SA
Theo, how has your Friday been?
T
Quite snazzy, honestly. Had attended a birthday party for a family friend and it was great to see familiar faces. Had a short convo with someone that I, hm, I wouldn’t say I disliked, but it reminded me of why I make the decisions I make now. How was yours?
SA
I once saw something by the artist Tania Bruguera that said ‘How you enable people to disagree with you is a measure of your belief in community’, and I’ve been trying to hold that whenever I engage with people who rub me the wrong way. My Friday was yesterday! And it was interesting. Hotel quarantine means I can’t leave my pod for 2 weeks. It’s feeling very Jetsons meets Lost in Translation.
I want to talk to you about Good Posture – can you tell me a bit about your practice with it? If and how has the idea of slow production shaped the way you navigate the platform?
T
Profound quote and a profound way to look at it. I agree. Jetson meets Lost In Translation is a great visual by the way. You’re literally in the future.
Posture is my vehicle for research and a way to understand the world around me, truly. I initially launched it under the idea that it would be a traditional clothing brand but after many attempts and opportunities to fulfill that it was clear that the work here with Posture was for me more than anyone else. I was a direct reflection of the work; as I grew it grew. Those initial experiences of attempting to BE something, whether a brand, a record label, an idea tank — all of those attempts helped to clarify to me that it was beyond the shell of what those things represented. It was important to go beyond the veneer of these titles and categories and explore what it is. I came out on the other end of it with clarity that Posture was all of those things and more, but the approach was through my own lens and through my own experiences. I think knowing there are limits and knowing boundaries to what I did allows me to be absolutely efficient to that degree. By not choosing to race I’ve uncovered a vast world where anything I do is possible. That’s only come about by pausing, by looking at things very deeply and clearly. I felt very insecure about that growing up, felt insecure about taking things serious, about caring. But it’s the most valuable because it’s where presence lies.
SA
You’re touching on so much good stuff. Two things that immediately come to mind:
1) This idea of having no predetermined goal. Allowing the work to show for itself without any projected expectations other than for it to be a project that runs fluidly and is a reflection of the current world and politic. I think that’s what’s so cool about Posture, having the space to reevaluate – if it’s clear the fashion industry is unsustainable, it means not considering the crisis of climate change an end to the project but instead looking at the reality of the future and thinking about how the platform can now adapt to better serve folks as the world changes in a way that’s more long lasting and ethical.
2) The other thing that is very striking is this idea of pause that you practice with. I don’t think a lot of us really knew what it meant to stop, put things down and be still for a moment until the pandemic hit and we were forced to. Call it divine intervention? In May, after we had been put on pause for a few months, carbon emissions had dropped by 17%, so the Earth was clearly healing by the collective forced pause. Suddenly, there was this phenomenon, among creatives especially, where folks were running to other modes of productivity, almost in a spiral. Everyone was talking about ‘Shakespeare wrote King Lear during the plague’, there was this urgency to make make make make. A very internalized effect of neoliberal structures of productivity. So again, even when the external was forcing us to stop, it was difficult for the collective to be still internally, creatively. We’ve been talking about rest and play as integral to our practice – how have you been moving through rest and play with your creative work?
T
Thanks so much. Thanks for sharing this space to talk honestly, deeply and thoughtfully. You know it sounds fluffy but it’s something I don’t take for granted because I’m aware of its rarity. I’m aware because I’ve offered to many with the expectation that it would be reciprocated, but it takes understanding it’s worth to know not to treat it recklessly. So thank you. Going through your points here, my brain is firing off reponses like a rocket lol. It’s so amazing to make work, allow it to BE (aka fluidity), and for it to reflect the current world. That’s amazing! It’s so simple but incredibly difficult to put into practice. You have to earn that. It’s an arrival, if you will. And it takes removing the veil from one’s eyes to see that. Because it’s always there, right in front of you. Or us, rather. I LOVE reevaluating. There’s great power in changing one’s mind. There is a power struggle in every relationship, especially interpersonal where you do one thing and your partner does another. But the idea of opting out, of changing your mind is the door you never quite think to open. But I love opening that door. Because the game comes to an end and what it is is always revealed in that moment. I hope I’m not going off track here – I’m just flowing. With Posture I love slowly arriving to the realization of what it is. Fuck what it can be, should be, etc. Let’s look at it for what it is. It’s allowed adaptability, I can serve others by being present. And as it changes, we change too. That’s okay. Who says we can’t? What’s this secret code that says we can’t change? That’s demonic.
