Meet Daniel Adams

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Sed ut perspiciatis unde.

We were lucky to catch up with Daniel Adams recently and have shared our conversation below.

Alright, Daniel thanks for taking the time to share your stories and insights with us today. Are you able to earn a full-time living from your creative work? If so, can you walk us through your journey and how you made it happen?

I have been able to make a living from my creative work. I started my career in in design working within the flashy industry of online casinos in Westport, Connecticut as a Junior Designer. Since then I’ve worked with various clients from around the United States and Canada, including, but not limited to, Rootwurks, The NHL, Pitney Bowes, Xerox, Conduent, Nestle Waters, Subway, Elizabeth Arden, Paraco Propane, The Spill Magazine, Stamford Special Services District, and Beechnut Baby Foods.

Working as a full time creative is very exhausting. You have to be on-point all day, every day. It’s your job to solve your clients problems visually. Luckily, I have been able to do this job for almost 12 years now. I couldn’t imagine doing anything else.

Awesome – so before we get into the rest of our questions, can you briefly introduce yourself to our readers.

For those who may not know me or my work, my name is Daniel Wood Adams. I’m a graphic designer, illustrator, musician, and woodworker based out of Austin, Texas. After graduating from Pratt Institute in 2012 with degrees in both Illustration and Graphic Design.

After freezing my beard off in Connecticut and New York City for my entire life, I decided to move to Austin, Texas where I now, sweat more than I feel comfortable with. I spend my days off drinking cheap beer, listening to fast music, and going on long walks with my vicious attack dogs, Baxter, GG Allin, and my partner in crime, Marcella.

I pride myself in my ability to learn and adapt. I like to think that I’m open minded to new mediums and new ways of thinking. Thats how I got into woodworking. It has taught me to think more before doing and plan to more accordingly.

What sets me apart from other creatives in my field is that I have so many other interests that I like to pursue. Not only do you get 12 years of design from me, you also get an illustrator, a woodworker and a musician. I like to think of myself as a Swiss army knife. You have all the tools you need to get a job done right in one tool!

How can we best help foster a strong, supportive environment for artists and creatives?

The best thing anyone can do to support artists, creatives or musicians is to just show up. Go to your friends bands show at that crappy bar, go to your painter friends opening (even if its at a coffee shop), like/follow an artist on instagram (thats free), and most importantly just share your creative findings with others.

Can you tell us about a time you’ve had to pivot?

Around a year and a half ago I decided that I had to pivot from full time design to freelance design / woodworking as I was starting burn out. At that point in life I had done full time design for around 10.5 years with no creative breaks besides my own personal work. The time in the wood shop and the freelance lifestyle gave me the time to think and relearn what I liked about design. It also taught me to be more organized. I also found out that taxes as a freelancer suck. (You should really save 1/3rd of your income like they tell you too.)