Van Alpert: A Few Of My Favourite Things

With hundreds of millions of YouTube views under his belt (most notably from a breakthrough Post Malone music video), you might expect Alldayeveryday's Van Alpert to have eschewed his graffiti art past and now shower himself in towers of bling.

However, as is clear from this rundown of items he keeps around himself for creative inspiration, Alpert's authenticity and heritage are key to his output.

Incorporating expressive props, personal pendants and self-made swag, Alpert's favourite things are an insight into his signature street culture realism.

The Essentials

I love the line in the movie Heat where De Niro says, “Don’t let yourself get too attached to anything you are not willing to walk out on in 30 seconds flat if you feel the heat around the corner.” 

Not in a criminal way, but in a practical sense. What if there’s a fire or something serious you need to move quick!

I like to have my important items pretty much able to fit in my pockets, or a backpack at most. 

TVs and computers get old after years and tables and chairs are a dime a dozen anywhere in the world. 

I was lucky enough to take some of my favorite photos of my parents, I also have photos of my sister and brothers. 

That's pretty much it!

The Art

I like to have the rooms in my house totally empty, with a mix of works in progress and finished pieces to confront me all day, leaning against the walls. 

I have only hung one or two pieces in my bedroom or bathroom and those are from other artists. 

I think it’s important to have other artists’ work living with you. 

Sometimes, I think about the next person who will be inside my house or apartment and I want them to be inspired like, “Van Alpert was in here creating.” 

Hopefully, that would inspire a person to keep moving forward, to get to the next place from there.  

The Lightning Bolt

The lightning bolts are my signature mark in time right now, something that I play with over and over. 

It’s a symbol that connects with a lot of people and is open to interpretation. 

I don’t know how to explain this art, other than that it’s what I want to create – it’s something I'm constantly developing in my own little art world in my head. 

The bolts will move around the world and be here on earth longer than me. 

I think that’s one of the important or compelling things about creating - it can live beyond the originator and become part of other people. 

The Blackbooks

I have a stack of 'blackbooks' I’ve kept from high school. 

It started with the earliest practices of my graffiti and I still use these as a tool to document and come up with ideas.  

I treat these more as a piece of art rather than an 'item'; they are parts of a collection that capture moments in time but connect and span over many ideas and years. 

My brother Aaron usually takes all my originals though.

The DVDs

If shit hits the fan, we can always sell my movie, Bolt Driver, on DVD from the trunk of the car.

The Pendant

This is a gold pendant of my dog Trona, that I wear every day. 

German Shepherds are a huge part of my life and I named my personal production company, Trona Pictures, after her.

The Markers

I like to have markers and pens around at all times. 

My house is a live-work space and I'm constantly drawing on and customizing things.

The Custom Gear

Most of my clothes are custom. 

I really liked going to Planet Hollywood as a kid to see all the custom outfits and wardrobe pieces. 

They were framed like works of art and it was both strange and wonderful to think about the person who wore them and why. 

They were collectables and stories in one. 

So, even for daily wear, I think it's cool to have custom stuff, even if it's really simple.