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

Hi Daniel, why did you decide to pursue a creative path?
There was a point that it became clear to me, that creative people have an absolute need to be creative. I’d always enjoyed making music, for nearly my entire life, and after meeting my wife, Kelsey – a brilliant architect and designer – I discovered another passion for building things. In seven years of working a full time job as a data analyst, the feeling steadily grew that I was spending the majority of my waking hours doing something that gave me little to no fulfillment, and depriving me of the energy that I wanted to spend on my creative passions. As it turned out, my wife felt the same. Some of the best times I’ve had have been when we spent hours together in our garage making something, and so two years ago, we decided that it might as well be now. It’s been a trying and educational journey, but the feeling of spending the majority of my time actually creating things has been more than worth it.

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.
My first love was music. I started out learning the saxophone, then guitar, then all the other rock band ingredients that a kid will gravitate to. But I’ll never forget the first time of actually attempting to write my own songs and music. I think that was the first event that triggered my love to create; the realization that I could make something completely unique. I spent my early years and into my late 20’s as a casual creator of indie/folk/rock as Ellis Easley, then dabbling in an ambient/instrumental project called Bears in Corduroy, but eventually stumbled upon a love and appreciation for cinematic, orchestral music. To this point, I’ve been given the opportunity to compose original scores for several short films, and that journey has also lead me to a much wider world of audio engineering, where I’ve had the chance to do sound design and mixing for a myriad of projects, from film, to podcasts to audiobooks and more. It has been an absolute trial by fire that I’ve launched myself into, but it has also become another wonderful creative avenue that I’ve been fortunate to get to pursue.

Then there is our custom woodworking business, Kade Design Studio. Between the two of us, we had a handful of years of casual woodworking experience that gradually improved based on our increasing desires to just create. By the time we started the business, we were ready to make a wide variety of things, from small, decorative pieces, to charcuterie and cutting boards, to adirondack chairs, to full sized playhouses. We invested in a laser engraver which is great for customizing certain things for people, and especially putting our logo on all our work. A fun bonus to actual woodworking is learning other machines like the laser engraver and CNC.
Most importantly, what I really believe sets us apart as a business in this realm, are our designs, shapes and details. Often when Kelsey has an idea, a vision, we’ll scour the internet for similar things, and often we can’t find anything like it. Which is a great thing!

Starting the business and actually making this work, however, really has been challenging. Everyone is different, but for me, it took me quite a while to wrap my head around all the things that need to be done to actually begin to feel like you’re succeeding. Weather it’s learning how to market yourself effectively, deciding when to outsource certain tasks, staying organized, or sticking to your business plan. It’s been a challenge, wanting to remain in the creative mindset, but realizing I need to focus more on the other things that may not be so fun. But as we continue to learn and improve on all this, we also continue to bring unique and beautiful creations to the world, and help other people to realize creative visions. And we think that’s our net positive impact.

If you had a friend visiting you, what are some of the local spots you’d want to take them around to?
San Antonio, TX is truly an amazing city that flows with culture, beauty and history – and it’s really been growing. One of the most consistently enjoyable places you can take anyone is to the Pearl, a bustling social area built around the old Pearl Brewery. Restaurants, shops, a splash pad for the always hot summers, and farmer’s market. If you want to be a little more active, there are some really good bike trails, one in particular that visits each of the historic missions around the city. A few personal favorites of mine are the Japanese Tea Gardens – a beautiful place full of plant life and water built out of an old quarry from the early 1900’s. Musically speaking, I always love a show at Paper Tiger, which is on St. Mary’s St, which has plenty of other great restaurants and bars you can walk to and from. And of course, as a true San Antonian, I would always recommend going to a Spurs game if you get a chance.

Shoutout is all about shouting out others who you feel deserve additional recognition and exposure. Who would you like to shoutout?
Without a doubt, I owe all of where I am now to my wife, Kelsey. She’s encouraged me in everything I’ve ever attempted, she’s added incalculable value to our business with her knowledge, her incredible work ethic, and her own amazing talents in design. Without her I’d still just be dreaming about this instead of doing it.

Website: www.kadedesignstudio.com

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/kade.designstudio/

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/kadedesignstudio

Yelp: https://www.yelp.com/biz/kade-design-studio-san-antonio-2?osq=kade+design+studio

Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC_Z-7Gz0Xf8dWFYidL4hXRw

Other: www.DEllisEasley.com

Image Credits
Julia Corinne

Nominate Someone: ShoutoutColorado is built on recommendations and shoutouts from the community; it’s how we uncover hidden gems, so if you or someone you know deserves recognition please let us know here.