Alright – so today we’ve got the honor of introducing you to Dana De Ano Visual Artist. We think you’ll enjoy our conversation, we’ve shared it below.
Hi Dana De Ano, you’ve got such an interesting story, but before we jump into that, let’s first talk about a topic near and dear to us – generosity. We think success, happiness and wellbeing depends on authentic generosity and empathy and so we’d love to hear about how you become such a generous person – where do you think your generosity comes from?
My generosity was learned at a young age from my beautiful mother. She was ALWAYS the one to look out for others, help as needed, be close with the neighbors/community. I grew up thinking everyone knew and were dear friends with all their neighbors. Ha.
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?
I make pictures. I have been doing this my entire life though of course over time they have matured and developed significantly. I collect and repropose cast-aways or remnants and sew them into my mixed media drawings marrying them with paint, graphite, mark making. Negative space abounds which I refer to as pause or breathing room. These are 2.5 D abstracted landscapes that express fictional, otherworldly tales. The work is sincere and always asks vs. tells. I make art to catch a break from daily life, to exhale, to be saved from everything that is not serving me, little and big.
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?
1. Don’t be too quick to judge the work, JUST MAKE IT.
2. GET INTO the space as often as possible and most likely the rest will follow.
3. Talk to other artists- see what others are up to.
What is the number one obstacle or challenge you are currently facing and what are you doing to try to resolve or overcome this challenge?
A current obstacle I am facing is that I am feeling too easily distracted from the work at hand. Ever since the holiday and these later loungy mornings I have found myself very pokey post work-outs and pre-work. I can be found in my kitchen putzing for WAY TOO LONG doing dump stuff like checking my plants or learning how to make foot salve or whatever. I end up super frustrated and disappointed in myself and it sets the whole day off negatively.
I have made a (laminated- ha!) schedule that states the time of the morning I am to be in my seat, starting to work (along with a list of my other dos). I’m also making lists of weekly goals and how many hours I need to clock in with be accountable to.
The ”NO cell phone in my studio” rule helps a lot too.
My new years resolution was to “scroll LESS, and pause MORE” and so far so good!
Contact Info:
- Website: [email protected]
- Instagram: danadeano
Image Credits
Photography Bill Burlingham
so if you or someone you know deserves recognition please let us know here.
