Today we’d like to introduce you to Dan Ericson.
Dan, please share your story with us. How did you get to where you are today?
I’m a 4th generation Colorado native. I grew up in south Denver and spent most weekends at my Grandma’s house in Swansea. My mother who is also an artist introduced me to art at a young age. Throughout school, I always gravitated towards art as my creative outlet. After graduating from South High School I attended the Colorado Art Institute. I obtained a degree in Animation and started doing freelance design for local bands. I also started producing a weekly comic strip with my best friend from South High. I didn’t get paid for the comic strip or any of the design work I was doing at the time. I enjoyed seeing my designs on concert flyers posted up and down Broadway. I felt accomplished having a weekly published comic strip that ended up running for six years and won a few awards.
But I knew there was more I was capable of as an artist. I ended up going back to school because what I was taught in 96-98 at art school had already become outdated. While attending community college to brush up on my graphic design skills. I stumbled upon this medium after ruining a piece for a project due the next day. I had a no parking sign on hand and used it out of desperation to finish my assignment. 20 years later I’m still creating artwork on street signs.
We’re always bombarded by how great it is to pursue your passion, etc – but we’ve spoken with enough people to know that it’s not always easy. Overall, would you say things have been easy for you?
It’s never been a smooth or straight path when honing your artistic abilities. I’ve had my fair share of trials and tribulations. Stumbling onto this medium was truly a blessing but it all stemmed from a mistake. The art I was creating now was like nothing I was ever taught in any classroom. There was no correct or wrong way to create so through exploration I started to develop my style.
Meeting deadlines, taking criticism & building a professional network. These were all challenges I learned from in my early career. Doing the comic strip and designing for other creatives provided me the opportunity to meet deadlines. Learn to work with a customer as a designer in a professional creative capacity. And most important of all started weaving a web of like-minded creative professionals and other resources.
Learning the word “NO” I have heard this word countless times in my career. “No, you won’t make it as an artist” in art school. “No there is no budget for that, but it will be great exposure” design work early in my career. “No, we don’t display that type of work here” from galleries as I tried to figure out how to show my work.
The key is finding a way around the” NO” sometimes it’s purely persistence and confidence in your abilities. For every handful of no’s you get that one yes and that’s what keeps you going as a young artist. But the biggest lesson I have learned from doing this for 20 years. Is to make “NO” work for you. “No, I am not able to do that at this time but thank you.” Learning this word has been a key to having longevity as an artist.
We’d love to hear more about your art.
Since 2000 I went by DUNN (my nickname from college) The Street Sign Artist that title was a mouthful but conveyed what I did best at the time. Which at first was just exploring creating portraits on street signs. Now its a bit more refined than that I’m repurposing signs and their meanings to convey new messages.
After meeting many of my idols in the hip hop world via my artwork I crossed paths with Black Thought of The Roots in 2007 out front of The Fox in Boulder, CO. He was waiting for a cab after soundcheck I had a painting for the group. He signed a record sleeve for me “To Dan, The Signtologist” I asked him if I could use that he said sure for a ride to his hotel. I immediately grabbed my car and from that forward was known as The Signtologist.
For the past twenty years, street signs have been my canvas of choice. My work hangs in the private collections of numerous musicians, athletes and actors the likes of which I typically paint. This unique artwork has been featured on Love in Hip Hop, XXL magazine, The Source, Huffington Post and BuzzFeed.
I am most proud of having my work in the permanent collections of The American Jazz Museum (KC) & The Universal Hip Hop Museum (NY),
What were you like growing up?
I was just a shy kid from Denver. I had a speech impediment so I was quite introverted and found expressing myself through art more comfortable sometimes than words. I was into comic books and comic strips as a kid and used to love practicing drawing my favorite characters. As I grew up hip hop really caught my ear and I started listening to groups like Public Enemy & De La Soul. That started my infatuation with the hip hop culture but as a white kid with a lisp from a cow town, I didn’t see how I fit into that scene in any form. I covered my bedroom walls in pages from hip hop magazines and album art that inspired me.
My new creative practice became listening to hip hop while I was making art. Little did I know that the hip hop collage on my bedroom walls would actually become the vision board for the future of my art career. I could’ve never imagined when I was younger that my art would take me this far. I’ve worked with and met so many people that inspire me. I have attained every goal I have set for myself and my art. I love being able to dream bigger & better and watching how I find my way to the next level.
Contact Info:
- Website: http://www.thesigntologist.com
- Phone: 3038750749
- Email: dunn@thesigntologist.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/thesigntologist/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/THESIGNTOLOGIST/
- Twitter: https://twitter.com/THESIGNTOLOGIST
Image Credit:
Instagram:
@kountfunkula
@armando_geneyro
Zach Green
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