Today, we’d like to introduce you to Lee Dahlberg.
Lee, we appreciate you taking the time to share your story with us today. Where does your story begin?
Hello. My name is Lee Dahlberg, and asking me what I do is a complicated answer. It started with a desire to create an adventurous life outside the tiny island I grew up on. I started my dream in August 2006. I owned an ad agency with my two best friends called Rockgroup and I was consulting for a women’s jewelry company client there one summer.
This company used stones in their designs and it sparked an idea I had from a childhood memory. When I was a kid, I watched John Wayne films with my grandfather all the time. In one movie, he rode into town wearing a leather cuff with a hunk of turquoise wrapped haphazardly around. I always thought it was such a heroic & cool cuff. So, I used the relationship with the stone manufacturer to design the very first piece of my collection.
When I drew it out for them they asked if it was it was a watch…. I said, “It’s a rock on a band… I’m going to call them Rock Bands.” When I began studying the durability of stones to judge whether they have the integrity to hold up in a wearable environment, I found that stones had stories behind them. So I collected these stories and incorporated them into the marketing of my jewelry. It’s a little science, a little folklore, and a little spirituality, and gives life to each of my pieces.
I was using healing stones to not only have people look good but also have them feel good as well. At the time, I was making them only for myself. Then, all my friends and family wanted their own Rock Bands & their friends wanted them too. So I knew I was on to something bigger. I had just built my dream home, but I believed in my dream so much that I sold my house and re-invested all the money into building my company instead.
A month later, I was in New York City hobnobbing with celebrities and placing my bracelets for photo shoots, movies, music videos, and other stylist opportunities. I’ve been a model for over 30 years, and I thought I should use that connection to get my jewelry into the top-tier stores in America.
My very first door was Neiman Marcus. I was later in Saks Fifth Ave, Macy’s, Bloomingdale’s, Ritz Carlton spas, and hundreds of other vendors across America and the world. Being that I’m in the industry I used my connections to place my jewelry on hundreds of celebrities. They could be seen on the wrists of Bono, the Pitts, the Beckhams, the Kardashians, President Bill Clinton, and literally hundreds of celebrities in all worlds of entertainment, music & sports.
ROCK BANDS by Lee Dahlberg have appeared on Donnie Deutsch’s The Big Idea, I was interviewed by Ryan Secrest on E! Entertainment, my line was featured on Oprah Winfrey’s “favorite things” show, the Sex & the City movies, I was interviewed by Mario Lopez on Extra (where my jewelry line was voted the “best gift ever”) and I made a deal with Mark Cuban on Shark Tank in one of the most popular episodes ever filmed.
Today, Rock Bands by Lee Dahlberg has a direct line to manufacturing, we hold no debt, and I am the sole proprietor and owner of all trademarks. Rock Bands by Lee Dahlberg is a household name; it’s recognized all over the world & brings a celebrity-backed heat that few products have ever had. I think it would be a great match for the Singles Swag concept & I look forward to working with you & your team. You can get your own ROCK BAND at www.LeeDahlberg.com.
Besides ROCK BANDS, I have been an artist for decades, having shown my works in multiple galleries and 16 Art Basel shows. I also build furniture from upcycled materials in my company YouSonofaBench.com. I built a luxury riverfront cabin retreat in front of millions on social media that I have now opened to the public to rent for getaways. I am a Superhost on Air BnB: Here’s the link: https://www.airbnb.com/h/dahlhousecabins.
I’m also releasing a book soon based on my experiences working as the Spokesperson for the Richest Dog in the World as explained in the award-winning Netflix documentary, “Gunther’s Millions” that I star in! For the past 23 years, while modeling full time, running ROCK BANDS & my ad agency, I was representing a German Shepard named Gunther who inherited $500 Million dollars.
I flew around the world for over two decades explaining to the press how & why a dog was purchased: Madonna’s Mansion, Pisa’s National Football (Soccer) Team, a nightclub, a restaurant, and many more media events. You can see the whole story on Netflix! You can see why when people casually ask, ”What do you do for a living?” it takes me just a minute to answer!
Would you say it’s been a smooth road, and if not, what are some of the biggest challenges you’ve faced along the way?
I can honestly say that I have made nearly every mistake in business that is humanly possible. I have a tendency to turn passions into businesses. So for me, the money is not the reward… The ideas, and carrying them to fruition is where I find my life’s reward. That being said, I have had outside investors who had nefarious motives that made their money at my expense.
At one point my company was publicly traded and I personally lost $38 million in three days due to investors pumping and dumping my stock. I have always pulled myself up by my bootstraps and carried on pursuing my, dreams. Every failure is a lesson and every mistake is an opportunity to grow for the better. I do not regret anything that I have done and I can honestly say that I love my life. And just a few weeks I’m about to be 25 with twice the experience, and I do not regret a thing.
Thanks – so what else should our readers know about your work and what you’re currently focused on?
