An interview with Hawsé Sumi on survival, art, and the architecture of becoming unforgettable.
This Hawsé Sumi UnFuckable interview is a long-form editorial conversation examining survival, digital art, and the architecture of becoming unforgettable. It documents how loss, necessity, and creative defiance converged into a philosophy and an independent creative enterprise.
Originally, the interview was conducted across recorded conversations and written correspondence. Later, the material was edited and compounded to preserve clarity, accuracy, and voice—without softening impact.
The UnFuckable Evolution of Hawsé Sumi ~ “HOW I GOT FIRED FOR BEING FABULOUS!”
Interviewer: Before digital art, before galleries, before all of this—what was really happening in your life?
From Digital Desperation to Physical Defiance
Sumi:
I was working at a Pilates studio as a “Pilates assistant,” which is a very polite way of saying front desk, janitor, and unofficial therapist. My job was simple: clock people in, clean up, shut the place down.
The problem wasn’t that I couldn’t do it.
The problem was that people wouldn’t stop talking to me.
I don’t even talk that much—but when I do, I say interesting shit. People would come in, start chatting, get comfortable, get curious. Next thing I know, I’m mid-conversation and someone else has walked in behind them and I missed clocking them in. Not because I was lazy. Because people wanted to be in my world.
I got two write-ups. I knew my time was limited.
Then one day—on my day off—I’m chilling, scrolling my email, and I see the subject line: Employment Termination.
I laughed.
What made me laugh harder was the office manager saying, “I know this is shocking and you probably didn’t see this coming.”
No. I absolutely saw it coming.
All I could think of was Friday. Craig and Smokey. How do you get fired on your day off?
That was me.
I wasn’t embarrassed. I wasn’t hurt. I didn’t give a shit.
The truth is, I didn’t get fired for being bad at my job. I got fired because people liked me too much. I got fired for being interesting. For being a distraction. For being fabulous and fucking fantastic.
And honestly? That tracks.
Interviewer: What happened next?
Viral Momentum and the $20 Beginning
Hawsé Sumi:
Unemployment was running out. I had twenty dollars. That’s it.
I told my son, “I need to do something or I’m going to be destitute.” He said, “Get on Midjourney and ChatGPT and start playing with art. Everyone’s doing neon mushrooms right now. Just try.”
So I did.
He told me to open a TikTok account and start posting. I posted a few things. They got views. Likes. Nothing crazy. Then I posted an image of old-school rappers with turntables, set to KRS-One’s The Bridge Is Over.
That post went viral. For me, viral was fourteen, twenty thousand views. But that was enough.
People started asking:
“Can you do this with a bear?”
“What about a panther?”
“Do you take commissions?”
I love raccoons, so I made raccoons. With opera music. That did well too.
Back then, digital art wasn’t what it is now. But I was getting gigs. Real money. Enough to breathe.
And all it cost me was twenty dollars.
Interviewer: You didn’t come into this with a strategy.
ADHD, Creation Speed, and Digital Freedom
Hawsé Sumi:
None. Zero. This wasn’t about filling a gap in the market. It was desperation.
I’d always been creative. I made flyers. Built websites for local people. But I was paying for stock images. Adobe. Clip art. Suddenly, I could create exactly what was in my head.
And I have ADHD. Digital art was perfect for that. I could move as fast as my mind, and I didn’t need permission.
I didn’t know this was an industry, “commercial” or “cultural” relevance. I was just creating and having fun.
Interviewer: When did it start to feel real?
Recognition, Representation, and Cultural Placement
Hawsé Sumi:
Not until 2024.
A friend in the Pittsburgh art scene told me about a Black History Month call for entries. I submitted a piece. Two days later, I was selected. My artwork was hung in the Mayor’s Office.
Then I got an email from Michelle Gainey. They were filming the Mayor of Kingston and wanted to use my artwork as the backdrop in an episode. I didn’t get paid—and I didn’t care. Recognition mattered.
Even then, I still didn’t fully get it. I didn’t think, Oh, this is cultural. I was just creating.
Interviewer: How do you describe your digital work?
Hawsé Sumi:
It’s my brain dumping itself onto a surface.
I close my eyes, take my favorite colors, and let whatever’s inside come out. Hip-hop. Picasso. Warhol. Basquiat. All mixed together. People told me my work “lives rent-free in their heads.” That told me something landed.
What it does is make people feel seen. People would comment, “I feel what you’re feeling.” That mattered more than aesthetics.
Interviewer: TikTok mattered. Representation mattered.
Hawsé Sumi:
Only TikTok worked. Everything else was noise.
And I refuse to default to white imagery. Midjourney will give you a white woman every time you ask for “beautiful.” I reject that. I choose Black women. Black men. Always.
That’s not political. That’s intentional.
Interviewer: Then comes UnFuckable.
The Birth of the UnFuckable Philosophy
Hawsé Sumi:
December. Right before my birthday. I was depressed. Nothing moved me. Self-help books did nothing.
I thought of the word UnFuckable. Looked it up. Saw it was derogatory. And then I saw the power in it.
A diamond before it’s cut is UnFuckable.
A caterpillar before it becomes a butterfly is UnFuckable.
I felt cocooned. Trapped. Ugly. I said, I’m UnFuckable right now.
Then I heard someone on British TV yelling, “You can’t fuck me—I’m UnFuckable.” That was it.
I fused Zen philosophy, imperfection, mind-body-soul, and confrontation.
The UnFuckable Awakening.
The Allure of Becoming UnFuckable.
The UnFuckable Hustle.
Then came The Fuckcabulary—365 invented words, art, pronunciation, sarcasm. A calendar. A book. A podcast.
UnFuckable changed my mindset. I became unapologetic. Quiet luxury. Untouchable.
Interviewer: You survived real loss during this time.
Loss, Fire, and Posture
Hawsé Sumi:
My house burned down. I lost everything. My mother passed away. I left the hospital with leggings, slippers, a sweatshirt, and a Steelers hat.
That’s it.
The Red Cross saved me. My neighborhood raised money. I bought clothes from Temu. People laugh—but I walk out the door and get compliments every time. Quiet luxury isn’t about money. It’s about presence.
UnFuckable gave me posture.
Interviewer: Why move into traditional art?
From Digital Art to Tactile Authority
Hawsé Sumi:
Imposter syndrome.
People talk shit about digital art. Say it’s not real. So I went tactile. Cold wax. Texture. Hands-on.
Cold wax lets me do abstract physically. Acrylic is next—when I have my own space. Digital didn’t carry over technically. It carried over conceptually.
Interviewer: When did you start thinking like an entrepreneur?
Money, Credibility, and Non-Negotiables
Hawsé Sumi:
When people started buying.
When my work hung at the August Wilson House—twice.
When my art went international—Switzerland, Dubai, Germany, France.
Praise is nice. Money is clearer.
Interviewer: Final question. What’s non-negotiable?
Hawsé Sumi:
The word fuck stays.
My writing stays.
My art expands.
I want to be a world-unknown eccentric with wealth energy.
And I’m building that—on my terms.
