We were lucky to catch up with Daniel Pelavin recently and have shared our conversation below.
Daniel, so great to be with you and I think a lot of folks are going to benefit from hearing your story and lessons and wisdom. Imposter Syndrome is something that we know how words to describe, but it’s something that has held people back forever and so we’re really interested to hear about your story and how you overcame imposter syndrome.
Here’s the secret: No successful artist ever overcomes the imposter syndrome, we just do our best to, ignore it and carry on in any way we can.
Appreciate the insights and wisdom. Before we dig deeper and ask you about the skills that matter and more, maybe you can tell our readers about yourself?
I’m an illustrator and typographic designer. I have done everything from spot illustration for magazines, to book and magazine covers, packaging design, logos, icons and posters. I’ve also created a few dozen fonts that other designers buy and use in there work. One font in particular, itcanna, which was named for my older daughter, has become very popular and I run into examples of it in use frequently. It’s a nice reminder that I actually do exist. Just in case you are wondering, Anna’s younger sister Molly also has a font. I do find it hard to pinpoint my specialty because I am eager to engage in any form of communication that involves shapes, colors and/or letterforms.
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. Being clueless of just how competitive the job market was in creative fields, illustration in particular. 2. A lifelong desire to create.
3. The great good fortune of not being spoiled for art by studying it in college and, instead learning my craft as an apprentice in professional art studios.
The advice I give anyone who wishes to follow a creative path is this: If there’s anything else you can possibly imagine yourself doing, do it. Having no other tenable option is the motivation you need to succeed.
If you knew you only had a decade of life left, how would you spend that decade?
Over my career, I’ve had the privilege of doing hundreds of jobs for hundreds of clients. For many reasons, the job market and pricing structure has changed considerably. I’m not seeing the assignment work I used to receive and, I need to learn to create projects for myself that keep me interested and occupied.
Contact Info:
- Website: pelavin.com
- Instagram: Daniel Pelavin
- Facebook: Daniel Pelavin
- Linkedin: Daniel Pelavin
- Twitter: @danielpelavin
- Youtube: @dpelavin
Image Credits
career.jpg: magazine cover chicago.jpg: magazine cover gods.jpg: book cover goshuondo.jpg: poster hurly_color.jpg: catalog cover India.jpg: magazine cover lacolor.jpg: magazine cover money.jpg: magazine cover ontrack.jpg: magazine illustration tiger.png: packaging design junglecampus.jpg: magazine cover vincent.png: illustration
