Interview: Dakari Ali

 After starting his career in the fashion world, Dakari Ali pivoted to become a freelance illustrator and collage artist.

We spoke to Dakari about his journey into illustration, therapeutic creativity and advice for aspiring artists.

 What’s a typical workday for you?

I wake up in the morning, walk my dog, make his breakfast, make myself a pressed juice, turn on YouTube to see what news I missed in the world, and then answer any emails before jumping into work mode.

What are the perks?

Having the freedom to do what I want whenever I want.

What are the challenges?

My workflow is totally reliant on if and when people need my specific set of skills. There are waves of it when my email is flooded but then there are times when I'm completely dry and have to frantically try to find other means of income to support myself.

What are you most proud of?

I'm most proud of the work I've done for myself. I have always followed my passion which has taken me all over the world and put me in rooms that I would have never imagined I could be in just from what I can do with my hands.

Can you take us through your career path?

I dropped out of art school in 2011 because I learned the hard way that fashion was not my true passion. My time studying fashion in art school was due to my clothing brand LB that I launched midway through my senior year of high school. I saw a lot of success from this but I eventually fell out of love with it after facing all the difficulties of the fashion world. I was hungry for a new outlet for creation so I focused on becoming a graphic designer, making logos, event flyers, and album covers for musicians. I would post my graphic art to a blog on Tumblr where I also followed other artists. There were a few collage artists I followed on Tumblr who made amazing work. I decided to give collage a try and ended up falling in love with it.

Over time, collage became therapeutic for me because of the mental stillness required to create with this medium. I eventually developed a unique style that started to attract the attention of others including musicians, brands and casual art collectors that felt my work was a good fit for them. Gallery shows and commission projects started to roll in. I briefly worked as an art teacher at a high school in Pittsburgh, PA right before moving to Los Angeles, CA. My experience as a teacher was an important part of my career because it got me comfortable talking and teaching groups of people what I do. 

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Over time, collage became therapeutic for me because of the mental stillness required to create with this medium.

In 2018 I joined an International artist residency program called Micro Galleries. Our mission is to educate communities on the issues with climate change through our artistic capabilities around the world. My first trip with MG was to Kathmandu, Nepal in December 2018. I was one of 50 artists (1 of 3 Americans) who participated in this project. We met up in Kathmandu to team up with scientists who could educate us on the water crisis in Nepal so that we could then put on an art festival focusing on educating the city on this and connecting with them on a ground level. This was a life-changing experience for me that has been one of the top accomplishments of my whole career.

Things really took off for me when I got commissioned by the New York Times for two illustrations in January 2021. At that point, I started getting flooded with commission work from all across the industry. Wired Magazine, Uber/Postmates, more New York Times, The Atlantic, Google, Racquet Magazine just to name a few. The workflow was going so well that I was able to leave my then full-time job of 3 years as an art program assistant for a community art studio in downtown Los Angeles in the Skid Row community.

When things started to pick up for me, I asked for advice from one of the art directors I worked with at NYT. He suggested I look for an agency to represent me to keep the workflow steady, recommending that I try out Handsome Frank and a few others. I shot my shot at each of the agencies but Handsome Frank was the only one to respond and they were interested. Lucky for me, it ended up being the perfect match because they understood what I was doing and had the space for me on their roster. We have done some great work together since then and have so much more to come!

Were there hurdles along the way?

Relocating for work and having to adjust to the changes in my career. Each time I relocated, I felt that I needed to start rebuilding the community around me in order to be sustainable.

Is this the career you thought you’d have

When I was a kid, I always knew I would have a career like this but I didn't know it would be this specifically. I didn't know an artist could make art for a living. When I found that out I went full steam ahead into it and now here I am doing just that.

What advice would you offer someone wanting to break into the industry?

Do your best to be original and always follow your passion, not just what sells. People connect with what is unique to you. Your work should be your language that you are using to communicate with your audience.

Follow Dakari Ali: Website & Instagram

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