Meet Devin Cobleigh-morrison

We were lucky to catch up with Devin Cobleigh-morrison recently and have shared our conversation below.

Devin, 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 stems both from with and from folks I’ve had the privilege to call friends and colleagues.

First and foremost, seeing my parents excel to the top of their career paths and ultimately pivot to open their own business was inspiring. In middle school, I saw folks who were well on their way to a great life make a total shift to work for themselves, put in hours and dedication that I thought were unmatched, and ultimately realize their vision.

Jon and Marieanne Trennepohl at Skyburner Kites and Sky Shark Tubes are an inspiration. I had flown their products from the ripe old age of 6, and knew them as a worldwide staple in high end kite design. What I didn’t know at the time is that they lived in their shop for a period of time, worked tirelessly in design, business at large, and ultimately purchased the Sky Shark name to become the owners of one of the head running names in the sport kite industry. Like my parents, these two saw the value in what they could offer, worked tirelessly and ultimately became the go-to name, worldwide. I was fortunate to see Jon design countless high end kites that went on to win many championships, and create the longest running kite in sport kite history. This was a realization that if you do good, honest work upfront, your reputation builds on itself. It was because of them that I got my start in sport kite design and ultimately created my own company with my business partner, John McCracken – Canvas Kite Designs.

My work ethic on the horn not only came from a love of the arts, but a passion for problem solving. During my undergraduate degree, I was unfortunately placed in a power dynamic that prohibited me to speak up comfortably on my own behalf both for physical and mental safety. This resulted in this mentor changing my approach and it riddled me with serious physical injuries for the next near-decade. My love of the arts never died, although I did say so multiple times- likely hundreds- but this person’s endlessly high standards forced me to creatively problem solve through physical setbacks and mental strain. In 2015, Elizabeth Freimuth, my dearest teacher and closest mentor, showed me what the missing part of my work ethic really was- balance. It was in forgiveness, true creative problem solving through subjectivity, and more. With her guidance and the living examples of grit shown to me previously, that I worked through countless physical setbacks, PTSD and mental diagnosis, and a myriad of other personal setbacks to properly come back on the horn, take back my power, and become and engaged and invested teacher who plays efficiently and healthy. I am now in a tenure track role at the University of Louisville as their horn professor, and a business owner and worldwide collaborator in the sport kiting industry.

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 currently the Assistant Professor of Horn at the University of Louisville, and a half owner of Canvas Kite Designs. (www.canvaskitedesigns.com).

Canvas Kite Designs is a boutique kite brand that focuses on training kite hobbyists and professionals to come to the industry with integrity, curiosity, and respect. The models we produce are carefully crafted and developed over 3+ years, incorporating a lesson in each model to help fliers open up doors for conversation and further instruction. Ultimately, we want the fliers with us to give back to the industry, and teach others. Fostering a place of community to encourage those moving through the ranks to then speak their mind help others is something we take seriously. We always alert our community if we are traveling nationwide, or even internationally, ask if we can hand deliver anything, fly, or engage in cost-free lessons. We take our community of fliers extremely seriously and appreciate them all. They have become some of our closest friends and advocates and our deepest gratitude doesn’t seem to cover how we feel about this community. Our four staple kites are the Spur- a smaller urban kite that excels in turbulent wind, the Crux, our resident trick monster that was made for rolling up in the lines and flying on its back (upside down), TANK, a deliberate and stately kite used as slow motion trainer, and the Intention, the flagship of the line, geared toward consistent and deliberate feedback that will show a flier what they are doing well, and what can be improved. The kite acts deliberately and honestly, often showing your flaws in timing, trick orientation, etc. It truly is your own teacher.

In next steps, we have enlisted the help of factories to help bring our supplies to kite shops at large. We are working with various folks to fly, test, and build our completed models specifically designed to be sold to the masses with a reasonable price point, but incorporate the same business model and values we put in our boutique models. These models – one beginner, one intermediate trick oriented kite, and one full size kite, will be available in shops in the coming year.

