During the filming of Beyond The Alleyways: The Dixieanne Story, my father and I set out to interview a wide range of people, mostly artists involved in the revitalization project along with those who helped coordinate it behind the scenes. Despite the never ending rain, technical setbacks, and shifting schedules, one interview stood out above the rest: a three-hour conversation with an artist named Leon Willis.

After 3 interviews in the cold rain, three hours in a nice art filled room might as well have been heaven on earth. 

Leon is a man of many facets. He's a graffiti artist, educator, and entrepreneur. He runs the I Love You Hoody brand, he is the founder of Sledgehammer Graphics, and he is a yoga instructor for disenfranchised communities. His story is rich with passion, purpose, and a deep connection to the neighborhoods he serves.

Leon wasn't phoning it in for his PAVERART piece, he brought his lifetime of experience he gained from honing his craft for years and has been shaping the next generation of artists for over a decade. Ever since 2013, he worked with high schoolers to teach them how to use graffiti and hip-hop as tools for self expression and confidence.

"We'd start with designing an alphabet. This graffiti is about calligraphy, hand styles and lettering. And so we'd start with getting them comfortable, one with me being their teacher, and then learning how to be comfortable with their own art, which is what they create, which to them may seem like this wouldn't be art, but if you're a graffiti writer, everything you write is art."

The I Love You Brand

What started as a mural quickly became a moneymaker. After Leon was unsatisfied with an art piece in Florida, he felt like he needed to make up for his shortcomings. That's when it dawned on him to make the "I Love You" mural in Stockton and Broadway.

 "A guy was like, if that was a hoodie, I would buy it. So then I made it into a print, printed it out, sold it to the dude. The dude posted it on Instagram. He was like, yo, look, check out this hoodie. They came from so-and-so. And the next thing you know, people were like, yo, I want one of those."

The brand caught on fast, fueled by word of mouth and Leon's iconic design. 

“What says I love you more than a hooded sweatshirt that literally says 'I Love You' on it?”

 

POPS: The Long Term vision

One of Leon's big ideas is called POPS (Place of Opportunity, Purpose, and Service). POPS is currently an art program designed to train, mentor and provide a creative outlet to people from all walks of life, but particularly people form marginalized backgrounds. Leon wants to turn POPS into something akin to a YMCA but for creative skills.

“POPS is where you come to learn about pop culture that you didn’t get from your pop.”

Leon wants to teach many skills, from screen printing, graphic design, hand-painted sign lettering, murals, to body movement. Leon created his own form of body movement in the form of Alphabetex, a graffiti inspired Tai Chi that turns letters into full body movement.

 

Spending three hours with Leon wasn't just an interview for us, it was a learning in how heart, hustle, and healing can all come from the same place. Leon doesn't just create murals or print on shirts, he teaches, creates symbols for communities, and mentors the youth.

Being involved on such a transformative community project, Leon embodies what we hoped to capture with the documentary: someone who uses creativity not just to express, but to uplift. 

If you would like to see more of Leon Willis, watch Beyond The Alleyways: The Dixieanne Story on YouTube now! 

If you want to read more about the behind the scenes, read here on the PAVERART Blog