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ALPHABETEX

@itsleonwillis

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✊🏾 Black Social Enterprise
📚 Artist. Creator. Educator
🎨 I love you Muralist
💚 Merch for sale @iloveyouhoody
🧘🏽‍♂️ healing movement @alphabetex

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This year for “BLACK HISTORY” month I came up with a collaborative project to benefit the Sacramento Soujouner Truth Museum.
With assistance from Verge art gallery we channeled the energy from the students interested in learning the process of screen printing into a 5 color poster from artwork design by Oakland’s own Refa One.
This project checked so many boxes for me as an artist, collaborating with another “black artist” representing an underserved community being hosted by a gallery that has taken some hits recently all to generate funds for another glorious institution.
Anyways…. I am super appreciative of all the support from everyone involved. Peep this video made of me putting the finishing touches on the poster. @refa1love @vergeart @sojomuseum
📸 @mylohall #sledgehammergraffix #screenprinted #poster #blackhistoryisworldhistory by @itsleonwillis

ALPHABETEX is a body movement I created to demonstrate the physicality’s of graffiti art. I came up with this concept in 1996 and was slowly nurturing until its debut in 2013 as a part of the cypher hip hip workshops. Here it is now 11 years later with much more nurturing. What had started out as a two handed technique to paint faster has turned into a way to teach youth about lines, shapes and dimension through the lens of graffiti art. Here are some pics from the camp at Verge Gallery this summer. Show some love in the comments and also show a friend. Let’s get these youth engaged again. #theformula by @itsleonwillis

@hiphopcongressinc dojofied another element tonight with @AlphabetEx: the Exercise of the Alphabet, created by 🥋 veteran #graffiti writer @itsleonwillis who brought his one-of-a-kind tai chi yoga training system to @afrobushidoacademy this evening... it had so many layers to it, this was only scratching the surface! by @itsleonwillis

This never get old.

Witnessing my students gain confidence in their actions fills my cup with joy.
The repetitive movements demonstrated here during our Alphabetex session shows their growth in yoga, painting and martial arts.

#practice
#alphabetex #sledgehammergraffix #aerosolart by @itsleonwillis

ILY MERCH PRODUCTION

October 23rd
Pre Backyard Boogie by @itsleonwillis

New mat who dis!

I started my yoga journey over a decade ago with the intention to learn how to practice better personally and have been blessed by the support of this dear community.
I got my 200hr training at Yoga Shala in midtown with Tyler Langdale.
My friends at the time got me a Manduka mat as a Christmas gift to support my adventures.
That was in the fall of 2015.

Since then I have gone on to take many more trainings and lead classes in some of Sacramentos most popular spaces.
I started this journey as a power vinyasa teacher. 🙌🏾 Got certified in trauma informed teaching through Prison Yoga Project and settled into the Folsom State Prison with those skills for the first two years of my instructor career.
The consistency of that weekly practice and connection with men allowed me to receive something I was ready for.
Deep Healing by connecting with men and leading them in focused group activity.
Since then I have rolled out my mat in many different locations. Taught in a few studios, mental health hospital, schools and non profit orgs.
Earlier this year I lost that mat after painting at the UC Davis picnic day. 😞
This fall I’m taking a new training with another stellar teacher from the Shala fam Pattie Meier.
This time I have set the intention to bring my skills and this new training out into public to host and hold spaces for men to slow down, find peace and heal with one another in either of Alphabetex or Yin based restorative yoga classes.

My ask is that you join me in encouraging the men In Your life to show up for themselves by joining me for these sessions.
In turn that will hold me accountable for showing up for them bringing us all into a win win situation.

#namaste
#manduka
#practice
#thankyou
#mensmovement by @itsleonwillis

Recap on f the Oak Park Art Garden project including the first installment at the “open wall” here at the art garden.
Big shot out to @alchemistcdc for the opportunity to @theedjrockbottom for providing the soundscape and @all_suckas_envy and fam for coming through to represent for the homie.
#ripwager
#sledgehammergraffix
#paintday by @itsleonwillis

Oak park art garden mural stories. by @itsleonwillis

Oak park art garden
Equipment check pt3

It’s been a challenge getting to this point but we are a go!!!
A go home and rest again! lol
The suns up so the projections will not work. Practice makes perfect. Anyways see yall Saturday for the event.
Tacos
Paint
Dj and people!!!
My funky 4 plus one more and that’s ME!!!

MLK & 14th ave
Sept 26th
Sat. 10 to 4pm

#oakparkartgarden
#ripwager
#paintday
#bbq by @itsleonwillis

Setting up for the Oak Park Art Garden paint jam on Saturday, September 26th
11-4pm
On Martin Luther King Blvd. and 14th Ave.

Join us for the celebration of this new mural, food, and music.
When: September 26
Where: MLK and 14th Ave.
Time: 11 2 4pm

#sledgehammergraffix
@alchemistcdc
@all_suckas_envy
#paintday
#ripwager by @itsleonwillis

@refillmadness got the baddest collection of local art including these cuties from @iloveyouhoody by @itsleonwillis

Moving right along with the new interns in the new space. Today we straightened out this wall of corrugated metal.

#workforcedevelopment
#processshots
#alphabetex
#iloveyouhoody
#sledgehammergraffix by @itsleonwillis