"What Sticks?" with Jesse Nyberg 🐎
Unveiling something special
blog.forty-two // When Moy and I first sat down and started talking about a Creator Mag relaunch, one thing was clear—apparel would play a big role.
I was visiting Seattle, and we whiteboarded in a WeWork conference room for a couple hours. A beautiful print magazine would, of course, serve as the launchpad for everything: this weekly blog, our YouTube channel, and regular gatherings (including the quarterly Block Party).
But we also wanted to drop dope apparel collections with our friends. The only problem was, we needed someone to help visualize each collection.
Enter: Shua. Pretty much every day in the studio, I’m constantly amazed by what this guy can do with just a couple royalty-free songs and some solid B-roll. If you’ve been following along with our journey over on YouTube, just know that Shua’s been putting the team on his back.
And he led the entire photoshoot out in Los Angeles for our first apparel drop: The Cuesta Studio x Powder Blue “Keep It Moving” collection.
When we reached out to designer and YouTube creator Jesse Nyberg, the pitch pretty much wrote itself. We were already huge fans of his work…and were interviewing him for a feature in the magazine, anyway. Yet in reading up on Jesse ahead of the call, Moy realized that his design journey started with a t-shirt brand in high school—a similar origin story to me.
The "Keep It Moving" collection celebrates those shared screen printing origins with a design that appears straightforward from far away—yet is chockful of easter eggs the closer you look. And it comes in two colorways: Navy & Gold (a nod to the Golden State) and Black & Red (reminiscent of the Chicago Bulls).
I think back to that day of whiteboarding with Moy, and I come back to our mission to Make the Internet Feel Smaller. We want to tell impactful, meaningful stories, and the magazine is full of them—we can’t wait for you to read them soon enough.
But we also want to make cool shit with our friends. Even if it’s double the work, our thesis is that you can do both, and create a real business at that. And I’ll guess we’ll find out if we’re right.
It’s been a phenomenal ride working with Jesse these last few months, and through this collaboration, we’re pumped to highlight the launch of his new design studio, Cuesta. While our full conversation with Jesse is featured in the magazine, scroll down for a condensed version—and note that we’ll be telling more of the behind-the-scenes story in our next video, which drops tomorrow on the Powder Blue YouTube channel.
— NGL
P.S. Thanks to the homie Taiga Fukuyama for assisting in the photoshoot as our second camera op, impromptu model, and retro BMW owner!
P.P.S. Last blog, we shared the “Editor’s Letter” from our upcoming print edition. It expands on our mission, this season’s theme, and more. You can read it here.
Sponsored by Fourthwall
There’s Two Ways We Approach Our Product Drops
We’re storytellers at heart—but also product people.
For our drops, we obsess over every detail, from paper weight to custom apparel tags. We like control, which is why we printed our magazine (and the “Keep It Moving” collection) in Chicago. But we also source some products through non-local manufacturers—without sacrificing quality.
Take our “Classic Stormy Beanie” in Gold. I first sampled it through Fourthwall in 2021. The embroidery was top-notch, and it’s still in great shape, four years later.
Fourthwall lets you sell both your own items and custom products from their expansive partner network. Launch your shop on Fourthwall today—and get $25 in free sample credits, on us.
Jesse Nyberg is a Californian designer who mixes traditional Swiss design elements with a DIY, post-modern and punk-inspired flair. We caught up with him just after New Year’s to talk about how he balances art, content, and his latest venture, Cuesta Studio—as well as unveil our new collaboration.
The following conversation has been edited and condensed for clarity.
Moy Zhong: Hey Jesse! What was your biggest win from 2024?
Jesse Nyberg: Probably the YouTube thing—passing 100,000 subs.
That was something I didn't think would happen. Not that I didn't think it would happen now, but I didn't think it would happen when I started and it felt like such an unattainable thing.
I used to get, like, resentful against people I saw get it in a year—it took me four years or whatever. But it does compound, and it was cool to see that number go up. You know, that monkey brain mentality.
Design-wise, yeah, the launch of my studio, Cuesta. It hasn't transpired into anything crazy yet, but it’s still another big win. I want to design an official album rollout for an artist—in terms of, like, vinyl and cover art and really build this world for a musician.
I've done it in smaller senses, like with digital downloads and small singles and stuff like that. But a lot of the bands I like to work with don't have any money, and then the bands that do have money…I don't like their music. So it's kind of my fault. I’m a little picky with that. But it’s something I'm going to try to do this year.
MZ: What about your biggest learning? What are you bringing into 2025?
JN: Let me think. I forgot this isn't live. I don't have to be impulsive with my answers.
So when I was coming up, I did stuff for little-to-no money. Then I got to a point where I needed the money, so I could only take on projects that paid well, not ones that I actually enjoyed.
And that kind of jaded me a little bit with doing design work. Luckily, the way I look at the YouTube, Instagram, and TikTok stuff is almost like, that's my day job—then I get to do the fun design stuff. So now that that pays well, I can do projects that I actually enjoy, even if the client doesn't have the money for them.
I actually do want to do those things. I want to make cool stuff and work with cool people. I got worried that I was, like, a “money person” and I wanted all this money, but I realized it was only rooted in insecurity and not having enough growing up.
So my biggest learning is that I'm happy—that even though now, I have enough money to survive, I still want to do the thing that got me that money. I still enjoy it from a passion standpoint, and it's something that is important to me. I feel like I fall a little bit into the art side because I like doing design for fun.
Design should be fun and it should make money. And hopefully you can do both—ideally at the same time.
Designed in Los Angeles. Made in Chicago. The "Keep It Moving" collection is engineered for the resilient creative who might get knocked down—yet can't help but pick themselves right back up.
Printed on heavyweight Shaka Garment-Dyed blanks, this premium piece only gets better the more you wear it. Each shirt also comes with a uniquely-numbered CD, which features a "Keep It Moving" playlist curated by Jesse and the Powder Blue team.
The Cuesta Studio x Powder Blue “Keep It Moving” collection is available now. Fair warning: it’s a very limited run, so cop a tee now before they sell out.
Thanks for reading! Shoot us a reply, comment, or DM if anything resonated with you in particular—we respond to them all.
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New fan too! great article! Do you guys do a monthly subscription ?
New here - loved this & what you all are building!