The Start of a Career

I keep putting off writing this post. I feel like if I actually put it down, then it’s real. Dumb, I know. Hundreds of thousands of people have already written it down. It happened. It’s over. Steve Jobs, iGenius himself, has left us.

So here’s my story. I was a freshman in high school and there was one iMac in the whole school, in the corner of my home away from home: the art room. It was a huge blue box-y thing and it kind of sucked to work with because the screen kept flickering in and out of different colors. But I was in love with it. Totally different from all the other computers at school. Sleek. Clean. I found it easier to use AND it had art software on it. This was also my introduction to Adobe but it’s not as important right now. What was important was that I had discovered a new way to create art that no one had ever showed me. On that Mac, I taught myself how to scan my artwork and draw and color and quickly took this new-found knowledge to the Photo room where I began teaching some of the other kids how to manipulate photos. I also teamed up with other geeks on learning video and movie software.

What I’m getting at is, I would not be where I am, a digital artist, a cartoonist, a web and graphic designer and social media strategist, if it hadn’t been for that Mac. I wasn’t completely in love with computers until that one. And that one changed my life. So I, much like many people I work with and many people sharing their own stories, have an entire career to thank Steve Jobs for. Oh and Pixar. Holy crap, Pixar. Thank you, Steve, for Macs, iPhones, pretty little gadgets, and some of the best movies in history.

I’m seriously thinking about getting an iDream tattoo somewhere. iDream of [Apple logo]. We’ll see. Thanks for everything, Mr. Jobs. RIP.

When I was in sixth grade, my cousin introduced me to a book series that changed my life. Walking into the library of Phoenix Middle School, I would make a beeline to the bookshelves that lined the wall on the left. Second bookshelf in, second shelf down. I was more familiar with this area than any other and I’m pretty sure I checked those books out more than anyone else.

Redwall by Brian Jacques. The first website I ever created housed my Redwall fanfiction and fanart. I had a page of Redwall quotes and book reviews. That artwork and that “Redwall Story” I wrote were the first things I ever posted online. The first forum I ever took part in was in the ROC (Redwall Online Community) and the very first character I ever RP’d was Mara Treeflyer – a squirrel maiden that lived within the walls of Redwall Abbey.

While the site and fanart and fanfiction dwindled after I went to college, I never stopped reading every book Brian Jacques came out with. The Sable Queen came out last year and I haven’t had a chance to read it yet, but I’ve stayed up to date with his books since 1997. There is nothing better than curling up with a big blanket, and a dog, and a Redwall book on a rainy afternoon and losing myself to the stories of Martin the Warrior and Constance the Badger and the great hares of Salamandastron.

So when I heard the news yesterday, that one of greatest and most inspirational children’s author that ever walked this earth had passed away, I was dumbfounded. Of any author (other than, perhaps, Tolkien), he has made the biggest impact on my life. That first story, that first artwork, the very first WEBSITE (!) I ever showed anyone other than my family were all based on Redwall. My best friend? I met because of a forum where I posted Redwall-inspired artwork. I most likely wouldn’t be where I am now, a writer and illustrator and web designer, if I hadn’t read the Redwall series and been inspired to take part in the ROC.

I won’t lie. When I heard the news I cried. I felt like a dear, old friend had passed away. His voice lulled me to sleep many times while I listened to my Redwall tapes. No on in the world could speak Mole speech like he could. I remember road trips with my dad while we both listened to the story of Cluny the Scourage. When I was in high school, I took home my first First Place Ribbon in 4N6 with a fun reading of Cluny and Basil Stag Hare. Redwall is entwined in my life.

Brian Jacques, thank you for every word you ever wrote down. Thank you for Cornflower and Jess Squirrel and Gonff. Thank you for Samkin, Triss, Basil and Constance. Thank you for Salamandastron and Mossflower and Loamhedge and, most importantly, for Redwall Abbey, where all the stories are told. And thank you for Benn and Denmark, too. I wish there had been more stories about those two. Thank you for introducing me to some amazing friends who have changed my life and who have made me a better artist and writer. Thank you for the amazing life you shared with us.

“Don’t be ashamed to weep; ’tis right to grieve. Tears are only water, and flowers, trees, and fruit cannot grow without water. But there must be sunlight also. A wounded heart will heal in time, and when it does, the memory and love of our lost ones is sealed inside to comfort us.”

Eulalia.

