Frizz & the itch

Year: 1988
Place: MSU
Enrolled at State. Planned to be a veterinarian. Saw students with portfolio cases around campus...became strangely jealous.




Year: 1991
Place: Detroit area community college
Transfered to study graphic and commercial art while working a co-op job as a technical illustrator. Introduced to the computer for drawing...who knew?

Year: 1997
Place: Kmart Headquarters
Ditched the low paying, non-creative technical job to make art for kids clothes. I wasn't even sure I could do it. My sister helped get me the interview.

This is where the bug bit and the five years I was there I taught myself (with help from some very seasoned pros) how to draw, how to use a Mac, how to crank out bears and bunnies, cars and baseballs at the drop of a hat. The volume was enormous and the experience was priceless. I learned everything there and honed it, then took it with me. I left because the Kmart boat was sinking but continued to sell as a freelance artist to a wonderful print house for a while. There is nothing like that feeling when you sell something that YOU created- totally you and someone (other than a relative) thinks it's great and will even pay you for it. It's such a high.

I'm back illustrating technical stuff for my day job but the creative fire is still there. While drawing automotive air filters, I'm in my head planning my x-mas cards or doodling a story. I guess it's been a string of happy accidents that have lead me here. How do I know I want to be an illustrator? It's almost a physical pang in the chest. Something driving you to draw and create and see what happens. I can't wait to see what happens!