in an interview a long while back i was asked what i really enjoy doing. i remember giving an answer but it bothered me that it didn't feel honest to me. i grew up loving lego and i still do. i grew up working construction with my dad and love the smell of the lumber section in home depot. from a very young age i loved woodworking. early on i found i loved to make furniture. later in life i realized i love to cook, make websites and videos. turns out there are lots of answers to that question, but of all these things i enjoy doing there isn't one that i like more than the other. it took some time, but i finally realized at the core of all that i enjoy, the one thing common to it all is, i like to make stuff.
but it's not just in the “making” process that i find joy. i don't look for a set of plans or recipes. i love finding or learning something new, that causes the one little spark of an idea that i can build something around. that little tidbit that says it can be something more, that inspires me to create something new, or at least new to me. i love designing furniture or coming up with a new dish or dessert. i love having a vision for something and then finding a way to make it come into being.
i've been fortunate that over the last several years i've been able to do quite a variety of projects. though the bulk of my career my work primarily is in the world of print, i've been able to use other skills that have interested me. i've done web, digital work, wire-framing and even a bit of IT. wearing lots of hats keeps things interesting. in the last couple of years my dabbling in video editing and animation has really turned into a significant part of my day.
i've worked on some great accounts like chili's, texas health resources, nothing bundt cake, at home, pespi and at&t to name a few. in my years as a production artist i've built virtually every type of print element possible. from print ads, direct mail and outdoor boards to standees and car wraps. a significant amount of my experience has been bilingual production. though i don't speak spanish i understand it well enough to execute mechanicals.
i'm a native-born texan, i live in dallas, call ft. worth home and love long road trips anywhere across our beautiful country. i have an adult daughter, a shepherd mix named zak and two terrier mixes at home. for me there's no better pet than a mutt from a shelter. needless to say, i'm a fan of rescues and so is my daughter. that's how we ended up with the two terriers, she named biscuit and pancake.
i was “a fat, italian chef” in a previous life according to my daughter. for fun and as a creative outlet, i have a photo of the day site that i've been doing for almost 12 years. i almost always have a camera with me or at least my iphone, just in case.
