Brandon “CRSH.” White of Inglewood on Life, Lessons & Legacy

Brandon “CRSH.” White shared their story and experiences with us recently and you can find our conversation below.

Hi Brandon “CRSH.” , thank you for taking the time to reflect back on your journey with us. I think our readers are in for a real treat. There is so much we can all learn from each other and so thank you again for opening up with us. Let’s get into it: Are you walking a path—or wandering?
Phenomenal question. I’m wandering like a MF. haha. But truth be told I’m starting to believe we’re all just wandering + maybe the path that we create is based on how much intention we have when wandering. When I hear “wander” I hear “experiment” + I don’t know of any artist that successfully walked their own path without experimentation. One thing I can say is I know which direction feels right; maybe I’m strategically wandering.

Can you briefly introduce yourself and share what makes you or your brand unique?
My name is CRSH. (pronounced Crash). I am a multi-disciplinary artists in the realms of Photography, Music, Creative Direction + Filmmaking. I’ve been in Los Angeles, CA since 2016. I came out here with a mission to pursue music + in 2018 I launched my company “room for error.” as a recording studio on the path to being a record label. I hit a lot of glass ceilings + hardships so I put the idea down for a minute + in 2020 I re-launched “room for error.” with the goal of leaping into visual arts + running away from the concept of perfectionism. Film street photography was the foundation which over the years led to film/digital portraiture + motion picture. Now with sincerity I can say that the company has taken form as a bespoke + emerging creative agency/production company, servicing artists, brands + other agencies in the realm of fashion, music, sports, live events + executive level branding. The past 5 years it’s been nothing short of a blessing being able to contribute my talents to various entities including Nike, Meta, Snapchat + Wells Fargo, as well as exceptional music artists like THEY., Baby Rose + India Shawn.

I couldn’t really tell you for sure what the people find interesting about my work or approach through “room for error.”. I have the type of work that nobody really likes/comments/shares online but in person those same people would tell me it’s phenomenal. I only know what I think of it: my work is an ode to what I experienced visually as a kid. As a late 80’s baby, my childhood was immersed in 90’s era films. More importantly for me, it was the golden age of Black cinema with mesmerizing contributions from Spike Lee, John Singleton, Allen + Albert Hughes, Marion Van Peebles to name a few. I had no choice but to fall in love with the filmic + moody imagery because that’s all there was for me to witness. Tim Burton was also a huge inspiration; I watched “Batman Returns” religiously. If I wasn’t watching movies, I was addicted to music videos on BET + MTV where the love was reinforced by offerings from Hype Williams, Director X, Dave Meyers + others leading into the 2000’s. I found comfort in the visuals being filmic, vibrant yet gritty, often unpolished with unapologetic shadows + contrast. Later in high school art class I would dive deeper into the characteristics of shadow by studying chiaroscuro + tenebrism from the works of Baroque-era painters such as Caravaggio, Rembrandt + Rubens. The shit was breathtaking + aside from Salvador Dali’s work, it carried an emotional weight unlike I’ve ever encountered at the time. Studying paintings is also how I learned about the value of composition. So by the time I seriously picked up the camera having never taken a photography class ever, instinctually I knew how I wanted my work to look. My work isn’t for everyone but I think that’s what makes it interesting, the fact I am disinterested in appealing to the masses. I’m more interested in appealing to the soul, primarily my soul, with hopes that it connects with the soul of the observer. I’ve stopped wasting emotions on what the world thinks it wants. The world isn’t loyal + can never be trusted.

Okay, so here’s a deep one: Who were you before the world told you who you had to be?
This gotta be a trick question. The way I see it, the world been telling us all how to be since birth. I’d even die on a hill saying the programming started before we were born + it was designed to ensure we don’t become what we truly want to be. I think a better question for me is “Who was I before I told myself who I had to be?”