Images from my favorite Redwall illustrator Christopher Denise.

Yesterday was my girlfriend Ash’s birthday, and I wanted to take a moment to showcase all of her awesome accomplishments and projects. She is the best thing that has ever happened to me and I am so lucky to have such a beautiful person in my life. She inspires me every day to be a better person. Tonight, we’re taking her out on the town (yesterday we stayed in and celebrated with good home-cooked food and movies), but for now, I want to share with you a few reasons why I love her so very very much.

Her Love For Animals

I Love Rescue Animals was Ash’s brain child. She was the motivation behind it and started it from the ground up as just a facebook page until it grew into the website it is now. Her passion and commitment to animal welfare drew me to her and because of her, I became actively involved in the cause. She has a heart of gold and everything she does for animals is out of the love and respect she feels for her fellow creatures. I admire her so much for taking on this epic campaign to better the lives of homeless animals. She is amazing.

Her Eye For Detail

Ash is a very detailed person, and it’s something one can see easily in her photography. While her deviantart page hasn’t been updated in awhile, I’m going to helping her build her portfolio soon and that place will explode with more awesome pictures. Her specialty is animal portraits and we have several photographs that she took of our dogs that we’ve had blown up for our walls. She is so talented and I can’t wait to help her show the world what she can do with a camera.

Her Way With Words

One of the first things I ever learned about her was her love for writing. She is incredibly gifted when it comes to words and writing stories. For awhile she was blogging very regularly at her blog Mutts n’ More, but when we made our huge cross-country move, it kind of fell to the wayside while we struggled to get things back to normal. Then I Love Rescue Animals happened and she just hasn’t had time. But she is such a stellar storyteller, even if it’s day to day activities, that I still love going back through her blog and reading about our adventures and about our family. We have such a crazy life, it’s good to be able to look back and smile at the fond memories. And we have quite a few.

Her Willingness to Help Others

Ash is the owner and founder of Forpawz Pet Care, a small pet business down here in the Austin area. For all of her clients, Ash goes over the top to make sure that their furry kids have the best treatment while under her care. She has done puppy training, dog walking, pet sitting, and even adoption counseling. Of course, this isn’t the only way she helps others. She is the main tweeter for ILRA’s twitter account RescueAnimals and when she’s not tweeting about animal welfare stories, she’s helping rescues and organizations get their euth lists out to the public. She also tweets anything people ask her to tweet – whether it’s a story about a family that needs money for medical bills for their dog or a cat that desperately needs to find a new forever home, she takes it upon herself to help people and animals without a second thought to herself.

Her Desire For A Better World

Few people know that Ash has another twitter account: Forpawz. This is an account that she uses to tweet about all things eco and earth friendly. She talks about organic products and green news, and posts about petitions to get the government more actively involved in the earth’s welfare. All of our own household ideas for being green have come from her – our compost bin, our energy saver bulbs, our organic milk. She’s extremely conscious of her own environmental footprint and this has led to me being so as well. In turn, we have shared what we’ve learned with family and they’ve shared with their friends and because of her, a lot of lives have been changed for the better.

So to sum up, her passion to be a good person and to create a better world for both animals and people have made me fall in love with her over and over again. I am the luckiest woman in the whole world.

Happy Birthday, Ashley Niels. You are my Heart and Soul. Thank you for being all that you are.

I don’t write these kinds of posts often, mostly because I don’t want to bore you with details of my personal life. Wouldn’t you rather be interested in art or design or comics? That’s what I thought. But every once in awhile, I figure it’s okay to give you a little behind-the-scenes look into my life and give you an update on what kind of trouble I get myself in to.

Working Away Life: MUST. STAY. BUSY.

My attention lately has become focused less and less on design. This is both good and bad. Good because I am finding myself being drawn back into more traditional forms of art and the outside world, but bad because I still have a few projects I need to wrap up AND because doing freelance design has always been an extra source of income that my large family needs. I’ve started trying to do everything all at once – color this picture now, quick write that post, jump on coding that design now now now get it done TONIGHT – but this ultimately has led to several nights where I want to pull my hair out because I don’t feel like I have enough time to pack everything I want to do in. And then I’ll pass out for several hours and not want to do anything at all the next day but sit on the couch and read. Thankfully, this is going to change.

