Over the next few weeks we’ll be introducing you to the vendors who were turned into cartoons for our 25 Years Big campaign. We’ll find out a bit about them, what selling The Big Issue is like, and what they thought of their cartoon.

Daniel from Adelaide has been a vendor for 15 years, and loves all things art. He shares his story below.

“I’ve been selling since 2007, I work at Waymouth Street and Hutt Street.

“I work as a writer and an artist also. I used to be a busker in Rundle Mall, I used to read Shakespeare, sing, give out roses and draw portraits of people in the city.

“The magazine has got some good content. I like some of the music and book interviews, I like reading the reviews. And I like reading the vendor poetry. I’ve written a lot of poetry for The Big Issue, and a novel that I’ve never had published. I’ve had 11 Fringe exhibitions, seven that I’ve shared with others, and I’m now working on an exhibition about birds but it’s not until February. Art is like Lego, each done piece by piece over time.

“I quite like it (the illustration). I forgot to have a shave for it, but never mind. Normally I have a moustache and no beard. A lot of the time I wear a bandana, I do it to support Canteen. I buy about five each year to support, that way they last me all year.”

Make sure to say hi to Daniel next time you see him!