Meet Daniel Coston

We recently connected with Daniel Coston and have shared our conversation below.

Daniel , looking forward to learning from your journey. You’ve got an amazing story and before we dive into that, let’s start with an important building block. Where do you get your work ethic from?

My work ethic comes from a mixture of people and places. My father, who was a design engineer, and would get deep into how to come up with a solution. My mom’s parents, who allowed me to just be who I was, and find new things to discover. What I also got from all of them, and several other people I worked with, was not to get lost in talking a big game. More often than not, the really impressive people wouldn’t tell you what they had done. They just did it, because they wanted to. Its nice to be recognized for that you do, but sooner or later, you know what you have done, and being happy with what you created. I wholeheartedly subscribe to that, and creating as much good work as possible.

It also helps to find a balance between pushing yourself to do better work, and allowing yourself the freedom to sometimes work on things at different speeds. I didn’t aways give myself that leeway when I was younger, but I now recognize that it is a part of living with one’s self, and continuing to learn as we go along.

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 am originally from Seneca Falls, NY, but have lived in Charlotte, NC for much of my life. On different days, or different times of the day, I am a still photographer, writer, historian, archivist, record producer and organizer.

In Charlotte, I photograph for numerous non-profit, for profit, private and public clients, as well as several media outlets. Outside of Charlotte, I have worked with numerous musicians, including Johnny Cash, the Avett Brothers, the Monkees, the Beach Boys, and many, many more. That work as a photographer and writer led me to start producing records for several artists, both in terms of new music, and archival recordings.

I’ve been many things during my life, and have done many things, but I’ve always just tried to do good work, Go forth and create something better than you had when you started the day.

If you had to pick three qualities that are most important to develop, which three would you say matter most?

Flexibility, curiousity and a willingness to learn on the job.

No photo shoot, or written piece, or anything in life goes exactly the way that you thought it would go. Learn from the daily improvisations, and stay focused on the work at hand.

I am genuinely still fascinated by the idea of doing something better than I have before. How do I do that? Stay willing to find out.

I was in film and video work all through high school and college, and I prided myself on being able to jump into anything that was asked of me. If I could do it, I could get hired. Be willing to learn how to do multiple jobs, and to step in to that position when needed.

Keep learning keep growing, and don’t give up when you hit inevitable lull, or speed bump. Keep going. There are better things ahead, and give yourself time to get there, even when that train isn’t coming as fast as you might like it to.

If you knew you only had a decade of life left, how would you spend that decade?

I would be doing what I am doing now, and trying to find ways to do what I love in more places.

Contact Info:

Image Credits

Avett Brothers, Concord, NC, 2002

Flaming Lips, Charlotte, NC, 2011

Beach Boys, Raleigh, NC, 2012

Carolina Chocolate Drops, Charlotte, NC, 2010

Suggest a Story: BoldJourney is built on recommendations from the community; it’s how we uncover hidden gems,
so if you or someone you know deserves recognition please let us know here.
Highlighter Series
Are you walking a path—or wandering?

The answer to whether you are walking or wandering often changes from season to season

Highlighter Series
What makes you lose track of time—and find yourself again?

With so many high-achievers in our community it was super interesting to learn about the

Highlighter Series
If you could say one kind thing to your younger self, what would it be?

We asked some of the wisest people we know what they would tell their younger