Where is the Balance: Finding Organization

Que Rachael Acklin, Superhero and Creative Coach extraordinaire. She has started up this fantastic project: Creative Rockstar Coaching, and let me tell you, we’ve only had one session so far, but I’m beyond motivated and inspired by this woman. I managed to get one of the free slots Rachael had going for her Rockstar List (go sign up for the mailing list) and, you can ask her, I was so thrilled I could barely write.

With Rachael’s help, I’m going to get organized and make the time to do everything I want – without getting burnt out. I’ve already started on a schedule of how I want my weeks to go and I cannot tell you the weight that is slowly rising off my shoulders. It feels good, knowing that breathing will be easier soon. I can do this. I can do this. I’m a Rockstar. I can do this.

Traditional Artist: Coloring Orangutans

I love drawing comics. The Family Menagerie is doing well right now and I’ve got so many sketches already finished, I think I’m good on those for a few months. My love for traditional styles is more alive than ever too, since I cracked out my markers and colored pencils. I love pulling out my sketchbook sitting at my drawing table, listening to good music, and just getting into that zone where there’s nothing but me and the paper in front of me. It’s a beautiful feeling and it makes me feel so happy and good. I love working with my hands, and, maybe this is just me, I love the smell of my colored pencils. They remind me that this is ME doing what I LOVE. If I could spend all day doing nothing but coloring and working on art, I would in a heartbeat.

My current project, other than The Family Menagerie, is a series of illustrations for a children’s book a friend of mine is writing. She currently works at a zoo up in Wisconsin and her stories are all centered on the animals that live there. This first book is about Max the orangutan. At first, I almost gave up and told her to find someone else to do this because I could not for the life of me figure out how to draw orangutans. But thankfully, I finally settled on a style and I’m loving my orangutans. I’m pretty good at them if I do say so myself. If you ever need a picture of an orangutan, just call me. *cheesy grin*

Taking Back Life: Breathe Deep, Seek Peace

Of course my life is hectic for other reasons. We’ve twenty three animals that we feed and take care on a daily basis, with several of them currently on medication for one thing or another (mostly allergies). Ash and I are still doing almost weekly (it’s slower in the summer) volunteer runs with Central Texas Feline Rescue, and trying to keep both of our cars alive long enough to get new ones. We’re also talking with a lender about possibly buying a house in a few months and boy let me tell you, that right there is enough stress to have me hiding under my desk. Money is extremely tight, time is limited, and there is always something that needs to be done.

Life is absolutely crazy, but you know what? Things always get better. They always do. Patient is a virtue and I just have to remember the wise words of Thich Nhat Hanh, “Smile, breathe and go slowly.” So now it’s your turn. What have you been doing lately?

According to my spiffy Twig the Fairy calendar, today is Fairy Day! If you know me, you know of my love for all things magical and fantastical and child-like. Twig (who you can see in the above picture – she’s on the left) is my favorite part of all the Renaissance Faires I attend and I always make it a point to find her. More often than not, she is surrounded by children with their parents standing just beyond the circle, oftentimes more awestruck of her than the kids.

Make sure you spread the love and happiness today. You can find out more about the beautiful Twig at her website, facebook, or twitter. Have a happy and glittery Fairy Day!

One year ago today, our Brody was whisked away from us. A neighbor left the door open and Brody, our beautiful little golden pup, took off out the door and was hit by a truck. A truck that didn’t even stop to see if he was okay. I still have nightmares about it, seeing it all happen over and over again. It’s been a year and certainly doesn’t feel like it.

We miss you so much Brody. You were the happiest dog in the world, our Dalai-Lama of dogs.

A daydream is a meal at which images are eaten. Some of us are gourmets, some gourmands, and a good many take their images precooked out of a can and swallow them down whole, absent-mindedly and with little relish. ~W.H. Auden

The philosophy of mine earth can be summed up as this: Sunshine creates happiness, and I create myself. Nights are long and life is predominantly good. Wind is refreshing. Tea is wisdom. Do the best you can, and be good to yourself so that you can above all be good to others. ~Jessi Lane Adams

“The miracle is not to walk on water. The miracle is to walk on the green earth in the present moment, to appreciate the peace and beauty that are available now.” – Thich Nhat Hanh.

“When you’re in love you never really know whether your elation comes from the qualities of the one you love, or if it attributes them to her; whether the light which surrounds her like a halo comes from you, from her, or from the meeting of your sparks.” -Natalie Clifford Barney