Who am I?

Hmm sometimes I don't think I quite know myself but since you have kindly taken interest I'll try to explain..

I grew up obsessed with what some might call "alternative" lifestyles. Things like punk rock, graffiti, and skateboard culture were just so raw and expressive I fell in love with them. These things have all influenced my design work in some way. Oddly, enough it was these things that led me into wanting to be a graphic designer. I remember teaching myself Photoshop, Flash and HTML in 8th grade to create a website to showoff some of my artwork and skating skills to kids at school. A few of my friends were doing the same so it quickly became a contest to see who could make the coolest website, graphics or Flash intro. I attribute much of my early experience to this period and it really pushed me in the right direction of not only wanting to be designer but to be the best designer I could possibly be.

Without a doubt my favorite type of design is illustration. It is truely rewarding creating something from a few lines and some color that takes on a life of its own. I take inspiration from any source I can find, I'm like a human sponge. Whether it's a classic Picasso painting, something I see in a graffiti magazine, or one of my favorite sources sidewalk art from the local kids.

Of course even something you love can become tedious and it's a bit useless to be a jack of one trade. My first expereince of formal design teaching was in multimedia. At college I learned all sorts of cool things like creating interactive cd-roms using Director and Flash, animation using AfterAffects and Flash. It feels incredible to create something that isn't just nice to look at but actually has functionality and delivers information to people in an exciting way.

My final year of college was spent in the UK which is home to one of the best design industries in the world. The Brits definitely know what they are doing and my tutors at Coventry University would never be satisfied with what I would show them. It could be the best design I've ever done but they knew I could do better and these demands and expectations forced me to stop being an artist and refine my work to truely become a designer. Thanks to their teaching I received a first place Award for Students In Business at Coventry University.

Nomatter what medium it is designing is something I have to do, not to pay the bills (although what better way to do it?) but because it's in my blood and makes me feel alive. If you've actually read all this I thank you and if you think we can make a connection I would love to work with you sometime.