Today we’d like to introduce you to Darin Balaban.

Darin, we appreciate you taking the time to share your story with us today. Where does your story begin?
I’m Darin Balaban and I am an artist. I was raised in both northern and Southern California. One moment that changed my life forever was being gifted a hotwheels skateboard in 1999. I have an addictive personality and skateboarding had become my entire world for many years—spending hours filming tricks, traveling to spots, participating in contests—I was fully set on being a professional skateboarder. Once I got into my early 20s, I realized how little money my contemporaries were making and that skate companies didn’t give any basic needs (i.e. health insurance) and my life focus started to shift. After working a plethora of jobs, I always found myself gravitating back towards the arts in my spare time. For years, I would go to an office from 7am to 3:30pm than come home and paint on my coffee table for a handful of hours—this happened like clockwork during the week. Eventually, I worked my way up the corporate ladder and was offered a cushy job doing marketing and sales consulting which I loved for about a month—after that I was very unhappy and started to find solace in negative extracurricular activities. After a few months, I was laid off from my job and I decided that before I turned 30, I’ll give being an artist as a living a try.

I have now been doing art as a full-time job for nearly 5 years after pivoting from the buttoned up world of marketing & sales consulting. I am heavily influenced by my background in skateboarding, travel and my friends & family. I am a mixed race American with aspirations of traveling the world and painting along the way.

We all face challenges, but looking back would you describe it as a relatively smooth road?
It has not been an easy path by any means—I have been broke, depressed and everything in between. Working for yourself, I have found that I am both my biggest ally and biggest enemy. Throughout the years of doing art as a means to live, I have had to develop a strong sense of mental fortitude to endure the extreme highs and lows that come along with being in the art game. Thankfully in recent months, I have felt a steady upward trajectory and am doing my best to keep the momentum.

As you know, we’re big fans of you and your work. For our readers who might not be as familiar what can you tell them about what you do?
Really focusing on being able to do more projects that embrace my own style. I have a few shows coming up at galleries in San Francisco (Strikeslip, MethodMade and Mothbelly). I also have some big projects in the works but I can’t speak on them yet—one in particular will be the largest project I’ve taken in myself and am being granted artistic freedom—send good vibes my way!

We all have a different way of looking at and defining success. How do you define success?
Still figuring that out…maybe one day I’ll feel “successful” but for now, I’m enjoying the ride.

Contact Info:

• Instagram: @madebydarin

Image Credits
Andy