In the age of artifice & microwaveable content, Deshion McKinley is an enigma to many. Born & raised in St. Louis, the perfervid visionary artist has created a number of widely-acclaimed paintings, gained local & national attention through skateboarding, & even executed his own fashion show – all before the end of his teens. Now 21, he's only gotten better, depicting an evolved perspective on identity & societal dismay within his recent works, & even trying his his hand at music. Following the second installment of his "Kinder" fashion series, he sits down with Jared Witherspoon, local fashion photographer & tastemaker, to talk about how there's no place like home, past influences, & his love-hate relationship with social media.

JW = Jared Witherspoon
DM = Deshion McKinley

JW: It's been a pretty hectic past couple of weeks for you. We shot for the editorial, for this interview, on Sunday. The Friday prior was your fashion show; preceding that, on Tuesday, was the fitting, & not to mention the hours on hours of prep in the weeks leading up to that. So I guess I'd like to start off with just – how are you? How do you think the show went?

DM: Right now, I'm everywhere – just like walking with my head cut off. I feel tired. I feel down, happy, up, excited & proud, but also just like extremely... tangled. I think the show was really good. I enjoyed it. It was fun & it felt like a big step from the first one. But, me as a human, I don't sit down & let everything digest. I'm always going straight to the next thing. People hit me up afterwards & they told me how much they appreciated it, so, that brings joy to me. But, other than that, it's just another day of just creating something.

JW: An important part of presenting art in any medium is being able to share that experience with the group of people that wanna see your work. This year that aspect kinda was cut short due to COVID. Because you were only able to invite so many people – mostly those working on the production along with some family & friends – Did that hurt your morale leading up to the show?

DM: Yeah, it did, because the first one was so big & everybody was anticipating this next one – even I was. Originally, I wasn't gonna end up doing it because I was like, "Oh, everyone can't come & everybody can't watch & see." But, I also spent days working on these clothes, so I was like, All right, I'm just gonna have to do it & share it through my social media platform, which luckily can reach out to a good amount of people & they can see it from there.

JW: When we first met, it was actually during the fitting of a mutual friends' short film that you were modeling for. I believe you were just getting started with [making clothes]. I'm not sure if you had done any shows at that point, but I definitely remember your paintings. Since then you've done more shows, more paintings, & more traveling. How much do you feel you've grown as an artist since us first meeting till now?

DM: Yea! We meet in like 2020, right? Wow – I think I grew a lot, honestly, in between traveling & just meeting you guys. But also, growing up & trying to figure out where I belong with that – putting myself in crazy scenarios just to produce work. I feel like I grow with each painting or whatever I do. Looking back at it, I've been so busy & so many opportunities have came since I've met you to where I can't ignore the fact that it's been going good, you know?

JW: It's been really great to see. I know, for me, going to school in Chicago greatly affected my work & even helped me develop a greater appreciation for coming back to St. Louis as far as finding new inspiration & whatnot. How has St. Louis influenced your work? &, on top of that, how does co-mingling your experiences from St. Louis with traveling affect what you're doing now?

DM: It's insane. You can't really even explain it. [St. Louis] has helped me with my work because it's so much going on here. It's also just a pivotal moment in time where I can put everything down. Being here, I can be by myself. I can be alone, & no one will bother me. I can make stuff, go hang out with my friends from outta town, & then come back home. & I appreciate home because everything isn’t what it seems being out of town. I also don't get to paint as much [while traveling] because I don't have a space.

JW: There's a peacefulness to [being home].

DM: Yeah! – so I just bring all that frustration & everything I've wanted to speak on, or do, back home whenever I have a place to paint.

JW: Prior to this interview, I was scrolling through your [Instagram] feed &, similar to how you just spoke on "frustration," in your paintings, there are a lot of motifs that you allude to – whether it be frustration, angst, politics, race, social disparity, etc. Are you pulling these themes from personal experiences? Because you could just be painting portraits of Roddy Ricch or whatever else people paint.

DM: None of that shit. [laughs] Not to go against that but, for me, I always need a purpose to do something. I pull from actual experiences in my life, things that I've been through, & also from stories that my parents have told me or stories the homies have told me. Just seeing what's actually going on in real life – if you sit down & just look at everything, it's fucking insane. &, again, I'm new to being an adult; I'm 21 now. So, I have so much frustration. I have so many questions & I don't know.

JW: Do you think, in a way, you're re-experiencing the world through your paintings?

DM: 100% – I feel like I'm giving my own outlook through painting, you know? I feel like that's my way of speaking out without having to "speak out" about something.

JW: & it gets a lot of like attention, online?

DM: It does.

JW: Do you ever feel like there's a validation loop between what you wanna paint & what you think will get the most attention? & do you ever try to combat that?

DM: No, not at all. One thing I will say about people's support – everyone knows I'm gonna do me & paint whatever the fuck I want. If you don't like that, then you can just go around it. I don't feel like I need to do "this" in order for it to get said amount of traction. I literally won't paint for months just because I don't feel like it & people will hit me up like, “yo — paint! paint!” & I'm like, "Dude, I'm on my time, you know?" Sometimes I wanna do political shit, but it's also just so dark to think about. Everybody don’t wanna see that all the damn time, you know?

JW: Even you — the person painting it

DM: Honestly! I get in a pissed off, just sad grey mood painting that shit because it's like real life. Like, damn, this is it? & I'm just trying to make light of it in some way.

