I’m David Andrew Johnson – an artist, musician, writer, designer and more. I have a continually curious and restless mind, always crave challenges and thrive on learning new things and solving new problems. There is no single way to categorize me, and I wouldn’t have it any other way.

I create beautiful things and experiences for people in every medium and space imaginable. It’s critical for an artist to know their tools, so I know technology very deeply and never stop learning. I am not a know-it-all, I am a learn-it-all.

I’m a songwriter, multi-instrumentalist, producer, DJ, and performer.  I’ve been a professional musician since I was a teenager and have never stopped playing. You can find the record “Live at Sun Studio” by my old band The Side Dish on all streaming platforms and you could even buy it. I’ve played with some pretty big acts in my day – like backing up Buck Dharma of Blue Oyster Cult (and no, I didn’t play the cowbell).

But, I’m also a writer, illustrator, designer, and painter. I created, wrote and produced a classic NPR radio show that pioneered podcasting. I have written for major magazines (and created one), books, newspapers, and websites. And I’ve illustrated publications of all kinds – including perfectly accurate renderings for scientific publications.

I help people find instruments they love – including my own guitars, which I paint and sell as artworks that are playable instruments. I’m a gear concierge who can help you find that rare instrument you dream of. If you want to build a home studio, I’ve done that too and can be the contractor for yours with custom acoustic treatments and soundproofing.

I also put on rubber suits and dig up shipwrecks. I have a masters in nautical archaeology and did foundational work in the transatlantic slave trade while studying at Texas A&M University’s Institute of Nautical Archaeology. I’ve worked on shipwreck sites all over the world, including the wreck of the explorer La Salle’s ship La Belle. I helped found the Institute of Maritime History. I even gave a TED talk about shipwrecks. I built a proto 3D GIS system as part of my research to map and model wrecks and really should have sold it to some huge tech company.

Instead I started building websites and backed into a career in journalism in the late 90s in what I thought would be a temporary gig between digs. We kind of made it up as we went along and just started winning award after award for innovation and then I ended up in Washington DC as a member of the press corps and chaired a bunch of committees at the National Press Club and stuff like that.

As an anthropologist, the former CTO of a big media company, and professor of digital innovation at a top 5 university communications school, I now consult and help companies as a strategic advisor and fractional marketing executive in all kinds of industries and sectors. I do a lot of work within my local music industry and sit on the board of the non profit DMV Music Alliance and assist the DC Commission on the Arts and Humanities.

Some people have known me as darthcheeta since the early days of the Internet. I have been called a “thought leader” and pioneer in digital journalism, user experience, content marketing, serious games, interactive and social media; I design and build websites and addictive apps; I conceive and run innovative digital marketing campaigns that both grow and perform; and, I develop digital and traditional strategies for both startups and some of the biggest companies in the world in everything from marketing and operations, to technology, to business and service design, and to customer experience. You can find out all about that here, if you’re interested.

Or you can just enjoy this site, where I share things I create as well as things that interest me, and hopefully they interest you too. I also cherry pick fantastic musical gear and instruments from various places and collect them here.

Looking for something particular? A special guitar, a band to play at your event, a DJ for your party, a producer for your record, a writer or illustrator for your next project, or someone to invigorate and innovate your business? Or maybe you have a shipwreck in your bathtub? Whatever it is, drop me a line… I’d love to hear from you.