Rising Stars: Meet Dan Shelley

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

Hi Dan, so excited to have you on the platform. So before we get into questions about your work-life, maybe you can bring our readers up to speed on your story and how you got to where you are today?
When I was a kid (6-10 years old), I would sit in my grandpa’s art studio in his basement and just watch in awe of the drawings and paintings he could come up with. And I would just wish I could create something like it. So I started to ask questions and learn about art. So my grandpa was really the catalyst for me to tap into my creativity.

I continued to draw for a few years, and when I got into middle school and high school I learned about the power of Adobe Photoshop. So I taught myself how to use the program to create silly advertisements for myself and my friends. During this time I really started to fall in love with bright colors (neon yellow, and neon pink for example).

I kept creating in photoshop for a few years until that passion turned me to photography. I’ve always been so intrigued by the power of a photograph or video. To be able to press the shutter button and capture an exact moment in time forever. It’s such a powerful tool. So I picked up a DSLR camera and started to teach myself the basics. Albeit I never really put the time and commitment into learning, my photos were terrible!

Around that time I had the knack to do more with the camera and wanted to explore video. I was starting to really enjoy watching vlogs on YouTube but was too afraid to get in front of the camera…I let fear take over and really prevent me from exploring and creating. I was so afraid of judgment and laughter from friends and family that I put it far out of my mind.

It wasn’t until about ten years later when I moved to Austin, Texas that I tapped back into that creativity. Being surrounded by artists here in Austin, and being comforted by the “Keep Austin Weird” slogan, I saw two YouTube videos and it just clicked with me. One from Casey Neistat where he focuses on the motto “Do More” (Which I have tattooed) and one by Seek Discomfort/Yes Theory; in which they focus on saying “yes to more things and seeking discomfort in terms of overcoming fear”.

So I thought to myself when I’m 80 or 90 years old, what regrets will I have? And it all clicked. I told myself I’d rather try to be an artist and try to be a YouTuber/Content Creator vs saying “I wish I tried this thing.”

So May of 2021, after months of watching painting videos and wishing I could do that, I ordered some paint and some canvases and took a stab at it. I was hooked instantly! It was such a healthy creative outlet for me, that I couldn’t get enough. So we turned our little 2BR apartment into a full-fledged studio. Our dining room became an art studio. After months of creating, I started to get some interest from friends and family saying “You should sell these!” So I started an Etsy store and sold a handful of paintings in the first week or two. I’m forever grateful for those first customers who helped give me the confidence to propel my business forward.

After a few months of selling on Etsy, I wanted to branch out and do my own thing, so I created my business “Shellda Art LLC”. Shellda is a play on my name Dan Shelley. So I thought it naturally made sense.

On January 1, 2022 I launched my website: www.shelldaart.com as well as my YouTube channel: www.youtube.com/shelldaart! What I love about having this YouTube channel is it gives my followers/subscribers a look behind the painting and gives them an opportunity to learn about the artist and connect with the artist. For me, when I buy anything, clothing, art, anything… I want to feel connected to the person, or business. So I wanted to make sure I’m giving that to my clients.

Plus with my channel, I show off my creative process in how I create my artwork. My goal with my channel is to bring a more cinematic approach to the art niche on YouTube. So I use multiple camera angles, music, and creativity when I create them. I also really emphasize on the inspiration behind each piece of art I create.

The second part of having a channel is it gives me an opportunity to run with why I fell in love with a camera. Being able to process records, I can capture those moments of creating, or events in my life (vlogs) so later on in life, I can look back at those memories. My channel really helps boost clients to my business/website. Because when I create a custom order, I typically always will create a YouTube video associated to that painting. So not only can my clients buy a piece of art that they can hang forever, they also get a video where they can see the whole creation process. It’s a nice modern twist to creating!

Fast forward to today, five months later (May) I’ve done multiple custom orders for customers all over the country, my channel has grown to over 250 subscribers, and I have so many fun videos planned for the year in terms of creating art, finding inspiration, and even connecting with other content creators.

One of the goals I haven’t been able to achieve yet is having my artwork hung up in a coffee shop here in Austin. Coffee is such an important part of my life, and it would be so surreal for me and my family to be able to see my art on the walls in a coffee shop!

I’m sure you wouldn’t say it’s been obstacle free, but so far would you say the journey have been a fairly smooth road?
Wow, what a loaded question. It’s been met with nothing but struggles. Those struggles have been all internal though. I struggled with fear of starting, fear of judgment, and fear of failure.

However, seeing Casey Neistat video about “Do More” and the video from “Yes Theory” on Seeking Discomfort, those really changed my outlook on life to say “yes to more things”.

I was so afraid that my friends would judge me and laugh at me for having a YouTube channel or even creating art. But I got to the point, where I really didn’t care if they laughed or not. And if they did? Then my view was “shame on them” for not supporting a friend who is trying to grow and succeed in life.

So after that, I set a date. I told myself no matter what happens with my business and my YouTube channel, even if they flop…at least I can look back and say I tried something and overcame the fear of starting something.

Also like I mentioned, I started in a super small apartment where I essentially took over our apartment and turned it into a studio. Since then we moved into a new place where I now have my own studio where I’m surrounded by inspiration, I create my YouTube videos here and I create all of my artwork from this studio. I do a ton of reflecting and I often look back and appreciate where I started in that small apartment.

So whenever I talk to people who want to try something or have that same fear of starting, I tell them about my story and say there is no better time to start than now! And to take the pressure off of being perfect. Because the most important thing is to start and to embrace and find enjoyment in the journey of creating.

Can you tell our readers more about what you do and what you think sets you apart from others?
I create abstract acrylic pour art. Essentially I pour some paint on a canvas, and I use my mouth to blow the paint around the canvas into abstract art. What I love about doing this, is every piece is different, and there is nothing to compare it to. So it removes the comparison out and removes the “trying to be perfect” out of the acquisition. That comparison has helped me back for so long.

What I also love about creating these pieces is watching them come to life literally right in front of my eyes. Because going into each piece, I have an idea of how I’d like it to turn out, but just like life, each painting takes its own shape and I’m met with different challenges for each one.

This might come as a surprise, but when I saw the question “What am I most proud of?” A piece of art didn’t come to mind. What came to mind, was being proud of actually having the courage to start my business and start my channel and put myself out there. It takes a lot of vulnerability to do those things. So I’m really proud about starting those two things.

What sets me apart from other artists, is my artwork isn’t just a piece of art that hangs on your wall. It’s accompanied with a video that shows how and why it was created. I also focus on giving my clients a way to connect with me (the artist) in the form of YouTube comments, Instagram engagement, emails, and face-to-face interactions. It’s really important to me that my clients can feel connected to me as an artist before they purchase some of my art.

What would you say have been one of the most important lessons you’ve learned?
I love this question! This one is easy for me to answer. When I have that gut feeling of “oh wow this feels really uncomfortable” I know I need to go after it and face it. So when I had that gut feeling of being scared to start my business, I knew exactly that was the thing I needed to do.

It’s will a work in progress though. I’m still really fearful of vlogging in public in fear of judgment and ridicule. But each time I shoot a video in public, I push myself a bit more and grow each time.

Another example is I want to explore creating on larger canvases. It’s scary, but I know I need to overcome that fear this year!

Pricing:

• My art pricing is really affordable ranging from $100 to $300

Contact Info:

• Website: www.shelldaart.com
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/shelldaart/
• Youtube: www.youtube.com/shelldaart

Image Credits
On image: 42569D85-8366-4176-A287-CB33C5DBD55E – that is credited to: Heesoo Yang.