David Choe is an American artist, born in the state of California, his work in various avenues has garnered him a huge audience from all fronts of life. But the thing he is most famous for his mural/graffiti work in the Facebook Headquarters in the year 2005 when Parker took over the role of president at the Facebook office, David was offered $60K initially to do the job, but later he was all given the option of getting the company stock.
Guess which option he opted for? That’s right. He went for the company stock and this is why we are talking about David Choe Net Worth.
In this blog, I will try to highlight his notable achievements, his artwork, his various talents, and his extravagant life, as well as the intrigue surrounding ‘David Choe Net Worth’. So without further delay let’s dive into it.
Street to the stardom, David Choe’s whole journey
Early life:
David’s parents were Korean immigrants who came to the US in the 80s, they lived in a small apartment in Korea Town, Los Angeles. Even though Asian parents are considered to be career-oriented, where they can showcase their offspring’s success to others, instead they choose to back their son on his artistic journey.
Artistic Beginning:
David Choe initially hid his artwork from his parents since he was afraid they might find it too mature for him, also most of his artwork was considered vandalism (graffiti). It’s clear that Choe fostered his artistic ability throughout his teens, but also fostered the traits of a man living a life on his own terms.
Normal Work:
In 1995, David began to try and take a more normal path in life attending the California College of Arts for a year but having to drop out after his family lost their business. During this time he worked with multiple agencies like Playboy and Vice, but he wasn’t satisfied with the work he was producing. So he left the scene. At this time David Choe net worth was nothing compared to today.
Early Success:
Later, he self-published a graphic novel called Slow Jams in 1996, and in 1999 he received $7,000 for it. After his novel’s success, he was contacted for more and more commissioned pieces of murals and cartoon-style artworks. One of these works came from a new startup at that time called Napster, which gave him fame not just in the tech world but also throughout the country.
Struggles with the Law:
In 2005 he went to Japan to showcase his own artwork at a gallery, where he had a face-off with one of the security persons, which landed him a jail time of 3 months in a foreign prison. At this moment people also found out about his addiction to drugs and gambling issues.
His Breakthrough Moment:
In 2007 he was offered by Mr. Mark Zuckerber to come over to the new Facebook office and do another mural. After completing the mural Choe was offered to either $60,000 in cash or in stocks. To contain his gambling habits he opted for the stock payment. Even though he still believed that Facebook was dumb.
Around this time Choe also began to work for the Vice documentary-type series which was based on Choe and his friend Harry Kim, traveling through the country making grafittis and hopping freight trains.
How did David Choe Net Worth skyrocket in an instant?
Remember that little startup company Facebook that Choe thought was dumb and that he had painted a mural for them, also he took the stock payment instead of cash and also to not fuel his gambling habits. Well, when Facebook went public in 2012 his stocks were then worth $200 million. Yeah, that’s right! Sometimes you’re that lucky and skilled. This took David Choe net worth to new heights.
Did David Choe net worth change who he really is as an artist?
Upon the news of his wealth, many rushed to claim that he’s money-driven, that he is changed, or that he’s just lucky. Well, it seems that the best way to refute these claims is to ask where is he now. He still lives in the same small apartment in Korean town, L.A, he still has the same old friends, and his quality and style of work remain on an upward trend.
So, it’s ignorant to assume that David Choe net worth changed him anyway.
Moving forward from David Choe net worth talks
Moving forward Choe is a self-proclaimed overindulger, he said that himself in an interview in 2003, where he said he indulges in gambling, parties, traveling, creating his own show, as well as being a self-proclaimed hoarder.
But it’s not about his indulgence, over the years he’s continued to create and put out critically acclaimed shows and artworks. And with don’t both of the major shows that he’s been a part of receiving Emmys, he’s pretty good at it.
Wrapping up
David Choe has a catalog of work over the last two decades and has always stayed true to his artistic principles laid out from all the way back in the early days. He paid the price for his overindulgence from gambling losses to overeating after rehab. Even the quality and quantity of his work have only been going up, he doesn’t want his art to just be for the rich to view, so he’s turned down huge offers for paintings to stand by this.
In the end, we shouldn’t be asking what’s David Choe net worth is, what we should be asking is how David lived his life on his own terms, and there’s more than luck with him.
For more blogs like this, stay tuned! Until next time, Ciao!
