01
J Cole
Music
“The only dream worth having is to dream that you will live while you're alive.”
6v1d — Six voices. One direction.
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These aren't just references. They're the reason the work looks the way it does — six people across music, fashion, performance, activism and storytelling.
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Voices
Six voices.
One direction.
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02
Virgil Abloh
Design & Fashion
“Find your voice, and use it. Don't imitate.”
03
Michael Jackson
Performance
“In a world filled with hate, we must still dare to hope.”
04
Pharrell Williams
Music & Creative Direction
“I've always believed that if you don't stay moving, they will throw dirt on you.”
05
Tame Iti
Activism & Art
“We are not protesters. We are protectors.”
06
Stan Lee
Storytelling
“With great power there must also come great responsibility.”
Approach
Influence in. Original work out.
Collect the signal
01Notice what keeps pulling you back: a verse, a silhouette, a stance. Keep a record of it before you know why it matters.
Find the principle
02Look past the surface style to the decision underneath it. That decision is the part worth borrowing, not the look.
Make it your own
03Run the principle through your own place, people and context until it comes out as something only you could have made.
Borrowed light.
Original work.
Influence isn't a shortcut, it's a starting point. The six voices on this page set the bar; the work still has to clear it.
In their words
Words worth keeping.
Activism & Art
We are not protesters. We are protectors.
— Tame Iti
Design & Fashion
Find your voice, and use it. Don't imitate.
— Virgil Abloh
Storytelling
With great power there must also come great responsibility.
— Stan Lee
Principles
Don't imitate.
Interpret.
Every voice on this page earned its place by changing how the work gets made, not just how it looks. These are the rules they left behind.
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Use it. Don't imitate. Taste is what you choose to keep, and the work gets sharper every time you leave something out.
After Virgil Abloh
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Momentum beats polish. Ship it, learn from it, ship the next one. Standing still is how the dirt gets thrown on you.
After Pharrell Williams
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Make work that leaves people a little better than it found them. Optimism is a design decision too.
After Michael Jackson
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Know where the work comes from and carry it with care. Some things are not raw material; they are responsibility.
After Tame Iti
The roster
Six names. One throughline.
Say hello.
Building something new, rethinking something old, or just want to trade references? Always glad to hear from you.