Me.
1991. I was born in a small town called Krosno in the south of Poland. In 1993, my family and I immigrated to America; growing up in a foreign household within the small town of Wolcott, Connecticut. I start with this to contextualize why I’m able to do what I do - as the former sentences have been nothing short of a blessing. Since coming to the USA, both my parents have not only created successful careers for themselves, but put three kids through college to all live incredible lives.
What most people don’t see or want to see, is that we grew up watching them struggle, learn, and adapt to living out the "american dream". They didn’t have money, hell, for my birthdays growing up, our birthday presents were going to McDonalds with my sisters cause it’s all we could afford. What my parents have done for me is insurmountable and I can never repay them. But it has molded me to the person I am today and influenced me as a designer.
In August 2014, I graduated from Wentworth Institute of Technology with a degree in Industrial Design. The experience WIT provided, was incredible - as the ID program there is amazing; allowing each student to get as much out of it depending on how much they put in. And boy, did I put in work.
Almost 10 years after graduation, here I am sharing my story with you. I am seriously grateful to be able to do so and hope you find something out of this.
Much love,
DF
Philosophies
Be Global.
This is my number one rule. In everything I do, I try to be able to project that on a global level. Whether that is personally traveling, or selling art outside of the USA. It’s incredibly important to me for my voice, vision, and relationships to remain relevant across our planet.
We are sold all things at the price of labor.
If you want something, work for it. I’m asked a lot why I work a second job, when I have a great full time job. The answer is I’m not satisfied.
Be yourself.
Alls we have is our name, so why would you want to be someone else? Speak your opinion and do what makes you happy. It is that simple.
Relationships are a two way street.
This is fairly self explanatory, and it may seem selfish, but I don’t believe in keeping a relationship unless you see the same return that you put in. It could be between a family member, or a friendship, it all runs by the same rule.
Respect time.
We are given a very short amount of time on this earth, so maximize it. If you died tomorrow, can you say today that you’ve lived a fulfilling life?
Ya Never Know.
This one is my favorite. Everything in life is completely unpredictable. As soon as you start planning something, it never goes according to plan. Learning to not have expectations has been an incredible transformation in lifestyle.