‘Artist Spotlight’ is a new social series highlighting collaborations with local creatives on entrepreneurial and philanthropic initiatives. Our objective is to use our platform to amplify our collaborators by sharing their work, telling their story and making a contribution to a cause they are passionate about. Each ‘Artist Spotlight’ feature will contain a limited edition, co-created item available for purchase on our website with a donation commitment to invest a portion of those sales towards a charitable cause.  

In the first edition of this series, we co-created limited edition tie-dye tees with a fellow High Point University alum, Griffin Spencer, who has been taking advantage of lockdown to discover and develop new creative pursuits. The Peak Dead x open. tie-dye tee collaboration is committing 25% of all proceeds to an organization important to Griffin, the Blue Ridge Area Food Bank (BRAFB).  

BRAFB is the largest organization alleviating hunger in Western and Central Virginia with the mission of providing nourishing food to neighbors in need through vibrant community partnerships and passionate public support. Through the amazing work of BRAFB, each shirt sold will provide 30 meals to disadvantaged members of Griffin’s community. Tune in below to read Griffin’s story and support BRAFB’s fight against food insecurity by shopping our shirt Here.  

O:        Tell us about your passion project ‘Peak Dead’—when and why did you start it?

GS:      “I started Peak Dead in the summer of 2020. After the initial novelty of having to work from home due to COVID-19 had worn off, I found myself searching for ways to pass the time and blow off pent up creative energy that wouldn’t lead me down a path of conspicuous consumption, buying materials or supplies I might never use after the pandemic. A lightbulb went off: I’ve always been someone who owns way too many T-shirts—thrifted tees, band tees, vintage promotional tees—more shirts than I could ever truly wear myself. I realized I didn’t need to buy canvases for my designs; they were already neatly folded in drawers throughout my house. I bought a starter tie-dye kit and jumped down a rabbit hole of online tie-dye tutorials. After a few weeks and more than a few poorly designed dyes, I had mastered the basics and incorporated some advanced techniques into my designs.  Friends began seeing my dyes on social media and started asking to buy them. By the time a month had passed since I dyed my first shirt, I’d already sold and shipped over 40 shirts to friends around the country. I set up Peak Dead to be a sustainable outlet for my creativity giving vintage tees a second chance.” 

 

O:        Why is having a creative outlet important to you?

GS:      “Having an outlet for my creativity is important to me because it helps manage my personal fears and anxieties. I truly do believe the old adage, "Idle hands are the Devil’s Workshop." In the midst of global pandemic that’s confining all of us to our homes for the most part, it’s easy to feel trapped by our surroundings no matter how comfortable they may be. It’s so easy to fall into a pit of worry by turning on the news or doom-scrolling Twitter. Having shirts to dye is my escape hatch from the pit of worry that 2020 has made so easy to fall into. It forces me to put down my phone, dive into the design and occupy my mind by focusing on the task at hand: making the coolest shirt I can.” 

 

O:        Can you explain your tie-dye process?

GS:      “Tie-dyeing starts with a shirt that’s soaked in non-toxic solution to set the dye and keep it from fading too quickly in the first couple of washes. Once it’s spun dry, you pick your desired pattern and fold or spin your shirt accordingly; this creates discernible pleats in the shirt, which give you the shape of your design. Once you’ve applied rubber bands or string to hold the folds in place, you begin applying dyes, which give you the color of your design. The trick to making a great tie-dye is starting each tee with a game plan and having an idea of what the final product will look like as you’re applying the dyes to the folded shirt, which takes considerable practice. Then you wait 24 hours and hope for the best before you unfold and reveal your design. Washing out the excess dye and drying the tees is the final step before the shirt can be worn or sold.” 

 

O:        Tell us about Blue Ridge Area Food Bank and why you chose them as your donation recipient for this collaboration?

GS:      “I selected Blue Ridge Area Food Bank because it’s an organization in my region of Virginia that I know does incredible work for my community. I’ve worked to direct money and canned goods to them in the past through a community organization I am involved with and I’ve seen the good they do firsthand. They have an incredible ability to stretch the dollar value of the donations they receive. Before the pandemic the BRAFB was providing nearly 2 million meals a month throughout my region. The economic effects of the COVID-19 pandemic—business closures, mass joblessness, increased homelessness and greater food insecurity—have placed heightened demand on food banks around the country. The pandemic drove me to look for an escape and to start tie-dying, so I could not be happier to see my shirts do good in the world to help those negatively impacted by the pandemic.”       

 

O:        What does being open. mean to you? 

GS:      “open. resonates with me because it empowers Ordinary People to be creative and to use their creativity to affect real, positive change in the world—rarely do those two things coincide. The model of their organization works like a megaphone to amplify the impact of smaller creators. The more artists/creatives that open. works with, the greater the net positive impact around the country will be. Being ‘open.’ means putting in the work to do good in the world and Expecting Nothing in return simply because it’s the right thing to do.”