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Jadon Allen and Guilt!
69 Plays3 days ago
Guilt! is a clothing & video company founded in Portland, Oregon, by Jadon Allen.
Each creative work from the company draws inspiration from street art, life experiences, and collaboration. Dark themes are juxtaposed with unapologetically bold and colorful visuals.
The company recently relocated to Madison, Wisconsin, with a mission to continue expanding its creative endeavors and connect with new people.
New pieces release Fridays at 2:22 PM (PT) on GUILT and video services are available worldwide. DM @guiltpdx for more information!
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Transcript
Introduction to Podcast
00:00:02
Speaker
You are listening to Something Rather Than Nothing. Creator and host, Ken Valente. Editor and producer, Peter Bauer.
Art and Creativity with Jaden Allen
00:00:17
Speaker
Hey, everybody. Ken Volante with the Something Rather Than Nothing podcast. Have a good friend, old friend. did We talked to years back now, Jaden Allen, before going on about your art. i just wanted to welcome welcome you back to Something Rather Than Nothing.
00:00:34
Speaker
Hello, Ken. Thanks for having me back on. I'm looking forward to this. Yeah. Yeah. I... ah it was It was striking to me and and and maybe to you as well. like I think our episode I had marked as 229 shows up over episodes.
00:00:57
Speaker
You know, we, we, we chat years back, ah you know, kept in touch here and there and message um same, same mom spirit and ethos of the, of the work that you, that you do is exciting. But, but for the listeners, like I told Jaden, this, I was just these things in art that, that I like, or, or wearing something. I was wearing the, what I think is the classic beanie ah that that you had made.
00:01:23
Speaker
And I'm wearing it out in, uh, out by the Oregon coast and like somebody was going by, was like, oh man, you know, like that conversation. and like, where'd you get that? You know, hadn't seen it. And also, you know, not everybody jumps over that hurdle of being like, yo, know I'm just going to go up to this person, you know? And, uh, so it was, it was really cool. Like, and they pick up on energy and I think I told you about it, but, um,
00:01:48
Speaker
ah We hadn't caught up in ah in a little while, but um it really just ah maybe just like ah a check in like right now off the bat. I mean, we talked to, to you know, over a couple of years, you know, a couple of years ago. Yeah.
00:02:05
Speaker
What you got going on with your creative side?
Jaden's Multidisciplinary Work
00:02:08
Speaker
Like right now, we're talking summer 2026. What's happening? Yeah, totally. So for the people who don't know, I'm a multidisciplinary creative and I primarily work in clothing and music videos. So I've been doing these weekly clothing drops and art drops ah over the past few weeks. I released a few new art prints, beanies, shorts.
00:02:30
Speaker
I just released a t-shirt a couple days ago, going to release a few more t-shirts and Some more items throughout the summer just to keep the people looking out for something new. um Yeah.
00:02:41
Speaker
Yeah. I love it. i saw I saw i was looking through it. Well, that was the thing. I was looking through you i was looking through your site and I'm like, oh, shit. Oh, shit. You know, so I got to check the, go to check the yeah you know, yeah my shopping cart. Oh, After this episode. I was digging on those ah bone shorts. They're called bone shorts. Oh, yeah. Yeah, yeah.
00:03:01
Speaker
ah ah really Really nice. Talk about the like just type of items, you know like shorts and stuff like that, just like what what you got out there on your store. Yeah.
00:03:12
Speaker
Totally. So a lot of it takes a lot of like a street art influence. i pull from a lot of different inspirations and kind of blended it into my own style. um So a few of the clothing pieces I have on there right now um is first a new beanie, which I designed over half a year ago. it took a while to get the full borg bulk order, but I'm glad finally here. was super fun. It's kind of like a reversible style. So you can move the flaps and get brand new designs.
00:03:41
Speaker
Hell yeah. Yeah. And then i got a few stickers on there. um a few art prints. Those kind of speak for themselves. And then the bow and shorts that you talked about. I've seen this style of pants where they have like the cartoonish kind of ah bones for the full pants. I've never really seen anyone do it with shorts. So I kind of wanted to give it a stab. And yeah, I gave it an attempt. And I'm pretty happy with how they turned out. They're fun for sure.
00:04:08
Speaker
Yeah, well, and here's the thing is I get excited about the clothing. When we talked initially, it was fun really fun to listen to the in interview and just like, you know, ah ah being being, you know, like...
00:04:23
Speaker
like fresh new style, like um like there's an excitement around it and that's what you dip into it. but I also talked about a little bit too. like you know I'm 53 and like numbers nothing, doesn't matter, but like it's really kind of cool to like think and i did I've done this over the last few years, delving more into more in artists, colors, right? like What colors do to us? And just being like...
