Meet Kristian Mentor | Creative Director & Software Engineer

We had the good fortune of connecting with Kristian Mentor and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Kristian, is there something that you feel is most responsible for your success?
I’d say authenticity. From the days of me selling only t-shirts, to now stocking a diverse set of products – you could always tell that I put my all into a drop. What you put In, is what you get out. My creative process requires that whatever I’m working on, should be making me happy. If I get too frustrated in that pipeline, its usually a sign that I should switch gears to something else.

I remember reading an interview with Salehe Bembury and monster.com back in 2015. To quote him, I’d say that I’m designing for myself, rather than for a demographic that’s alien to me. That’s definitely gotten me the support and success I’ve experienced so far, people who have shared a similar upbringing, and similar interests. It helps that I have a pretty diverse set of inspirations, for sure!

Alright, so let’s move onto what keeps you busy professionally?
You know, my professional/creative career was always pretty crazy. When I was young, I was always super interested in gaming and art – at 14 I was creating content for MMOs that I played, and getting shit made within those games (I was a forum warrior, deadass). I also used to tinker around with a fighting game engine called MUGEN, to make my own games to play in my spare time, which was my first exposure to pixel art. That and Icy Tower (IYKYK).

I never really knew what I wanted to be growing up, but I did know that I wanted to work with computers. In highschool, I ended up getting accepted into NYU, and I immediately thought that computer science was a perfect major for me. Which it was! but it was incredibly tough. I went through this hellish combination of racism, depression, and financial anxiety. I would skip my engineering courses, and I attended the design courses instead ( I worked inside the media building, so professors would let me rock.)

Later, I dropped out of NYU and took a mental break, I didn’t think I’d be able to make a living pursuing art, so I always just put in on the backburner. Once I re-enrolled in Brooklyn College, I started to take academia more seriously: getting internships, grants, networking, the whole nine. I did mentoring, presented at conferences, created some cyber security tools, had my first experience in the corporate world, and yet… I felt like I was missing something.

So, in my final year of undergrad, I took a woodcut printmaking course, and it sort of rekindled the creative drive I had when I was way younger. I started doing my pixel art more in a structured manner. I learned how to take my art more seriously, rather than dismissing it. I realized I really enjoyed presenting a creative idea, and seeing how others felt about it.

For my final CS Project I was tasked with designing a website, but with one catch: it had to have a purpose. So I figured, why not make a prototype for a clothing brand? And in order to make that, I had to come up with a brand name…

I was working on some other assignments, when the name kind of came to me, on the screen: NULL.

So I decided on actually giving it a shot; combining the artwork I was already drawing, with this prototype of a site…and I managed to actually launch something. Now, I work as a Full-stack developer fulltime, and I run NULL NYC after my work hours. On top of that, I started animating, and I managed to hit 1 Billion views on my works via Giphy!

It’s really been a fulfilling experience. I realized how important it is to make decisions for yourself, and to be bold. The setbacks hurt, but it’s always really important to keep going. You never know far your ideas can take you.

If you had a friend visiting you, what are some of the local spots you’d want to take them around to?
First things first, we have to go gallery hopping in the Lower East side. They’ve got art for days, from interactive exhibits to contemporary art pieces that will really make you ponder them. Once you find one, you usually only have to walk a block or two before you find another gallery. Next up, I’ll show them the greatness that is Yaya tea garden — the onigiri goes CRAZY!

Another day, we’d probably check out prospect park. It’s a great open space to have a picnic, chill, and enjoy nature.

Depending on how illegal we feel like getting, I’d have them pull up with me to Bushwick and tag some pieces on vacant walls. In my head, its a way to reclaim parts of Brooklyn that have been lost to gentrification, and carry on a culture of rebelling against a society that seeks to erase us. It’s also really fun, after you get the hang of it.

Who else deserves some credit and recognition?
Its really tough to shout just one person out, from all the friends who have given me serious feedback/criticism while I was still just starting NULL up. But if there’s one person I’d have to give kudos to, it’d be my guy Liszt. He’s someone I could always trust, for career advice, design feedback, and overall, a great friend to confide in. Everyone needs that friend that they can be vulnerable around, and for me, it’s always been him.

Website: nullnyc.com

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/itskrisbruh/

Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/kmentor25/

Twitter: https://twitter.com/itskrisbruh

Other: My giphy channel: https://giphy.com/itsflossquiat

Image Credits
Infanint James Cindy Ramirez Kwami Lee Merzier Steven Billy