Self-taught visual artist Armone Tyson has had an interesting journey since he decided to share his artistry with the rest of the world. The past seven years of his career have been all about finding the right art form and medium that would best highlight his creativity and authenticity as an artist. Interestingly, he discovered one of the best ways to express his art – through hydro-dipping. With much dedication and hard work, he soon came to be known as the go-to artist for hydro-dipping sneakers, having been the only one to master the process seamlessly.
Armone does not only create awe-inspiring sneaker designs. He has also perfected the process of creating them without compromising the quality of the sneakers, ensuring durability after regular wear and tear. Over the past years, the 31-year-old artist from Muskegon, Michigan, has mastered several skills, including airbrushing, acrylic paint, shoe manipulation, luxury bag design, epoxy or resin art, and illusion art, among others.
Apart from being such a gifted artist, Armone is also into helping the community as much as he can. He worked with his high school and the Muskegon Child Abuse Council to design cleats. His remarkable designs eventually caught the eye of various athletes, resulting in projects for the NFL, NBA, and IFBB Pro, to mention a few. He has also done projects for Ben Roethlisberger, Dennis Smith Jr, and Tony Taveras. His design for Tom Brady’s “My Cleats My Cause” was auctioned for $30,000. Additionally, he customized shoes for Adam Vinatieri and his family as a way to honor his legacy as the NFL’s all-time leading scorer.
“I am avid about helping others. I know that new artists and creatives struggle with many things, as I have in the past. The majority of artists are afraid of being taken advantage of; that they are hesitant to assist,” Armone shared. “However, I am always willing to help artists get through the learning curve because I understand the struggle of traveling through art culture with no direction or assistance.”
Armone co-founded Built 2 Hustle, which has surprisingly developed a new culture for customer weight belts. So far, his business has received over 200 orders and continues to grow impressively. In fact, it was able to go international within the first year of its operation.
Just like many artists, finding the inspiration to create can be challenging at times, but Armone has drawn motivation from the knowledge that his work is making a remarkable impact on the lives of many people.
“It pushes me to go harder when I see them chasing their goals because they see me chasing mine. Finding individuals that have potential and talent and teaching them all I know, so they have the tools to not just be good but to be phenomenal. I am in the process of building a team of artists that can help large groups with finding their creativity. All of this in hopes to get more artists onto cooperated platforms,” he revealed.
By getting to know him a little better, Armone hopes to ignite something within people, especially those who have been setting aside their dreams because they are not confident enough to put themselves out there. Armone, of all people, knows all too well what this is like. It is for this very reason that he decided to share his unique journey so that others can see that there is no special formula to succeed in visual arts. They only need to step out of their comfort zones and show people what they are capable of and take it from there.
Armone is making himself available to anyone who wishes to learn more about art, business, and planning a career as an creative. He is open to giving guidance to people who feel like they do not have enough preparation to make it in the industry. Knowing how difficult and frustrating it is along the way, he wants to be there to reassure them that everything will turn out just fine.
