FlyMinds.

Recently I had the pleasure of working with a start-up streetwear brand from Birmingham, known as FlyMinds, produce its first run of shirts. We got them off to a legit start with their own gold brand labels sewn into the neck. I believe they are almost, if not already, sold out of this initial run. They do plan on doing another colorway in their arrow-logo tee as well as another shirt of two for the up-coming summer. #Support your local brands and those young entrepreneurs chasing their dreams.

Nearly Busted

Kentucky winning it all is my last chance. One quarter of my bracket was nearly perfect, while the other 3/4, not so much.

Sweet 16 Bracket Update

I'm feeling pretty good about my bracket, 11/16 teams are still alive. Right now I'm sitting in the 90th overall percentile. We'll see how this next round treats me...

How's your bracket shaping up? How many of your Final Four teams are still alive?

A Sebago Custom Makeover

I have this pair of Sebago x VANE Docksides that I have been wearing pretty heavily this winter and spring. I was doing some routine "clean-up," then decided that I just had to put a T.WAY stamp on them.

It was bound to happen, we both know that. So, here they are:

[View the complete step-by-step process and more photos after the jump]

While the Paint Dries

Who doesn't love the smell of matches? I ran out of vanilla-scented incense to burn, so I had to resort to matches. Having a mouse as a pet tends to cause some occasional unpleasant odors. So what do you do when it starts to smell: light a match!

*Remember kids, don't try this at home without adult supervision. Safety first.

Notes, By Kids

A few weeks ago I had the privilege to speak to students at Vista Charter Academy about art, starting and running your own business, the importance of an education (both in AND outside of the classroom), and of course, to always DREAM IMPOSSIBLE. 

I was pleasantly surprised recently to receive a thick envelope of personal notes from each student. My favorites often included some awesome doodles.

 But my top favorite letter read:

"Dear Mr. Way,

Thank you for coming to Vista. You have inspired me and I think you are a great role model to me and my little sister. I want to be a singer and you have helped me have confidence on in myself and to not be shy. Thank you very much. The opportunity to meet you was very awesome. I learned that you could achieve even the hardest dreams. 

Thank you Mr. Way!!!!"

Don't ever underestimate kids. They have more to offer than we can imagine. Too bad so often it's the adults that corrupt them and tell them they can't do this or accomplish that. They can do anything. Let's make sure we help them and don't restrict their creativity. They can #DreamImpossible.

Bracket Update

After an exciting second day of Round 1 action, my bracket got a lot more red than I had expected. Who would have thought two #2 seeds who lose, especially one of them being Duke of all teams -- who was almost a #1 seed? Michigan was a big disappointment to me. Why can't they ever win a tourney game? Overall, I predicted 23/35 correctly, which is batting about 0.066 if I were a baseball player. 

How's your bracket look?

Rip Hamilton Shirt Design

Rip Hamilton's people asked me to do another Rip City shirt design for their crew for the up-coming Playoffs. We need a little help deciding if we want it with or without the "Chicago" type. We'd love your input. Leave a comment with your vote. (You can also do the same on the T.WAY Facebook page, too)

In Progress, Part V

It's all about the details. See how well you can spot the differences in each step of the process as the pointillism details are added to each layered shade of orange. This is my favorite part. Not the painting part -- that freakin' takes FOREVER. But beginning to see it come together is what gets me excited.
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My Bracket

OK, folks. Here it is: my bracket. Do I predict a victory amongst my peers? I figure I have a 50/50 chance, YES or NO. My fingers are crossed and my iPad app is ready to watch all 67 games.

Now, without further ado, my champion is...

KENTUCKY!

How could I go against Coach Cal and the #1 team all season?... I'd be silly to pick otherwise. We just  never know though, March is about to get Mad! 

[Take a closer look at my picks region-by-region after the jump]

Custom AF1: Notre Dame Law

This is my kind of lawyer. Well, maybe not until 2014, but still, I'll be his first client when the time comes. As a little extra incentive and symbol of motivation to continue in his studies in the University of Notre Dame Law School, his girlfriend commissioned the unique gift of custom-designed sneakers. Can you imagine walking into the court room wearing these bespoke Air Forces? Boom. Case closed!

Step 1

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Step 5

[See the finished product after the jump!]

In Progress, Part IV

Anything worth doing, is worth doing right. Anything worth doing, takes time. Anything worth doing, takes perseverance. Anything worth doing, takes patience. This -- this will be worth doing.

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#StopKony in 2012

Hopefully you've already heard about Joseph Kony. If not, you should forfeit watching a TV show and instead watch the mini-documentary below. The Invisible Children organization is leading a worldwide movement to stop the world's #1 most dangerous and targeted criminal: Joseph Kony. Their biggest hurdle is getting governments to take action. To do that, our government needs to know that we care -- that we care enough to make our government stop the countless crimes. Can you imagine: 30,000 children abducted from their beds, forced to kill or be in the sex trade, or otherwise be murdered?

#StopKoney

In Progress, Part III

Still chugging along...

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Colors of Progress

As you can see from my wipe rag, more colors are gradually being added to the piece. Expect another progress update within the next couple of days. Missed the last preview update? Catch up. 

In Progress Preview, Part II

He is gradually coming to life - hour by hour, layer by layer, and color by color. Right now, I'm putting on the basic base coats. Don't mind the dark gray of his body; Once the details and highlights are added, Puddles will look more white and light gray like he is in real life. Just you wait. When the pointillism happens, that's when things start to get real.

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Want to see all the other Mascot Series pieces? Visit: www.WeAreAllMascots.com