For as long as I can remember, art has been a part of my life. My papa (grandfather) and I would sit at his kitchen bar nearly every Sunday after church to draw comic characters from the funny paper. This was all happening before I even started school! Little did I know that my hand eye coordination training would take me so far.
On the first day of art in elementary school, the art teacher (Ms. Browning) asked for us to draw anything we saw in the room. I looked straight at the chalk board where she had drawn a football player. Copying another drawing seemed very natural to me because of the time spent with my papa, but it blew my art teacher away! She couldn't believe this little child had drawn the football player so well. I took that praise and ran with it. Most everyone in school knew I was an artist.
In 4th and 5th grade I entered, was chosen, and participated in the summer art/music program called Gifted and Talented. In this small group of children from our district, we learned a wide variety of artistic techniques. We drew, painted, sculpted, worked with video media, and even made pottery. I was getting a wonderful chance to expand my artistic horizons.
I was selected in middle school, along with the top 10%, to take a special class called Challenge. It was a very informative class that went way beyond the regular school criteria. The class activities offered me so many chances to use my artistic skills in a creative environment. We made products, house plans, packaging, games, and even learned about marketing. It was my first true taste of the graphic design field.
High school really offered me the chance to refine my artistic skills with instruction from Mr. James Brinson. I was so enthralled with the work we were doing in the class, and as an added bonus Mr. Brinson would play old rock records while we worked. The artwork and creative packaging on these albums fascinated me, and I wanted to experience as many of them as I could. I started my own collection of records soon after and now have over 5,000 at home. In class, we worked with every type of media available to the school, and I really started to love drawing and painting from old photographs. My papa had an extensive collection of photos from over the years, and I started using them for all my projects. In turn, I gave him all the finished pieces. Not only was it a "thank you" for letting me use his pictures, but it was to show him my gratitude for starting me off so early with drawing.
Near the end of my high school years, I had a friend pass away from a car accident. As a gift to his parents, I drew a large portrait for them. After that, it suddenly struck me that I had a skill that I could offer to people. I ended up drawing several commissioned portraits throughout high school, and I continue to do it today. Many people started paying attention to what I was doing with my artwork. Requests for portraits would come from everywhere. I was asked to enter the art competition at the State Beta Club convention and placed second. When the senior superlatives came around, I was voted most talented.
During my senior year of high school, I was trying to decide what I was going to take in college. I had no doubt it was going to be something to do with art. I took the teacher cadet program in 12th grade and entertained the idea of becoming an art teacher. I ended up shadowing and teaching some art classes helmed by my elementary school teacher, Ms. Browning. Though I enjoyed the whole teaching experience, I eventually decided to pursue Illustration in school.
As I was enrolling for art classes at Piedmont Technical College, I realized that I could easily get a double major in Illustration and Graphic design. I ended up going in that direction with my degree. The computer aspect of design was new to me, but I quickly caught on. My basis in traditional art made the whole experience so easy. After graduating with an A average and an Associates Degree, I found a job at a print shop in Seneca, SC. I spent the next seven years at Global Graphics learning all the ins and outs of the design and print world. My on-the-job experience has been absolutely invaluable. I learned even more graphics programs, how to apply my work in the real world, how to manage and reach deadlines, and how to accurately setup things for the various types of printing.
On August 15th, 2009, I married Beth Hamby and moved to Taylors, SC. I understood in my relocating, that I had to move on from Global Graphics. I decided to strike out on my own with freelance graphic design. It was always my intention to do that one day. I'm so thankful that I didn't pursue it right out of college though. My knowledge of the design, promotion, and print industry now is way beyond what a kid right out of school could know. I am prepared to work for you!
