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Nick Riviera

@thebasementcouch

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comfortable ass dude designing merch in OC
owner of Basement Couch
90’s spawn and maker + endlessly curious
let’s keep this casual

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don’t know what it is with the cats this week, but I needed to change out the cowboy one. I needed to be honest about my cowboy repertoire, which is minimal. I’ve had a few cats before. this is a self portrait, if I were a house cat in a parallel universe. somehow.

anyway, Anthrax is a great band taken in Fullerton, California by @thebasementcouch

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a month ago

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4 months ago

a quick update while building out the “Basement” studio. honestly, I’m not even going to call it a fucking studio. this isn’t a podcast or some overplayed slop channel.

I nearly shit, my pants out of excitement receiving this small hobby saw. First project: wooden guitar/bass picks. I don’t even know where to start, but I’ll shoot the whole thing so you can see it go down– successfully or…. not so? lol taken in Fullerton, California by @thebasementcouch

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4 months ago

finally went in person and experienced @thearmoredleague. nothing prepared me for the energy in that room, it was fucking rad. never seen anything like it, and I’m so stoked on this new collab with them. I’ll post that part separately :) enjoy this clip made by my shit ass editing. it took me an hour lol taken in Los Angeles, California by @thebasementcouch

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24 days ago

TLDR: those in the subreddit who doubted the pending cat hat: feast your eyes upon the official basement couch cat hat prototype. or should I say FANCY feast your eyes upon the official…. etc? any day here’s the hat and I wish it had a subreddit of haters, maybe someday

my proof of concept is done, and I’m now aware of how to create something from the patch to sewing it on the garment. it needs practice, but this is personally a substantial improvement in my ongoing war with the embroidery machine. alas, I will not fail you fine Couch Surfers and Losers: I will bring you DIY merch.

also, I’ve decided to hit the road and start doing flea markets again to test an idea for stalls at shows, which was rejected at my corporate job: build an environment that people want to be in, focusing on the ambiance.

when I was younger (puking from the phrase) I’ve worked in retail for many years- Apple to GameStop. only a few places nailed how to communicate a feeling. at a bank, it completely disappears lol. I’d like to get out there on the pavement and get super sweaty having fun talking to all the people who go to these markets. I love SoCal for the community, so it’s time to sign up again, but I’d like to hit the beaches.

more to come, but I’d like to create this stall as an art installation… better yet the experience we’d all want when going somewhere to browse. a sale is just a lucky added bonus if you really enjoy connecting with people and having fun with the stuff you make. taken in Fullerton, California by @thebasementcouch

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a month ago

cosplay? no, these dudes beat the living shit out of each other in over 80 lbs of steel in front of a sold out audience.

it’s finally time. 9-4-26 now marks the historic night where The Armored League and Basement Couch collaboration began. selling out of every color and size of the collab’s illustrative tees within the first hour shows this league is set to erupt. no wonder.

I had never seen something like this in person. my wrestling matches back in school were dead silent compared to the sounds of steel and an a blood thirsty roaring crowd I was able to watch the other night.

Basement Couch is officially collaborating with THE ARMORED LEAGUE (MMA, a range of weapons, and a suit of steel).

I was able to meet some of the coolest fucking people the past three days, and by teaming up we knocked out some of the sickest shirts there are for this sport in just one week between illustration and printing. hard work and a few all nighters, but the collab sold COMPLETELY out of all sizes and colors of the collab pieces within the first half of the night.

it’s clear that this league is only just getting started, and am so stoked to have this collaboration between TAL and Basement Couch. THANK YOU to all that showed up and made a purchase or even browse, you know where to find me if need anything (here, duh).

