(Video) Steven Grasse: PSFK Conference New York 2010

At our recent New York Conference, maverick creator-entrepreneur Steven Grasse closed out the day’s discussions with a spirited talk about his journey from disgruntled ad man to revolutionary businessman. He spoke candidly about his inspirations, trials and tribulations, and his passion for living a life driven by art, authenticity, and conscience.

Watch his presentation below:

Some highlights from Grasse’s talk:

Do your own thing. (And you’re never too young to start.) Grasse opened his own ad agency Quaker City Mercantile in 1988, at the age of 23. He started his own venture because he felt big, traditional agencies couldn’t always understand the diverse clients and cultures he felt more in touch with — and he was tired of making ads for cigarette companies. His clients at QCM included MTV and Puma, and the agency soon branched out into developing its own brands, like magazines, apparel, and liquor.

Steven Grasse’s original business plan: “sex + drugs + rock n’ roll = cool sh*t.” He found a lot success in following this youthful manifesto: After purchasing the estate of Norman “Sailor Jerry” Collins, he turned the iconic tattooist into a worldwide brand, developing the Sailor Jerry clothing line and Sailor Jerry Rum. He continued applying his unconventional thinking to other brands, including Hendrick’s Gin.

Do what you love — in lots of mediums. Grasse has launched product and clothing lines, started his own agency, published magazines, authored books, and is set to open a lyceum and locally-sourced whiskey distillery in rural New Hampshire. His latest creation is ROOT, an organic liquor developed under his brand Art in the Age of Mechanical Reproduction, and sold at his Philadelphia store/gallery space of the same name. (The liquor is inspired by an 18th century Pennsylvania folk recipe, which eventually evolved into birch or root beer.) Grasse has never been afraid to follow his passion and be experimental — and his spoils have followed.

Live responsibly, the way you know how. Though Grasse is the first to admit that his life has been speckled with its fair share of debauchery and excess, his life story has been one of “trying to live responsibly.” His Philadelphia store, Art in the Age of Mechanical Reproduction, is a manifestation of his beliefs in supporting local, sustainable culture and communities, and of his desire to keep the spirit of American transcendentalism alive. He creates products that reflect his reverence for heritage, authenticity and ’slow culture,’ and continues striving to lead a life of iconoclastic virtue.

Quaker City Mercantile