Deron Cohen shared their story and experiences with us recently and you can find our conversation below.
Hi Deron, thank you so much for joining us today. We’re thrilled to learn more about your journey, values and what you are currently working on. Let’s start with an ice breaker: What is something outside of work that is bringing you joy lately?
Something outside of work that brings me so much joy is my daughter, Zora. She’s 15 years old and it’s been amazing watching her bloom and grow. She’s smart, funny, beautiful, athletic, musical; just so much potential there. I truly enjoy spending time with her and we laugh all the time. We also have our arguments, just like any other parent-child relationship, but she’s pretty awesome.
Can you briefly introduce yourself and share what makes you or your brand unique?
My name is Deron Cohen and I have been pursuing my art career for 30 years. Along the way, I started to teach others how to express themselves creatively through visual art. I’ve been teaching for 20+ years and paint as much as I can in whatever time I have left over. I am continuously trying to improve both as an artist and as an art teacher. My hope is that the high quality of what I do will be reflected by being more successful; selling more paintings and merchandise and gaining more students.
Amazing, so let’s take a moment to go back in time. Who taught you the most about work?
My Dad, Bruce Cohen, taught me the most about work. He always said, “If it wasn’t work, they’d call it something else.” His point was that work isn’t supposed to be fun. It might be satisfying, but it’s not a good time. If it was, they’d called it something else. He also said, “Do the job right the first time.” I have definitely tried to internalize this quote. I like to be efficient with my time and getting something right so you don’t have to re-do it is definitely better than doing something over and over again because you didn’t get it right the first time. Both of these quotes have always stuck with me. My Dad was an honest, fair, hardworking man and he always provided for his family. He set a great example and I miss him a lot.
Was there ever a time you almost gave up?
There have been many times when I’ve thought about giving up on my art. It is not an easy road and it is fraught with rejection and being ignored. Again and again I hit a wall and think about giving it all up, but I’m so invested now, I don’t think there’s any turning back. Luckily, there is always something that will pull me out of that line of thought. Someone buys a painting or a gallery accepts my work and I feel like I’m making a little progress. My friend always reminds me that its about direction, not distance. I’m not making a lot of progress, but I’m going the right direction.
Sure, so let’s go deeper into your values and how you think. Is the public version of you the real you?
On the whole, I’d say the public version of me is the real me. I’m an honest person and I’m a good communicator, so I try to let people close to me know what I’m thinking. The public version of me is probably much more diplomatic than the real me, but the information I’m relating is the same. I try to soften the sharp edges of the real me.
Okay, so let’s keep going with one more question that means a lot to us: What is the story you hope people tell about you when you’re gone?
When I’m gone, I hope people will say that I had a positive impact on lots of people. That has been my goal in life: to have as positive an impact on as many people as I possibly can. I teach hundreds of kids how to make art throughout a single week and I sometimes teach groups of adults, too. I also hope that people will say I was good at what I did; I was a top notch painter and art teacher. Hopefully, they’ll be able to say that I struggled to get some recognition for my artwork for many years, but finally broke through and succeeded in taking care of my family through the sales of my paintings, prints and merchandise.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.deroncohen.com
- Instagram: @deroncohen
- Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/deron-cohen-61744484/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/DeronCohen
- Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@deroncohen
