FIELD NOTES // 014 - Doubt & Imposter Syndrome

CHLKDUP didn’t start polished.

It didn’t start planned.

It started in 2019 with shirts that looked more like practice runs than a brand.

But people still wanted them. Not because they were perfect, but because they carried something heavier than fabric and ink.

–––

I didn’t own a gym.

I didn’t have a built-in community.

So I built one.

CHLKDUP Box League.

Four weeks of competition.

Seven teams in the first season. Thirty-two at its peak.

And even though we’ve moved away from events, they’re still a part of our DNA.

–––

But doubt was always close.

When a comp didn’t fill, I felt it.

When a design flopped, I felt it.

When the whispers of “you don’t belong here” grew loud, I carried them.

I didn’t have a business plan.

I didn’t have design school or experience.

I was figuring it out step by step.

–––

Doubt never really leaves.

But neither did I.

And because I stayed, others started to believe too.

–––

FN // 015 → Trust and community are heavier than iron. And they were about to take root.