VISIONS by Village Psychic

Note: Volume II of VISIONS starts back up on November 16th, but we’re posting today with a ✨SPECIAL✨ edition of the pod :).Today’ guest, Atiba Jefferson, needs no introduction. But we’ll still give him one – we’re stoked to have him as a guest. He’s photographed some of the most recognizable people on the planet, and, as you know, he came up through and remains dedicated to skateboarding. Over more than three decades, he’s moved between skateboarding, basketball, music, art, and comedy without losing the instincts that got him there in the first place. In this episode, we talk about growing up in a music-filled household (did you grow up in a ‘music home’? Listen to understand more), discovering punk and hip-hop through skateboarding, and how a few chance encounters in a small Colorado town helped set the course for his career. We also get into his latest collaboration with Vans, which brings together his photography, Lauren Halsey’s artwork, and longtime friend Flea for a project that feels a lot like his entire life wrapped into one big package.Beyond the photos, Atiba shares his thoughts on creative ambition, social media, and why the internet’s endless appetite for content shouldn’t dictate how (or, more importantly, why) you work. He makes the case for physical magazines, printed photos, and books in a world that increasingly treats everything as disposable, while offering some refreshingly simple advice for anyone trying to make it in a creative field: love what you do, work hard, be cool, and don’t be an a*****e. Also, he co-owns the American Football house. So there’s that.Thanks for stoping by. Volume II of VISONS starts November 16th. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit villagepsychic.substack.com/subscribe

This week we’re sitting down with Los Angeles-based filmmaker and photographer Kevin Horn (originally from St. Paul, Minnesota!) and trace his journey from filming skate videos as a kid to becoming a professional cinematographer. After film school, Kevin shifted toward narrative work and commercials, shooting extensively for Target before moving to Los Angeles in 2019 to pursue bigger opportunities in film and entertainment, but never lost sight of skateboarding along the way.We talk about Kevin’s return to skateboarding after several years away, starting a skate magazine and his 2023 full-length video Perennial, and finding his way into the LA skate community through Adam Abada and a crew of New Jersey transplants. We also deep-dive into his work with Grant Yansura and WKND, and most recently, working on WKND’s upcoming full-length video, Unc. We also get into the idea of our patented concept of “f**k around cities”.We also look ahead at Kevin’s current work, from commercial and Hollywood projects to a skateboarding-themed TV pilot he’s developing with Grant set in the early 2010s. It’s a good one! This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit villagepsychic.substack.com/subscribe

In this episode, we sit down with Cephas and Donovan of The Bunt, the Toronto-based skate podcast that started with two friends, a terrible microphone, and an idea to talk about sports and somehow turned into a decade-long institution. We get into how the show started, what they were doing before it, and how two skateboarders ended up building a podcast that brings together skating, sports, friends, and the wider culture around all of it.We talk about the early days of The Bunt, from recording in apartments and working construction to landing their first sponsors and realizing that this thing might actually become something. They break down how their relationships with Vans and other skate brands helped change the trajectory of the show, why they’ve always been selective about sponsors, and how projects like The Bunt Jam (see you there?) and Beamer Beer grew out of the same instinct to keep making weird, fun s**t with their friends.We also get into what 10 years of doing the Bunt has taught them: how they’ve become better interviewers, why they stopped worrying about editing out every mistake, and how getting older has changed the way they see skateboarding, sports, and the community around both. Plus, the unlikely number of skateboarders who are secretly huge sports nerds, the people who have surprised them most at the Bunt Jam basketball tournament, and why sometimes the best thing you can do is make something that’s probably going to suck at first and see where it goes. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit villagepsychic.substack.com/subscribe

Today on the pod we’re joined by Rowan Zorilla, who you likely know as a pro skater. We’re also joined by footwear designer Jake Crawford. He’s the guy behind Vans hitters like the Era Wafflecup, the Crockett High and the Upland.They’ve joined forces on Rowan Z3, Rowan’s pro new model, and we’re here to talk about it.We get into everything - how the shoe came together, inspiration (spoiler: baseball cleats!), Jake’s path to becoming a footwear designer, crucial video soundtracks, and Rowan skating vulc soles for his entire career and now pivoting into being a cupsole guy(!!!). This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit villagepsychic.substack.com/subscribe