00:04:51
Speaker
wow, this is, it's fun. It's fun to kind of like ah switch switch it up and you get, hey, you know, get some street cred up but up above 50. Hell, you'll be like, oh shit, look at this dude. All right, man. I love it.
Relocation and Art Scene Exploration
00:05:07
Speaker
ah um So um we would we ah I'd sent a couple message messages over to you and you got some stuff kicking over in Madison. And I yeah I was like, yo, I i spent 12 years out there in Wisconsin, 10 years, particularly in Madison, a city I adore. oh And I'm like, oh, shit, we got we got this going on over here. And you're what's going on.
00:05:35
Speaker
What's going on in Madison with you and Nara and all that shit? Yeah, totally. All right. So I get asked that question a lot. But essentially, lived in Oregon my entire life, so I kind of needed something fresh.
00:05:47
Speaker
ah My girlfriend and I were looking to move, and her family is a couple hours away. She kind of wanted to move more to the country, but I cannot do that with what I do. I need to be. Hey, you got a cut whole country line coming up. Whole country line. Exactly. Exactly. So we're considering maybe Chicago, but that didn't feel right right now. So we kind of settled on Madison. I'm super happy with that decision so far. Everyone here has been super great, friendly. There's lots to do, huge art scene and whatnot. It's a good little hot spot to be close to Milwaukee and Chicago. So I went to Chicago a few times already. Still need to check out in Milwaukee, but that's been pretty sweet. I've been liking it.
00:06:25
Speaker
yeah i'm really I'm really excited for you. That was part of it, too. I mean, I yeah i did ah ah yeah i did um i did ah political work and union work in Madison. it was a glorious it was a glorious thing, like in a sense, like I look back on it. I really ah i worked on Williamson Street called Willie Street in Madison. It was like this...
00:06:48
Speaker
I don't know. It's like exactly like I was in my 20s and I got this big job and it was like you walk up to the Capitol. I was around these levers of power. I'm working in politics and Willie Street has like the great co-op. It's like old hippie, like leftist, like politically, like the district is like,
00:07:11
Speaker
you almost can't even place it on the left. like yeah like It's like, you know, like deep, deep ideals and progressivism. You know, it's a spot there. on You know, so like being being in that. But um when I first went to Wisconsin, ah not to go long about my my history with Wisconsin, but um I... have to hear it though but ah i I moved from Washington, D.C., where I was living, to Milwaukee, Wisconsin. I'd gotten a scholarship to study philosophy at Marquette University. So what the what the fuck you do with that? Like, you know, I got a scholarship, so didn't know anything about Milwaukee. But I love Milwaukee, and I was so comfortable there because...
00:07:55
Speaker
I do like the Midwest, I really love the spirit of the Midwest, but it was also like this industrial, like dingy, but it had these old neighborhoods. And there was a lot of elements around where I grew up in Rhode Island, around like like old industrial city, where I was just like, the part of Milwaukee that people are like, bleh, it's all too big and medley and all this type of stuff, I was like, ooh, it's a bigger version of like,
00:08:22
Speaker
What I like and understand is a city. The art museum ah does with the um the um the wings of the art museum that are brilliantly white and extend over to Lake Michigan ah were're designed by, i believe, a Barcelonan architect, Cala Travis. Wow.
00:08:42
Speaker
And they're gorgeous. And they go over Lake Michigan. And um ah the Milwaukee Art Museum is a beautiful place. And Madison itself with the Museum of, I think, Contemporary Art. There's a momoka Contemporary Art right downtown. Yeah.
00:08:59
Speaker
Yeah, yeah. Glad to hear it. Which is awesome. Yeah. Oh, shit. Yeah. Free art museums, right? like you don't need to. It's like everybody walking up saying they're a student once they say the price. And as a student, yeah, I'm a student of life at $30 to get Right? Oh, that's so funny. Glad to have you over there. So, Madison, again, a place I love. lot of arts, a lot of ideals, a lot of political activism, a lot of music, lot of great music. What you're doing there from day to day with regards to developing your business? And is it like this great West Coast, Midwest thing you got going on? How's it working logistically
Pivot to Video Production
00:09:47
Speaker
for you? Yeah. So I've been doing like a few little marketing things like throwing up flyers on State Street. I designed a few different flyers just offering different services. I've been trying to go to a few different events, just networking with different people. I recently went to this cool photography pop up at this photo studio called Next Wave Studios. I got a bunch of super cool photographers and hell artists and models there and i recently went to a diy kind of uh rap a couple days ago as well um and that one was great i got to meet so many artists and just really cool people over there um so yeah just just try to go to as many events as possible talk to as many people as possible and yeah just show them well that's how we that's how we met it's like one of those things you know like we're just like you know and and i think you know comic con Yeah, right. Like, it's something you can jump over and forget about it. But it's like, that's like the arts organizing is. That's like, that's how like shit goes down, right? Like, and people connect. And what about what about video? Now, I see. Yeah.
