Meet Danielle Colbeck | Visual/Verbal Artist & Music Addict

We had the good fortune of connecting with Danielle Colbeck and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Danielle, what role has risk played in your life or career?
Risk exists in many forms, be them calculated or unknown. Anytime one is faced with decision-making or having to make a choice/change, there is always an element of risk as far as any choice one elects to embark upon.
Some risks can be intuitively determined prior to making a move or choice, whereas other forms of risks may not have even been considered, which is where elements of “hindsight” and “lesson learning” becomes potentially applicable.
The definition of risk has many negative attachments to it, though I do not necessarily believe all risk is inherently terrible or catastrophic.
When one doesn’t take a chance to avoid any potential risk, incredible opportunities could be lost due to the fear of the perceived risk factor overcoming the potential for success because we dared not attempt a risky move or decision.

Playing it “safe” has never been my preferred forte of operating in life, be it professionally or personally, and I do not consider fear being a respectful virtue.

Life is hardly fair, and the risk/rewards of our journey and choices will rarely look identical to another’s and shouldn’t.

I believe it has been critical for me to venture down more “risky” paths in the way I elect to live, as taking chances has allowed me to travel all over the country, as well as the world and has allotted me opportunity to meet some amazing human beings that I otherwise would have never encountered had I not taken a bit of a risk, put my artwork out there, and have it noticed by some very inspiring, successful people.
Taking risks has certainly placed me in difficult, challenging circumstances, but I know some of those risks that came with my decisions were essential for me to learn from, and a few of those risks garnered successful moments that I am humbled and thankful for.

Taking responsibility for any decision I make has been a very crucial part of my life as well as career, because I carry no interest in constructing myself as a victim in any capacity and consider myself a success for taking on the “roads less traveled by”.

Let’s talk shop? Tell us more about your career, what can you share with our community?
Life is rarely easy for anyone, and it is hardly fair. But that absolution is part of what makes me thrive with my visual art and writing efforts.
The visual art I create are influenced by emotion, an idea, an event or circumstance I am dealing with/have dealt with.
The visuals themselves are essential metaphors for these emotions. The metaphor appears typically as a woman, and often I am asked “who” the women are in every work.
They aren’t so much a specific “who”, but provocations of whatever was on my mind, or whatever song I had on loop at the time. I find I cannot produce art without the creative fuel supplied by music.
My music tastes range from Fleetwood Mac to Heilung to Nick Cave, and whatever music I am listening to at any time are often influenced by the mood/circumstances I am in.
The most difficult form of artwork I continue to enjoy challenging myself to since 2005 is my live improvisational art pieces that are created typically when a band or musician is performing their set onstage, and I bust out drawings along with the music.
This process proved to be greatly challenging, as I consider the creative process to carry elements of intimacy to it and allowing myself to be vulnerable in front of an onlooking audience while revealing my specific method of creating was liberating, shocking and freeing.
I never allowed anyone to see my work unless it was completed and would draw/paint in the privacy of my home.
This was exposing my process in front of audiences, and I couldn’t just stand there in front of a blank sheet of paper with hundreds (and occasionally thousands) of people staring at you, unsure of what you are even doing onstage with the musicians they paid to come see.
I didn’t want to become a distraction from the performances, as the spotlight is something I tend to shy away from, but the spotlight ended up shining hard upon me anytime I was on a stage, essentially forcing me to produce.
What ended up happening was I became another part of the entire performance, and people were “amazed” seeing a piece of artwork evolve right before their eyes.
I rarely walked off stage with any pieces I had created left over, as people were eager to purchase a one-of-a-kind drawing that was made during a set of a band that they were already a fan of….and they became fans of my work by show’s end.

It’s a very intimidating, nerve-wracking process, as well as an intense confidence builder, and this has become my favorite method of producing artwork due to the raw, unbridled uniqueness of it even nearly two decades after my very first gig.

I lost essentially all of my material efforts/past artwork/photographs to a horrid wildfire in 2015, and I had to truly accept that everything is finite, but that shouldn’t eliminate my passion and need to continue producing in creative ways or deter me from making the most of every single day I am gifted to experience.
I lost another home to a second fire in 2016, and you know what?

