Today we’d like to introduce you to John Lozano.
John, we appreciate you taking the time to share your story with us today. Where does your story begin?
My story really began long before Davinchi Art Studio ever existed. I’ve been creating art for more than 20 years, and for me, being an artist has never simply meant choosing a profession. Art has always been the way I communicate, solve problems, get through difficult moments, and give shape to the ideas I carry inside me.
I was born in Colombia, where I first began developing my skills and building my experience as an artist. Over the years, I learned, experimented, and slowly found my own voice. But later, when I came to the United States, I found myself in a completely different environment and had to rebuild much of my professional life from the ground up.
I didn’t arrive with a large network of contacts, clients waiting for me, or an established name. What I did bring was much harder to measure: years of experience, my hands, my ideas, the determination to keep moving forward, and the belief that if I continued doing good work, sooner or later opportunities would begin to appear.
And they did, although it definitely didn’t happen overnight.
In the beginning, I took on almost every kind of creative project that came my way. I painted custom pieces, clothing, hats, commercial work, and pretty much any surface that gave me a chance to keep creating. Little by little, bigger projects started coming in. One client recommended me to another. One job opened the door to the next. The walls got bigger, the ideas became more ambitious, and so did the responsibilities.
Over time, Davinchi Art Studio grew naturally out of all that work.
Some of the projects I’m most proud of today are the large-scale murals and commercial installations that can completely transform a space. There’s something hard to explain about standing in front of a completely blank wall and knowing that a few days later it can become something thousands of people will see, photograph, and remember.
I’ve always been fascinated by that process of turning something that doesn’t exist yet into something real.
At the same time, though, I never wanted to lose the more personal side of being an artist. That’s why I kept developing my studio work, creating pieces for exhibitions and collectors, exploring new techniques, and trying to grow not only as a business, but as an artist as well.
Today, my career is a mix of all those different worlds. One week I might be working on a massive mural, the next I could be creating a piece for a gallery, and after that I may be hand-painting a custom piece that will end up in the hands of just one person.
And I think that says a lot about who I am as an artist.
I’ve never wanted to limit myself to one definition of what an artist is supposed to be. To me, art can live on the wall of a gallery, on the side of a building, inside a business, or even on something a person can wear and carry with them.
The journey, of course, hasn’t always been easy.
Building both a career and a business around art requires much more than knowing how to paint. I’ve had to learn how to work with clients, manage projects, calculate costs, take risks, solve problems, start over when something doesn’t work, and keep creating even during times when I had no idea where the next opportunity would come from.
I’ve made mistakes. I’ve had difficult projects. I’ve had days when things didn’t turn out the way I expected. But I also learned that a lot of growth happens exactly in those moments.
Looking back, one of the most important lessons this journey has taught me is that a career doesn’t always grow in a straight line.
Mine definitely didn’t.
It grew project by project, client by client, wall by wall, and sometimes mistake by mistake. But every experience left something behind. Each one prepared me in some way for whatever came next.
And one of the things that excites me most today is seeing just how far my work has been able to travel.
What once started as small custom pieces eventually grew into a brand of completely hand-painted hats. Something that began in my studio, one piece at a time, is now reaching customers in different parts of the world.
It’s incredible for me to think that I can sit in my studio painting a hat with my own hands, and a few days later that same piece can travel hundreds or even thousands of miles and be worn by someone I may never meet in person.
That taught me something I find really special: sometimes art can travel much farther than the artist ever imagined.
And every one of those pieces carries a little part of me with it.
They aren’t mass-produced products. Every piece passes through my hands, every one has small differences, and every one begins a different story once it leaves the studio. Knowing that there are people in different parts of the world wearing my work is something I never could have imagined when I was starting out.
When I look at the whole journey, from Colombia, through the years of learning, starting over in the United States, the first clients, the small jobs, the large murals, the exhibitions, the pieces created for collectors, and now a brand that is beginning to travel around the world, I understand that every stage had a purpose.
None of it happened overnight.
It was all built little by little.
And I think that may be the most important part of my story.
I’m still building.
I still have goals that intimidate me a little. I still begin projects without knowing exactly how they’re going to turn out. I still make mistakes, learn, change direction when I need to, and keep moving forward.
And after more than 20 years of making art, I still feel something very similar to what I felt in the beginning whenever I stand in front of a blank surface.
That excitement of imagining what could exist there.
I think as long as I still feel that, I’ll keep creating.
If there’s one thing I hope someone can take from my story, it’s this: you don’t need to have the entire path figured out before you begin. You don’t need to know exactly where you’re going to end up. Sometimes you just have to believe enough in what you’re doing to take the next step.