JW: I know that sometimes, with art, it can feel like you're giving too much of yourself. Do you ever worry that you're sharing too much?

DM: Yeah, 100% – I'm a very closed off person. Even my girlfriend will [see my paintings] & be like, "Well, I knew nothing about this." I also don't want people knowing my business, not even in a weird way. That stuff kinda scares me because then people try to use it against you or, they think they know you just by what you display. I know people come up with their own assumptions, so, I try not to give too much. But also, if I don't give what I should, I feel like I'm not doing it to the fullest.

JW: & the work’s probably not as good–

DM: It's not as good. So I'm just like – Oh, well, whatever.

JW: Let's talk about your inspirations for a little. Right before this interview, you were talking about–

DM: Basquiat?

JW: Yeah! When I look at your work, I see a lot of [Jean-Michel Basquiat] influence, but, I also see [Cy Twombly] along with a lot of other Neo-expressionist elements. It's super cool to see because, instead of rehashing Basquiat, you tend to offer your own interpretation on the style of painting. How has Basquiat influenced your work?

DM: He's influenced my work by just letting me be free. I've always been a messy person. I've always liked to scribble outside of the lines. When someone tells me not to do this, I wanna do what they just told me not to do – & that's exactly what he did. He just made me be like... me & unapologetic for the work I wanna do; the same with Picasso. I love Picasso's pieces. Genuinely, I sit back & look at his pieces & see new things every time. It's like, wow, you really did that.

JW: & originally you didn't even wanna get into painting?

DM: No, not at all. I always did art because I skate & the skate community & art go hand in hand. I would draw here & there, but, my last semester of high school I took Painting II & [my art teacher] was like, "All right, Deshion, paint this." & I painted it & she was like, "Yo! you got a gift." & I'm like, "Miss G, what are you talking about? I don't got nothing. I failed Painting I right before this." & she was like, "I'ma give you this assignment, just bring back whatever. & I want you to touch on how you feel – make a piece about whatever you're feeling." So, she genuinely just gave me canvases & tools & movies to watch. She even gave me a whole list of artists to look at. So, thanks, Miss G.

JW: There's quite the gap between trivializing your artwork & to consider showing your work in spaces. What made you take the leap to be like, "OK, I'm actually gonna do this painting shit. I'm not just gonna fuck around?"

DM: When I realized it made me less sad. It made me feel like I was important & had a voice to get my shit off, you know? It's not like I even take it serious; It's kinda just one of those things that I feel like I'm just here to do. I also get to see people's faces while watching my pieces & they're telling me what they see & I don't even see it myself. But, that's what's cool – it's going through your brain something totally different.

JW: Yeah! I think one of the coolest things about your work, or paintings in general, is that experiencing a painting in person compared to online are two completely different experiences. But also, with your work, people tend to have an emotional connection.

DM: Which is really weird, but also like, damn, that's kinda sick. I'm not intentionally trying to have people connect emotionally. It's just like, you know?

JW: In many ways, you're very keen on disrupting any false narratives or preconceived about yourself, whether it be through skateboarding, painting or even just being from St. Louis, you're especially unapologetic when it comes to who you are. What was the deciding factor that made you say, "OK, I'm just gonna do what I want."

DM: It happened in 2016. The homie Nick died (R.I.P) It's different when it's a close friend; my outlook on life just changed. So, then I had all these questions like, "Did you do what you wanna do?" That's kinda when I just said "fuck it" in life. I'm gonna do me & if you don't like it, whatever. It's just little lessons like that to where like, damn... I'm glad to be here.

JW: You're definitely a person that carries very little of an ego. It's really cool to see, especially at a young age. Has that helped you? & Do you think with social media & everything, doing the opposite can be damaging?

DM: I love Instagram because it's helped me reach a demographic of people that I feel like I could never have reached without it. But, also, I kinda hate it because it's just creating fake humans. Everything is, 'this is what you gotta do to get here' or 'this is how you gotta be dress to do this' or 'this is what's in' It's like no one is really being their authentic self.

JW: –Everything is premeditated.

DM: Yeah! & it's OK to like "this" or like "that." You don't gotta just pick "this" & then be with this group of people – like, nah, bro.

JW: Do you think social media is disrupting art, at least as we know it? Is it possible to make genuine art in the midst of social media? Or do you have to completely block it out?

DM: That's a good ass question. I think it's possible because I'm making genuine art in the space right now. I do feel like it's starting to get overdid & it is becoming too much of anything. But at the end of the day, I think if your work speaks volume, it'll always overcome all of the bullshit. Social media is just weird. It's good & bad.

JW: ~Crazy world we live in – any final words you wanna say to people reading this?

DM: Yeah... I know this sounds so corny & everybody says it but please just be your fucking self. You guys look crazy as hell. & I know it's hard but do you! & You're important, never feel as if you're alone, because I be feeling that shit – reach out. It's a sad, dark world, but it's also beautiful. So keep going–

JW: & also keep doing!

DM: Yeah! keep doing it! You never know where you're gonna end up. You never know who you're gonna run into. I'd never think I would've ran into half the people I've been with recently. Life is constantly changing. So, if I would've stopped, I don't know where I'd be, you know? Just... quit letting people's words dictate how you feel about something you care about.

By Jared Witherspoon
Photographed by Jared Witherspoon
Styled by Payso Lockheart & Diada Jones