The Man in Black story

I grew up in a blue-collar household. Early on- I learned that things in this world are earned through hard work, dedication, and picking yourself back up when you fall down. I wasn’t born into wealth, I wasn’t born with special talents, but I was born with a dream. A dream to be somebody.

My whole Childhood I lived on a chicken ranch and competed in livestock competitions. We had 100’s of birds at a time- Chickens, turkeys, ducks, pigeons, a couple quail, and even some parakeets. We also had a few other classic barnyard animals like cows, pigs, sheep, and a trusty horse.

I spent my early days showing livestock where I learned the importance of standing out in a crowd. I didn’t have the top pedigree livestock to pick from… But I did have- hard work, competitive spirit, creativity, and a little bit of showmanship. I took my rag tag formula and get-it-done attitude to go on and become one of the most decorated youth livestock showmen in California history.

When I was a child my mother Diane was a painter. This means she always made sure we had art supplies in the house. She would go on to encourage me to enter art projects at our local fairs. (Turns out winning $10 for a painting when you’re 8 years old is a good motivator for a kid.) My mom is what inspired my love of art, nature, and the softer more beautiful side of life.

My father Steve on the other hand- was a rough around the edges, Iron Working, Muscle car guy. He would spend a lot of his time in his garage working on cars and building things. I remember walking in his garage full of bad ass art, hot rod posters, and music blasting thinking- “this is the coolest thing ever.” My dad’s loud music, loud art, and that in-your-face attitude have heavily influenced my signature art style over the years.

My older Brother Jason was my biggest inspiration and role model growing up. During my high school and college years I worked in my brother’s Saddle shop. I watched how he ran his business, and how to interact with customers. The biggest thing he taught me was how to hustle, and to go out and make a name for myself. I spent years in his shop learning how to make durable ranch goods that were built to last. This foundation of ranch quality leather goods is the starting point of every project I make to this day.

During my teenage years I started on a fast track of self-destruction. I found myself wrapped up in Skateboarding, the local punk scene, and doing drugs. My only “real” job up to this point was being a debt collector. I spent years doing drugs with people 10-20 years older than me and getting wrapped up in the street life.

After years of living hard and fast, squandering my life away- I found myself at a fork in the road… continue down the path I’m on and end up dead before I hit 30- or- if I could find the strength to just be 1% better of a person today than I was yesterday, I could turn my life around and be the man I knew I could be.

So- I decided to embark on my journey… I took every piece of my life that I thought was good, and skill that I picked up along the way and decided to turn my life around.

I took my knowledge of leather work I learned from my brother- the appreciation of animals and flowers I got from my mom- the loud bad ass art and attitude I got from my dad- the little bit of art skills I had picked up over the years- the video editing and photography skills I picked up from my years skateboarding- and I decided to dedicate my life to becoming one of the best leather crafters in the planet.

Every day I focused on being 1% better of a human being, and getting 1% better at my craft. And through my 7-year journey, I have completely turned my life around. I have a wife who is better than my wildest dreams. Who has helped me build our little family full of love, laughter, and creativity. We own a home that’s nicer than my wildest dreams. My craft is better than I could have ever imagined, and my business is more successful than I could have ever hoped for.

I wake up every day feeling blessed to do something that is so at the core of who I am. I get to work with the influence of all the most important people in my life and try to build a legacy of my own. Through my hard work and dedication to becoming a better person, and crafter- I’ve been able to have opportunities I would have never imagined. I’ve worked with rodeo world champions, Miss Rodeo USA, broken world records with the help of the world’s largest direct to consumer leather company Tandy Leather, worked for famous people and most of all- I get to be myself and create art every day.

Making heirloom quality leather goods, with my signature in your face art style- it’s what I do.

Bryan Sosack - The Man in Black