00:10:54
Speaker
video work you do. We've talked in the past. um ah we yeah We have ah just an overlap with the different styles of music. um i I wanted to tell you I saw A$AP Rocky up in Seattle. Oh, I'm so jealous. I had a couple of buddies go to that too. How was it? Oh,
00:11:14
Speaker
It was fucking amazing. it was, know, like, but there was something, I never seen something like it before. And damn, there was a helicopter. and and he's up in the helicopter and and like the the megaphone and the people yelling and the explosions and the bazooka. and and in in in in helicopter, and it ah everything.
00:11:45
Speaker
Everything. So amazing. Now, I'm lucky, and I guess maybe we just need to catch up. Listeners, we're going talking about everything everything else, too. But they sa right before that, the week before that, I saw saw Kid Cudi up in Washington. I had chance to go to Kid Cudi concert, but was busy. Oh, man. We might have already done the...
00:12:06
Speaker
Might have already done the interview somewhere. So um but um no, we but what what I was getting to, you know, ah we like a lot of we we talk about ah the music like a lot of the music, youth the video, there's great energies. We talked about video when we chatted before. What's going on in that realm of the music culture? And I know that all these things overlap, but music, video, what's going on there?
00:12:30
Speaker
yeah Yeah, totally. I believe when we last spoke, I was sort of like just stepping my foot into the video game. I'm definitely taking more of a pivot in that direction. So I'd say it's a pretty fair split between video and clothing now. um I really just love the energy that music's able to provide that no other mediums can really provide. And I believe that my videos kind of give songs a chance to to have a new life in a sense. um So yeah, i've been I've been working on a bunch of different music videos. I believe I have like three or four ah fully completed projects in the vault. I've been trying to release ah at least a music video a month, ideally a few music videos a month. But yeah, yeah it's been it's been great.
00:13:17
Speaker
on All the artists are super amazing people. And it's really fun being able to collaborate with the different, yeah yeah different mediums ah to where you guys can both pitch ideas and create something super fresh and unique.
00:13:34
Speaker
Yeah. um No, so it's it's's it's great to hear about. um it's it's It's a really good vibe. And you're putting out a bunch of videos. You're putting out a bunch of videos. I try to.
00:13:47
Speaker
Yeah, you know, for me, and too, it connects like ah like live music and that energy is there. my My youngest, Preston, and this this is this a heads up to listeners, too, in a band, My Unsaid Everything. And I saw...
00:14:01
Speaker
Preston play live and just like captured like just like some some great videos and it was of just this great experience of like a tight you know kicking band and I'm like after the show it's like this whole thing as a dad where I'm like okay I'm gonna put the different like multiverse brain in here like I'm not this i'm I'm not this kid's dad and like, you know, all this type like, I still want to fucking see this band. Like this is just, it's just in then that live, that live energy.
00:14:33
Speaker
So on the videos and stuff. So is it, is it, you starting to seep into ah maybe the scene a little bit more in Wisconsin or Madison or seeing what's going on there? Like as far as who you're interacting with, what's going on there?
00:14:48
Speaker
Yeah, totally. ah So at that concert, I actually met a few artists and we're currently in the talks of producing a few videos. So yeah, I just need to meet a few more people out in this area. And I'm sure it'll be no time before there's a few projects that I'll be releasing new videos. Yeah.
00:15:04
Speaker
Yeah. the show The show actually, I got a lot of friends and connections in Madison. So there will be a there' will be some Madison, Wisconsin ah listeners to ah to the show. Oh, I love it.
00:15:17
Speaker
Yeah. Yeah. If you live in Madison and you're looking for a music video, DM me at guilt, PDX, G-U-I-L-T, P-D-X. Yeah. We can get something going. I got a hearty recommendation. And for some of you folks who still know me out there, i did a lot of good work out there. You can trust, you can trust, you can trust my opinion. So, uh, great, great, uh, chatting with you and, and, and,
00:15:39
Speaker
in in to and and to see you All right, so we talked a while ago. I had a question thinking about you as an artist, and like only you can answer it. And ah you know we made this connection. um And listeners, visually, you know right now, the the podcast art is Jaden's art.
