As a child, I did very well in mechanical drawing but shied away from many of the visual arts as those were my father and sister’s realm of expertise. It was important, even at an early age, that I make my own path (I didn’t realize this at the time), so I embraced reading, writing and music. My parents were both intelligent and analytical, even though neither had a college education. They instilled in me a love of learning that has seen me through all of the peaks and troughs in life. Music was always important to me, even though I never realized that creative self-expression was cathartic until my mother passed away when I was a teenager. As devastating as this was, it lit a fire inside me and I was bound and determined to make the hyphen between the birth date and the death date meaning something. From around the age of 16 on, I became purpose-driven and led a life of curiosity, inquiry, skepticism, all of which were fueled by a constant love of learning and tempered by the limits of technology at the time. I could easily relate to what the late Steve Jobs referred to when he used the intersection of technology and creativity as an example of Apple, Inc’s place in the market.

When I was in my early 20’s, fresh out of college, I finally decided to revisit what had always been the domain of my sister and father: the visual arts. I signed up for an introductory art class at a local college that I was taking for fun more than anything else. While I did get the opportunity to learn how to stretch and make a canvas, what gesso was used for, and basic painting techniques, it was then and there that I embraced abstract and modern painting as another form of creative self-expression. Having never been formally trained, I didn’t think I would stand out in the class, but I remember the professor pulling me aside toward the end of the semester and encouraging me to sign up for a few of her other courses. She thought my creative energy would rub off on some of the other students and inspire them. It was in that moment that I learned how our attitude and outlook can truly affect others. That realization has helped me to always become a valuable team member within any group I’ve been fortunate enough to be a part of.

Great art & design infuses every aspect of a creative individual's life - it cannot be helped, nor can it be avoided. Creative nonconformists typically aren't all that happy with what they see around them or what's been created for them. Because we are compelled (yes, I firmly count myself amongst this group of individuals) by curiosity, driven by desire, and inform our perspective from that of posterity, we wander, but as Tolkein would famously say, "...aren't lost". There is wonder in this big beautiful world and moments that transcend the harshest of reality. It is up to the artist to capture or help create this moment for you. Hopefully, there are a few of these below. 🙃