Meet Devon Colebank | Multimedia Artist & Brand Strategist

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

Hi Devon, is there something that you feel is most responsible for your success?
I believe the biggest part of my success is identity. Throughout my whole career I knew myself and my weaknesses. With knowing myself, my strengths, and weaknesses; overtime I improved and worked to sharpen each element of my craft.

If one is honest with his/her self they can see where they are now and where they need to go to reach their goals. All in all, this factor helped me gain so much knowledge in my career-field and put myself through tests.

One becomes calculated under so many ordeals of discomfort..

Alright, so let’s move onto what keeps you busy professionally?
I think what sets me apart from others is my mastery of different mediums. Yes people can do photo, or video, or design. But I can do all of those, plus directing, branding, business management, etc and do it well!

The combination of “the more you know, the better off you are” & how dynamic I am with the quality of work I produce – really creates a space between me and others. A lot of people stick to one style and/or can’t produce other things that cohesively align with the final work/project.

This of course took many years in my craft, but many years alone. Throughout the years of lessons and preparation when I didn’t know it was preparation; I learned that isolation can bring the brain imagination. Often times if you are out of the “cave” is what I call it, you start aligning and recreating off of others and not yourself.

All in all, I want the world and my city to recognize me as a jack of all trades in the creative/entrepreneurial that came with quality and passion.

Any places to eat or things to do that you can share with our readers? If they have a friend visiting town, what are some spots they could take them to?
Pittsburgh is blessed to be a city that has many different parts that are completely different than each other.

Downtown is for the younger business-minded people. I suggest hitting Bridges & Bourbon – then walking along into Market Square to “people-watch” and get a couple laughs.

Southside, is for the younger and wild crowd. I suggest hitting Jack’s and after your night of countless drinks and shots (with the accompanying scent of cigarettes) getting a slice from Benny Fierro’s. A slice of pizza the size of your head will cure any hangover.

Lawrenceville, you’ll find your hipsters with fedora’s and expensive coffee’s. I suggest Ki-Ramen, and strolling to see the different boutiques and galleries. To finish your stroll, take a ride up to the Mount Washington overlook to see a bird’s-eye-view of the city as the sunset casts upon it.

Strip-District, you’ll find the true, raw, Pittsburghers. The blue-collar, grit that makes our city great. Stop into Pirmanti’s to get our cult classic sandwich style. After, take a walk to see all of the vendors of fresh fruit, custom clothing, jewelry – you name it! Strip-District and it’s vendors should inspire an entrepreneurial spirit into anyone.

The Shoutout series is all about recognizing that our success and where we are in life is at least somewhat thanks to the efforts, support, mentorship, love and encouragement of others. So is there someone that you want to dedicate your shoutout to?
We tend to see anger as an awful thing. We see it as aggressive and explosive. We associate it with being completely out of control and seething with rage. While anger can be fiery and volatile, it also can be productive and effective. It can be an asset. In fact, when harnessed, anger can be a creative tool.

Moreover, I think the efforts to my success come from a place that may be darker than most.

I was bullied throughout my schooling for not fitting in. I always had too many interests, people on the outside looking in didn’t like that. They want you to be predictable, and fit into their niches. With all of this said, my bullied and shaded years of life pushed me to be the most successful person out of these peers. The irony of all this is that I managed to use my creative/entrepreneurial career to channel all of my interests and to help express them.

Website: www.devoncolebank.com

Instagram: @devoncolebank

Twitter: @devoncolebank

Facebook: @devoncolebankmedia

Youtube: https://youtube.com/channel/UCitBrk1h-5dqBv75XjYiksQ