January 8, 2017

Meet Decatur Graphic Designer, Director, and Photographer: Dan Almasy

Local Stories

Today we’d like to introduce you to Dan Almasy.

Dan, please share your story with us. How did you get to where you are today?
My mom gave me this baby book, and on the second or third page is printed the question, “What do you want to be when you grow up?” At age 5, my answer was, “Artist.”

So I guess I’ve known I was an artist since I was 5.

That journey has gone something like this:

Age: 5
Day job: Going to stupid kindergarten with my mushroom haircut.
Art job: Drawing Crayola masterpieces in the backs of coloring books.

Age: 15
Day job: Attending (or mostly skipping) stupid high school, baggin groceries at Kroger.
Art job: Drawing anime and comic characters in pen & ink, frequently gifted to emo girlfriends.

Age: 20
Day job: Slinging chili dogs while listening to NOFX, chain-smoking in parking lots, playing guitar.
Art job: Creating websites and album covers for my friends’ bands.

Age: 25
Day job: Lugging mail to corporate types in a vast cubicle maze.
Art job: Designing logos for Craigslist clients, playing in a Weezer cover band.

Age: 30
Day job: #nope #byefelicia #freelance4life
Art job: Photographing products, artists, and… weddings. Yep. I cut my photography-teeth on weddings.

I’ve never had any formal education in this stuff. College wasn’t really an option for me in my late-teens/early twenties so I made the best of it and hit my local libraries – hard. I was so in love with creating that I’d grab every book on art, design, HTML coding, editing video, and just dive in headfirst to teach myself all of the things I was interested in (shout-out to the library system in Columbus Ohio).

These days, I’m developing websites with my pal Max at Digital Muse, creative-directing content at DEDPXL with Zack Arias, and making photographs for all kinds of projects – straightforward products shots, abstract imagery for stock, headshots and portraits for artists and bands and other creative professionals…

I wear a lot of different hats and open myself up to a varied workload. It keeps things interesting and really stretches my creative muscles. If I only did one thing all day every day, I think I’d stagnate. It’s good to find new ways of looking at the world, new ways of solving problems, that’s where I thrive.

I never imagined that being an artist would be such a twisted, winding path – a path I’m still on. It’s not a “go-out-and-get-a-job” way of life. It can be scary sometimes, and really uncertain. But everything else is just soul-sucking. My work as an artist is the most fulfilling work I’ve ever done.

Has it been a smooth road?
Being a creative is always a struggle, especially if you’re freelance. I built a photography business from the ground up with no loans or help or handouts and it was extremely difficult. Barely making rent, eating ramen noodles and using Rubbermaid bins for a coffee table is frustrating but eventually, it paid off and I’ve gotten to experience some really great successes. It takes time and being willing to be broke for a while to get yourself on track but if you can do it, it’s totally worth it.

Have you ever wanted to stop doing what you do and just start over?
Absolutely. Trying to make a living as a freelancer is a grind. It wears down your nerves, your spirit, and your bank account. What has always kept me going is knowing that I get to do work that I really enjoy and I get to partake in some cool experiences. I know that I will likely never be rich but if I can make ends meet and get to have some fun adventures with people I care about in the meantime, that’s alright by me.

Let’s change gears – is there any advice you’d like to give?
MEET PEOPLE. Find out where people like you hang out and park yourself there and meet as many of them as possible. Go to parties. Do things. Always work on making connections, and I don’t mean narrow that to just ‘business’ connections. One of my most valuable work relationships formed from meeting somebody while I was playing in a Weezer cover band at Six Flags. Seriously. You never know how the people you meet could transform into great partnerships down the road.

What are you looking forward to?
I’m gearing up to take my creative endeavors to the next level. I am currently working on writing a web-series, and a feature-film. I’ve got plans for some big adventures overseas (Iceland and Norway) and sometime in 2017 I’d like to put together a gallery show here in Atlanta somewhere to showcase my art and photography work.

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