Today we’d like to introduce you to Al Leake.
Hi Al, it’s an honor to have you on the platform. Thanks for taking the time to share your story with us – to start maybe you can share some of your backstory with our readers?
I’ve always been a fan of art but often shied away from expressing myself artistically. My father was in the Military, and I remember he’d sketch things such as army weapons and tanks. He passed away when I was 11, and art is one of the things that bonded us and brought a lasting connection. It meant the world to me, spending time with my dad and being able to visualize what he’d seen through those small illustrations. It took some time, but after his passing I later realized expressing myself through art was a way to keep his memory alive.
During my high school years and the MySpace era, I became a fan of album artwork. Miami Kaos was the first artist that stood out to me. His designs were unique and something I’d never seen before, and as I now realize, would be the inspiration for my own graphic designing career.
After graduating high school, my mom passed away. Losing not one but both of my parents left me lost and uninspired. I was often searching for an outlet to keep their memories alive. Around this time, I met the owner of a local clothing brand and developed a close bond with him and his team. He later became my mentor and introduced me to PhotoShop. This was a very important time for me, as I would find the outlet I needed to keep my parent’s memories alive while also starting a career in graphic design.
Fast forward to today, I’ve since worked with plenty of local talent, local businesses and many globally known corporations. I’ve helped create clothing brands, dedicated zines of inspiration to my parents and friends, and I’ve been able to steadily grow and develop my skills through artistic expression.
Alright, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
The road has definitely been hard. I’ve lost a lot of people in my life and being an artist, it’s really hard because most of this stuff is a mental game. The mental battle have been the worst for me. Whether is my art not being good enough, balancing life/work or when is my next gig coming in it’s really tough.
Can you tell our readers more about what you do and what you think sets you apart from others?
Graphic design / Art direction I pretty much do it all but I think people would most know me for my cover artwork.
I’m proud that I made it this far simple as that I’m grateful for everything.
I leave what sets me apart from others, that’s up to whoever is viewing my art that’s the beauty of art
What matters most to you? Why?
What matters the most to me is the love. Rather I love someone or I love this project. It always comes back to love. But also being a black graphic designer is something I’m really proud of. I don’t really see too many black designers and I want to help show we can do the same jobs as the next person. We have the same skill and can be great!
Contact Info:
- Email: ByBiggAl@gmail.com
- Website: ByBiggAl.com
- Instagram: unxle.al
- Twitter: UNCLExAL
Image Credits
Personal Picture of me was by: Oscar Madrigal
