Born and raised in Philadelphia, Rob Dugan aka Seek One has established himself as a leading street artist known for his one-of-a-kind creations blending iconic figures, vintage media, and street style. Starting out with graffiti writing at a young age, Seek One honed his skills through experimentation with various art forms including street art and photography, eventually cultivating his own distinctive style.
As a contemporary street artist, Seek One draws inspiration from various sources including artists like Shepard Fairey, George Condo, Retna, Alec Monopoly, and Daniel Arsham. Branded as a Contemporary Street Artist, Seek One defines his style as blending the influences of street art with contemporary and fine art, as well as photography.
His background in skateboarding and graffiti writing, as well as his love for photography and film, all play a significant role in shaping his artistic style. His journey into the art world began as he discovered his passion for art through experimentation with graffiti writing and skateboarding. A turning point came when he was recognized by Quavo of the Hip Hop group Migos. The celebrity endorsement convinced Seek to leave his short-lived full-time job and pursue a career as an artist.
Since then, the Philadelphia native’s work has garnered recognition in galleries worldwide, from The Hamptons to Dubai, and has been showcased during Art Basel Miami and in magazines such as Forbes and MAXIM. Some of the notable moments in his art career include a solo show in Dubai with Galloire, partnering with Haute Living on celebrity cover releases, collaborating with the 76’ers on an art show in Philadelphia, hosting a show with Zuma in Miami for Art Basel, and selling out an entire NFT collection. His pieces are also highly sought after by top celebrities, athletes, and influencers including Tony Robbins, Carmello Anthony, Grant Cardone, Meghan Trainor & more.
Today he speaks to Beatrice Magazine exclusively as the cover star of the Artist Issue:
Since starting your career you have curated multiple sold out shows around the world including showcases at Art Basel Miami. Take us back to your first show. What was this experience like and what advice do you have for those looking to follow in your footsteps?
SO: My first show was at a little gallery in Stone Harbor NJ called Beacon Short Wave Gallery. At that point for me it was the biggest deal in the world to have a gallery show. It took me years of stopping by and showing my work to galleries to get to that point.
My biggest tip is to never get discouraged and to reach out to as many galleries as possible. Once you get one gallery partnership under your belt it keeps getting easier. Galleries like to see that you are supported by other galleries.
What is your focus as a creator?
SO: My focus as a creator is to create unique art that is proprietary to my own style. I’m a self-taught artist and am constantly working on new styles and processes. It took years of experimenting to get my current style where it is today, that experimenting will continue as I grow as an artist and get inspired by different people and places.
Many creators struggle with the business side of artistry. How have you succeeded in monetizing your brand in the luxury market while maintaining creative freedom?
SO: In my opinion, the business side of art is almost as important as the creative side in today’s market. It can be very tricky to navigate but is crucial to the success of your brand, I focus a large amount of my time on building this. It’s very important to be mindful of your brand perception (website, social media, etc) as well as partnerships (galleries, brands, etc). I tend to focus on gallery partnerships in higher-end markets like Aspen, The Hamptons, Dubai, etc.
Having these strong partnerships and branding allow me to focus on creating new innovative art while monetizing at the same time.
What is your day to day like? Please take us through an average day of Seek One.
SO: My day to day varies depending on my workload but for the most part I treat it like a 9-5 job. As long as I’m not traveling I will be in the studio all day. Here is a typical day in the life for me.
When you are feeling uninspired, what keeps you motivated and re-inspires you?
SO: When I’m feeling uninspired I usually force myself to keep painting and experimenting. It’s almost a similar process to writer’s block, the best solution is to keep writing. I’ll revisit old projects and notes and also try new processes in creating my mixed media works. I also get a lot of inspiration from travelling which gives me time to relax and look at my work from a different perspective.
NFTs have been all the rage in the Art community for the past two years. What is your take on NFTs?
SO: I believe NFTs are a great way for artists to explore creating in a different medium and gaining exposure to a new market of collectors. My team and I had great success in the launch of our project Chosen Ones by Seek One in February 2022. We are hoping to expand on this project in the future with different releases and editions.
