Art Chowder November | December, Issue 18 | Page 10

Art Chowder: What types of things do you create in these small journals? daniel: They are usually something relevant to what’s going on in my life at the time, or something I want to vent a little bit. Once I get the idea, I’ll formulate it and figure out, how do I say this? I know it sounds cheesy but Bruce Lee had this saying, “Simplicity is the key to excellence.” So I try to get real down to the point about stuff or just try to vent without spewing on people. If I buckle down, it takes about three hours to do one. Sometimes it takes longer. If it’s a pen drawing I’ll usually just chip away at those over the course of a week. Art Chowder: Please describe your journey into becoming an artist. daniel: My journey into becoming an artist … I’ve been able to draw since I can remember —since elementary school, but I didn’t do much with it until about eighth grade. I took an art class and found out that I was actually really good. I took a few high school art classes, but I eventually dropped out of school at 17. When I was 18 I got an apprenticeship at a tattoo shop in Southern California. That lasted from ‘04 - ‘13. I really hadn’t done any art at all. Maybe a few things here and there. When I came to Spokane my first job was at a local coffee shop washing dishes. Friends and others encouraged my art. Plus, life was calling me to do something with it and it escalated from there. 10 ART CHOWDER MAGAZINE