Every city of a certain size should have a skate shop, right? So what happens if your city no longer has one? This exact scenario played out in Buffalo, NY, a city who’s metropolitan area encompasses over 1 million people – I mean, come one, they need a skate shop. No one seemed to be doing anything about the situation, so in stepped Dave Eoannou, today’s guest on the pod. We talked to Dave, formerly of Mom’s Skate Shop in Buffalo, NY about what it’s like to be that person, the one holding it down when others won’t, for better or for worse. We got into the current state of skateboarding (and skate shops), unique takes on graphic production, and generational shifts in how people get into skating. We also got into Dave’s new venture, Dauter Skateboards, and how running a sho translated to starting a skate brand, despite being in crowded space when times are changing. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit villagepsychic.substack.com/subscribe

Michael Morey has designed some of skateboarding’s most thoughtfully crafted footwear – he’s designed signature shoes for pros like Kevin “Spanky” Long and TJ Rogers (yes, THE TJ Rogers shoe) while working for Emerica and éS.Given these successes, it may be hard to believe that only a few years ago Michael didn’t have much connection to the skate industry at all. He was looking at it from the outside, in Michigan, and wondering if there was even a place for him in it. It’s amazing how dramatically one or two experiences can change someone’s life direction.In todays episode, we get into what it’s like to leave your hometown in search of something bigger, how the Detroit skate scene rules, networking without a real network, and the future of skate shoe design. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit villagepsychic.substack.com/subscribe

There’s a specific bond between people that can only be gained through time spent in a car together. I have a feeling that the listeners / readers of this platform have an idea of what I’m referring to – even if a full day of spot hunting with a friend or two is a bust, you each go back home with a better friendship than the one you started the day with.Even if you don’t know what I’m talking about, Jersey Dave and Jon Mecca definitely do. During the filming of JP Blair’s latest (great!) video What Did You Expect?, Dave and Jon logged countless hours together in the car, driving from spot to spot to photograph Dave as he filmed his part with JP.It’s no doubt a unique experience to document someone with a heavy history in skateboarding as they film a part, especially someone who isn’t pro (except in our hearts), is in his 40s, and appears in a video alongside several prominent pros, each of whom are at least several years younger. All this makes for a special type of energy, one that comes through crystal clear in Jon’s photos.On today’s pod, we get into all that. No less importantly, we also talked about how kitty litter can help make a spot skateable, what skate activity warrants a trip to Applebees, and the extreme variations in topography that exist within New Jersey. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit villagepsychic.substack.com/subscribe

Trigger Warning: Drugs are referencedToday’s episode is a BIG one, and if you’re familiar with today’s guest, multidisciplinary artist Travis Spinks, you’ll know why. He’s a stunningly bright guy with a shining personality and lot to say.Originally from Houston, TX, Spinks has been living in Brooklyn, NY for the last decade, after stints in Austin and the Bay Area. His journey as an artist has taken him from doing graffiti, to working in the art world in various ways. He’s truly developed his own unique (and popular!) style, which has led to doing client work and brand collaborations and, most importantly, making art just to make art.We had a great time talking about the realities of art world, his post-college lifestyle, a church youth group that REALLY wanted him to join, personal relationships with early internet celebrities, the merits and pitfalls of brand collabs, and his big reasons on why he makes art.Enjoy. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit villagepsychic.substack.com/subscribe

New York or Portland?!? What happens when you get arrested wearing Half Cabs and miss a test at school?!? What the hell is Bosco and why is that your nickname?!? These questions and so many more are answered in today’s installment of This or That™.YouTube link is here for the visual learners among us. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit villagepsychic.substack.com/subscribe

Today we’re talking with Alexis ‘Bosco’ Picard, an artist designer whose work truly comes through as authentic in our current era of cookie-cutter visual media.His style lives in that interesting space between art and design—you can tell it’s grounded in a serious painting practice. He’s also spent about a decade working at Nike, along with doing graphics for Allitmers and Palace. So yeah, he skates.Bosco grew up in New York City and did a brief stint in suburban Maryland, but New York clearly left a mark—he ended up coming back for college and got pulled into a really special era in NYC skating, hanging out at Autumn Skate Shop and being part of the Green Diamond crew. Our conversation gets into how all of that—painting, design, skating—comes together in how he works and thinks. There’s also a lot about what art school teaches you, and the (major) mindset shift that comes with entering the working world. Creative and professional growth get talked about, as they should.This or That with Bosco coming later this week as a separate post :) This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit villagepsychic.substack.com/subscribe