Today we’d like to introduce you to Trevor Dahl
Hi Trevor, we’re thrilled to have a chance to learn your story today. So, before we get into specifics, maybe you can briefly walk us through how you got to where you are today?
Today I’m a 29-year old professional artist and muralist in Salt Lake City. It’s my dream life but it has not been a straightforward path…
I always had a knack for drawing but as a kid my family moved across the country over 10 times and I think I used art as a way to have some stability in my life, and also as a way to connect and stand out in new schools. I came to Utah initially for an academic scholarship at Utah State University, but I left school early to live in Hawaii and play in a band. Life’s twists and turns brought me to other states, and eventually back to Utah. For several years I worked all sorts of odd jobs from customer service, construction, and childhood education, trying to explore my interests and gain skills while I continued to develop my art in my free time.
Eventually I landed a great graphic design and illustration job, which allowed me to gain a new level of creative professionalism, and after a couple of years I was able to support myself from freelancing – branding, illustration, and building websites. At a certain point I knew I wanted to focus on my art and I began to slowly transition away from graphic design jobs and into public art, murals, and artwork sales.
It is a continuous journey of figuring out the life of a freelance artist but I’m thrilled to be living this existence. I’ve been able to create a market for my work in the SLC area am very blessed that I can devote myself to making things that bring joy to other people.
We all face challenges, but looking back would you describe it as a relatively smooth road?
There are always struggles, it is definitely a life of highs and lows. Jobs are lost, projects fall through. Savings are depleted and replenished in unpredictable ways. I feel that the life of a working artist requires a lot of faith and mental discipline. It can be quite difficult to invest hundreds of hours into creating new work when you don’t have income lined up for the next few months. But at this point I feel like it’s par for the course – you find ways to manage, and somehow the opportunities keep coming! I’ve found that this lifestyle wouldn’t be possible for me without constant meditation and cultivation of a positive mindset, otherwise the anxieties can be overwhelming.
Thanks for sharing that. So, maybe next you can tell us a bit more about your work?
Artistically I feel that I’m known for my distinct whimsical style and self-aware approach to creation. My brand “Good Happy Stuff” is an umbrella for my playful, spiritually charged, exploration of characters, creatures, and symbols that bring value to my life and hopefully to others. I strive to be a versatile artist, constantly developing my approach to landscapes, the human figure, and my imaginative, surreal paintings. I also make an effort to provide art at all price points, from stickers, prints, shirts, drawings, oil paintings, and murals.
However, I’m most fulfilled doing public art because there is such an opportunity to influence our culture and experience of the world. I can help create a better world by making large-scale depictions of joy, freedom, humor and love.
So maybe we end on discussing what matters most to you and why?
We live in a confusing world with no shortage of tragedy and horror… What matters most to me is the belief that the world is inherently good, and that it is possible to make that belief a reality if we each take it on as a personal responsibility- to spread and embody goodness.
I feel that I can amplify goodness with my art and that mission gives me a lot of purpose. I want to create things for society that acknowledge the pains of life but hold space for the silly, the playful, and can bring a smile or laugh to anyone.
Pricing:
- Murals – $3,000 – $40,000
- Original Art: $30 – $5,000
- Prints: $20-$65
- Commercial Illustration: $1,000 – $10,000
Contact Info:
- Website: https://goodhappystuff.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/goodhappystuff/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/trevordahhhl
