We’re excited to introduce you to the always interesting and insightful Dustin Cox. We hope you’ll enjoy our conversation with Dustin below.

Dustin, looking forward to hearing all of your stories today. Let’s jump right into how you came up with the idea?

My path to get to where I am today is not the most conventional – but that’s what makes it interesting. When I was younger I knew that I wanted to be a creative at some capacity. I invested a lot of my free time to drawing, painting, and really just creating anything that I could get my hands on with the supplies available to me. Growing up in South Dakota was great, but when it came to being an artist in South Dakota I couldn’t connect the dots.

When I was 17 I had quite the crisis. I felt like I couldn’t be taken seriously in my career choice when talking about it in class. I was determined to move to Minneapolis so that I could thrive in a city that gave back to its artists. I worked at an Italian restaurant and worked long hours in the last years of high school so I could save up for my move. Many sacrifices were made those high school Summers so I could get out of South Dakota. In 2011 I made saved up enough to make the big leap to Minneapolis.

It was in Minneapolis where I started launching my freelance career. I studied fine art for many years prior so when I was living in Minnesota my side gig was selling my paintings. Commissions ranged anywhere from portraits, landscapes, and some original pieces. If I’m honest I would go back to this moment in my career any day. The fulfillment that I received from painting is unmatched. While I was living in Minneapolis I got the opportunity to work for Phenom global which was a streetwear boutique with an in-house print shop. I was lucky enough to work for some extremely talented graphic artists. Watching them gave me the confidence to pivot my career to graphic design.

I then enrolled in school and immediately it all clicked – this is it ! This was the way for me to take everything I knew about art but adapt it to graphic design. I wasn’t your traditional graphic design student. In the beginning I had a tough time being structured. But eventually I learned how to take my creativity and apply it to a graphic format while maintaining my identity.

After college graduation I moved to Los Angeles to further chase my dreams. Like a typical coming to age Hollywood film I packed everything in the back of my 1999 BMW droptop and drove 28 hours across the country. I didn’t have a job lined up, but what I did have was drive & ambition. Within 2 weeks in LA I lined up my first job out of school at a T-shirt printing shop and worked as the onsite graphic artist. This job was just a entry level position so I still worked freelance on the side which offered me a lot more creative control. While I was in LA I was given a lot of great opportunities in the design community. I showed my paintings at a few art shows, commissioned more paintings, and really focused on tightening up my graphic design skills.

I lived in LA for about 3 years and really enjoyed the sunshine, landscapes, opportunity, and the lifestyle. In 2017 I met my partner Luigi, and took the leap to move to Toronto, ON Canada. I’ve currently living here now, and work for Roots Canada which is one of the leading lifestyle brands in Canada. I’m the Senior apparel graphic artist at Roots and really enjoy this job. I’m granted a lot of creative control, and also work with a lot of really talented designers.

Like I said my story isn’t conventional but the red thread that lives through is drive. In general if you want something in life you have to reach out and grab it. Nothing comes easy, but if you really want something you can make it happen with the right mindset. I had so many ups and downs, many points throughout my journey I wanted to gvie up and pivot to a more traditional career choice. Let’s just say I’m so glad that I stayed on my path as It’s really gotten me to an amazing place in life.

Great, appreciate you sharing that with us. Before we ask you to share more of your insights, can you take a moment to introduce yourself and how you got to where you are today to our readers.

Hi I’m Dustin Cox – born in South Dakota / educated in Minneapolis / groomed in Los Angeles / and residing in Toronto Canada.

I got into the design industry with self determination, drive, and ambition. In the beginning I was so sure that I would sell paintings my entire life… but things change. I pivoted to graphic design because I knew it would be more financially stable. But at the same time I could still be creative. The structure graphic design provides to any artist is incredible. I’m so happy I made this leap when I did.

Currently I’m the Senior apparel graphic artist at Roots. I design logo packages, AOPS, and placement graphics for Roots apparel. I work closely alongside the apparel designers to come up with timeless graphics that hopefully live on for years to come. I’m extremely proud of the work I’ve done at Roots these past 3 years. My designs are proudly worn on Canadians and Americans. My intention behind every graphic is sustainability. I want to ensure that every graphic I put out can be worn for years to come. I pour my heart into my work, and I hope everyone enjoys wearing it, as much as I enjoy creating it.

We often hear about learning lessons – but just as important is unlearning lessons. Have you ever had to unlearn a lesson?

The biggest lesson I have learned over the years is simply this: Trust the Process

You can’t reach the top overnight. Good things take time and if you really want everything to work out you have to trust the process. If you put in the hours, and really work hard it will happen. It’s also crucial to be disciplined. Evaluate your work and ask yourself if this is the best you can do. If not make those tweaks and send it off to the world with confidence.

We’d love to hear a story of resilience from your journey.

Resilience is one of the main reasons that I’ve gotten to where I am today. I had so many opportunities to give up in this career… but I kept pushing forward.

I can’t tell you how many times I’ve been rejected from jobs, freelance gigs, and offers.
You can’t ever please everyone, but you can please the right person and that’s all that it takes.

When I was out in LA I had a tough time when I lost my job. I went through a slump and wanted to throw it all the way in terms of my career choice. It simply took one hard look in the mirror that woke me up. After the self assessment I worked harder than ever and eventually landed another job, and with that followed more rewarding work.

Lesson here is never give up on yourself.

Contact Info:

• Website: dustincoxdesign.com
• Instagram: dustincoxdesign_
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/dustincoxdesign/
• Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/dustin-cox-9b5123b3/
• Twitter: dustincoxdesign
• Other: Email: [email protected]

Image Credits
A few photos were taken by myself Main photo for feature was shot by Photographer Mats Schram