David Merkley
Graphic Designer
While David has spent most of his time in Colorado, he’s also lived in Mongolia (ask him about the time he fell into the river … in Mongolia … in the winter) and Arkansas, and he has an ever-growing list of travel destinations. David found his way to Linden in 2020 and we couldn’t be happier that he did. He brings a new and dynamic style to our design pieces, and a love for coffee and naps (hey, it’s all about balance) that rivals anyone on the team.
Artsy
David has been creating fine art for as long as he can remember. He always had a pencil or a set of colored pencils with him when he was younger, and he’s had his dad – – for inspiration. (One of David’s favorite memories is being with his dad while he painted, while David sat drawing on the floor next to him.) David still likes to sketch out ideas and designs before creating them digitally.
Fine art is what led David to graphic design, which he fell in love with during his very first design class in college: “I love that it’s a lot of attention to detail, and that it’s not just art for beauty’s sake, it’s art to help things. I love that you can use any style of art within graphic design – sculpture, abstract, photography, whatever solves the problem and fits the need.”
Outdoorsy
Hiking fourteeners, camping, kayaking, tubing down the Poudre River, whitewater rafting, skiing, skydiving, Tough Mudder runs, climbing the Manitou Springs Incline – you name it, David’s into it. He just likes being outside, moving and exploring. You can also frequently find David wherever there is some live music.
For David, it’s all about the energy that a live show creates, especially at a heavy metal show where there’s this particular level of energy and interaction between the crowd and the band, that it may just inspire someone to crowd surf (*ahem* David … ).
Travel-y
Bucket lists: Hell yeah.
Resolutions: No way. Just make it happen now!
A couple of years ago, David started saying “yes” to things – new experiences, parties and dinners with friends, going out at night, really anything. He was challenging himself to break through his own comfort zone, and it was exhausting – but worth it. David learned that he was capable of a lot more than he had given himself credit for. So he started thinking about what was on his bucket list, and working to cross those things off.
One thing David wanted to do was travel on his own, because he wanted to go out and create his own story. He started with Iceland, where he experienced the Northern Lights on his very first night, and then hiked up to a waterfall by headlamp the next night to experience them again; “It was complete silence, and it was awesome.”
Most of the items on David’s bucket list right now include traveling, but he’d also like to fly in a hot air balloon, maybe try parasailing and probably go bungee jumping. He’d also like to do a beer tour on a train through the mountain ranges of Colorado. We’ll definitely be joining him for that last one.
Stop Dreaming, Start Doing
Number of times he’s crowd surfed (so far)
Countries visited (so far)
Bucket list items crossed off (so far)
Move to David’s beat.
WARNING: this is heavy metal. You have been warned. Just because it’s heavy doesn’t mean you can’t be happy while listening to it. This playlist was curated by our designer, David.