We caught up with the brilliant and insightful Daniel Sulzberg 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.

From an early age, I was always interested in drawing. While other kids were doing their homework, I was making doodles on the sides of my notebooks. I was also lucky to have an older brother who was brilliant at drawing and I wanted to be like him. Even though illustrating was my super talent, I was pushed away from it as a career from teachers, coaches, and even my own parents stating that it wouldn’t allow for a stable life. In college I studied history and was miserable. It was a study abroad trip to England when I realized I wasn’t following my calling and immediately after college I moved to to Los Angeles to work in the entertainment industry. Being surrounded by other creatives made me realize that being creative everyday is what I wanted to do. I loved drawing and after getting my first few clients I knew that is what I wanted to pursue for the long run.

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?

COMIC BOOKS, NINTENDO GAMES, AND SATURDAY MORNING CARTOONS…

As a child of the 80’s, this was my life!

Now, as a Santa Barbara based illustrator not much has changed. Comic books became a writing gig on the Superman themed t.v. show “Smallville”; Nintendo games turned into a concept art job for Pandemic Studios; and Saturday morning cartoons turned into a Creative Director role at Red Bull.

Staying true to my roots, I named my illustration studio “Danvillage” after my California hometown Danville, where it all started for me. Danvillage is a place that lives in my brain where all my whimsical dreams, experiences, and the cultural and diverse melting pot of my California childhood come together.

I work on projects that span the worlds of editorial illustration, packaging, album art, children’s books, sports art, brands, NFTS, and advertising. I’ve had the pleasure to work with clients such as the New York Times, LA Times, Facebook, Google, Nike, and Major League Soccer.

If you’re looking for something that is truly unique and original, colorful, detailed, and fun, then collaborating with the Danvillage brand is for you.

What do you find most rewarding about being a creative?

The most rewarding part of being creative is solving new creative problems everyday. I very much appreciate having diversity in my work and trying to come up with a creative solution whether it’s a beer label, a puzzle design, an advertising campaign, or an NFT series. It’s also very rewarding to have clients trust me to do what the Danvillage brand does best, and that is when I can really let my creativity shine. I also love collaborating. Working with others to create something new and special is by far the most exciting part of being an illustrator. It’s also very rewarding to see your work out there in the world at the end and people are enjoying it and bringing good vibes and smiles to people’s faces.

We’d love to hear your thoughts on NFTs. (Note: this is for education/entertainment purposes only, readers should not construe this as advice)

I am fully supportive of the NFT movement. It is a fantastic opportunity for us as illustrators. Technology is always going to change and it is up to us as creators to change with it. I’ve been fortunate enough to work with some of the biggest NFT companies out there. I worked with Yuga Labs, the creators of the Bored Ape Yacht Club to work on their Otherside project, as well as collabed with NFT companies such as Afterparty and Ghostballs. Most recently, I worked with a non-profit called “Unite to Light” where all NFT sales helped bring light technology to places in the world that don’t have electricity. I’m looking forward to dropping my own NFT series in the near future.

Contact Info:

• Website: www.danvillage.com
• Instagram: www.instagram.com/danvillage_illustration
• Twitter: @danvillageart
• Other: www.danvillage.shop