Meet Daniel Kazan

We caught up with the brilliant and insightful Daniel Kazan a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.

Hi Daniel , so happy you were able to devote some time to sharing your thoughts and wisdom with our community. So, we’ve always admired how you have seemingly never let nay-sayers or haters keep you down. Can you talk to us about how to persist despite the negative energy that so often is thrown at folks trying to do something special with their lives?

The truth is, the harshest voice isn’t out there, it’s yourself. It’s your own doubt whispering that maybe your style isn’t enough, maybe you’re off track, maybe you’re falling behind, this art won’t be accepted and so on. That voice has followed me through a lot of my career.

Over time, I realized people will always have something to say. Some do it to feel important. Some project their own fears. That’s life. Let them talk. That’s not my concern. My job is to hone in on what makes me feel electric and get it out there for my fans. If you try to chase what you think will “work,” you lose yourself and in the art world and that’s the worst move you can make. Trust me, I’ve done it many times before and I always circle back to my natural style.

I’ve seen artists succeed with styles I personally don’t rate at all and yet they thrive, because they’re honest in what they do. That’s the real key. Honesty. You create the work that reflects who you are, and you let go of the rest. Nothing else matters and to be held up by any nay-sayers is a waste of your time and potential. One person might think your shit, the other thinks you are brilliant. So keep on knocking on doors, reaching out to those who can help with exposure and keep on truckin’ baby!

Great, so let’s take a few minutes and cover your story. What should folks know about you and what you do?

I’m a tattoo artist and visual creator working between Cairo, Cape Town, NYC, and Europe. My style sits somewhere between psychedelic pop art and surrealism. I hate to be put into a category but apparently society loves to place people, styles and ideas into boxes. In all honesty, it’s just my Dan Kazan thing. A mix of funky visual storytelling, emotional depth, and influences from 80s synth aesthetics, disco, and the art I grew up. All mixed together creates a fresh thing not seen before. Aside from tattoo’s, I truly enjoy placing my art on surfboards which becomes functional art. Tattooing leather boots such as Doc Martins has been my path as well and it essentially leads me to having an appreciation for movement and art.

My designs often center on deep emotional states, intense facial expressions conveying a message, and visual snapshots of lifestyle moments that carry a sense of nostalgia or a unified feeling of “Yeah, I know that vibe”. My work lives in that balance between joy and struggle, beauty and pain, stillness and chaos. It’s about capturing those fleeting glimpses of presence, those moments that make life feel electric. I would consider myself a pretty intense personality and I think that is captured in my art.

Right now I’m focused on growing the Dan Kazan brand through guest spots in key cities, dropping curated flash collections, custom surfboards and whatever bigger projects aligned with that. I’m not interested in chasing trends or replicating what works for others. I create what aligns, and I trust that the right people will feel it. It’s very difficult in the world of tattooing to not find yourself in a lane that everyone seems to be doing. It pays the damn bills but I trust that in the long run, my focus on my own style will outlive trends. Plain and simple. Fuck trends, embrace and nourish originality.

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

Looking back, the three things that had the biggest impact on my journey were discipline, persistence, and grit. Without those, I wouldn’t be doing this and surely I would be in some corporate setting thinking this monthly check was what I needed to feel secure and live a pre-programmed / not original lifestyle. I’ve never fit into groups, clubs or whatever….so why start now? I’m comfortable being a loner and just doing my own thing.

Discipline is the foundation. It’s what gets you up early, keeps you drawing when no one’s watching, and keeps the craft sharp even when the inspiration isn’t there. It’s not always glamorous, but it’s what separates people who dabble from those who build something real.

Persistence and grit go hand in hand. This profession can kick your ass. Tattooing isn’t just about being talented, it’s about being tough. You deal with pain, self-doubt, judgment, slow seasons, burnout, etc. There are moments where you genuinely ask yourself if it would just be easier to take the safe road, clock in somewhere, and collect a steady paycheck. And yeah, that would be easier but it would eat at your soul. That’s the trade-off. You have to be strong enough to keep going when everything in you wants to give up.

My advice to anyone just starting out is this: don’t rely on motivation. Build habits. Stay consistent. And know that it’s going to be hard but it’s supposed to be. If you can accept that, and keep showing up anyway, you’ll make it through. You’ll build something that’s truly yours.

Alright so to wrap up, who deserves credit for helping you overcome challenges or build some of the essential skills you’ve needed?

The most helpful people in my life have been the friends and co-workers who believed in me during moments when I couldn’t see my own potential. Sometimes, all it takes is someone who genuinely cares to remind you of what you’re capable of. That kind of feedback, from people who actually get it and aren’t just giving surface-level compliments is invaluable.

Being in the right shop environment makes a massive difference too. When you’re surrounded by others who are on a similar path, it stops feeling like you’re walking it alone. You don’t feel like an outsider. You’re all growing, struggling, and figuring it out together and that energy can push you further than you’d go on your own.

And of course, exposure matters. If you’re just starting out, put yourself around people who have already built something. Learn from how they carry themselves, how they navigate the ups and downs. Talent is just the beginning, what matters is how you nurture it. Surround yourself with people who want to see you win and have the experience to show you how.

Contact Info:

• Instagram: @dan.kazan

Image Credits

All photos are done by Dan Kazan.