We caught up with the brilliant and insightful Daniel Logan a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.

Daniel , thanks for taking the time to share your stories with us today We’d love to hear about when you first realized that you wanted to pursue a creative path professionally.

I knew that I wanted to become a full-time artist after medically retiring from the Air Force doing a job that I just wasn’t happy in. I had spent years proudly serving in the military, but it had worn me down. After doing such a stressful job for so long I decided to do something that I love, art. I never knew that art was really an option until I saw a friend I met in the military pursue art school. I thought I was destined to doing a job I hate, because it would simply make more money. After being inspired by my friend I decided that it was time to invest in myself and my art.

Daniel , love having you share your insights with us. Before we ask you more questions, maybe you can take a moment to introduce yourself to our readers who might have missed our earlier conversations?

I am a Freelance artist out of Colorado Springs, Colorado. I got into the art industry by going to art school after retiring from the military. I specialize in animals and landscapes in a mixed media of acrylic and charcoal. I sell large paintings and art prints of my work, whether by my online store or in person at a gallery or vending event. I think what sets me apart is my style of painting. I do very detailed paintings that have the feeling of being rough around the edges. I feel like I have always loved the grit of the outdoors, and I think that is really important to capture in my work.

For you, what’s the most rewarding aspect of being a creative?

There are two main aspects of being an artist that are the most rewarding to me. I used to work a very demanding and high stress job. After my long shift was over sometimes I just felt defeated and wanted nothing more than to go home. Sometimes being an artist can be stressful as well. The rewarding part about that is, no matter how stressful the day is at the end I have a beautiful piece of art that I can be proud of. In the end it always makes it worth it and leaves me happy and motivated to create more. The second most rewarding thing is that I get to show my passion and love for art with the world! I have met so many amazing people through my art. Yesterday I had an art show so I had a booth set up with my art. A girl walks passed my booth and say, “That’s so beautiful! This makes me want to paint again”. There is no higher complement to me than my art making someone else want to create something beautiful for their self. I get to spread a love for art and there’s a real beauty in that.

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

When I started my art career, I was already in my early 30’s. I had completely started my career over by deciding to not use my military training as a civilian. My military service and education didn’t translate over to my art career almost at all. Where my resilience came in was that I used my work ethic and discipline that I learned from the military and used it to graduate art school and pursue my own business as an artist. I knew that if I worked hard I could accomplish my dreams. Even if that meant starting my career over from scratch.

Contact Info:

• Website: DaloArtDesign.com
• Instagram: DaloArtDesign
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/daloartdesign
• Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/daniel-logan-758a9b248/

Image Credits
The portrait photo of me holding a paint brush was taken by Legalized Media