Rising Stars: Meet Winston Bradbury of Staten Island, NY

Today we’d like to introduce you to Winston Bradbury

Hi Winston, so excited to have you on the platform. So before we get into questions about your work-life, maybe you can bring our readers up to speed on your story and how you got to where you are today?
Call Of The Void (COTV) came into existence in 2020, and it started as a calling for belonging within myself.

I’m such an empathetic person and it makes me very attuned and aware of other people’s energies in a way that always makes me feel separate from the crowd. I started to wonder if I could start to finally see myself completely in the way that I see others. I think there’s a void in all of us, where creativity lives and where the ideation begins. I had to learn to answer that calling within myself, and with COTV, I use all of my art – whether that’s fashion, music, or visual art – to remind people to listen for that calling within themselves as well. “When the void calls, will you answer?”

Four years later, I’ve had multiple collaborations with big brands like Gucci and Nike, but I truly got to where I am today by remaining authentic as my audience grew. People got to see all parts of me – Winston the human, not just the artist. They saw me struggle with my self-doubt, with my confidence, with my skill within all the crafts that I practice today. I just kept showing people that it’s okay to not be afraid of trying things out, even if you fail the first time or two. I gave myself permission to stay curious, and it allowed my artistry to grow beyond what I could have imagined. I’ve always been an archivist with all my interests, and I just needed to start sharing the things that were important to me.

Alright, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
*laughs* It has definitely not been a smooth road, I had a lot of tangible and intangible struggles along the way. There was a lack of support from my family, both on the emotional and financial side of things. And for a long time, that really affected my mental health and the way I allowed myself to accept my own greatness. I had a lot of imposter syndrome that I had to keep fighting my way out of, and there were definitely a few moments along the journey where that delayed my own progress and the blessings that came my way.

Outside of that, it was also hard to find a solid network of peers and fellow creatives in the first year or so. Again, I wanted to approach everything from a place of authenticity, and not to say there aren’t other artists out there doing the same, but I could definitely see where a lot of people were creating for content instead of for the true purpose of creation. I also wanted to work on building a strong artist community in Staten Island. It’s definitely an overlooked part of NYC, partly from people being afraid to take a ferry over the island. But there are so many hidden gems out here, community spaces and artists alike, and we’ve all been putting in the work to build our names and support each other along the way.

Thanks for sharing that. So, maybe next you can tell us a bit more about your work?
So, I define COTV as a Staten Island based creative platform & studio lab that highlights the accessibility of being a multifaceted creative while still emphasizing the importance of improving upon individual technical skills. COTV specializes in ideation for self and for others. My biggest skill turned asset so far has been my ability to create unique ideas based off of singular energies and experiences.

My audience, my friends, my family, all know me as someone who is committed to improving – whether that is quality of life, personal mindsets and behaviors, artistry and craft. That’s why my personal Instagram handle is @livetoimprove. What I’m most proud of is the cohesion of how my personal character comes together and the art that comes out of it as a result. People are able to see my work out in the wild and recognize Winston’s energy within it. I’ve had so many of my friends/family/fans wear some of my merch in their day to day lives and tell me about how they get stopped often by others who recognize the COTV brand. It’s so surreal and reaffirming every time, and it reminds me to just continue being authentic in the way that I approach my artistry.

What does success mean to you?
Success to me is not defined by a monetary or numerical value. I need to unapologetically love the work that I’m doing, and know that the community I am trying to cultivate with my art also resonates with that work. The question I continue asking myself is, do I feel like a child in everything that I do? Is there a sense of joy, of curiosity, of wonder in all the things that I create?

And while I love being able to reach the masses with my voice and my art, it’s even more of a personal success when I am able to connect with young black boys who have had similar upbringings to my own, similar mindsets coming into their masculinity and how they want to define the men they grow into. It means a lot to know that I can be the kind of adult I needed when I was younger, for other young men as well.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://cotvny.com
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/cotvny/
• Other: https://www.instagram.com/livetoimprove/