We recently connected with DINKC Galicia and have shared our conversation below.

DINKC, appreciate you joining 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?

Yes, I am a full time artist!

I am very fortunate to be able to make a living doing what I love for some years now. I officially started back in 2012 when I was still at the Kansas City Art Institute. I branded myself by making my logo, website, social media, and creating a consistent style within my work. I started pushing it out to local galleries in Kansas City, and showcasing during first Fridays. I loved the response I was getting, but felt I needed to go out and explore more of the art world.

After graduating, I head out to visit New York and ended up living there for about 3.5 years. I experienced so many new art forms, galleries, events, and just learned to hustle and push my work out to a new crowd. I loved all the exposure and following I started to build out there, The experience of a big city definitely challenged me to grow in new ways and become a creative problem solver.

I then moved out to Denver where I really enjoyed the booming art scene and immediately connected with local creatives! I was able to really expand into the mural scene by doing festivals as well as launching my clothing brand “Vivir x Morir” I did over 30 murals within my 3.5 years there. Curated art shows, and live painted during multiple events. It really solidified my passion and pushed me to keep hustling everyday.

I have now been back in KC for almost 2 years now and I’ve hit the ground running. I really enjoy seeing how much the city has grown and evolved. There’s definitely new opportunities within the art community and opportunities to expand and create new events within the city. I plan to continue showcasing my work, networking, building a clientele, and bringing new creative events to Kansas City.

Awesome – so before we get into the rest of our questions, can you briefly introduce yourself to our readers.

I go by the name DINKC, it is an acronym for (Death Is Not Knowing Certainty) I am an illustrative designer specializing in canvas, murals, merchandise, clothing, and branding. My work is deeply rooted in three major themes, Old school black/white cartoons, My Mexican culture (specifically Dia De Los Muertos sugar skulls), and Graffiti/street art boldness. By combining these three, I created a cartoony skull character that’s that base of all my work. He is playful, bold, unforgiving reminder of death that pays homage to many of my past family members, icons, and memories within my life. My skull character is basically me in ART form. Though he’s a skull, he’s here to remind you to live to the fullest.

I love showcasing him within a range of work that I’ve created through my brand and style that’s unmistakably mine. I want people to see it and immediately know it’s DINKC. It’s taken years to build the consistency but I finally feel I can proudly say I’ve accomplished that.

I can now work with clients who want my specific style and know what my work is about and the true meaning behind it. I’ve been very fortunate to showcase and paint in numerous cities, and I hope to continue expanding into new ones in the future. I still have a lot of future goals I would like to accomplish, and I’ll slowly keep pushing till I do.

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 the biggest misconception I hear from non-creatives are comments like “You’re so lucky you get to just draw all day” or “So what’s your real job” or “Oh, you actually charge for doing this?” or “This will get you a lot of exposure, just do it for free, this is for charity and the auctioned canvas will go to a good cause”.

Honestly I’ve heard that and so much more during my come up. It’s a very tough industry and career to choose. There’s absolutely no security of a weekly paycheck like a typical job. It’s not for everyone and it will tear you down if you let it. But, you have to know what you’re about in order to know what you deserve. It’s taken me a lifetime to get to where I’m at now, it’s been non-stop and every single thing in my life has shaped my career in one way or another, even if at the time I didn’t know it. It’s a constant grind. I am a one man band in a sense. I do it all, and when I say all I literally mean ALL.

I branded myself by creating a consistent body of work, I reach out to galleries and local business promoting my services, I’m constantly looking for new clients, I work with local businesses and network to create new events, I paint murals for clients, I paint canvases for shows, I create new merchandise for pop-up events all in studio, I fulfill online orders from my website, I create content and promote on my social media, answer a TON of emails, I have a bunch of meetings, presentations, and I’m involved in the community. and A lot of the times, I get rejected from opportunities I spent a lot of time pre-designing for. Yet, I still find time to raise my 2 month old daughter, and spend quality family/friend time when I can. It’s all about balancing time management.

So you see, it’s a full FULL-time job. I never clock in and out. In a sense, I’m always working. No matter what I’m doing I’m always looking for opportunities and doing one of the many things I just mentioned. So you see, I’m not LUCKY to be able to draw all day, because that’s not what I do. I am lucky because I love what I do, I’m lucky because I chose this path, I am lucky because I discipline myself to prioritize my goals and not settle for less, I am lucky because my hard work has paid off so that I can freely choose my lifestyle and do as I see fit. I am lucky because LUCK is when preparation meets opportunity, and I stay as prepared as I possibly can be, for literally any opportunity that comes my way.

So please, next time you see a creative selling, promoting, showcasing, painting, making, or doing anything, just know we put our heart and soul into what we do, especially if we do it full time. We do not live off of “exposure” or “charity” we have bills and life expenses just like everyone else. We live for this, and will do so till we are no longer here.

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

I’d have to say the most rewarding thing would be that I get to create something new, that’s entirely mine, that never existed in the world prior, every time I create. From the beginning ideas, pencil to paper concept sketch, revisions, digital rendering, or canvas creation, painting a mural, making merchandise, designing shirts, etc. It all starts within me and my head. It all stems from my experiences and life. So in a sense, no one else can do what I do. And I don’t mean being an artist, because there have been artists before me and many more after me. But what I mean is no one but me can create the body of work that I have, It’s authentically me. Not many people get to say that, so I proudly do because it has taken a lot to build my brand and consistently pump out work that showcases my experiences, beliefs, culture, and background. I am an artist at heart, there’s no separation between myself and my work, because it is ME.

Contact Info:

• Website: http://www.dinkc.com
• Instagram: @DINKC
• Facebook: @DINKCSTUDIOS

Image Credits
DINKC, DITTLO, Galicia photography