It reminds me of the project that was inspired by my own experiences walking and by our current pandemic, race war, etc. I walk a great deal, be it that I’m a city boy or prefer to exercise my thoughts by talking aloud and walking through a neighborhood – it’s my thing. It’s cathartic. I like routine, I like to awaken in the morning, meditate right where I lay, and slowly enter the day. That’s important to me. I don’t think rushing into anything makes the work better. And I’ve realized that over time for me it’s what works best. Because while I’m easing in the day, it’s also building up this anticipation to dive into my work with a laser-like focus. It’s like the movies you watch when a wave climbs so high and everything goes silent and you know the crash of the wave will just be massive, you know? It’s that build up. And it’s an important balance and flow for me. I’ve come to understand how I prefer to work, when I prefer to work, the type of work I prefer to do. I’ve explored all of that. It’s created a system if you will. It’s what allows the slowness and efficiency and the other things that make this thing work. If I compromise it by doing too much, or doing work that pulls me out of myself I feel it immediately.
SA
Can you tell me about the walking club you have been thinking about?
T
Sure. So I love to walk. I’m not the biggest fan of running lol. Walking for me is beyond just walking, it’s integral. It’s what our bodies do best. We’re not the fastest mammals, we’re great at walking. Plus it’s incredible for your mind, body and “spirit”. I say “spirit” with quotes as I mean the energy moved within your mind and body, not denoting any religious practice
From Why Walking Helps Us Think by Ferris Jabr for the New York Times
Insight comes from walking. It’s not a conscious thing to do. I love that. It’s a lot like me. I like to walk at my own pace and I have my own gait. I love it. The walking club is for any and everyone. There is literally nothing you need to join. The slogan is, “if you want to join – just start walking”. I’ve made some shoe insoles that folks can insert into any pair of their own shoes to walk. Shit, if you’re wearing shoes to work and you want to join, guess what, you can. It’s an open door to collaborate. And all that I’m doing here is collaborating. There’s an album I’m making that will accompany the Walking Club titled, Walking Music. If you need a soundtrack for your walk, guess what, you’ve got one lol.
SA
Oof yes – the idea of walking as an act of consciousness raising is super subversive, especially in a city like New York, which is characterized by it’s fast pace. I also think it is anti establishment in the way that it asks you to be with your body for how it moves, as opposed to what it could look like, pushing against wellness industries which commodify self depreciation. Do you have info for folks who would be interested in joining an upcoming walk?
T
Hahah, yup. I love it. Subversive is right. It’s opting out of the game. And it’s not even intentional but everything is informed by that thought. By this clear understanding. So I win before I even begin. Let me ask you this: how would you go about joining a walk? How would you interact with this idea? It’s so open source and part of my curiosity lies in understanding how to even wrap my head around it. It’ll show itself in the final hour I’m sure but I’m a curious cat.
SA
There’s so much agency in this!! It is truly boundaryless and is able to cross borders and work horizontally on so many levels. I’m thinking about my parents who take walks every night after dinner & early Saturday morning walks to meet friends for coffee. And all of these people could essentially come together or be part of one larger project, wow!
T
I love that!! I think it’s something that will be informed by the people and thus another stage of it will take place. One large conversation if you will.
SA
The fleshing out of a blueprint! So excited for this & for you & for what is to come.
As we reach the end of this conversation, 1. How does your energy feel right now, can you describe in 3 words? And 2. If you were to collaborate with 5 artists on a future walking club soundtrack, who would they be?
T
Power, light, immense gratitude.
5 artists to work with on future walking club soundtrack: Jay-Z, I love his voice, My Mother & Father, I’d want to tape a conversation of a day in their lives. Dev Hynes is a master. It’d be fun to work with him in this space, It’d be sick to have Marcos Valle soundtrack my walk and document the entire thing. Hmm, I like that idea lol. Herbie Hancock too!
Theo Martins founded Good Posture in 2014 as an outlet to channel his various interests, emphasizing his relationship between music, products, furniture and Art. The Good Posture record label, which re-launched in 2020 serves as a platform for Martins and various artists from around the world.
Martins launched Cereal & Such in 2016, initially launching as a cereal bar and now functioning as a cereal & product company, with “Cinnamon Squares” as it’s signature cereal. It’s output, like Posture, is a continuous stream of ideas, collaborations and music.