Another Interview!?
Ah yeah, a spin-off website from San Diego Voyager hit me up for a little interview as well. I guess they’re starved for content if they need to keep hearing from me about my story ;)
This one was with Bold Journey, a platform based in Los Angeles that shines a light on California creatives, entrepreneurs, and community builders. They reach a wider audience across the state, so it’s pretty cool to have my work and background featured there. In the interview, I got to share a bit more about my path, the projects I’ve been involved in, and the creative process that keeps me moving.
Hit link HERE to check out the interview on the site or check the transcript below!
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We were lucky to catch up with Daniel Farrell recently and have shared our conversation below.
Daniel, thanks so much for taking the time to share your insights and lessons with us today. We’re particularly interested in hearing about how you became such a resilient person. Where do you get your resilience from?
“The world keeps turning, mate.”
That’s what I try to keep in my head. And also: “everything matters.”
For me, resilience is about remembering that no matter what I do, the world isn’t going to stop so I can get it right. You just have to keep going. It’s also a bit of a skateboarder mentality as well. It’s cliché and every skater has heard it a million times in every Vice, Monster Children, Thrasher interview with some old head but it is true: you fail constantly at skating. You slam, you get hurt, but you keep going because you’re trying to figure something out. After you’ve spent so many years on a board that just follows you around like a bad smell for better or for worse.
The “everything matters” side is a bit different—it’s more about people. Everything you say or do has weight in someone else’s life. Like if I say something offhand to my Son, it might stick with him forever. You don’t always know the impact, so you’ve got to think about what you do and say.
Thanks for sharing that. So, before we get any further into our conversation, can you tell our readers a bit about yourself and what you’re working on?
In a nutshell: I’m an Australian living in San Diego with my wife and son, who are both American. I first came out here to visit my best mate, who’s been in San Diego for more than 14 years, and ended up meeting my wife on that trip. What followed was years of trans-Pacific travel during the pandemic while I waited for my visa—a process that took over two years. When it finally came through, I made the move. I gave up a lot to be here, but it was absolutely worth it to be with my family.
I’ve been skateboarding for over 30 years, and it’s shaped everything in my life—personally and professionally. All of my closest friendships come from skateboarding. My best mate and I grew up skating together, so in a way, you could even say I met my wife through skateboarding. Professionally, I’ve worked in the skateboarding industry for over 15 years, first in Sydney and now in San Diego.
One of my proudest career achievements was co-owning and operating what became the number one skate shop in Australia for a decade. It was a small operation—just my business partner, one incredible employee, and me—but we had a huge presence in the scene. We pioneered the curated core skate shop model in Australia, and I can say that confidently because it’s true. That shop was such a big part of my identity, and I still miss it.
Right now, I’m working on reinventing myself professionally, drawing on the skills I developed managing the creative direction and visual identity of our store. It’s been a longer road than I expected, but I understand why—it takes time to break into a new creative scene, especially in a place like San Diego where there’s a lot of talent and limited opportunities. I’m the blow-in, so I’m just putting in the work and slowly making my way up.
If you had to pick three qualities that are most important to develop, which three would you say matter most?
1) Working hard is one of my better qualities. This seems like a no brainer but I’ve worked with people that don’t seem to get it. I’ve always been willing to put the hours in and go beyond what’s asked if I’ve committed to something.
2) Be easy to work with. Don’t be a diva, don’t moan about it – just get the job done. Speak up for yourself if you think something is unfair but if the task is in your job description, just get it done.
3) Do your best. If your best is not good enough, then maybe the job isn’t for you. There’s nothing wrong with that, just move on and figure something else out.
That’s my advice, as much as it is my story – ‘FIG JAM’ – look this up if you don’t get it.
Alright so to wrap up, who deserves credit for helping you overcome challenges or build some of the essential skills you’ve needed?
My Wife has been insanely helpful, tolerant and patient with me through all my challenges. Neither of us could have foreseen how difficult it would be for me to come to terms with leaving Australia – family, friends and business – to almost start from scratch in a new country. It’s been a pretty hard road but her support but her support has made it as manageable as it could possibly be..
I predicted we were in for 2 hard years but I was wrong. The first 2 years was spent off and on separated while we waited on the visa. Then another 2 years and counting of career re-building, social circle construction, 2 skate video projects that the whole family had to endure : ), man-flu from a whole new group of American germs, home sickness, the list goes on…
Basically my Wife is a saint with the patience of a mountain.
Life is challenging but it’s the greatest. I’m not really sure how I measure success but I feel happy when my family is happy and that makes me feel successful.
Contact Info:
Website: https://www.danielfazfarrell.com/
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/fazwon/
Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@fazwon