bio
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PART 1 HISTORY ///////////////////////////////////////////////////////////
I am a graphic designer/art director/illustrator currently living in New York City. I am currently working as a designer at SpotCo creating key art for broadway shows.
I was born in Fort Worth, Texas, seven minutes before my twin brother. I grew up technically the oldest of three brothers in Plano, Texas. We had great fun. I went to high school at Plano Senior High where I spent an average of about 11 hours a day at school. I spent most of those hours practicing drum rudiments and marimba technique. Then I would come home and work on my art assignments. On the weekends, I could be found in a friend’s garage banging on my drums, or in my living room with my brothers and a few select friends writing and directing dumb movies. No one should ever ever see these movies, especially Flash Goes Pimp. For some reason, all of them were set in the 70’s and involved super powers.
I graduated from high school in 1997 and enrolled at the University of North Texas as a music major. All my practicing paid off when I made the University of North Texas drumline (snare drum) my freshman year. Eventually I decided that I didn’t want to be a band director (which is what most music majors are forced to become after they graduate, or else suffer from severe starvation, or play country music). So I let music become my “hobby,” and I changed my major to communication arts. I transferred to Abilene Christian University the next year, where I majored in graphic design and racked up a bunch of unnecessary music credits.
After meeting my future wife, playing in a bunch of bands with my best friend, Dylan Sneed (which I still do), staying up all night for both my senior years working on design projects, and eventually graduating in 2002, I decided I should go on tour with a Texas country songwriter, Aaron Watson. That was an interesting year, especially since I am not really a country music fan. I managed to make a living that year…somehow. It was one of the most interesting things I have ever done–a true adventure.
When I had finally grown tired of the Wendy’s dollar menu, I figured it was time to use my degree and try to make some money so that I could ask my girlfriend to marry me. So I got a great job as a designer at SBC–now AT&T. I spent over three years there learning that the corporate life is not for me, so I took an enormous pay cut for the sake of being happy (crazy, huh?) and started working as an interactive designer at RD2, a small boutique studio with a name that was usually confused with a certain Star Wars character. It was a great change from the corporate world. I eventually moved on to a small print design studio, Holt Design: my favorite so far. More work stuff can be found in my resume.
I got married in 2004 to my beautiful and super-talented wife, Allison. She gives meaning and inspiration to everything I do, and I am extremely lucky that I “tricked” her into marrying me after 5 years of “dating” (whatever that means). She is the hardest worker I know, and I can’t really say enough about her. She is amazing.
More information can be learned by getting to know me.
PART 2 THINGS I HAVE LEARNED ///////////////////////////////////////////////////////////
Stefan Sagmeister has good ideas.
If I am not in a situation where I am learning, being pushed to higher levels by people around me, doing fulfilling work, and in a community of family and friends that I love, I am just wasting my life.
I don’t want to be stagnant or let fear of the unknown keep me where I am.
Change is a good thing.
Jesus loves me and helps me in my life.
Nothing ever happens the way I think it will, so I have to have an open mind and play the ball where it lies, as the golfers say, in every situation.
We all should be more careful when it comes to our expectations.
Advice is essential, but experience is the ultimate teacher.
Eating food that has spoiled will make you vomit.
I can’t expect people to always give me exactly what I need.
Playing video games is really fun and relaxing but it can get out of control really fast.
Staying physically active is extremely important and can make life happier.
Rock climbing is the best form of physical activity.
Most of the music on the radio totally sucks.
You can’t live a very good life without really good friends.
Giving people the benefit of the doubt is usually the best thing to do.
Neal Peart is not the greatest drummer who ever lived.
Flossing is important, but it is a tremendous pain.
