MASTER OF ALL TRADES

CHANNING AUSTIN

I have never been one to believe in the idea of the impossible. What is impossible, honestly? Flying? We created wingsuits to fly through canyons. Surviving underwater? We created submarines and scuba diving to solve that. Visiting the moon? We have spacecrafts and super cool astronaut suits to discover the galaxy.

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Seemingly, nothing is impossible as long as you choose something. Therein, arises the idea of impossible. I believe the greatest idea that people think is impossible, is pursuing all of your passions. We engrain this belief through rigid career paths, perceptions of time, and even cliches – “Jack of all trades, master of none.” In my opinion, that cliche is bullshit. With the one life I have, I am striving to be a master of all trades, and a jack of none.

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I am striving to be a master of all trades, and a jack of none.

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Growing up in Brooklyn, New York was an all you can eat, giant tasting menu. I saw and experienced just about every walk of life by the time I was 12 years old. Fortunately, my parents were able to give me opportunities to do anything I even moderately enjoyed. They signed me up for every sport you’ve ever heard of. I took music lessons for the piano, saxophone, guitar and drums. I went to summer camps ranging from creative writing, to art to interactive science to finance. It was safe to say they gave me every possible opportunity to discover new passions.

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My parents instituted a “no screens during the week” rule, so the only times I could play video games or watch TV was on weekends. However, when weekends came, I was far too busy. Thus, if boredom struck during the week, I chose from my grocery list of hobbies to entertain myself. The fast-pace of NYC, the confidence to always try, and the urge to always be doing something were drilled, jackhammered and then plowed into me.

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The fast-pace of NYC, the confidence to always try, and the urge to always be doing something were drilled, jackhammered and then plowed into me.

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Early on, I fell in love with baseball. I recall playing at fields under bridges, between high rises, and in public parks where the walk up songs were Spanish rhythms booming out of parked cars and games were interrupted as sunbathers searched for the elusive uncrowded plot of grass.

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My first memory of loving the game was with my dad. Often on weekends, the two of us biked into Prospect Park to play. On one particular day, the sun set creating a beautiful orange horizon over a sea of lush trees and bright green grass meadows. The ball flew up into the air, my dad put his left hand on the bat, and smacked the ball; it soared through the sky, in the shape of a perfect rainbow, landing right in front of me. I picked it up and tried to throw it all the way back, bouncing it in front of him. I’m not sure how far he was but you could have told me that my dad could hit a ball to the moon and I would have believed it. From that moment on, baseball was my thing. I told my friends in middle school that I was going to commit to a D1 school after my sophomore summer, and I did just that. And to this day, I tell them that I am going to play in the Major Leagues, and I intend on doing just that.

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And to this day, I tell them that I am going to play in the Major Leagues, and I intend on doing just that.

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As I grew older, I became obsessed with clothes. I enjoyed being stylish, but, more, I loved the way they made me feel. Wearing a garment that I felt screamed “CHANNING” was an invigorating and transformative process. I quickly became addicted, scrolling for hours on Grailed (a resale site) and spending weekends scouring clothing stores. I would often just feel and look at the clothes. History lectures, assemblies, and science classes blurred as I entered my dream state, creating looks and garments until the bell rang.
 

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Not long after, I began making t-shirts. I created design after design on Adobe Photoshop and printed them onto t-shirts using a printing press my aunt bought for me. I started selling my shirts to friends.Getting to see the fulfillment they got from wearing them motivated me to keep creating.

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And so I did just that. During winter break of my freshman year of college, my best friend, Oliver McCarthy, and I set out on a mission to make a painting with strangers in New York City. We bundled up in layers of clothes, hopped on electric bikes with a canvas strapped to our backs and were off. Starting in Harlem we worked our way down all the way to lower Manhattan asking random people along the way to contribute to our painting. In the end, the painting looked amazing, but what was even more empowering was the reactions of the 23 people who painted on it; many felt a sense of freedom from doing something so spontaneous and foreign to them.

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Riding this high, we created a sunglasses company called Hangover Glasses. The glasses use a deeply saturated forest green lens, which is intended to help you relax and help your brain calm down when you’re hungover. Eventually, we will also be creating a new brand furthering our creative explorations.

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Personally, my creative explorations ventured further into art. I grew up in a family where art was admired, appreciated and celebrated. I’m the grandson of an artist and art curator and the son of a former DJ. In my house, my sister, Kennedy, and I were always encouraged to go after what we loved and make what we wanted. After straying away from art for a while, over the past year I’ve leaned back into my love of painting. I’m often more infatuated with the process of creating the painting, and the symbolism that it holds then the end product. .

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As you may be able to discern, I’m always doing. I cannot sit still and love being busy. I credit that to the “New York” in me. When I tell people the things I do, they often ask, “So, after college, do you want to play professionally or pursue your art and fashion?” To which I respond “all of it.”

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When I tell people the things I do, they often ask, “So, after college, do you want to play professionally or pursue your art and fashion?” To which I respond “all of it.”

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My best friend says this line that I love: “The man with the most stories in the end, wins.” So, in the name of creating stories, I’m going to pursue every, single, one of my passions, and hopefully by the end I’ll have quite the compelling novel.

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Watching all of my passions come to fruition will be my greatest collection of stories.