Imagination Is My Livelihood

Dana’s Story
Like nearly all children, I was (and still am) the kind that loves to draw out the things and ideas that come to mind. Back then, if there was any sort of blank surface, it would be drawn on. When paper wasn’t around, the walls had to suffice. I got in trouble for that, so I wouldn’t recommend that route, but for me, trying to capture my imagination and make it real made it completely worth it. Those childhood days of crayons and markers and chalk was where it all began for me.

As I grew and my studies became more career-oriented, I was convinced that there was one thing—one method of making art—that would become my livelihood. However, as I took the classes in college and learned to express myself in everything from sculpting to drawing digitally, I realized the spark I felt when I made my favorite art—painting—was present with anything I used, from plaster to metal to words. The constant? The whirring of the gears in my head and being able to create some semblance of the ideas that came from that.

These days, I find the most reward from working in various colors and textures of paint. However, like when I was a child, I still feel a compulsion to make my daydreams and thoughts real. Sometimes painting is the best way. Other times, a line-based drawing will do. I’ll even attempt the art of words every now and then. There’s still that kid in me, wanting to get her ideas down however she can.

About Dana
Dana Oltman is the interactive designer at REBEL INTERACTIVE, a digital branding agency in Omaha, NE, where she works with clients to bring brands to life through style and design. Also an avid painter, illustrator, and photographer, she fills her time with creating new material and expanding her body of work.