Art has always been a part of Skylar Reed’s world.
He’s been drawing since he was able to hold crayons, inspired by Disney movies like “The Lion King” and anime like “Pokémon” and “Dragon Ball Z.”
By middle school, he found he could use art as a way to connect with others.
“I would draw to make friends,” Reed said. “I was a little chubby, weird kid, and nobody was really trying to kick it with me.”
Art runs in his blood. As a child, Reed watched his father — a gospel musician and founding member of a group called REED — practice with his group and make CDs. He remembers observing them use a hairdryer to press homemade labels onto the discs.
As a teen, Reed began experimenting with music himself and eventually started going by the moniker SCKY REI. He is one half of the hip-hop duo BXTH, alongside Nate Asad, also known as INFNTLP.
Though currently inactive, BXTH experienced significant local success in Omaha, playing the MAHA Music Festival in 2015. BXTH opened for acts like Atmosphere and Modest Mouse and won accolades at the Omaha Entertainment and Arts Awards in 2016, including trophies for Artist of the Year and Best Hip Hop/Rap.
Reed said that incorporating art in his life has allowed him to express himself in ways he might not otherwise voice.
He recently created a piece called “Boys Don’t Cry,” intended as commentary on the shared experience of men being expected to bury their emotions.
“We’re not supposed to cry because men don’t cry, but inside I’m wailing out here,” Reed said. “No one cares about your pain until you know there’s nothing to gain from it. You have to turn your pain to fuel. I don’t speak on it out verbally, but I will say it in the art.”
He said he wants his work to help others who come from a similar background and can identify with his experiences.
“My work is randomized but inspired by things such as flowers and bright colors and, you know, looking for more representation to those who could relate to my struggles and situations growing up,” he said.
Reed contrasts his vivid artwork—his street-art style that has been compared to Basquiat — with his more raw music, stating music is a definitive release, allowing him to more directly express pain through his skill as a wordsmith.
Reed doesn’t shy away from naming his struggles, opening up about his mental health and how art has been an outlet for reflection and healing.
He has been diagnosed with severe depression, bipolar disorder, and schizophrenia, which he said derailed parts of his life for some time, but going through the struggles has made him more appreciative of the little things — noting that over time, they add up to something big.
“I’ve been back and forth in the hospital a few times,” Reed said. “I Definitely had some extended stays. It’s let me know it’s a scary world out there. It could be even scarier when you let things get out of order in your mind. Everybody has different wiring. I was just blessed to have my village, my mama, and my wife too later down the road when I met her, but I was struggling with it. You can let your mind take you to great heights or lowest lows.”
He said art has always helped him cope with grief, anxiety, and more — even before he could name the feelings for what they were — serving as a way to channel what he was carrying, especially while growing up in North Omaha.
“Some things you just scared of all the time,” Reed said. “And I was one of those people that was fearful. But when I draw, it makes things less chaotic because I feel like I have a way to communicate without saying words to somebody, or I can diffuse a situation because of what I’m doing skillfully with art.”
Reed pointed to a memory of drawing his trademark characters on a chalkboard during his first stint in the hospital, which created a moment of normalcy and connection with others his age.
He admitted that while sharing deeply personal work is scary, it’s always worth it, especially when people tell him his art has helped them through hard times.
“I just want my art in general, whatever the medium, to connect with the people in a way that makes them resonate and feel heard and feel that they are loved and appreciated in some way shape or form, when that doesn’t always get reciprocated or happen for most people,” he said.
He added that talking about mental health is more socially acceptable and accessible now.
“Before it was kind of like, boy, you ain’t got nothing to be sad about, you ate today,” he said.
In the past, he felt he lacked representation and hopes to be that for others.
“I didn’t have nobody to look at that I felt like looked like me that could tell me it’s okay to have these feelings or it’s normal to feel that way,” Reed said.
He shares his story to let others know that it gets better.
“You just have to find the right help,” Reed said. “And I will say that for myself as a person who survived it and still trying to figure it out with a kid and a wife and a house and all that extra stuff, it does get better, because I was at one point on my mama couch struggling.
“The mental health battle is always an uphill battle. It’s always going to be something there. But just understand it’s not you just got to be more vocal about it. People like to hide their stuff, and then somebody else is suffering while you’re keeping silent that could be benefiting from your voice.”
Reed said he’s still surprised when people buy or share his art and added the Omaha community has been instrumental to his success. The Omaha native currently resides in St. Louis, but maintains deep ties to the city.
“This my Omaha village, my cup is less full and my puzzles will be incomplete if my community wasn’t there with it. You know what I’m saying? They’re the cup that continues to pour into me and I appreciate them and I try to give back what I can,” Reed said. “They always lift me up.”
Through his art, Reed hopes people can recognize that even if everything feels gray or dark, there’s a bright, colorful world to explore out there if you only push through.
Reed works to remind people that everyone can be an artist. A paintbrush or microphone to one might be a toolbelt to another.
“We’re all reflections of the most high,” he said. “There’s art in everything you do. There’s a science to everything that you do.”
He said if you master your craft and it helps you feel better, that’s an art in itself.
“Art is subjective. All it takes is one person to tell you that your art is worth a million bucks,” he said. “It just depends on what medium you choose.”
Reed released an art book at the end of 2025 and plans to reunite with Asad this year to reignite BXTH, returning to the stage for select shows.