influences.
A moodboard of the inputs that shape my output. The architecture, films, digital creators, and soundscapes that I constantly return to.
Brutalism
Casey Neistat
The GOAT of VloggingCasey didn't just teach me how to creative; he proved that a raw story beats a polished, million-dollar Hollywood camera setup every single time. The Sharpie, the Boosted Board, the chaotic NYC traffic—he made the daily grind look like cinematic art. I still go back to his old vlogs whenever I need a kick in the ass to stop overthinking and just go make something.
The Wire.
Sociological MasterpieceA televised, modern-day Dickens novel that shattered my perspective on society. It exposes the gray areas of morality and the decay of institutions, proving the game is rigged from the streets to City Hall. It doesn't just entertain; it demands that you pay attention.
"All in the game, yo."
The Dollars Trilogy
The whistling Morricone soundtracks, the extreme close-ups, the tense, drawn-out standoffs. I inherited a deep love for the raw, unforgiving frontier from my dad.
Butch Cassidy &
The Sundance Kid
The ultimate buddy film. Charismatic, funny, and deeply tragic. It captures that feeling of an era ending and time running out, culminating in the most iconic freeze-frame in cinema.
It’s funny where our tastes come from. My deep love for the sweeping, unforgiving American frontier comes entirely from my dad.
And ironically, it didn't start with a cinematic masterpiece. It started with Mackenna's Gold—a movie with notoriously terrible ratings. But watching it with him, seeing those massive canyons, the mythic search for hidden treasure, and the sheer, dusty scale of the desert... it sparked something permanent in me. It taught me that a film doesn't need to be critically acclaimed to leave a lasting impact. Sometimes, it's just about the feeling it gives you and who you're sharing the screen with.
Architecture is the ultimate physical manifestation of human intent.
It is the only art form we actually live inside. It forces us to interact with the vision of the creator every time we walk through a door. From the cold, unapologetic mass of Brutalist concrete, to Zaha Hadid’s impossible fluid sweeps, and Frank Gehry’s crushed titanium chaos—I am fascinated by the audacity required to take a wild, crumpled sketch and engineer it into a towering, permanent reality.
Zaha Hadid
Deconstructivism that defies the laws of physics and gravity. Her work isn't just built; it flows. Fluid, sweeping, and entirely futuristic. Studying her spaces completely shattered my understanding of what a building is "supposed" to look like.
Frank Gehry
Architecture that feels like abstract sculpture. The undisputed master of metallic forms, sharp folds, and chaotic, brilliant geometry. It continually inspires me how he takes a wild, crumpled-up paper sketch and engineers it into a towering, permanent reality.
There are albums you casually listen to, and then there are albums that permanently rewire your musical DNA.
For me, it always comes back to two absolute masterclasses in sampling and production: Kanye West's Graduation and Daft Punk's Discovery. One is a stadium-rap victory lap that defined an entire era, and the other is a flawless, glittering journey through French house music. The fact that Kanye sampled Daft Punk to make "Stronger" just proves these two sonic worlds were always meant to collide. These aren't just albums; they are the gold standard.
& Consequences
Better Call Saul
Right up there next to The Wire. Watching Jimmy McGill's slow, inevitable descent into Saul Goodman is one of the most heartbreaking, perfectly paced character arcs in television history. It’s a masterclass in visual storytelling, framing, and the devastating, compounding consequences of the shortcuts we take.
Sidemen
My absolute favorite YouTube group and the ultimate comfort watch. I've grown up watching them evolve from playing FIFA in their bedrooms to orchestrating massive, stadium-level productions. Through all the scale and madness, their raw group chemistry has never changed.
Secret Life Of Walter Mitty
This film fundamentally rewired how I view routine. Seeing those sweeping, uncharted landscapes ignited a permanent need to break away. It’s the exact reason behind my drive to pack a bag and disappear on a month-long solo trip. The movie taught me that the world is entirely too massive to only experience it through a screen.
Blacktail Studio
There is something hypnotic about watching a shattered slab of burl wood transform into a pristine piece of art. From routing perfectly flat planes and mixing deep, oceanic resin pigments, to the grueling hours of sanding up to 3000 grit—it's an absolute masterclass in patience. Even knowing nothing about woodworking, that final Rubio Monocoat finish is the best visual ASMR on the internet.
Chernobyl (HBO)
A horrifying, meticulously researched autopsy of a disaster born from institutional arrogance. It doesn’t just operate as a historical drama; it plays out like a psychological thriller where the monster is invisible radiation and government bureaucracy. The sound of the ticking dosimeters, the gruesome reality of acute radiation sickness, and Valery Legasov’s desperate fight for the truth make this an unforgettable, suffocating watch.
We are the sum of our curations. Every building, every frame, and every note on this page is a piece of a larger blueprint.
From my dad’s old Westerns to the brutalist concrete of Zaha Hadid, these inputs dictate my output. They are the standard I hold myself to when I sit down to build something new. Whether it’s a month-long solo trip into the wild or a line of code for this site—it all flows from the same source. This is the DNA of my creative process, and I hope it sparks something in you too.