I wouldn’t trade any of these experiences I have had, as many came from my risk taking, and I believe I will continue to challenge myself in these ways for the rest of my life: with an artistic effort commemorating it in some way, shape or form.

If you had a friend visiting you, what are some of the local spots you’d want to take them around to?
If ever in San Diego, Balboa Park is an absolute must. It is a mecca of nature and art, gorgeous scenery and one of the oldest parks in the nation.
The San Diego Museum of Man is in this park, and an awesome facility.
The Gaslamp District is loaded with impressive architecture and the nightlife is notorious.
The city is exceptionally dog-friendly, so I would encourage anyone with a four-legged friend to bring them along, as there are countless places to eat and visit without any furry friend discrimination.
Ocean Beach is definitely for dog-lovers, whereas Mission Beach is hand down one of the more beautiful stretches of beach I have experienced.
Don’t dismiss Coronado Beach!”
Depending on the time of year and interest level of friends, I absolutely would hit a Padres home game at Petco Park.
The energy that the fanbase brings to that stadium is incredible, and the facilities are impressive.
SO much to choose from as far as restaurants, but “Juniper & Ivy” is an absolute must.
If you can swing it, “Jeune et Jolie” and “Soichi Sushi” rock the casbah.
“Herb & Wood” is also excellent and “Morning Glory” for a killer brunch.
“Starlite” on India Street….! If it ain’t broke…. leave it alone….and Starlite is definitely in that category!
James Coffee Company, Heartwork Coffee, Bay Park Coffee and Mostra Coffee are all ideal spots for killer coffee beverages.
San Diego definitely caters to pedestrians, as there are endless small neighborhood parks to enjoy the great outdoors in.

The Shoutout series is all about recognizing that our success and where we are in life is at least somewhat thanks to the efforts, support, mentorship, love and encouragement of others. So is there someone that you want to dedicate your shoutout to?
My life has ebbed and flowed in various untraditional ways, and I sincerely could not have been more of a “wayward vagabond” without the unwavering support and encouragement of my mom and dad, two younger brothers, extended family/friends and the countless people I have encountered over the years in my travels.

Had it not been for a few pushing me (even daring me at times) to take risks, I would have never found myself on stage creating live improvisational visual artwork with the Minneapolis hip hop duo “Atmosphere” (thank you, Sean “Slug” Daley) at legendary venues (such as First Avenue in Minneapolis and The Vic and The Metro in Chicago) or having Cedric the Entertainer be impressed with my work or find myself being interviewed by NBC Bay Area’s Brodie Brazil in 2019 and having a painting of mine shared with literally millions of viewers on television.

I haven’t expressed enough how much I am still a little shocked that my love for baseball and passion for art would come together in ways that I never could have imagined, and the Oakland Athletics organization definitely gifted me with experiences I will never forget.
Big props to them, absolutely.

Many of my musician friends have been steadfast in their support of my efforts, including John Zorko who included me on a couple of his “Falling You” albums.

Relationships with other creative types are, for me, affirmations that my decisions to take the risks I have and experience my life as a freelancing visual artist was the absolute appropriate choice for me.
And to all who continue to encourage me as I embark upon a new project of writing a book about some of these people, encounters, opportunities and moments, I continue to be immensely humbled with the continued support….even in these strange times we are all navigating ourselves through.

P.S.
A special shout out to Mister Henry Rollins for taking the time to read my handwritten novel of a letter I sent to him a million moons ago…
And sincerely writing back to me when he had the time via email.
He also encouraged me to keep on with my art/passions…
Surreal and influential, indeed.

PSS….
Shoutout to “Pixie Vision Productions” for this kick ass session back in 2008

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/daniellecolbeck/

Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/danielle-colbeck-4959629/

Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCLEYwHBIsq-prFGQTYihHtw

Twitter:  Danielle Chaneen Colbeck. (@dani_colbeck) / Twitter

Soundcloud:  Stream danielleCcolbeck music | Listen to songs, albums, playlists for free on SoundCloud

Other: Interview for album I contributed vocals to: https://echoes.org/2017/08/10/falling-you-interview-echoes/

Contact Email: dcolbeck79@gmail.com

Image Credits
“Echoes” interview (black and white image with me, Anji Lum and John Micheal Zorko) taken by Ryan Lum.