Then another.
And then another.
Over time, when you look back, you realize that all those small steps ended up building something much bigger than you ever imagined.
Today, I feel deeply grateful that I’ve been able to turn something I’ve loved for most of my life into a career, a business, and, most importantly, a way to connect with people.
But I don’t feel like I’ve reached the end of anything.
Quite the opposite.
I feel like I’m still creating the next chapter of my story. And after everything that has happened so far, I still believe just as strongly as I did when I started that the best is still ahead.
Can you talk to us a bit about the challenges and lessons you’ve learned along the way. Looking back would you say it’s been easy or smooth in retrospect?
No, it definitely hasn’t been an easy road. One of the biggest challenges was having to rebuild my professional life after coming to the United States. I already had many years of experience as an artist, but experience doesn’t automatically give you connections, clients, or opportunities when you arrive in a new country. In many ways, I had to prove all over again who I was and what I could do. There were times when I had to take on small projects simply because those were the opportunities in front of me. Sometimes you have a much bigger vision of where you want to go, but you also have to be willing to start with what’s available and give it the same commitment you would give your dream project. Another major challenge was realizing that being a professional artist and running an art business are two completely different things. Painting was the part I already knew. I had to learn everything around it: working with clients, pricing projects, managing deadlines, buying materials, solving unexpected problems, promoting my work, and making decisions that could affect both my family and my business. There have also been disappointments. Opportunities that didn’t happen, projects that were much harder than expected, financial risks, very long days, mistakes, and moments when I wondered if all the effort would really lead somewhere. But I think those experiences are exactly what changed the way I understand success. To me, success isn’t one big moment when suddenly everything works out. It’s being able to keep moving forward when things don’t go well. It’s finishing the project in front of you, learning from what went wrong, and getting back up the next day. There were many times when I couldn’t see very far ahead. I simply focused on doing the best work I could with the opportunity I had at that moment. Looking back now, I can see that many of those smaller projects were preparing me for much bigger ones. Even now, the challenges are still there. As the work grows, so do the responsibilities. The difference is that I no longer see difficult moments as a sign that I’m on the wrong path. A lot of the time, they’re simply part of growing. I’ve learned to become comfortable with uncertainty. As an artist and as an entrepreneur, you’re never going to have every answer before you begin. Sometimes you have to trust your experience, take the risk, solve problems as they come, and keep going. The road hasn’t been easy, but I wouldn’t erase the difficult parts either. They taught me resilience, patience, humility, and the importance of believing in your work even before other people can see what you’re trying to build. And maybe that’s what I’m most proud of. Not that everything worked out perfectly, because it didn’t, but that every time the road became difficult, I found a way to keep moving forward.
As you know, we’re big fans of you and your work. For our readers who might not be as familiar what can you tell them about what you do?
I’m a multidisciplinary artist and the founder of Davinchi Art Studio. My work moves between large-scale murals, commercial installations, fine art, custom pieces, airbrush work, and wearable art. What I enjoy most is taking an idea or a space and turning it into something people can connect with. Sometimes that means starting with a completely blank wall and transforming it into a mural that changes the entire energy of a business. Other times, it means creating a piece for a gallery, developing something one-of-a-kind for a client, or turning a piece of clothing into something that simply doesn’t exist anywhere else. Over the years, I’ve become especially known for large-scale murals, detailed airbrush techniques, custom work, and for being able to move naturally between commercial projects, gallery art, and completely unique pieces. That versatility has led me to work on projects that are very different from one another. I’ve created custom wardrobe pieces for WWE Superstar Joaquin Wilde, developed work for other well-known personalities, and transformed and customized spaces for recognized businesses and brands. Every one of those projects has been different, but they all have something in common: they require me to listen to the idea, understand the identity of the person or the space, and turn that into something visually strong and completely personal. One of the things I’m most proud of is that my work has been able to exist in so many different worlds without losing my identity as an artist. I can be working on a large commercial mural, designing a piece for a public figure, creating artwork for an exhibition, or hand-painting something that will eventually be worn by just one person. I’m also proud that Davinchi Art Studio has continued to grow without losing the handmade quality that has always been at the heart of the work. Even as the projects became larger, I never wanted the work to feel mass-produced or disconnected from the artist behind it. I see that same idea in our collection of hand-painted hats. Every piece is created individually, and today those hats are being purchased and worn by people in different parts of the world. That means a lot to me, because something I begin by painting with my own hands in the studio can travel thousands of miles and become part of the style and story of someone I may never have the chance to meet in person. I think one of the things that sets me apart is versatility. I’ve never believed an artist has to fit into a single category. I can work on a large-scale wall, create a piece for an exhibition or collector, develop a project for a public figure, and then completely change scale and paint a one-of-a-kind piece that fits in my hands. But beyond the names, the size of the projects, or where each piece eventually ends up, I think what truly defines my work is the way I approach every project. I try to give the same level of attention and respect to everything I create. Whether it’s a huge wall, a gallery piece, a garment, or a hat, I want the final result to have identity, intention, and something that stays with the person who sees or owns it. After more than 20 years as an artist, I’m still curious. I’m still experimenting, learning new ways to work, and looking for projects that push me beyond what I already know. And maybe that’s what I’m most proud of: I’ve never stopped evolving. I don’t see any major project I’ve completed as a final destination. I see each one as a door to something new. I still feel there is so much left to create, and I believe some of the most important projects of my career don’t even exist yet.
