Today we’d like to introduce you to Danielle Marriott.
Danielle, we’d love to hear your story and how you got to where you are today both personally and as an artist.
I was born and raised in San Diego, CA. I grew up in Santee, really close to Mission Trails Regional Park. My family was really into camping, going to the river, hanging out at the beach, and venturing down to Mexico during summer vacation. Most of my inspiration comes from being outside. When I was in high school, I would skate down to Mission Trails with my guitar and just get lost in nature. I would climb up rocks and find little hiding spots, or walk down by the river until I found somewhere I could be alone.
Those were the times when writing music would just flow out of me so naturally, somewhere where I really felt connected to nature and to the spirit of the area. I started traveling soon after I graduated high school and went to Costa Rica, Mexico, and Hawaii. I’ve always had an adventurous spirit, and I love exploring new places, even those I haven’t been to in San Diego. Surfing became a big part of my life when I got my first board in 8th grade. My mom’s cousin, Deric, would drive so far to pick me up and take me to surf up in Encinitas and Del Mar. I was so obsessed, I loved the surfing culture. I loved getting up early and putting on my (always wet from the day before) wetsuit and surfing all morning.
Those are some of my most cherished memories and the main driving force of where I ended up today. I lived in Ocean Beach for a couple of years and really grew into myself being there. I lived in a house full of people, mostly artists and surfers, and had such a great community of friends. When I was 21, I made the jump to move to Hawaii and have been here for over five years now. I feel so at home here and have grown so much into the woman I want to be. San Diego will always be my roots, but for now, I am having so much fun building a life out here!
We’d love to hear more about your art. What do you do you do and why and what do you hope others will take away from your work?
My business is called Paso A Paso Designs. “Paso a Paso” translates to “step by step” in Spanish. This phrase means so much to me in so many different ways. Creatively, it means to trust the process and have fun while doing it. For me, it’s not as much about the finished creation as it is the time and energy I put into each project. From a more spiritual perspective, the saying “Paso a Paso” has taught me not to be fearful of what is coming next. Not putting myself down because things are not perfect yet.
All good things take time, and taking life step by step has always been my motto. On a more worldly perspective, I believe we all have to do what we can to make this world a better place. I believe it is so necessary to take care of others and nature as well. Being the best we can be and doing good in this world will help make it a better place for all, Paso a Paso! As for my art, I love the tropics and also the desert and gained a lot of inspiration for creating my jewelry in these places. I’m completely obsessed with making jewelry.
I use a lot of turquoise and coral, natural gemstones, and a lot of colorful beads in my work. Mexico is one of my biggest inspirations for color. I love how vibrant and bright their culture is, how all the houses are painted different colors and how many bright plants and decor many people use. I also took ceramics classes in college and found a really fantastic studio called Falling Sky in Ocean Beach to work out of. I love working with clay and making all kinds of bowls, mugs, and beads. Making beads was always so fun because I could later use them to make my jewelry too. I love carving nature scenes in the pieces I would make. When I was 21, I made the leap to move to Hawaii, where I currently live. I used to skate to the beach to sell jewelry on the grass in Waikiki. Moving here felt like I had this big open canvas to create how I wanted my life to feel and look.
I’ve grown into my creative spirit living on my own out here, and its been fun to set up at markets and events in a whole new place. I now do a lot of knit and crochet work as well, making pillowcases, blankets, and beanies. Making jewelry is still my favorite craft, it is always so meditative for me. For a while, I also did surfboard repair, which not necessarily art, but definitely a creative process for me. I loved using power tools to take something broken and bring it back to life. Two years ago, I shaped and built my first surfboard. My friend airbrushed a galaxy on it, and I made it bright purple. My favorite part is that I put some of my Grandma’s ashes in the galaxy part. Now, I can take her surfing with me and keep her spirit alive through something I built myself. The pull to be a creator is always so fun because new inspiration is always available. Im always excited to see where it takes me next!
The sterotype of a starving artist scares away many potentially talented artists from pursuing art – any advice or thoughts about how to deal with the financial concerns an aspiring artist might be concerned about?
Oh boy, this has definitely been a challenge for me. I have always had multiple jobs, and had to make time for creating at night or on my off time. Recently, I have made it more of a priority to focus on the financial side of my business. I keep really detailed logs of my income and expenses, and I’m also taking a tax preparation class to learn more about how to make my finances work for me. My biggest advice would be to find a job that you like that can allow you to spend money on things you need to grow your business. For me, that’s beads, yarn, jewelry displays, hiring a professional photographer to take product photos, etc.
I’ve learned that my business will not be perfect overnight and that I won’t be able to survive off of it right away. Having a day job (that you like and that doesn’t completely drain your energy) can be a really great way to network and talk to different people about your art. I’ve met so many people and customers through my different jobs. But yeah, my biggest advice is definitely to keep track of your finances on spreadsheets, I just use the Numbers app on my Mac. My next advice is to get a business license so you can use itemized deductions on your taxes. You can claim all business-related expenses, like art supplies, car expenses, a portion of your rent and utilities if you have a home office or studio, and so many more. Keep all your receipts in different folders depending on what it is for. All situations are different, so talk to someone who knows about finances or taxes which is close to you, or feel free to reach out to me through email or Instagram. I would love to help anyone who hasn’t started keeping track of their finances!
Do you have any events or exhibitions coming up? Where would one go to see more of your work? How can people support you and your artwork?
My Instagram is @pasoapasodesigns. I also just recently made a website, which can be found at pasoapasodesigns.com. I love to set up at markets here in Hawaii, and I post about when and where those are on my Instagram. If you live in Hawaii or are visiting, I love to sell to and meet people in person. Making those connections and seeing where my jewelry and art goes is so rewarding for me. If you don’t live in Hawaii, definitely check out my Instagram and website!
Contact Info:
- Website: pasoapasodesigns.com
- Phone: 619-772-7551
- Email: pasoapasodesigns@gmail.com
- Instagram: instagram.com/pasoapasodesigns
Image Credit:
Vanessa Alcaraz, Malte Jager, Leni Muñoz Camilo, Chelsea Ecat, Dave Bjorn
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