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Landon Khiry, is a 22-year-old mixed media collagist based in Brooklyn, New York. At 20, he struggled with self-esteem and anxiety, seeking a way to grow personally. He began taking nature walks, often ending up by the ocean to lift his spirits and find motivation. He would sit for hours, gazing at the clouds and contemplating his future. Eventually, he adopted “EARTH DAY” as his Discord name, a moniker his friends embraced. This led to the creation of EARTH DAY, a platform dedicated to inspiring and helping artists showcase their work and grow. The brand has worked with renowned companies such as Columbia Records and Baseline.
Profile picture shot by Tahja Winfrey.
Hi Landon! It’s a pleasure to sit down with you! First question that I always ask. How does a regular day look like for you in Brooklyn?
A regular day for me in Brooklyn, is waking up early in the morning watch some tv trying to to rest my body as much as possible to prepare for the day, I could either journal or watch a movie just to get the mental straight and start the day off with a positive mindset. I usually stop by my favorite bagel spot and get me a plain bagel with cream cheese and turkey bacon. I also watch some WWE in the morning.
Growing up, what kind of kid were you? What did you enjoy doing, and how did you spend your time?
I was a really shy kid growing up and stayed indoors a lot! I mostly played video games because I loved them so much. I would spend a lot of my time when I was a kid gaming and watching cable because at my age some of the best shows in my opinion was around like Drake and Josh, ICarly, Cartoon Network with anything they dropped, Wrestling came on Mondays and Fridays, Dragon Ball Z Kai , I can literally go on for days to how much content I had inside my home.
Im curious. Being that you live in Brooklyn, which have produced some of the most well known and iconic hip hop artists of our time. Has that influenced you or your work in any way?
This is a great question, yes it has for sure! Artists like Slick Rick , Rakim , LL Cool J are some artists I always saw my Dad playing and the Jewelry and flash of New York artists is what made me fall in love with hip hop itself in the beginning. The rough grittiness of Brooklyn Hip Hop has always found a way into my art. The thought provoking artists of New York have also influenced my art, such as Mos Def , Joey Bada$$ , Mike, Nas , who make me put very neat details in my work and reflect on my life while living in New York.
What’s the earliest memory you have of you creating something? And when did you start taking being an artist serious?
My earliest memory is me creating this Dragon Ball Z inspired painting for my mom when I was like 7 or 8 LMAO it was terrible but my mom had it taped to her room door for years , but I don’t know where that painting at now, but I remember how ugly it looked. I started taking art serious once I hit 22 years old and I knew that I wanted to go all in with my art and felt that god gave me a talent and I didn’t want to waste it!
You’ve been pretty open about dealing with anxiety and low self-esteem in the past. Is that in any way reflected in your work? And has it changed the way you approach or view things?
Yes it has been apart of my work since the jump! It allowed me to say and express things that I can’t really make people understand with words. It definitely helped me approach things very differently, and learn how to control different emotions.
Your works are a mix between collages, digital and painting. When did you start to dabble in the various art-forms? And are there one of the you prefer more than the other?
I started to dabble in different art forms around early 2022, I started making this random collage on paper for this spectacular woman model named Yumcece, and I remember scanning it and being like yeah this is where I wanna take my art towards, this is something I can do both my worlds in and create something I love. I honestly don’t have a preference really, it sort of depends on the art style that I’m going for.
So how long has it taken you to develop your recognizable style, and what is it about that look that resonates with you?
It took me 3 years to develop my style or get somewhere to a style that im comfortable with. The look is a connectiion to me as a person and when I was younger. My dad when I was a kid played a lot of Southern Hip-Hop such as Ludacris, Mike Jones , Three 6 Mafia and Paul Wall. I would see these guys rock these amazing pairs of grillz and I always wanted a pair. Music videos like Fresh Az I Miz by “Bow Wow” and Stay Fly by “Three 6 Mafia”. These videos resonated me for years, and then years later it came alive in my art.
The people in your works are well known and iconic figures in pop culture and mainstream media. What do you look for when choosing your next protagonist?
I honestly look for something or someone with a personality and feel interesting to make a art piece of.
I gotta ask. Who’s your favorite NBA player(s) and team(s), and why?
My favorite player of all time is Steph Curry and my favorite team is the Warriors and the Nets. I love how Steph Curry changed the game of basketball, his style of play really made three point attempts more impressive than dunks at some point in time. When I was younger my favorite player was Steve Nash as well, I even have a Steve Nash mug.
Same thing with some of your favorite cover arts in music and movie posters?
One of my favorite cover arts of all-time is “Paid In Full” by “Eric B. & Rakim” I love how the cover is a big definition of New York rap. New York always had the most flashy rappers and music towards impressing the ladies. I loved how the jewelery stands out and they are dressed in one of one Dapper Dan pieces. Another cover art I love is A Tribe Called Quest “Peoples Instinctive Travels and Paths of Rhythm”. I fell in love with this cover later on in life because of the art style and it really humbled me seeing this cover art because I still got so much further to go.
What do you hope that we the observers take with us after viewing some if your works?
I want the viewers to understand the growth of my art and notice the little bits of work in progress, I’m always willing to experiment with my style and see the the little details within my work.
Tell me about your brand “Earth Day”. What sparked the idea and what was your initial plan for the brand?
The initial plan for Earth Day was to talk to creatives like me and have them appreciate the art they make and have many creatives bond with each other. What sparked the idea of Earth Day was me falling in love with nature. It really holds a deep hold on me, it help me grow from many things. Going on nature walks helped my mental alot and some days when I felt like a failure helped bring me up.
So what is your future vision for “Earth Day”?
Right now I still don’t have a for sure plan for Earth Day and still planning out the ground work for it.
Can you tell me about your use of symbolism?
I loveeeee symbolism, I feel life always comes with a full circle and I love to include that within my art.
How do you deal with creative blocks?
I usually take a week to really get my mental together, sometimes is best to rest your brain. I watch a big list of movies as well and just watch many directors and they creativity.
In a parallel universe who would you be? and what would you be doing?
Sheeeshhhh what a question, to be honest I would be in college confused on where I would want to take my life, rushed decisions and ended up passionless.
Can you tell me a story about a time when a connection with someone had a big impact on you?
I think this one connection with this girl I was talking to at the time was really the battery in my back, at the time I was dealing with a heartbreak and it instantly inspired me and made me actually try my hardest.
What qualities do you find most important in the people you choose to spend time with?
You have to be creative in some way and very chill, want to talk about life and wanting to grow as humans. I love when people want to go on walks and experience new things.
Anybody you look up to?
My mom and Dad, also my siblings!
How do you approach color?
I love very bright color palettes that can snatch the viewers eyes instantly. That’s always my main goal is to get the viewers attention first and then have them look further into the art for all the details.
What inspires and motivates you?
My Friends and Family, I also love watching movies, that helps me get motivated and also music really inspires me. One of my favorite songs that inspire me and gives me hope, faith is “Faithful” by “Common” it really gives me the light to continue my passion.
Alright Landon. I always ask these two questions at the end of an interview. The first is. What’s your favorite movie(s) and why?
Rush Hour easily, it’s my comfort movie it helps me relax. It also is hilarious to me and I love the whole trilogy.
The second is. What song(s) are you currently listening to the most right now?
The song that have been on repeat recently is “Rain” by “Skai and “jimmy chos” by “Sims Bentley”