00:16:01
Speaker
The pink character, some white, something rather than nothing. So you could see Jaden's art. So it's like something that I've liked to... just love your stuff, and I love to...
00:16:17
Speaker
I'd love to to to bring it to the fore, but you were just, you know, you're at the Comic-Con then. You're getting your stuff out. You're finishing up school or, you know, with what you're doing.
00:16:28
Speaker
we're We're a little bit past that now. What if what have you what have you learned or experienced in amount of time, like the two or three years, as far as just in particular about... say, doing the business and and how you conduct yourself and and and maybe
Artistic Growth and Process Reflection
00:16:44
Speaker
networking? and like What have you learned about like moving into, Jaden Allen artist?
00:16:52
Speaker
Yeah, that's a really good question. um i feel like I've learned a lot kind of about myself and how a lot of these things I want out of life are a lot more attainable. You just got to go for them. I'd say that's probably the biggest thing I learned.
00:17:10
Speaker
It's that things seem to be, ah ah it's such a great it's such a great outset, like to not have the barriers. I mean, even the way you talk, like, I mean, we both have the same energy in talking. it's like It's like in in the ah doing, I'll give you an example in the doing. I didn't have a trailer for this podcast for almost seven years. I went into this ah July podcast challenge to be like, hey, do all the things and just going through checklists and stuff. And I was in this,
00:17:36
Speaker
imagination of like, I built this show and what are the perfect words and all this stuff. And finally I said, fuck this shit. I put down the microphone, I put set up the microphone, I talked into the microphone and I said for 40 seconds, here's what the show about here's why you need to listen or And I'm like, you know, gut that trailer out. So it's like for me, it was like this affirmation that I just read, like, do it.
00:18:00
Speaker
Just do it. Yeah, 100%. ah there's there's I think Julie Cameron of the artist who said, um there's magic in the doing. And just remembering that, um loving and on on on on the doing. ah Back to fashion, we jump around a bit. On the fashion, do you have lines coming out at particular times of the year? I know you've done that in the past, or is when you know the material comes in? What's going on with your schedule?
New Strategies in Clothing and Zines
00:18:29
Speaker
So I've been doing things a little bit differently this year. In the past, I've done full collection drops all at once. I kind of switch it up now. Or at least I'm trying something new this year to where I'm dropping once a week. So it'll be a different item every week. I believe I have a few weeks left for this season, but every Friday is at 2.22 p.m. I'm dropping a new piece. Yeah. For a few weeks, there's going to be a few more pieces. A couple of t-shirts, zine maybe, and a couple other items.
00:19:00
Speaker
them coming. Pause there. Pause there. We want a zine. Love the zines. Yeah, yeah. I'll make a zine picture, don't worry. No, I started collecting zines, don't know, a few years ago. And, like, I realized I had walked through bookstores and not stopped. You know the sections you don't stop at? Like, if you went to Powell's, like, sections, like, like you're like, ah, it looks like cool shit there. But I don't read, like, all this small press. Like, I don't read small chapbooks. But i I would, you know? So, and you stop at the zines, you're like... For me, it's been, like...
00:19:35
Speaker
There's some there's some wacko person out there at me that just dropped into like this thing to make this for me. Like, I want to know why that Hulk episode from the 70s was canceled on fun TV. like Like, you know what I mean? Like. It might be the only place to find that type of information. I love It incited them. But um I think when you said zines, I started to think, you know because i love I love how people put photography in the zines and they they they capture a a show.
00:20:09
Speaker
or ah or or a party and take these wild photos and then you're like, this thing still exists. It's gonna carry on in its weird form. So what are you thinking about a zine? Not to obligate you, you're busy, but what what are you thinking about for a zine?
00:20:26
Speaker
um I'm still in the drafting stages. I don't have too many ideas yet, but ah yeah, I honestly don't know yet. There's so many different things I could create ah in the universe of zines. I feel like it's a very unique medium that, you yeah, you can incorporate a lot of different things into like photos, illustrations, ah poems, like nothing's off the table when it comes to zines. There's not really any rules you have to follow because it's like self-published project. So it'll definitely feature a lot different mediums in it. I know that's for sure. As far as the content, I'm not too sure yet, but yeah, you know,
00:21:03
Speaker
I love the spirit. I like dropping in even when when artists are so are still thinking of it. There's um yeah a great bookstore in Chicago called Quimby's Bookstore and the most extensive, that I know of, extensive selections of zines. And as a matter of fact, and one day in time, i don't think it sounds still on the shelf, but something rather than nothing has one issue of a zine. It's become a bit of a rarity. I'll make sure you get a copy. I appreciate that. Yeah, yeah. I'd love to check that out.