Storytime: I always been a good, smart + creative kid. That much as hasn’t changed leading into adulthood. What has changed is how I show up for myself. As a kid, I wasn’t good at setting boundaries for myself when it came to other kids which led to being bullied a few times. In therapy I learned they were dealing with internal battles that nothing to do with me, yet they took it out on me verbally or violently, due to me not setting the boundary + allowing the actions to happen. My sense of generosity as child made me an open target. Low key, basketball was the main thing that saved me. I was good at it as a kid which award me a high degree of popularity. With that came respect + I did everything in my power to keep it. I remember in 5th grade, there was this bully type kid that went to the elementary school. I think he was held back so he was older than the rest of us and it felt like he was like 2 ft taller than all of us. He was a troublemaker + real intimidating kid, we’ll call him “Bad Kid”. One day in gym glass we were playing a 5 on 5 basketball game. Bad Kid was on the opposing team + he wasn’t playing fair, committing defensive fouls against me + my team the whole game. He wasn’t honoring the our calls either. Towards the end of the game I was fed up + told myself the next time he foul me I’m punching him dead in his face. Next play I get the ball + Bad Kid is guarding me. I take 2 dribbles, he reach in for a steal + barely taps my arm. I got a clear shot of his face so I had to seize the moment. I drop the ball + punch him as hard as I could. I was a little dude compared to him so the punch didn’t really do much so I got in guard mode, absorbing some of his punches until the gym teacher stops the fight. Gym teacher sends him to office but not me. For some reason that didn’t sit right with me since I started the fight. I tell the gym teacher that I started the fight to which he was real surprised. He had to follow protocol + sent me to the office next.

I was shocked when I got the office to see Bad Kid in tears, crying because the principal was about to expel him. He was afraid of what his mom would do to him if he were to get kicked out of school. I was probably the only kid in the world to ever see Bad Kid cry. This shit was unheard of. Can’t lie, I felt powerful, but I knew I had to be responsible. I requested to talk to the principal + proposed a deal to where Bad Kid + I would forfeit our lunch recess for a week + instead clean up the cafeteria after all the students ate lunch, that way Bad Kid can stay in school. Principal thought it over for like 20 minutes + agreed to the deal. Bad Kid + I peaced it up + became friends immediately, I just saved his ass. We both got sent home early so we weren’t around to see the word get out about the fight. It circulated through the whole school. When I arrived at the school the next morning, everybody was looking at me like a damn celebrity. Girls I hardly spoke to was saying hi + smiling. I was on. The air was thick as I walked up to Bad Kid. The kids were on edge anticipating another fight so you can imagine the look on their faces when they saw me + Bad Kid dap each other up on some homie vibes. Their minds were warped. Nobody disrespected me ever again after that. From that moment I told myself for the rest of my life: “THIS IS WHO I HAVE TO BE!” Someone that doesn’t tolerate disrespect no matter how big the person or entity is. I say all this to say: in the industry I’m in, creatives get taken advantage of like clockwork, most being too scared to set boundaries + stand firm on their own worth. Whether it be a client not respecting your rate or trying exploit you via contract, if you let them play you, they always will. I’ll always swing back because like with Bad Kid, swinging back exposes their true nature + can earn you the respect (+ money) you deserve.

What fear has held you back the most in your life?
The fear of believing that if unless I did everything myself, it wouldn’t get done effectively. That was just a lie I had to come to terms with over time. My fear of releasing control + trusting people from a collaborative standpoint definitely held me back from developing the community I needed in the early stages of my creative career. A lot of that fear stemmed from bad experiences working with people who had no real idea what I was trying to accomplish + truth be told it was my fault. I didn’t know how to explain it. I remember when I first started recording music I’d tell the engineer I wanted to sound like I was in the Batcave + he’d look at me crazy. I didn’t know what I needed to say was “add reverb.” I had to stop assuming everyone thought like me, had the same values as me, paid enough attention to detail like me + went all in like me. I had to start enhancing the ability to convey my intentions + ideas in a more digestible way so collaborators could understand the mission. I learned this overtime being on various sets for music videos, commercials + movies studying directors, watching how crews move. By the grace, my collaborative efforts as of late have been amounting to great outcomes. I’ve been a lone wolf for my most my journey so it’s been both surprising + humbling to see people reaching out who want to assist me with my ideas + projects. Makes me want to go the distance in a real way.

Next, maybe we can discuss some of your foundational philosophies and views? What do you believe is true but cannot prove?
Social Media was either designed or co-opted in its early stages with the intent of surveilling users, studying user behavior to implement more effective advertising + extracting user data points to feed + enhance generative AI models. Generative AI models either aren’t that intelligent or are defective by design, similar to slot machines, where the success of your prompts is contingent upon how much money you feed into the models +/or what type of tier plan you subscribe to monthly. Now add the multiple AI models needed to execute a project + you got yourself another rent payment. I’m wise enough to acknowledge generative AI is exceptionally unique + will continue to usher in new + efficient ways to create; I’m even finding ways to implement in my own workflow, but at it’s core, I believe it’s just a cash grab all around.

Okay, we’ve made it essentially to the end. One last question before you go. Are you doing what you were born to do—or what you were told to do?
I’m doing what I was born to do, by the grace. Now it’s just a matter of finding ways to remain this way as the world does what it wants to do.

Contact Info:

• Instagram: @roomforerror_
• Other: personal IG: @crsh.land