Lee Arthur Dahlberg was born in Amelia Island, Florida. He grew up surrounded by creativity, inspired by his mother and grandmother who were ballerinas and Broadway stage performers. From a very young age, Lee was heavily influenced by his amazing role models always helping to build the sets and performing on stage. Lee’s imagination was free to roam and was fully expressed in countless productions throughout his childhood.
His painting career launched with his first series, “Collisions,” at Art Basel in 2002. This series was a visualization of his poetry with each piece telling a story from head to foot. “Collisions are where thought, meets picture, meets paint… the collision of the three.” This collection showed for 4 years and contains over 100 pieces in the series.
In 2005, Lee began his series “Bookworms” based again on his love of poetry. “In creating Bookworms I took pages from discarded books and highlighted words creating poetry in the middle of other’s writing. The words are extracted onto parchment where the punctuation is returned forming poetry from discarded words of others.” This was where Lee began his appreciation for repurposing. Lee’s love for building furniture and design brought him to a new chapter in his creative career.
He created a studio called “YouSonofaBench”. It was here he began creating a dynamic style of art and furniture that consisted of repurposed and reclaimed materials. “Using found items and whatever nature provides makes my designs organic expressions of art… the rough metal mixed with emotional imagery creates my Industrial-Pop Art.” This brings us to his latest series “Amer-Iconic” where he merges two Iconic & Americana images. Lee then bonds the new image to classic auto parts & reclaimed road signs creating his Industrial-Pop-Art.
This series has created an important impact on Lee’s artistic career, bringing him the opportunity to premier alongside Romero Britto & being hung in The Andy Warhol Museum. Lee Dahlberg uses old & reclaimed materials & gives them a second life wrapped in new ideas. This year marks the 12th Art Basel that Lee Arthur Dahlberg has shown his pieces.
LeeDahlberg.com
Instagram: @YouSonofaBench
Www.LeeDahlberg.com
Www.YouSonofaBench.com
Lee has shown in 17 Art Basels which he had showcased with BRITTO and sold to the Andy Warhol Museum. Lee has also shown his works alongside the Frida Kahlo collection. Lee has been a featured artist on ABC, NBC, CBS, Deco Drive, Good Day LA, E! & many more media outlets
Fun Fact: I made a deal with Mark Cuban on Shark Tank with my jewelry company Rock Bands by Lee Dahlberg. I also taught a business class at Harvard. (Not bad for a law school dropout lol)
How Covid-19 has affected my life and inspired their work: 7 out of 9 of my galleries have closed so I created a home gallery. My work saves my spirit & I loved creating as an outlet during the shutdown.
What has helped you the most during this pandemic: I restored my home, built every piece of furniture myself, and created all the art on the walls during this crisis to keep my mind free and stay creative.
What is on my Playlist: LP “Lost on You”
What I am watching: Penny Dreadful
What I am eating: Salmon & Jasmine Rice (comfort food)
How I am exercising and keeping healthy: I skateboard 10 miles a day looking for roadside finds to repurpose back at my home studio.
Inspiration that you can pass on to others: Art has no wrong answers & no mistakes… knowing that takes any pressure off the process & allows you to be free.
Are you doing anything to help others/organizations: I cleaned up my entire new neighborhood & built, fences, decks & ponds for my neighbors to regain pride in their community & homes.
How can people find you?
Instagram: @LeeArthurDahlberg, @YouSonofaBench, and @LeatherRockBands
Website: WWW.LeeDahlberg.com
Is there anything else you’d like to share with our readers?
The world has become, especially heavy in the last few years. The country is polarized, life is expensive, and the future is fairly uncertain. As cliché as it sounds, everything‘s going to be all right. Sometimes it’s hard to know that in your soul. Find something that you love And concentrate on doing that. This will give you a better perspective on everything that’s out of your control. I love the home that I built. I love to take care of my Koi pond and my yard.
My standard joke with people who ask how I stay calm in an otherwise manic world is that I can control only the 30 x 60‘ oasis that is my backyard. If I can keep it manicured, peaceful, and a place of Zen then maybe the rest of the world will follow Suit. Life is too short to hate your job. Do it makes sense and the dollars will follow.
Pricing:
- My jewelry@leedahlberg.com is very reasonable starting from $15-$40. It was never about money for me. I just wanted to put positive energy stones into wearable art.
- My art can be purchased directly from me at my home gallery. Please contact me for more information.
- I’m available for consulting from my time on Shark Tank, my time on Netflix and my 35 years in the fashion industry feel free to contact me directly.
- My book will be available soon. Please follow me on social media, Instagram, LEE, Arthur, Dahlberg, and TikTok, Lee Dahlberg.
Contact Info:
- Website: Www.LeeDahlberg.com
- Instagram: @LeeArthurDahlberg
- Facebook: @LeeDahlberg
- Twitter: @LeeDahlberg
- Youtube: @LeeDahlberg
Image Credits
Vivian Arthur
