We had the good fortune of connecting with Daniel Olivo and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Daniel, is there a quote or affirmation that’s meaningful to you?
The Truth Never changes While growing up as a child I would lie a lot to cover up the truth as I did that I would find out it’s hard to keep track of these lies to others and to myself. Now I stand by that saying because ultimately the truth never changes and it’s a lot easier going thru life being honest to myself and others

Can you open up a bit about your work and career? We’re big fans and we’d love for our community to learn more about your work.
I go by socalsoularts on all social media sites but I also trademarked it due to having my ideas stolen many times over. My story is long and hasn’t always been easy. I’m in the process of writing a book about the roller coaster of a life I have lived. I grew up always doing art. My mother always encouraged me to do more art all the time. She really supported my art. But when it really truly came into play when I really got serious about my art was after some very hard times of being on the streets for years trying to find who I am and dealing with severe it’s and trauma issues. The effects of the pain I suffered came out in my art. I finally got into an apartment after years and I started painting on anything I could get my hands on. I was painting on sheets, then I would go buy large sheets of canvas and cut them up and paint on them. I had so much I wanted to get out and it was truly reflected thru my art. My art was attracting a lot of attention within my neighborhood I was staying in in Long Beach. I was still suffering from many mental issues that needed to be addressed. I had some mania and did a few things I now regret and I ended up in LA County Jail for a year. After getting out it was amazing, the judge ordered mental health support and substance abuse support cause at the time I was smoking a lot of cannibas. You know it took me getting in trouble with the law to get an overwhelming amount of support which I greatly needed. I had 2 therapists a counselor and a psychiatrist and anything I needed support with they were all there to help me. It truly was a life saver because I worked thru all the pain, trauma and ptsd. I was required to stay sober which was a blessing because it really allowed me to be in touch with my feelings. I received help and moved into a new apartment which was a blessing. Now my art took a whole new turn. Every “Peace” I created seemed to get better and better as I painted them. I have a constant urge to paint and create on a daily basis. My work is the footsteps of my life. I have never studied art, never studied other artists and I do that intentionally because I don’t want my vision to get altered by others creations. I have been told by so many that I have a mixture of style of all these great artists. My walls are completely covered with art and I hope to do some art shows soon to show the world how I create. That’s the short of it. Thank you for letting me share with you!

Let’s say your best friend was visiting the area and you wanted to show them the best time ever. Where would you take them? Give us a little itinerary – say it was a week long trip, where would you eat, drink, visit, hang out, etc.
Well living in Los Angeles there are so many places to see and go but I have my favorites. See I paint outdoors all the time. I pack up my paints and brushes and some canvases and head to Malibu. I paint along side the beautiful ocean usually around sunset and then I bring out the lights and paint under the stars. Sometimes all night long till the sun comes up. One of my favorite spots in Malibu and I have many is Point Dume. It is secluded and has the best sunsets and beauty surrounding it. I also love Topanga, zeros, county line and many other spots along the Malibu coast. So I would take a friend to all these great places where I have friends and they are all beautiful spots. Another favorite place of mine is Venice Beach, and the city of Venice all together. I love how the buildings are all painted and art is so big in that town. I love the boardwalk the skatepark and all the cool shops, I think of it as an artists Disneyland. It’s such a great place. Then maybe drive north to Santa Barbara it’s such a beautiful town which I was lucky to live in back in the 90s. I also would travel more north to Santa Cruz which I love as well, then back down south to Huntington Beach and Newport Beach. I also lived in Newport Beach for many years and it’s a beautiful city with great beaches shops restaurants and bars. Also Laguna Beach is very artsy and a great place to visit .That’s probably a weeks worth of great places to visit. There are so many more I can go on and on.

Who else deserves some credit and recognition?
I dedicate my success to my mother who is no longer with us. Paul Elder who is no longer with us. Kay Gabbard, Paul Davis Gus Wurth my brother and all great friends & all the wonderful people in Malibu who dedicated there time to helping me while I was on the streets. I’m am so Blessed to have so many friends that know me and care for me and continue to watch me thrive and succeed!

Instagram: @socalsoularts

Twitter: Socalsoularts

Facebook: Daniel Olivo Socalsoularts

Youtube: Socalsoularts

Other: I own the Socalsoularts domain I am in the progress of building it. Also soon my art will be minted and sold as NFTs on opensea so please take a look for it coming soon

Image Credits
All work done by Daniel Olivo Socalsoularts

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