I was born and raised in Southwest Michigan, near Kalamazoo. Currently, I reside nearby with my wife and two kids, 6 & 8. My journey has been a winding road, like many others, with odd jobs, college, 'real-world' adult jobs, parenting, and home-owning.
Early years and education
As a little dude, I used to doodle a lot. I loved cartoons and sports. Recently, I rediscovered a notebook containing a bunch of NFL logos I had drawn when I was probably 8 or 9. They’re pretty rough, but it’s a fun memory of my early interest in creating. In high school, I studied commercial art for 2 years, focusing on branding and marketing, and later transitioned to graphic design at a local community college.
There, I had more freedom to experiment with mediums and styles. I mastered the pen tool and took pride in my vector work. My subject matter was mainly another passion: music. I created magazine layouts, concert posters, billboards, and album covers for imaginary bands. I loved it, but I also felt that imposter syndrome was lurking. I never felt like I was good enough to reach the level of a 'professional artist'. I was quite hard on myself, as we all tend to be. At the age of 22, I didn’t have all of the skills of a seasoned pro, naturally, but I also didn’t have anyone to guide me through that doubt. Upon graduation, I shifted my focus from art to video games and friends and basically hopped onto life’s roller coaster without any concrete plans.
Art takes a backseat
Over the next 15 years, I got married, bought my first house, and had two kids. Life happened, and I didn’t make intentional space for art. I would feel the creative inspiration hit in spurts and dabbled in various personal projects that included photography, drawing, and vector illustration. I even had a brief gig with technical illustration.
These moments were fulfilling but fleeting. I didn't fully recognize then what I know now: I needed to create to feel whole. It's a part of me. It always brought me comfort, no matter how long it had been. Life was too busy to see it. I'd liken it to sitting down with an old friend that you haven’t seen in years and picking up right where you left off, as if no time has passed.
NFTs and the spark
In 2022, I unintentionally discovered my spark by discovering NFTs. What a game changer. Prior to this, I had tinkered with DeviantArt, Dribbble, BeHance, and Instagram, to name a few, but never really felt a community force like that with NFTs and Twitter. I found a place where artists talked regularly about their work, their process, their imposter syndrome (lightbulb 💡 moment), while collectors engaged with and publicly supported them. With that sense of belonging, I started creating again, and this time, more consistently. I still didn’t have a 'plan,' but I had the inspiration and the connections to keep me going. For the first time ever, I could take my journey alongside other like minded people. I was finding my tribe. 💜
Over the course of the past 18 months, that spark has helped me make more progress than during any other period in my life. I’ve intentionally focused and built upon my inspirations, De Stijl (below) and nature, and leaned into my artistic preferences of simplicity and order, all of which I’ll expand upon in upcoming journal entries.
Art has always come back to me and I’m certain beyond a doubt that I’m a lifelong creator. It has been and will be with me forever, and I’m more than ready to explore this love and push the boundaries of what I’m capable of.
What's next?
I’ll take a deep dive into my art, my inspirations, and I’ll spill the beans about my first series, 'Animalia', including the what, why, and how.
As a fun way to wrap, here are a couple of lists (can never have enough) that touch on what fulfills me and gives me joy.
Things that give me life:
Family - they fill my days with wonder, silliness, and frustration 💜
Art - creating and finding inspiration in it
Nature - it's beauty, complexity, and ruthlessness is so damn intriguing
Music - listening to as much as possible and building that soundtrack of my life
And a random list of things that I enjoy:
Band: Bad Suns
Movie: Shaun of the Dead (the Simon Pegg & Nick Frost duo is incredible)
Show: Better Call Saul
Color: Gray (yes, that’s right)
Season: Spring (putting winter in the rearview!)
Weather: 72 degrees, cloudy with a gentle breeze (so cozy)
Hoodies: yes, all day every day
Insect (what?): Monarch butterfly…and oh yeah…I catch and release anything found in the house (spiders, flies, ants…you name it)
Lists: There can never be enough
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