Little By Little, Learn About Little Ricky Pt. 3

Welcome to the 3rd lesson on street artist Little Ricky; be sure to check out the previous posts and catch up on all there is to know!

Walking is a necessity to keep up with Little Ricky and his street art. We have been walking everywhere and it has opened my eyes to the beautiful art that can only be seen and appreciated on foot, and I love every step of it. As opposed to the pedestrian NYC lifestyle, we live in our car. But for Ricky, it was a life altering experience that led him to incorporate walking with his art.

Ricky packs for his walks like a mini field trip armed with stickers, wheatpaste prints, glue, markers and a fair amount of energy and good spirit. Hitting the city pavement covering on average six miles a day, Ricky has every street and alley covered. He knows where and when to post, and what artist he wants to get-up next to. Re-placing the damaged stickers and wheatpaste art with fresh pieces, finding new locations, clever spots along various routes is what makes these walks so much fun.

Little Ricky is often accompanied by family and friends on these walks. For this special excursion, I joined them on Easter Sunday for his annual Easter Egg hunt! He planted hot pink plastic Easter eggs filled with sticker and fun treats all around the DTLA Arts District.

I found it interesting that his family would continue walking as Little Ricky stopped to post up art and secure the plastic Easter eggs, even during a conversation. But then at the turn of a corner, everyone all appeared together picking up their conversation without missing a beat. The family has been taught how to be smart street art look-outs too!

I asked Ricky about his dedication of walking, and how his art and walking blend seamlessly...

"When I stopped running 15 years ago, I never imagined that I would love walking more than I running. Around that time, I ended up at Cedars Sinai with severe pneumonia. I was there for over 2 weeks, bedridden with tubes coming out and of each side of my lungs. Believe it or not, there wasn’t just peace in my heart, there was joy. I felt a sense of calmness. On a scale of one to ten with ten being near death, the doctor later told me that I was a ten. The first day I was able to get out of bed, I looked out the window and was envious of the people walking around. That moment, I promised myself that I would walk as much as possible. I’ve kept my promise. Weekly, I put in about 30 miles. Now, the best part is that I get to combine my passion for walking with art. Everywhere I walk, I get to put up SHEEP! It's like planting little seeds of joy. No matter what, wherever I go, I always have stickers in my pockets. Who says nobody walks in LA... this SHEEP was made for walking!"

Walking and posting up art is a daily part of Little Ricky's life; it is infectious and I love it! Exercise needs to be an important part of everyone's life, and incorporating it into your daily routine is really key - it's great to see artists taking care of themselves like Little Ricky has been.