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

Alright, Darin thanks for taking the time to share your stories and insights with us today. Earning a full time living from one’s creative career can be incredibly difficult. Have you been able to do so and if so, can you share some of the key parts of your journey and any important advice or lessons that might help creatives who haven’t been able to yet?

I’ll do my best to make this concise.

Earning a living as a full-time artist, in my experience, takes a high amount of work ethic, some talent, and a dash of delusion.

For better or worse, I have an addictive personality that has previously negatively affected my life but lends itself to leading a “productive” life as an artist (the healthy work-life balance achieved is yet to be determined). I’ve been creating art my whole life in some capacity but decided to dive in head first a few years ago into full-time art. It has come with a lot of ups and downs, to phrase it delicately.

Most of my income comes from doing commercial mural work for private and public spaces, a lot of which I don’t necessarily share online since it doesn’t derive from my own personal tastes—this is a well-known dirty secret in the working art world and I think there’s value in being candid about this so that other working artists know that they’re not alone. Slowly, I have started getting more and more commissions that blend in with my personal work and have recently started showing fine art in galleries–a world to which I am still very green.

Darin , 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?

My name is Darin Balaban (b. 1990), I am a self-taught fine artist and muralist.

A lot of what informs my ethos and creative practice comes directly from being integrated into skateboarding, graffiti, and comic books starting at a young age. In the 90s and early 00s, the aforementioned subcultures had not proliferated the mainstream and had a very DIY outlook on life. In order to achieve any sort of success or recognition, you had to adhere to certain unwritten guidelines that were only learned through experience, immersion, persistence, and consistency. Though I don’t partake in skating and the like very often anymore, the principles instilled in me during my formative years derived from the practices hold water in my day-to-day.

Every day, every project, every painting— I make it a point to learn something new and try my absolute best.

Any stories or insights that might help us understand how you’ve built such a strong reputation?

I have strong principles, conduct myself respectfully and professionally, and do the work.

There is no magic bullet in this game. I put in as many hours as humanly possible to learn, create, and work.

What’s the most rewarding aspect of being a creative in your experience?

The freedom that being a full-time creative allows me is liberating. Being an artist as a living is not all fun and games, but doing something that I truly enjoy is a blessing.

Contact Info:

• Website: A work in progress—website builders, holler!
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/madebydarin/
• Other: https://www.mothbelly.org/studio-visits-articles/studio-visit-amp-interview-with-darin

Image Credits
the first image taken the The Plaza Walls Mural Festival 2021