What would you be doing for a career right now if something you did illegally as a teenager became your legal career.
For most, probably not many things come to mind.
But, for one Lorain County entrepreneur and artist, his journey from teen vandal to U.S. Marine to nationally renown graffiti artist, that’s exactly what happened.
Hector Garcia III was born and raised in New York City, and, as many teens do, he went through a little rebellious streak and got involved with street art and graffiti.
And, while he called it part of the culture he was in, he realized he was taking a risk expressing himself this way.
“And sure enough, one day I was arrested; I was only 15 years old,” Garcia reflected. “So, I ended up getting 35 hours of community service and they made me clean and scrub graffiti, among other things.
“It was a creative outlet and I actually really enjoyed doing it. But now, I do it for folks that actually want me to. And, I get paid.”
Garcia founded the company G3Graphic Painting in Lorain and has worked with a variety of local businesses and residents to bring this vibrant art style into homes and business settings.
He’s even done the youth room at his church — The Church of the Open Door.
Garcia also creates one-of-a-kind art pieces that combine his love of graffiti with sports, such as custom sneakers, basketballs, footballs and the like.
Prior to founding the business, he served with the U.S. Marine Corps for 12 years, including stints in Iraq.
Garcia also worked as a Marine recruiter for several years.
It was in the Marines when he met his now wife, a Lorain native, which brought him to the area.
While in the Marines, Garcia recalled always having a sketchbook handy where he would draw, relax and create art.
And while the art went from New York walls to paper sketch pads, he said he always knew he’d find a way to get back into the art form.
When he moved to Lorain, he began working with an organization called The Grind League, a nonprofit focused on bringing basketball to area youth.
The Grind League also puts on 3-on-3 tournaments and does a variety of small business events, festivals and fairs that bring together community-related sports, local artisans and crafters and music.
It was through this group Garcia met and teamed up with Darius Winborn.
The pair worked together and with the city of Lorain to renovate the Oakwood Park basketball court, and later were contacted by a nationally touring promotional group called Hoopbus that travels throughout the country to promote basketball to help them with that project.
It was through this connection that Winborn and Garcia ended up at this years NBA All-Star Weekend and represented Lorain and Lorain County to the world.
“Hoopbus saw all the time and effort we were putting into The Grind League and all of our efforts at fundraising and helping the local community, so they wanted to help us out and get us some exposure with the NBA and WNBA,” Garcia explained. “So, we went to the All-Star Weekend in Indianapolis and we were able to showcase our work and our art.
“We had banners, sneakers, clothes, all kinds of art and we were able to connect with just so many people. Darius DJ’d at a number of events and we connected with folks from around the world, and such organizations as Puma and Porsche, among others.
“We drew all kinds of positive attention and we were telling everyone about Lorain, Ohio. We talked with NBA players and it was just an incredible experience. It really made us all feel good and feedback was all so positive.”
And Garcia hopes this event will help in translating to more businesses and similar types of events coming to Lorain and Lorain County, where more artisans and musicians can share their craft.
“I want to bring a little New York City flavor to Lorain businesses and houses and fashion,” he smiled.
This post was originally published on this site be sure to check out more of their content.
