My story isn’t straightforward. Born in Munich, I grew up in a world split by prejudice, a place that never quite accepted who I was, where love always felt conditional. Born to a Black father and a white mother, I lived in a family divided by cultural and generational hostility. My dad’s side saw my mom as “stealing a good Black man,” while my mom’s side, led by my grandmother, believed “races shouldn’t mix.”.

After my parents split when I was two, my dad eventually moved back to the U.S. My mom, who’s an artist herself, was the artistic influence around me. But she also was a makeup artist and was often away for work, leaving me growing up with my grandmother, who couldn’t hide her resentment for the Black grandchild she’d been given. She tried to care for me, but her bitterness slipped out when she was angry, reminding me I’d always be “different.”.

So there’s that. Growing up on the countryside as black kid in the 90s wasn’t easy and my childhood consisted a lot of fighting and resisting. I was desperately searching for an escape: I’d spend hours drawing and playing video games, immersing myself in worlds of my own. At ten, my grandmother suffered a heart attack, blamed my mom and me for it, and we left her house. In the years that followed, we moved constantly until we settled down in Munich years later.

One very memorable moment was in my early 20s. I was sitting at my dentist’s waiting room. In a pile of magazines there was one that caught my eye. A black-and-white portrait of a man. The bold letters read, “Jean-Michel Basquiat.” Back then I didn’t know what it was… but it spoke to me. I didn’t know anything about him, but I could see it in his face. The battles, the struggles. I couldn’t make anything out of it back then, but it stuck with me. My early and mid 20s consisted a lot of creating. Digital art, wood working, photography, anything. I just wanted to create. But at the time I was too insecure to go out with my work.

In September 2018, I received news that my father, who I hadn’t seen in years and barely had any contact, was hospitalized with stage 4 cancer. My Dad was always a very muscular and strong man. But arriving in the U.S. to see him frail, a shadow of the man he used to be, was like losing him twice and finally on October 1, 2018. The regret and grief over all the things that could have been, left a void, a silence. I returned to Germany feeling hollow and angry by everything unsaid and moments we missed. For the following years I wouldn’t create much… I couldn’t. Finding myself on a self-sabotaging path. Releasing some Music here and there but mainly not creating at all.

By 2024, working as a Product Owner over the last few years, a job that couldn’t be further away from being creative, I hit rock bottom once more. The company I was working at, had its third layoff wave and this sent me down a spiral that I needed to realize that the job I relied on to make a living was literally making me sick, leaving me empty and depressed. Living a life that wasn’t me and trying to be something I deep down knew I wasn’t. That’s when I made the decision that I needed to returned to creating.

It took me many years to realize this, but no matter how hard things have gotten, no matter how lost I’ve felt, I’ve always found my way back to creating. Even if it wasn’t much, it’s been the one place where I can be myself, confront whatever I’m feeling. Through painting, I found a way to silence the doubts that had been planted in me during my childhood, the belief that I was “less than,” an outsider.

I paint at night, when the world is silent, and it’s just me and my thoughts. In those hours, the calm allows me to get in touch with myself, something I might otherwise avoid. Art lets me strip away those layers, to create from a place that’s honest and unapologetic. Each piece I create is one of a kind, a reflection of a specific moment, emotion, or thought. My work is unique and personal, ensuring that every piece stands alone, carrying its own story.

My biggest dream is, and always was, to create. Create pieces that brings people joy or make them feel in general. To have my own studio where I can create freely. Making a name for myself and leaving a mark in this world. Basquiat was an influence, but I’m focused on carving my own path, willing to face difficult truths and connect with people on a deeper level.
I want to be Daniel Rivers—a Munich artist.

Now you know a small part of my story. If you want to support me on my journey, you can do so bellow. Your support isn’t just a donation, it’s a step toward helping me bring my dream to life and I would be deeply thankful for your support.