Today we’d like to introduce you to Natas Mann.
Hi Natas, can you start by introducing yourself? We’d love to learn more about how you got to where you are today?
I was born in the Bronx and raised in Boston, Both of my parents were creative. My mom loved color and interior design and my dad was heavily into Graffiti and art. Growing up, the energy of originality and striving to be unique and stand out was everywhere around me from my household to the Graff on walls in my neighborhood. I didn’t take the traditional art school route. I’m entirely self taught. Early on, that meant learning by doing. Grabbing spray paint, experimenting with acrylics on canvas, and eventually integrating digital tools into my workflow. I spent countless hours refining my craft out of my “cave” in Roxbury, working to turn that raw funk into a signature visual style.
My artistic DNA is shaped by a mix of heavy hitters. I’ve always been inspired by how Andy Warhol redefined pop art, how Takashi Murakami seamlessly bridged fine art with graphic street culture, and the dope and unorthodox style mastery of graff writers like Ewok IMOK. Merging those influences helped me build a colorful, high impact aesthetic rooted in Graffiti.
As my work grew, I realized I didn’t just want to make art in a silo, I wanted to help build a home for it. That drive led to co-founding AoA Supply, a creative collective designed to support, elevate, and curate shows and events for graff heads and artists throughout Boston. We wanted to create spaces where local underground art could demand the attention it deserves.
Today, my focus is on evolution, pushing into new mediums, taking on larger scale projects, and constantly testing my limits. The goal has always been simple keep grinding, keep evolving as an artist, and help build an art scene in Boston that is genuine, bigger, and doper than ever.
Would you say it’s been a smooth road, and if not what are some of the biggest challenges you’ve faced along the way?
Smooth? Nah more like ups and downs. Unless you come from privilege with a safety net, building a career as a working artist is an uphill grind from day one. The biggest obstacle hasn’t just been surviving as an artist, but refusing to compromise my integrity along the way. The industry loves to put creators into neat boxes or expect you to play a specific role to fit a narrative of what an “urban artist” should be. I’ve always pushed back on that. My main drive has been showing people who look like me and come from the same struggles that you can make it to these spaces without selling out, changing who you are, or pretending to be something you’re not. Keeping it 100% genuine means turning down the wrong opportunities, which makes the road harder, but the work stays real.
Then there’s the business side of the hustle. Early on, you constantly deal with people who treat artists like a commodity rather than a real partner..Lowball offers, clients offering “exposure” instead of fair rates, or chasing down late and slow payments just to keep things moving. Learning to navigate those business politics, demand respect for the craft, and build a sustainable living without an institutional backup plan takes a heavy toll.
That said, every single struggle ended up sharpening my focus. They forced me to know my worth, protect my art, and speak up so other local artists wouldn’t have to navigate those same walls alone.
Alright, so let’s switch gears a bit and talk business. What should we know about your work?
I grew up loving cartoons and anime so majority of my work is character based. Not fanart but my own original characters. My artwork reflects how I’m feeling in the moment, usually using colors, animals or other symbolism to express those feelings. I try to breath life into my work in as many ways as I can using different mediums.
At first I worked exclusively with graff tools like spray paint, markers and acrylics on postal stickers, walls and canvas. That evolved into digital art, 3d sculpting and printing. My current work is an amalgamation of all those skills filtered through my lens resulting in bold brightly colored funk filled pieces.
Aside from my characters I’m known for testing my limits and learning new ways to push my artwork.
What I’m most proud of, though, goes beyond the artwork itself. I’m most proud of building a career on my own terms, staying authentic, maintaining my creative integrity, and showing the next generation of artist from the hood that you can make noise in the art world without changing who you are.
What sets me apart is the clash of two worlds. My roots in Graffiti and my background in Tech. Most people don’t expect a Graff head to approach a canvas with the analytical precision of a IT technician, but to me, Repairing a complex system and building a visual piece rely on the exact same logic..layers, structure, flow, and execution. That technical discipline allows me to pivot between raw, hand sprayed physical mediums and clean, scalable digital creations without losing the sauce.
Where we are in life is often partly because of others. Who/what else deserves credit for how your story turned out?
I have plenty of people in my life who have helped me in many ways. My daughters Nevaeha and Zaayna are a huge driving force for me to strive for more. My big bro Mar TNK has motivated, inspired and kept it real with me from day one. Same goes for my circle of friends and crews. They keep me honest, grounded and on my toes. As far as Mentors in Art I’ve always considered Omega TNK and Merk OBS the 2 artist that originally showed me what was possible with my style and how to execute it. Later on members of the GN crew became the example of how to effectively operate as a crew of working artist. From them I learned about grants, how to be more organized and professional with mural work and consistency.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://busybeasly.square.site/
- Instagram: @Jbeasly183
- Other: https://www.aoasupply.com/
