I’ve loved art since I was little, back when I was still figuring out how to hold a pencil. Art has always been my escape: a world I create where life’s bullshit can’t touch me. As someone with anxiety and depression, it’s my happy place, my therapy, and the way I cope with the stress I carry. I always knew I’d be making art in some way. In school, I took a few art classes, fell in love with cartooning, won a few awards for poster designs, and taught myself to draw dozens of animals. After high school, I started taking commissions for friends and family. Somewhere along the way, it clicked, this wasn’t just something I do; it was who I am. College didn’t stick (thanks, anxiety), but in all the chaos I found my favorite medium: markers. That’s where my journey as a professional artist truly began.

My early 20s were full of experimentation and learning. I opened my first Art by Devan shop, drew Astro Cow and Sir Bacon (a kid's book that never truly got finished), and started mastering marker textures. I learned to turn hand-drawn art into products and slowly built the foundation of what would become my signature style. I also hit a creative pause for two years, questioning if I even wanted to keep going, but at 24 I had a harsh-truths moment with myself: do I want this? Is this really what I want from life? Once I decided not to give up, everything changed. I dove back in, challenged myself, and started putting my art out into the world.

Then the chaos really started. I threw myself into shows at The Starline Factory, breweries and art fests across the Chicago area, Milwaukee, and beyond. I released books, comics, and products: Punkin the Comic, Color Me Happy, The Bear Book, SHE-nanigans, and The Art & Music Series just to name a few projects. I turned art into prints, created “color your own” postcards, and illustrated Animals at the Office for Sarah Sommer. Prisma markers were added to my collection, new textures were mastered, and my body of work kept growing. I started networking, building a name in the Aurora area, while creating new series and selling at events along the way.

Then the pandemic hit, and everything flipped. Shows were canceled. Galleries closed. Life got weird. But I didn’t stop. I hosted livestreams, online shows, and even a “Couch Gallery” from my living room. I filled Gary Brown Gallery with 30+ pieces for my first solo show—literally during riots happening outside. NUTS, right? But the show went on, and that chaos became part of the story, part of the perseverance that defines my career. I shared my process on YouTube (still deciding if I want to bring this channel back), joined online craft shows, and took part in community art projects. I talked openly about mental health on WGN News and Good Morning Aurora, and somehow survived 70+ shows in under four years while still creating new comics, books, and products.

After years of nonstop chaos, I finally hit a pause in 2022–2023. I didn’t make much art, didn’t do shows, and focused on traveling, healing, and finding myself. I had a shoulder injury that knocked me out for months, but I used the time to reset, explore, and follow my heart. By December 2023, Moonie joined the crew, turning Devan and Punkin into a trio and officially marking a new chapter in my life.

Now I’m in my cocoon era, still kind of a caterpillar, but ready to spread my wings in new ways. I launched Devan’s Dirty Doodles—what started as an April Fools joke quickly became something real, messy, darkly hilarious, and unapologetically me. It has since evolved into part of a bigger project called Dr. Smokey’s Wonderland. I also create two online comics: The Puff Cats, which evolved from Punkin into an inclusive story about both of my fuzzballs, and SHE-nanigans, which is still going at random after its birth several years ago.I also started Tie Dye Travels, my no-art, all-adventure project where I share stories, tips, and chaos from the road. I’m still creating, still experimenting, still laughing at my own dark sense of humor, and letting my messy, chaotic, fully authentic self shine through everything I do. Let’s go, fuckers!