and much lighter, almost kid-like.
PG: So tell us about your t-shirt making process.
SD: I only use t-shirts that are given to me, or that I find at local vintage stores. For a lot of people, it's also about using an existing t-shirt they loved and incorporating a new design into it. That's actually what happened with the first t-shirt I designed for myself: I liked the way the t-shirt fit, but I wasn't too into the ridiculous logo on the front, so I made a design that could go over that. Then I started covering up various logo t-shirts I had. It was also about t-shirts that were faded or perhaps had a few stains, then finding a way to sew new life into them.
All of my shirts are hand sewn, which is kind of ridiculous on my part because it's so damn time consuming. However, the process is very meditative and therapeutic, so I don't mind that it takes so long. First I come up with a basic layout of what the design will be. I'll pin each of the separate elements to the shirt, then I use a rectangular piece of plexiglass between the t-shirt to avoid sewing the t-shirt together.
PG: What do you like best about this? What's the most challenging part?
SD: I suppose I like the fact that no two t-shirts are alike, but that's also the most challenging part. If I had to make the same design over and over, I would get bored pretty quickly, so to avoid the boredom I do a different design each time. For the Pink-Eye Redesigns I believe the only question I ask people when they order a t-shirt is if they want sharp fangs or no fangs/ horns or no horns.
PG: What's your shop name, Birds In Buildings, all about?
SD: Birds In Buildings is also my DJ name. [Editor's note: We told you! Renaissance Man!] I am not exactly sure how I made up the term, but it's meant to describe the perseverance of any person or animal that had the weight of the world against it and somehow through that process became stronger and more wiser. Birds surrounded by buildings without adequate trees can be very sad, but somehow the birds will still try and make nests somewhere on the buildings. There is no dwelling on the situation, they just move forward. As an art therapist I see that a lot. People coming from the most difficult and traumatic life experiences, but rather than it defining and overpowering them, they instead use it to make them stronger.
PG: So how can I go about making my own upcycled t-shirt? Any tips for our green crafters at home?
SD: Everyone I know has an abundance of t-shirts sitting in their closet. If you haven't worn it in 6 months then it's time to either use at as sewing material or perhaps sew something new into it! Here's an idea, everyone has old concert t-shirts that are either too small or perhaps too worn out. Cut out the band graphic from the t-shirt. Then cut up the graphic into various shapes. Sew the graphic into an interesting pattern onto another used t-shirt. That's the whole idea of up-cycling. No new materials were used to make the product and you're making a postmodern statement by cutting up your favorite band t-shirt!
