We recently had the chance to connect with Alfonso Apodaca III and have shared our conversation below.
Alfonso , really appreciate you sharing your stories and insights with us. The world would have so much more understanding and empathy if we all were a bit more open about our stories and how they have helped shaped our journey and worldview. Let’s jump in with a fun one: Are you walking a path—or wandering?
Am I walking a path…or wandering?
Honestly, I’m doing both, usually at the same time, occasionally in the wrong shoes.
I like to think I’m wandering with intention. I’ll follow a path until it stops teaching me something, then I wander off, trip a little, take notes, and keep going. Most of my best work comes from mistakes I didn’t plan on making….wrong turns that turned out to be shortcuts, or dead ends that forced me to sit still and actually listen. I don’t believe in a perfectly mapped-out journey; I believe in momentum, curiosity, and learning the hard way just enough times to get smarter without losing the thrill.
If there’s a path, I’ll respect it. If there isn’t, I’ll make one…probably messy, probably unconventional, but always honest. That’s how I move through life and art: wandering forward, learning loudly, and trusting that every misstep is just another layer of the story.
Can you briefly introduce yourself and share what makes you or your brand unique?
My name is Alfonso Apodaca III, but most people know me as Legendaryarts…and that name isn’t bravado, it’s a reminder. A reminder to create like time is watching.
I’m a visual artist who turns lived experience into bold, emotional statements. My work pulls from pop culture, spirituality, street energy, and personal mythology…layered, loud, and unapologetically honest. If you’ve seen my work online, you already know it doesn’t whisper. It confronts, seduces, and asks questions before it gives answers. I’m interested in the tension between beauty and chaos, confidence and doubt, the icon and the human behind it.
What makes my work special is that it’s rooted in mistakes…real ones. I didn’t come up through a clean, linear path. I learned by failing publicly, experimenting recklessly, and trusting my instincts even when they got me into trouble. That trial-and-error is baked into the art. Every piece is a lesson, a scar, or a flex earned the hard way.
LEGENDARYARTS isn’t just a brand, it’s a mindset. It’s about claiming your space before someone tells you you’re allowed to. Right now, I’m focused on pushing my visuals further, building larger bodies of work, and creating art that feels timeless but still dangerous. I want my work to make people feel seen, challenged, and just a little uncomfortable…in the best way.
I’m not chasing perfection. I’m chasing truth, impact, and the kind of legacy that comes from showing up fully, flaws and all.
Appreciate your sharing that. Let’s talk about your life, growing up and some of topics and learnings around that. What was your earliest memory of feeling powerful?
My earliest memory of feeling powerful wasn’t loud or dramatic…it was quiet, heavy, and hit me straight in the chest.
The first time I held my girls, time did this strange thing where it slowed down just enough for reality to punch me in the soul. I remember thinking, Oh… this is real now. Not in a scared way…but in a holy-shit-I-can’t-waste-this way. Suddenly, everything I’d been procrastinating on…my voice, my art, my potential had witnesses. Tiny ones. Beautiful ones. And that changed the game.
Power, in that moment, wasn’t about ego or control. It was responsibility wrapped in love. It was realizing that creating wasn’t optional anymore…it was necessary. I wasn’t just making art for myself; I was building proof. Proof that passion pays off, that mistakes don’t disqualify you, and that showing up fully is the sexiest flex there is.
Holding them lit a fire in me that still hasn’t gone out. It made me bolder, more reckless with honesty, and way less interested in playing small. That was the moment I understood real power isn’t about taking up space…it’s about creating something meaningful enough to last.
If you could say one kind thing to your younger self, what would it be?
I’d tell my younger self this:
Slow down, but don’t dim the volume.
Stop and smell the roses, yeah, but don’t stop listening to the music in your head. That soundtrack? That’s intuition. That’s art knocking. Life isn’t a race, it’s a painting, and you’re allowed to step back, squint at it, mess it up, repaint it, and fall in love with the chaos all over again. Let the peinture of the journey stain your hands. Clean hands never made anything interesting.
You’re going to trip. A lot. Sometimes over your own ego, sometimes over love, sometimes over dreams that showed up before you were ready. Laugh when it happens. Falling doesn’t mean you failed…it means you were moving. And movement is sexy.
So breathe. Romanticize the small moments. Dance in your head even when the room is quiet. Create even when no one’s watching, especially then. One day, all of this wandering, all this noise, all this feeling will make sense. And when it does, you’ll realize you were never lost…you were just becoming.
Sure, so let’s go deeper into your values and how you think. What are the biggest lies your industry tells itself?
One of the biggest lies my industry tells itself is that talent and hard work automatically lead to recognition. That if you just grind long enough, stay pure enough, and suffer quietly, the doors will eventually open. Reality is more complicated and more uncomfortable.
Visibility isn’t always earned on merit alone. Image, timing, algorithms, and marketable aesthetics often speak louder than depth or dedication. Sometimes it feels like spectacle is rewarded faster than substance, and that can be exhausting for artists who have spent years honing their craft, failing forward, and showing up with real intention. It’s not bitterness..,it’s honesty.
That said, I don’t believe the answer is resentment. I believe it’s persistence with clarity. I’m tired, yes, but I’m also ready. Ready for my work to be seen on its own terms. Ready for space to be made for artists who have something to say, not just something to show. The lie may be loud, but truth has a way of lasting longer.
Thank you so much for all of your openness so far. Maybe we can close with a future oriented question. If you knew you had 10 years left, what would you stop doing immediately?
If I knew I only had ten years left, I’d stop doing everything that drains my sparkand I’d do it with a wink and a smile.
I’d stop shrinking myself to fit into someone else’s idea of acceptable art or success. No more second-guessing, no more waiting for permission, no more trying to look “professional” when what I really want to look is alive. Life’s too short for artist block, apologetic art, and boring underwear (seriously, life’s too short for anything boring).
I’d stop wasting time on people who don’t celebrate your genius the way you celebrate theirs. If you aren’t laughing together, inspiring each other, or making questionable late-night decisions that turn into stories what’s the point?
And yeah, I’d stop caring about trends that feel like traps. If swagger is currency, then authenticity is platinum and I’m cashing it in. I’d wake up every day and make love to life the way I do in my art: unapologetically, completely, with color under my nails and music in my head. I’d kiss the sunrise, flirt with possibility, and paint until my heart whispered, just one more stroke.
If life gives you a deadline…don’t just live. Thrive. Make each day so sexy, so funny, so unforgettable that even Time stops and takes notes. That’s who I am. That’s who I’d be. That’s what I’d do.
Contact Info:
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/legendaryarts?igsh=MWk0Z3FlZDU4aGx5eQ%3D%3D&utm_source=qr
- Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/alfonso-apodaca-iii-92499513?utm_source=share&utm_campaign=share_via&utm_content=profile&utm_medium=ios_app
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/share/1F1impXEj8/?mibextid=wwXIfr
- Other: https://www.tiktok.com/@legendaryarts105?_r=1&_t=ZP-92PJAiXwYzH
Image Credits
legendaryart
