Up-cycled Clothing & Screen Printing

In the early months of 2024, I found myself in a difficult chapter of life.

I had recently invested in screen printing equipment to support my girlfriend at the time, who was launching her own clothing brand. I was inspired by her creativity and the way she used fashion as a tool for self-expression and advocacy, something that had always resonated with me. Years before, I had dabbled in painting t-shirts for music festivals and political rallies, but it never felt like more than a passing hobby.

When she decided to quit her day job to pursue her vision full-time, I was moved by her courage. But soon after, the relationship ended. And with it came a wave of heartbreak, confusion, and self-doubt. I kept asking myself: “Why did I pour so much into this if I wasn’t even sure where it would lead?” I felt unmotivated, stuck with equipment I didn’t know if I had the right to use, let alone the talent to use well.

Skills Demonstrated:

  • Creativity & Innovation

  • Entrepreneurship

  • Project Management & Execution

  • Resourcefulness & Adaptability

  • Sustainability & Environmental/Slow Fashion

  • Personal Growth & Development

  • Interpersonal & Collaboration Skills

But something inside me wouldn’t let go.

Rather than sell off the materials, I decided to try. To create. To process. I poured every ounce of grief, sorrow, and disorientation into my art. Somehow, the lessons I learned about doing hard things, failure, and perseverance connected deeply with my pain surrounding the reasoning I found inside myself for the deterioration of my relationship. Somewhere along the way, it started to feel less like a distraction and more like a transformation. The heartbreak became a doorway. Through trial and error, late nights, ruined prints, and small wins, I began uncovering parts of myself I hadn’t accessed in years: resilience, vision, and a creative pulse I hadn’t realized was mine.

Eventually, my prints got cleaner. My ideas grew bolder. I moved from pressing others’ designs to creating my own, and then to sewing pieces by hand, learning as I went, adding depth and texture to what I was building.

Now, fully in my element, I use this medium to speak on what matters most to me: climate, justice, and collective liberation. It’s an honor to merge art and activism, to create pieces that tell a story and invite others to care more deeply. For me, this work is about healing. It's about connection. And it’s about trusting that even the hardest moments can lead to something beautiful.

May the future never fail to bring me into new, unexplored adventures.

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This page will serve to showcase my previous works. To stay up to date on upcoming, limited edition runs, please follow me on instagram @ MikeyJProductions_

If you would like to commission a custom print, please reach out to me Via email @ MikeyJProductions96@gmail.com