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

Danielle, appreciate you joining us today. We’d love to hear the backstory behind a risk you’ve taken – whether big or small, walk us through what it was like and how it ultimately turned out.

2022 I quit my job after 7 years to purse a dream of owning a rental home and diving into art markets. I worked my way up into a Senior design role and had a great job creating 3D sculptures and building up a new product line for this company and was set to become a lead. Leaving this job was terrifying because I was very secure but was also feeling drained as a result. I had recently moved to a new town and started a new life there which made commuting very difficult as well. It was at that time, that I decided I needed to take a risk and try to follow my dreams.

Even though I was able to pay my bills with my artwork, it was definitely a difficult to keep up with. When I first started I never knew if I would have enough money coming in for my bills. Luckily, one year later in 2023, my old job came back with an offer for me to work fully remote and part time which allows me to still focus on my artwork and the rental home I acquired.. At this time I finally feel like I’m accomplishing what I had set out to do. Creating my own hours, creating my artwork and my rental home is set for my first tenant this May 2024 after doing a lot of work myself. I know that if I had not taken that risk (and not had such a supportive partner), I would not be in such a fortunate position as I am now.

Danielle, before we move on to more of these sorts of questions, can you take some time to bring our readers up to speed on you and what you do?

I’ve had friends joke about me being “born with a crayon in my hand” and my mother always told me she just knew I would be an artist from the time I was still in the womb. Art has always been my passion and and a very curious mindset so I have a very diverse portfolio. My mother had a background in the fine arts and my father has a background in Graphic Design so I grew up in a very “art friendly” environment.

I am a Graphic Designer and Illustrator by trade but my personal artwork consists of painting, pyrography, sculpture and drawing. I think what sets me apart is just that I have such a wide variety of works and don’t try to fit into one niche and honestly have always struggled to narrow down my portfolio works. I love variety and need the freedom to mix it up and try new things. I create a wide collection of home goods and art prints. My most common service I provide are custom portraits and tattoo designs. Since I’m very adaptable, I’m able to create just about any form of custom work for clients.

Is there something you think non-creatives will struggle to understand about your journey as a creative? Maybe you can provide some insight – you never know who might benefit from the enlightenment.

I think a lot of people struggle to understand how being and artist can be it’s own category of a small business. I’ve been told I need to focus on making my art into a “real business” as if what I do does not qualify as that. From the outside, creatives may seem to be just creating for fun or at a leisurely pace and since it doesn’t necessarily meet the standards of a small business people struggle to see what it truly is.

In my opinion, creating art does have a lot of overhead cost, especially when it comes to materials, and simply selling goods and services should be enough to be considered an Art Business by the general public. It may not be a daily 9-5 business, and it may fall into more of a hobby for some but it is a business nonetheless. A business provides goods and services, and that should really be all that’s considered. Art is just a unique category and Artists are not ones to try to fit into any one form.

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

Buy gifts and fill your home with unique pieces from your local artists and our cities/towns keep giving us opportunities to showcase and create for unique settings.

Contact Info:

• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/barckart/
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/DaniBarckArt/