HUGE shout out to @thearmoredleague and its team. it’s been amazing working with you, they are the real deal. @uliaali thank you so much for the introduction, you’re amazing. @keetonlandfair thank you for sharing your sick shots of me failing to watch the fights and hijacking the merch booth.

next fight is in NYC, so tune in 9/17.

there will be blood. taken in Los Angeles, California by @thebasementcouch

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23 days ago

the studio is being built, here’s an update using some b-roll taken in Fullerton, California by @thebasementcouch

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3 months ago

doing everything by hand without ai took two weeks… BUT IT’S FINALLY TIME. it’s also the first diorama I’ve built, such a fun time. ‘twas a gas

I paid a questionable amount of money to acquire this box of Weatherlight boosters… but I’ve been overly stoked and burning to FINALLY run this giveaway as a thank you for the support you’ve shown over the years and since the recent comeback.

this is the era of Magic that I played, and the one I miss. I opened a few packs for myself, and the art is f*** ing unreal. I’ll post my finds asap

1997 was the year move to Maryland from Philly, and a possible case of mild hyperthymesia allows me to recall so much of that period of time. Pokémon was just hitting the USA and blink182 released Dude Ranch. malls packed, riding bikes, surfing dial up internet. life was dope.

If I can share this feeling of yearning for those days of magic, then I hope an original pack from 1997 will help.

RULES ARE SIMPLE:

like the post+ tag a friend+ follow the page = 1 entry to win

share the post = +1 entry

THREE winners will be picked on 7-20-26 taken in Orange County, California by @thebasementcouch

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3 months ago

shooting mostly casual for 20 years now made me appreciate the gift of light differently. more importantly, accept how visceral and emotional it can become when you let the space talk to you, and show you how to shoot in it. no poses, just conversations, cigarettes, and other vices that let you feel the deep things. painful. powerful. The deepest depths of yearning and imagination. The highest moments feeling alive, all being captured in that moment.

the same photons that make the photo touch your subject. It’s fucking amazing, and why I love film. touch is intimate, so when I develop my film, the chemicals almost literally unlock the past.

I’ll post my self developed film at some point taken in Morongo Valley, California by @thebasementcouch

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3 months ago

as I sit in about 90 booster pack wrappings of MTG Hobbit series, I realize I spent all my life preparing for art and the freedom to do what I dreamt of when I was stocking shelves and managing a GAMESTOP store (lol I have pics somewhere) when I was 21.

not even degrees/gpa, significant milestones in a banking career can compare.

for a while, was secretly embarrassed for not going straight to college (it didn’t even feel viable for me at the time) for a couple years. even though I eventually would, I showed up to many jobs ranging from retail, bussing tables, legal, but eventually landing in banking.

I performed the song and dance, eventually working my way up to dinner in the private executive dining room on the top floor of M&T bank’s headquarters with my leadership dev program cohort.

it didn’t matter to me. I was amazing at what I did, and gave it 110%. but it was an empty feeling. fleeting dopamine through recognition, special roles, executive mentors, blah blah blah. it all felt fake. and it was. they’ll always find the next golden child willing to do what they need.

I’m sure for some, there’s a rewarding career out there.

for me, I woke up one day and thanked myself for putting money aside from my minimum wage to my 6 fig jobs. it was the most unc thing for me to do, but now I can buy as much of this shiny cardboard as I want, and I don’t have to please some faceless machine.

not sure if this helps you or not, but it is possible to reclaim your life and freedom again. never too late. free yourself from obligation. do it. taken in Fullerton, California by @thebasementcouch

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2 months ago

bts of the diorama being built by hand. every stroke of paint and carving the contours of the model felt incredible. tried a ton of things for the first time, and absolutely stoked to create more (after returning to the merch/clothes for a little because you’ve been asking about it)

I always wanted to do this, and I recommend it to anyone attempting to learn/practice ideation, planning, painting, composition, carving, etc. in a short amount of time. doing it for a nostalgic giveaway only made this easier to pour hours into the detail

best part is, it accepted so many mistakes and imperfections. isn’t it wild that life works that way?

the camerawork will get better with each iteration, don’t be preocupado about by @thebasementcouch

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3 months ago

the OUT-N-IN saga continues! this time Andy and Eve are waiting for their food with plenty of time on their hands… and boredom. at least they can’t be bored to death.

shirt to come, i’ll drop that soon since some Losers have been buying the original OUT-N-IN shirt taken in Los Angeles, California by @thebasementcouch

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9 months ago