Alright – so today we’ve got the honor of introducing you to David Obuchowski. We think you’ll enjoy our conversation, we’ve shared it below.
Alright, David thanks for taking the time to share your stories and insights with us today. Did you always know you wanted to pursue a creative or artistic career? When did you first know?
Probably seems like a cliche, but I’ve simply always known. I don’t come from a family of artists. My father worked for large corporations doing things like auditing; my mother was a teacher. I’m not saying they weren’t creative in their own ways (whether at their job or in their personal lives), but they didn’t play instruments, nor did they write, draw, paint, sing, etc. But I was always obsessed with both music and writing. I loved reading, but as soon as I read enough to know how much I loved books and stories, I knew I wanted to write them. I knew I wanted to play the guitar. I would simply look at a guitar and just dream of having one. The idea that it should be for fun or as a hobby simply never occurred to me. I formed bands starting in middle school and also started writing short stories. By high school, I was trying to get short stories published in chapbooks (the stories were terrible), and my band was putting out music on small punk labels and playing shows in New York City, opening for pretty big bands. By this time, I knew the pressure was on to go to college, which would then lead to a career, but I never let go of the idea that I was already pursuing a career: making music and writing things. My parents would ask what my plan was, and essentially, my plan was just that: keep doing.
David, 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?
As a writer, I’m an essayist, fiction writer, children’s book writer, and script writer. In terms of scripts, I created a documentary podcast (called Tempest) for which I’m the only writer. That has been developed into a television show. One of my essays has also been optioned as a feature film project, and I’ve been brought on to write the screenplay. My wife (Sarah Pedry) is a brilliant artist, and we have our first children’s book being published in 2023 by Minedition (Astra Publishing House) and have more in the works. I’ve published more than a dozen short stories, and my fiction has been nominated for Pushcart Prizes and inclusion in the Best American Short Story anthology.
As a musician, I have and continue to tour internationally and have bands that have put out records on record labels small and large. My bands include Publicist UK, Goes Cube, Distant Correspondent and a new project that is about to be announced and that will be touring England shortly.
What can society do to ensure an environment that’s helpful to artists and creatives?
Speaking as an American, our country is not set up to foster artists. An obvious thing would be that there should be more government funding for artists of any level. Not only for artists, for people looking to support art by creating record labels or publishing companies or galleries. But on a deeper level, look at our healthcare system. The care itself is excellent. The cost is excessive or even flat-out unaffordable. We have to ask ourselves questions, like “Do I need a full-time job with benefits so I can get healthcare? Or should I work extra jobs/hours so that I can afford healthcare? And if so, then do I have time to do art?” Art will always involve sacrifice and struggle no matter where you are, but in America, having a career as an artist is exceptionally difficult. (For me, I supplement as a copywriter and editor, which leverages my skills as a writer but then allows me to support myself and my family.)
: Is there a particular goal or mission driving your creative journey?
Besides simply “doing,” no. And I think it’s important for people who want to be artists to understand that words like “success” or “making it” or even “mission” or “goal” sound intuitive, but they are complicated words. Allow yourself the freedom to set small attainable goals and then another. Allow yourself the freedom to shift and turn in your journey. Being an artist isn’t like saying “I want to be the CEO” or “I want to be a senator.” Those are concrete things you work toward, and there be a strategic roadmap that gets you there. Being an artist starts and ends with making art. But mission and success and goals, those things can and should be fluid, according to what you feel, what you’re able to do, and how you evolve as a person and an artist.
Contact Info:
- Website: www.davidobuchowski.com
- Twitter: DavidOfromNJ
Image Credits
The Peugeot badge is a photo of my very special car, that I write about sometimes, work on, and drive. I really don’t have photos that I’d like to add to this section, but the platform won’t let me complete the process unless I upload something.