I have pursued my art, photography and other adventures for the majority of my life. When I was in High School during or just before my senior year, I had my own magazine, was a featured guest of Fox Kid’s Club and I had been published nationwide with B. Dalton Booksellers with my art. Later I moved around the US, accomplished things here and there and eventually moved to Los Angeles and Las Vegas.
While living in both cities I became involved with body painting and one hot summer day during an arts festival in North Hollywood I was painting a model and a photographer asked if he could take a picture of me working. I thought nothing of it other than appreciating the interest and flattery so I obliged. The next day, which was a Sunday, someone brought me the newspaper and laid it before me and there on the cover of the Los Angeles Daily News was me painting the model. It was a great accomplishment, and something I will always remember.
Since then life has had it’s ups and downs but that is for another story. I went through some challenges but have worked on a great deal of productions, movies, art shows, etc. Sometime while I lived in Vegas, I started to pursue photography so that I could photograph my work and also work on bigger personal projects. Slowly but surely, photography became a passion. Cut to today and I am working for several publications, two of which are in my home state of Oklahoma. I do photography and I write.
Writing has become one of my newest passions. Why is this? Am I bragging about past accomplishments? First off, I am not bragging or bosting. Everyone has the capability to achieve anything they set their minds too and it is about taking the first step, learning to talk to people and get out there so you can find the opportunities. How many talented people do you know that spend more time complaining about others and what they do, rather than getting their work out there and learning what to do. Just painting a picture in your garage wont make it sell no matter how good it is. Some of the best work never gets seen because people lack the self esteem, desire and courage to take the next step. What are your goals and what is holding you back?
I am starting to write because I began to ask myself what I liked most or gained the most from doing my art and photography and the short answer is that I loved the fact that I could inspire people and bring out imagination, opinion and thoughts in others. Writing is another perfect way to do that and help others at the same time. So, I thought to myself, since it is something I enjoy, why not take the next step. I wanted to be the one to tell people what I thought and not let others put words in my mouth or tell people what they thought my opinions were. Writing has become my answer to many things. One because I can express and inspire, but two, it has quickly become one of the best learning mediums I could have ever embraced.
I research new topics every day and meet people that I may not have met any other way. I read more than ever because I am writing. I want to know and need to know what kind of stuff is out there for my audience and myself. But to sum things up, I wanted to let some of you know what I am doing and why. I am still pursuing my art and photography, but I have not made enough money from it to support my current endeavors. In my research, some of the highest paid artists and photographers are writers too, so it seemed a perfect fit. A lot has change however for me during this transition. Many people do not understand what I have been doing or why, so hopefully this will shed some answers. I hope you enjoyed reading this and it is my goal with my writing to help and encourage others to find themselves and embrace their creativity, set goals for themselves and get out there and achieve them. Here is to the future for all of us.
