Is it better to have had it and lost it, or never had it all? Undress God would tell you that both situations can lead to a beautiful thing. Hailing from Ecuador but being a New Jersey native since the age of two, he’s been through a few peculiar situations that have led him to be the man and the artist he is today. Having gone from re-washing diapers to making it to the upper class and living what seemed to be the American dream, a lot happened along the way bringing him back to a place of success and comfort but this team he has a lesson to teach along the way. Many things have changed since he was a boy simply painting to be like his father and make him proud, but his ambitions and goals have always remained large. One of the goals isn’t exactly to push anybody out of their beliefs, but aid people in pushing themselves to a higher level. “To undress everybody’s typical notion of God and revamping it in a way that will help some people, that’s where Undress God comes from.”
Being a man in his early 20s at the time of the economic crisis when adversity struck the hardest certainly gave him a firmer and more logical grasp of just how unexpected life could be, and from there he undressed himself. A lesson that didn’t go unnoticed was how important it is to achieve purpose and be comfortable with yourself, ever since then he’s been set out to enable the human race to human excellence, something that billionaires and other elitists won’t do. Of course the task is easier said than done, yet U.G. has always had a quiet confidence about himself that he recalls since he was a young and natural artist “I never really needed an outlier to motivate, I always saw myself as my own hero, I knew what I needed to do and it’s been a long journey from there.” Although always having a mindset concentrated on ways to make money, his upbringing taught him a strong work ethic that didn’t necessarily teach the pursuit of passion. Couple that with growing up in a town where being an artist wasn’t necessarily the way to have people take you serious “Put it this way, one of my friends took guitar lessons and he told our friends and they laughed at that, so I kind of kept everything to myself.”
Nonetheless, the show went on, being the true hustler he is he used his creative skills to air brush old clothes for folks around town and revamping wardrobes into new coutures for a fee. This natural nose for finding ways to make money then carried over to making custom paintings during his time studying as an art major. “I needed to live, so I said I’m going to make paintings and do it for the money, not even thinking I could make a career of it and once the downfall hit I made paintings for my managers at the Cheesecake Factory but even then I never saw it as a passion.” After spending some time reaping the benefits of his work as a realtor and displaying what he refers to as his macro patience by seeing the grand scheme of things, he dropped most of his other ventures three years ago and began devoting himself to being a full fledged human. Much like how each animal is a full fledged version of themselves, he’s made changes to his diet through veganism and other lifestyle choices that will enable him to perform to the highest capability and communicate this message through his art.
“The journey I’m going through now is completely dedicated to my art, so I remain patient.” By not being caught up in the whirlwind of his work he keeps himself from being made mad and from going mad and reaching the point of no going back and losing patience with himself. “You don’t need to be a slave to anyones words or any other actions, I’ve learned through experience that love is a quality and it’s best that way, because if it’s an action then if you miss a certain step that love will not be there.” He hopes that by being in control of ourselves, we can avoid the tragedy of not living to our fullest potential and fail to achieve the life and world we hope to construct for ourselves. By avoiding committing to a signature style that dictates the work and letting karma guide how he jumps into each piece, he feels he has a strong left hook to hit people with when they look at his work because it is a continuous theme camouflaged in different looks which can be found by those who are attentive enough.
Although U.G. may have uncontrived and nonchalant approach to his art, thanks to his real estate background giving him a business acumen he can’t be taken for a fool or taken advantage of despite some sharks lurking through the water. “You either have to buy my art or we write something on contract to the event of what I’m doing, when I first started people used to throw money at me and ask for a few free pieces after the event, but now it’s been more serious and I’ve set my price for what I need to be doing.” Now having curated a few projects and even getting involved in a short film, such savvy has begun to show dividends as he has dabbled his foot into broader ventures. Giving new things a shot is something he encourages everybody to do no matter what path of life they may be walking on right now “If they find joy in it, just do it and try it out, it doesn’t matter if it’s good or bad that doesn’t really matter, jump into everything that makes you scared.”
Experience has become U.G.’s compass as he navigates through his career, being so bold and fearless has led him to cook up collaborations with Dutchmaster, Bruno’s Pizzeria and a myriad of other moves that will hopefully lead to grander opportunities for the man himself. Although everything that comes is certainly exciting, his focus and appreciation is certainly on the bigger picture, since he could have rushed into all of these things but left them in the water in order for perfect timing, which seems to be the right decision with all the upcoming changes in New Jersey. A fully immersive experience is what really counts to U.G. rather than just rushing things out like a machine. “The joy really comes in knowing you finished something that you put your conscious mind into, art is very personal, it’s like people who sing and don’t want anybody to hear their voice, so knowing that I may make somebody with a piece that I may not have liked, so feeling all those emotions is satisfying.”
Although giving in was an easy option after all the adversity thrown in his direction, and seeing how immigrants actually fit into the states, U.G. has used the strong support of his family and fans into a fuel to reach his fullest potential. The notion of seeking nirvana may seem like a ludicrous or foreign concept to many, and U.G. understands that, but if that’s the case for anybody reading this, he insists his message isn’t for you at all “I’m only talking to people who want to change their body, their mind, and their emotions, and they want full control, if your mind doesn’t rise up from compulsion of your body then I’m not talking to you, my message won’t resonate.” Having put himself into a position where his message could echo down various different avenues that he has now handpicked himself, Undress God has undressed the models traditionally laid out in front of him and dressed it up to his liking and happily taking it down his own path.
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Written By Alfredo C.
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