ARTIST, EXPLORER AND GEEK

My journey to self-improvement began in the 80s when I bought “Personal Power” by Tony Robbins from his infomercials (anyone remember those?) on cassette tape. I just about wore out those tapes as I worked to improve my personal and professional life thru my 20s and 30s. Then came the end of a relationship, loss of a job, and having to start over at 37.

The 2020 pandemic made me re-evaluate my life and I realized my journey to self-improvement had taken a back seat to the demands of my business. I had let life get in the way of what Robbins calls CANI – Constant and Never-Ending Improvement. I was stuck in a rut and was tired of it! So I finally started pushing thru restarting my daily meditation practice, journaling, sketching, and growing in new ways. This blog is the continuation of that journey.

EARLIER CHANGES

I have been an artist all my life – some of my earliest memories are sitting on my bed with a sketchpad. My father and I used to put together a lot of craft items from models and dioramas to clay pots and paintings. In high school, he and I fought over a set of chalk pastels that we were constantly stealing from each other (since he passed, they are among my treasures in my art studio).

After high school, my plans to go to art school were derailed by getting a job at a small ad agency when my parents and I moved to Florida in 1981. I quickly became their art director learning more on the job than I probably would have in formal education. I created a variety of graphics including logos, business cards, trade show booths, catalogs, and brochures both for the agency and freelance. I mastered the now-lost arts of mechanical paste-ups and typesetting as well as commercial illustration.

I started exploring 3D design and animation in the late 1980s with my beloved Commodore 64 which upgraded to an Amiga 2000 and 4000T allowing me to explore the Video Toaster and Lightwave 3D, which I taught for a few years at Full Sail University. I was an early explorer of the internet with Compuserve and text-based games.

Another love is science fiction since I “discovered” the original Star Trek series in the late 70s leading me to start a fan club to help meet like-minded friends in Florida. Eventually, it led me to launch Scifispace.com and run a successful science-fiction convention for 13 years. I started my venture into retail in the late 80s selling at sci-fi conventions and expanded my love of gaming to Anarchy Online, World of Warcraft, and others.

E-Commerce has been my primary focus since 2000 with multiple online stores across various niches I am interested in like metaphysics, gothic design, and mythology. But in the process of building a successful business, I lost myself with sketchpads unused and more and more issues from a life spent in front of a computer screen.

IT’S TIME TO CHANGE!

At 60 years old, I feel like I’m in the midst of a mid-life crisis. I am often running in circles, letting myself get distracted and not getting anything accomplished in a day. I still love my business, but really want to branch out and find ways to improve every area of my life. This blog is an attempt to do that and keep me on track and accountable to you, my readers.

I am looking forward to exploring this next chapter of my life with you. Come on along for the ride!