00:21:33
Speaker
i'll make sure you I'll make sure I'll get you an email on first, but they'll get you a copy. Thank you so much. quimby's In Quimby's, you can submit ah your zines to them. So like you can like fill out paperwork between you and them. And like you know you tell them what to do if you know with any of the extras or what to sell it at or...
00:21:58
Speaker
ah Maybe even if you can like put it towards something or charity or whatever. So anyway, zine makers out there and Jaden, you put something out, um you can you can get them the copies or they'll put a few copies on the shelf. So Quimby's Bookstore. on every I don't know if they still do it. I'm sure sorry if this they they have a lot of great video quality. I remember on Saturdays, Quimby Bookstore used to pop up and do...
00:22:22
Speaker
We got these zines in this week and go through like six or 10 of them and like all over the place. So you're out there, you know, in the Midwest, you're much closer. I'm getting bunch of recommendations. I'm loving it. yeah But you're, you're, you're in the heart of it. The the Midwest yeah ah heart heart of it out there. I'm very excited for you.
00:22:42
Speaker
And, and, and, and, you know, establishing yourself out there. um I'm definitely in a I realized in looking through your you work, I i i was ah behind, so I'm gonna up my guilt game.
00:22:58
Speaker
And everybody um you know in Oregon, or and or out of Wisconsin, in Madison, Wisconsin, wherever you are, check out Jaden Allen's ah work. you know ah Video, music, lot of energy, um great great style and clothing. and um it's so great to catch up with you, Jade, and like talk about like what, what you've been, what you've been up to any, anything you want to throw out, throw out there. Um, you know, mention, mention the links again, but, uh, uh, Summer there, ah so I'm thinking summer out in Madison, Wisconsin, a gorgeous place, lot of music, lot of things going on
00:23:40
Speaker
ah what's what's What's the rest of your summer ah look like ah for you out there in that beautiful place?
Adjusting to Madison's Culture
00:23:47
Speaker
Yeah, just just exploring pretty much. Exploring as much as I can. Getting a bunch of recommendations on different spots and checking them all of them out. All the ones I can. um Yeah, just enjoying enjoying the time, the new scene. Because it's all so fresh for me too still also. like I've only been out here a few months. Yeah. Still adjusting a little bit. It's kind of a culture shock, but it's been sweet. um
00:24:11
Speaker
Yeah. As far as links go, yeah you can check out my clothing at guiltpdx on Instagram. That's G-U-I-L-T-P-D-X. My website is guiltpdx.com, spelled the same way. If you want a little discount, ah Ken, I think you were talking about picking up new stuff. Use the discount code FRIENDS, all caps,
00:24:33
Speaker
And you'll get a little discount there. Everything should be awesome. So, yeah. Hell yeah. thanks thanks Thanks for everything there. and and And then, folks, wherever you're around, um you know whether you're online or in the areas we've talked about, ah check out ah ja Jaden's work. it's it's It's work that I love. And it's actually just great to catch up with you.
00:24:53
Speaker
ah personally, like, you know, and and, you know, have you up on the on the show for a second time and um ah love the images. Keep it keep it
Conclusion and Listener Encouragement
00:25:02
Speaker
going. And, um you know, madison Madison's ah ah a place that's near and dear to my heart. And like when I moved there, I was an East east Coast person. I moved into a prominent position. um you know um I got to tell you, there's there's something there's something where I was like accepted with open arms in a lot of spaces. and there's
00:25:24
Speaker
Whatever people say about the Midwest, it is different. and I'm not trying to make it sound ideal, but there is a friendly spirit. There is a, hey, yeah how'd you get here kind of bits with that... um i think is enjoyable and uh i i think think you'll be embraced but uh everybody let's let's make sure you support the art uh jaden allen find out uh where he is in uh online in person jaden uh i could not be more happy to catch up with you me too this has been wonderful it's good talking to you
00:25:59
Speaker
Hell yeah. Great luck with everything. I'll use the friends discount. I'll try some other words for if my order gets too too too heavy in quantity, see if I can see some words I don't know about. and yeah I'll ah be placing an order i say and then everybody listening to take a look at Jaden's stuff. ah Jaden, ah brother, great to see you. um Best of luck.
00:26:21
Speaker
um We'll have the show out there in the world and the the order in and we'll be talking soon. I love it. Thanks for having me, Ken. I appreciate it. Great to see you. You too.
00:26:33
Speaker
This
00:26:44
Speaker
is something rather than nothing.