David grew up near Hawley, Minnesota, watching a Viking ship being built in an old potato warehouse, and it made him think about his Norwegian heritage. In 2000 he started taking folk art classes at Vesterheim in Decorah, Iowa. Since then, he has continued taking classes at North House Folk School, John C. Campbell Folk School, Milan Village Folk School, and the American Swedish Institute. In 2014, he took his first class turning on the spring pole lathe. He has continued taking more pole lathe classes, including traveling to the UK in 2024 to improve his spring pole skills. 

David Susag is also a Gold Medalist. His portfolio can be found here.