JUST SMILE

BRYCE WONG DOES IT ALL. DEPENDING ON THE DAY, HE’S A SNEAKER DESIGNER, A GRAPHIC ARTIST, A TATTOOER OR A PAINTER. THE ONLY RULE IS THAT IT’S ONLY GOOD IF YOU’RE HAVING FUN.

- CHARLIE CONNELL

For more than 50 years, the Pinewood Derby has served as a rite of passage for young boys across the country. Each kid starts off with a kit containing a block of wood and four plastic wheels, then they get to go wild creating a car to race in the aforementioned race. For most kids, it’s just one of hundreds of after-school activities their parents throw them into so they can have a couple of fleeting hours of childless sanity. But for Bryce Wong, it was the first time he was dipping his toe into the pool of creativity and a peek at what was to come.

“When it comes down to applying some sort of creativity to something, projects have always been my favorite thing,” Wong says. “Pinewood Derby cars, school projects, painting skateboards, it’s always been a part of my life. There were some years my dad helped me [with my Pinewood Derby car] a little more than he should have, some years when he let me do a little more than I should have. One of them was modeled after my grandfather’s ’57 Chevy, and that’s my favorite one. It performed awfully, but it was a lot of fun to make.”

Wong grew up in a household of health care professionals—his father was a doctor, his mother an occupational therapist—but he never saw his life going in that direction. He found his career inspiration from a different family member. “I have one uncle who was always the quote/unquote cool uncle,” Wong recalls. “He dressed a little bit differently than my parents, he rode a motorcycle and he’s a graphic designer. He was the guiding inspiration on that. And my parents would say, ‘Yeah, your uncle does alright. It would be OK for you to go into art and design.’”