Life, Values & Legacy: Our Chat with brian awitan of Hollywood

We recently had the chance to connect with brian awitan and have shared our conversation below.

Hi brian, thank you so much for joining us today. We’re thrilled to learn more about your journey, values and what you are currently working on. Let’s start with an ice breaker: Would YOU hire you? Why or why not?
I would NOT hire me. I am 55 yrs old and still don’t know what I want to do. While I have had success in a specific industry for 30 yrs, I no longer want to be rewarded for performing an acquired skill-set the best/most efficient. The mystery (of it all) from my formative years, that you work so hard to minimize, has proven to be the only constant and satisfying thing I seek now.

I was recently speaking with a long-time mentor and he kept suggesting that I needed a “thing” or a “handle”, that specified exactly “what I did” and how important that was to define. Then it immediatly reminded me of the Oscar Wilde sentiment “if you don’t know who you want to be that is your gift” and that not having a fixed, predetermined identity is not a weakness but a strength. Rather than being a punishment, it is a reward that provides the freedom and flexibility to explore, grow, and become anything.

Can you briefly introduce yourself and share what makes you or your brand unique?
I’m Brian Awitan. I consider myself a creative. It’s taken me many years to have the strength to describe myself in that way. My pace and viewpoint is being influenced continually by things I come across. There are many kinds of expression that I’m sensitive to. While I didn’t necessarily believe it before, I now realize their are many forms of creativity without actually working with your hands. Through art, music, film and design, I seek those that CAN do all those things and surround myself with all those interests I can’t readily do myself and participate in them by proxy – championing those artist/creatives and using my own imagination and sense of magic to help them realize their endeavors.

Okay, so here’s a deep one: Who taught you the most about work?
I have recently been working with artist Tyler Hays and his incredibly dynamic BDDW design studio. It’s a completely new industry for me and I am learning, literally by the hour. As mentioned, the mystery is what I seek and it’s so energizing for me to be in scenarios and NOT know all/any answers. In a short time here, I have been learning the real value of voting for yourself. My past professional experience is in fashion and entertainment and seeing those creatives often following proven scripted paths to varying degrees of success. Tyler created BDDW to represent himself, say in lieu of outside formal representation and has expanded his painting and sculpting origins to multiple disciplines that include ceramics, furniture design, lighting, audio and textiles. The choices made in the effort to build every discipline from scratch, all the way down at a material level, to then make interested composition has fueled my appreciation with new understanding. In the way you have to be incredibly tender to be strong… watching all these artists embrace their vulnerability to then expose it for others to then become devoted is so satisfying.

If you could say one kind thing to your younger self, what would it be?
I recently found a letter i had written to my younger self in 1994, when i was 24 at the time;

“Hey Brian, Your high school sweetheart isn’t gonna work out in the end… it’s a long story. Your future will have kids, but not as many as you prob want. It’s ok. & that job you’re working… well, you’re gonna have to work there for another year and some months… & then you’re gonna get fired. You’re gonna work a couple more jobs after that too. nothing glamorous. def more retail and maybe wholesale if you really want the specifics. But you’re never gonna be homeless or starving. Don’t worry you won’t fail and have to move back to Houston either. You are gonna get your heartbroken though. Twice. If it helps, the first one is gonna be worse than the second. contrary to how it feels, it won’t kill you. In fact it’s gonna help you be even more independent. Yeah, you will need people less, but in healthy ways. People like you. You’ll actually be more creative than you think. It won’t all be good and most people won’t think you’re talented at first, but you’re going to master your gifts. You’re going to become a lot stronger and wiser… even a little taller. Be patient. I mean, you kind of have no choice. And be good to people. Always remember that death isn’t the opposite of life, but a part of it. I don’t wanna spoil too much for you, but… you’re on your 50 yr old retirement plan right on time, working projects on your terms. It’s all working out. You’ll make it.”
Brian Awitan (Letter to self, 1994)

So a lot of these questions go deep, but if you are open to it, we’ve got a few more questions that we’d love to get your take on. Whose ideas do you rely on most that aren’t your own?
Yohji Yamamoto.. His life story is so incredible. The wisdom from the arc of his life is something I constantly go back to. He is an extremely self-aware and deep feeling individual. Beyond his obvious design talent and endless enthusiasms he partakes in, there are soooooo many quotes from any number of his daily conversations/interviews that remain a compass. A fave;

“Creation is lifework, creation is how you spend your life, you cannot divide life on the creation, it is impossible. Shut your eyes, close your ears, don’t use your brain, use your heart, your soul, hands, fingers. I shout; live your creative life, live your creative life.”

Okay, so let’s keep going with one more question that means a lot to us: What do you think people will most misunderstand about your legacy?
I’m Generation X. Coming up professionally, there was definitely a hardline ethos of sticking to a job/company for as long as possible. Any change or bounce was traditionally frowned upon. I actually did that a lot, that bounce. I know that has been misunderstood. For me it was always rooted in my personal growth. If I wasn’t learning or being exposed to something new, it was always time for me to keep it moving. I definitely wish I had cared less about the naysayers at the time, but it’s actually way more sweeter now. I will say that I have worked for so many companies and creatives that I have always dreamed of working for/with. I hold way more pride than shame in that, today, than I did in those trajectory years.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://bddw.com/
• Instagram: @iknowbrianawitan
• Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/brian-awitan-31958a272?utm_source=share&utm_campaign=share_via&utm_content=profile&utm_medium=ios_app