The University of Louisville is my full time job where I teach the French horn to college majors, and local hornists. I take this job extremely seriously, having had both absent and dismissive teachers, and some of who I feel are the best in the world, and have no desire to be the absent type. The students at UofL are often pursuing a career in performance, education, or some kind of electronic music career and have been a source of inspiration and resilience as I’ve navigated this fairly new appointment. In my spare time I will pick up work with the Cincinnati Symphony and Louisville Orchestra, playing professionally. This job entails working with our resident faculty woodwind and brass quintets, that encompass multiple grammy award-winning artists who I am fortunate to call my colleagues. These players, as well as our fabulous conducting faculty, are active in our community, accessible and gracious teachers, and goal oriented. I could not ask for a better environment to be in, and with the recent team of hornists that are now in the area, we’re excited to offer more concerts, lessons, masterclasses, and more resources to the horn community within the state of Kentucky.

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

The first one that jumps to my mind is the word “grit.”

I like many others have had more than my fair share of setbacks. Some instances I talk about openly span from a myriad of severe personal incidents, coping with the lasting effects of PTSD, countless career related injuries, a bout of Xanax addiction, and a long term circumstance of abuse. The word grit is not only a qualifier but also an application. Acknowledging your support systems and allowing yourself to fail, or stay in situations that might be tearing you down are ultimately still part of things that shape you. Each day is an experience regardless of what it is. That day, that time, and that moment are things that you can use to shape your future should you choose to. I was extremely lucky to have folks that saw the potential in me, and held onto that for me when I couldn’t hold onto it for many, many years as I did the work to get it back, and stand on my own two feet.

The second quality I see is my ability to see the “why” over the “what.” Seeing things for their surface value I feel only gets us so far, but being able to foster meaningful connections with many people is something I take extremely seriously. I often am involved in discussions that are deeper than surface level, and I don’t take that for granted. Having processed my history in ways that keep me stable and open enough to contribute to others’ lives is one of my proudest qualities. I try very hard to see things for why they exist, vs what they may be on the surface. I feel its led me to live a life full of deep connections, a myriad of moments to learn, and ways to connect with my surroundings on a level that resonates with me to stay engaged, and give back.

The third quality is one that I am still learning, and that is the ability to set boundaries and grow relationships as I do. Extreme cases of trauma in my early years held me back from developing when others around me did, and while I do not use that as an excuse, it did come with a hard shift in re-establishing my relationships with friends, and colleagues as I patched myself together. This was then revisited as I came out as gay, then came into my own as a business owner, and no longer seen as an injury victim my field of performing arts. Having the patience to work with others as we all change within our surroundings can be a powerful trait if used with grace and proper boundaries. I often tell my best friends that I feel the best relationships are the ones that are not only stedfast, but ones that grow with you and as you do. In this way, its almost like a kaleidoscope- always shifting, always beautiful. On the opposite side of the same coin is the sad reality that some relationships do not grow as we do. As frustrating as this can be, ultimately that can be an exercise in grace but also self respect, respect for others, and each others’ journey. I reflect on how I respond in situations that might be less healthy or more turbulent as times change. Turbulence can a valuable time to check in, see how my values are shaping, what boundaries need to be revisited, etc.

Thanks so much for sharing all these insights with us today. Before we go, is there a book that’s played in important role in your development?

This wasn’t from a book, but it was a quote that my father had on his desk for almost two decades.

“If you find a path with no obstacles, it probably doesn’t lead anywhere.”
-Frank A. Clark.

This quote perfectly embodies my journey. While I don’t seek out resistance, I do feel that nothing in life is handed to you in perfect form. Alternatively, something cannot ever fit a vision if that vision is too rigid to begin with. There is always an element of building, team work, creative problem solving, flexibility and understanding that goes into this crazy journey we call life.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.canvaskitedesigns.com
• Instagram: devincmorrison_horn // devinCmorrison
• Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCXzSFNKlg5m9cEjVdjoCYlg /// https://www.youtube.com/@CanvasKiteDesigns
• Other: https://www.devinCMhorn.com

Image Credits

John Chilese
Eric Belin
Brett Marchel
Lauren Pharris