Alright – so today we’ve got the honor of introducing you to David Arreola. We think you’ll enjoy our conversation, we’ve shared it below.
Alright, so we’re so thrilled to have David with us today – welcome and maybe we can jump right into it with a question about one of your qualities that we most admire. How did you develop your work ethic? Where do you think you get it from?
Growing up, our household was a two income home. My father worked many years in the steel industry, as it supports many families in the Midwest; and my mother worked as a server in local diners while operating her own small business. As the oldest sibling, I had many responsibilities that helped my parents maintain the house. Once, I became old enough I would work alongside my mother in growing her small business. We would gain new accounts and worked very hard daily. To add to my work ethic, I had an uncle that hustled very hard and persistently to grow as a professional, despite many upsets and business ventures turned sour. His charismatic approach to life kept him going no matter the road blocks in his way. I view such road blocks as opportunities to develop and learn something new. When I seen how hard everyone worked, provided for their family and continued to enjoy life, I realized that I would need the same ethics. I had been given an opportunity to take the hard working mentality, a charismatic approach and an ability to be a self starter, and continue to educate myself on any and everything I need to become successful.
Credit to my mother Wendi, my father Sergio and my uncle Danny
Let’s take a small detour – maybe you can share a bit about yourself before we dive back into some of the other questions we had for you?
In this season of my life, I am reaching outward for more audience. Every step of the journey introduces me to new people, new ideas and new processes. I enjoy sharing stories about my adventures and the path of life that lead to where I am today. Without a back story, I feel art loses its significance and the art no longer retains its value as a time piece of my existence. Ceramics will be around longer than my perishable body, however the feelings endured by the art and my story may last forever.
Duneland Pottery is a safe space for artists to continue their creative process after experiencing the classroom experience. In this clay community, artists share and collaborate ideas, troubleshoot new building and glazing processes and build a network for marketing and selling their work. The idea for this space began while I was in art school and seen the potential for artists to work together to create a sense of family and community within the studio. Some of my favorite conversations took place inside these spaces. Some of my most cherished non-familial relationships were formed in this space as well. My first project that took place outside the university walls was curating shows for my colleagues in local galleries of Northwest Indiana and Chicagoland area. I felt as a professional sales and management background paired with an artist career ahead, I could really open some doors for my fellow artists and colleagues.
There is so much advice out there about all the different skills and qualities folks need to develop in order to succeed in today’s highly competitive environment and often it can feel overwhelming. So, if we had to break it down to just the three that matter most, which three skills or qualities would you focus on?
Three qualities….
I had to be charismatic and approachable. Selling my work does not happen naturally like products sell in large box stores. I had to network, make contact with people I did not already have access to.
I had to figure out my own time table. Setting days and nights aside to create, time to market and time to sell.
Remain humble while continuing to push forward. This one is hard to explain. There had been moments that the successful times were matched by equally or overpowering challenges. I remember always to remain humble, even when being praised for my accomplishments. I also remind myself that art is not competitive. I see many other potters in my area that view each other has competition, and sometimes compare successes to each others efforts. I view other potters as a branch of the same art and craft. Every persons journey, intent and creativity varies. Learn to accept that and there will be less setbacks on your intuition. Keep your mind clear of a fear and persist no matter what.
Awesome, really appreciate you opening up with us today and before we close maybe you can share a book recommendation with us. Has there been a book that’s been impactful in your growth and development?
I will not provide what I personally took from this book, but I will explain why it helped. I believe that people, items and opportunities present themselves when we need them. In this case, I recall hearing a few colleagues discussing popular books and one of them was Pao Coehlo’s The Alchemist. I had heard of the book before but found interest in how it affected someone else’s perspective. In the same week, I was watching interviews online and an interview with Kobe Bryant popped up. In his interview, a similar question was proposed and his immediate response was The Alchemist. A few days later, I was out to dinner with a friend and she told me that Coehlo was one of her favorite authors, I then recalled that he was the same author I heard of twice in the same week. The power of three some may call it, so I went to a local book store and bought just before going on a vacation. Reading this book gave me inspiration, triggered my thought process and its application to my life.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.dunelandpottery.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/duneland_pottery/profilecard/?igsh=MTgxdGszMmdsNnVmNQ==
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/davidlarreola77?mibextid=LQQJ4d
Image Credits
Image credits:
Jaimie Lynn Arreola (sister) and Gabriella Lynn Arreola (daughter)
so if you or someone you know deserves recognition please let us know here.