Is there any advice you’d like to share with our readers who might just be starting out?
One of the things I wish I had understood when I was starting out is that a creative career isn’t built on talent alone. Talent helps, of course. It can open certain doors, make people notice your work, and give you an advantage in the beginning. But over time, I learned that talent by itself is never enough. Discipline will take you much farther. I’ve met incredibly talented people who stopped progressing because they weren’t consistent, and I’ve also seen people who may not have started out as the best, but they worked every day, learned, corrected their mistakes, kept pushing, and eventually surpassed their own expectations. That’s why I always say discipline can take you places that talent alone often can’t. When you’re starting out, it’s easy to compare yourself to other people. You see someone moving faster, someone with more followers, more clients, more opportunities, or more recognition, and you start feeling like you’re behind. But everyone has a different path. What matters is that you keep going. Keep going when you feel inspired and when you don’t. Keep going when a project works out and when it doesn’t. Keep going when people believe in you and, especially, when no one fully understands what you’re trying to build yet. Perseverance is probably one of the most important tools any creative person can have, because there will be moments when you doubt yourself. There will be opportunities that don’t come through, clients who say no, projects that don’t turn out the way you imagined, and times when you feel like you’re working incredibly hard without seeing immediate results. That’s part of the process. The mistake is believing that because something didn’t work, you should stop. Many times, that “no” is simply preparing you for a different “yes” later on. I also think it’s important to stop being afraid of starting small. We all dream about big projects, big clients, and big opportunities, but that’s not always where things begin. A lot of the time, it starts with something small: one client, one wall, one piece, one opportunity that may not seem very important at the time. But if you do that small job with excellence, it can open a much bigger door. That happened to me many times. You never know who is looking at your work, who might recommend you, or where a seemingly simple project could eventually lead. Another piece of advice I would give is to never stop learning. After more than 20 years as an artist, I’m still learning. I still try new materials, new techniques, different ways of solving problems, and new ways of improving my work. The moment you believe you already know everything is the moment you start to stop growing. You also have to learn things you probably never imagined you would need. If you want to make a living from your creativity, being good at what you do is not enough. You have to learn how to run a business, communicate with clients, price your work properly, meet deadlines, solve problems, and understand that your time has value too. And something I believe is even more important: don’t try to become a copy of someone else. You can admire other artists, learn from them, and be inspired by their journey, but you still have to find your own identity. In the end, what truly connects with people is what feels authentic. If I had to summarize everything I’ve learned over the years, I would say three things: discipline, perseverance, and patience. Discipline makes you work when no one is watching. Perseverance keeps you moving when things get difficult. And patience helps you understand that meaningful things take time. We live in a world where it seems like everything is supposed to happen quickly. We see other people’s final results, but we almost never see the years of work behind them. A career is built slowly. A skill is built slowly. A reputation is built slowly. And many times, when it feels like nothing is happening, you’re actually building the foundation for something much bigger. So if I could say something to someone who is just starting, it would be this: don’t wait until you feel completely ready. Start. Do the best you can with what you have right now. Learn. Make mistakes. Correct them. Try again. And keep moving forward. Talent may help you begin, but discipline, perseverance, and the ability to get back up one more time are what ultimately determine how far you can go. A lot of the time, success doesn’t belong to the most talented person. It belongs to the person who decided not to give up.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://davinchiartstudio.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/davinchiartstudio?igsi=MWU3bnpxdXZvbXp0eg%3D%3D&utm_source=qr
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/share/1KWFdsmqBm/?mibextid=wwXIfr
- LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/john-lozano-5981ab3b0?utm_source=share_via&utm_content=profile&utm_medium=member_ios
