But my mom thought that maybe I should try drawing other things. So after four grueling years in high school, I decided to go to college. My parents enthusiasm made it a little easier to leave home. Of course, this exuberance was soon replaced by sheer terror.

It was in college that I discovered there was no super hero drawing curriculum! I decided to major in Communication Arts. This is the hardest program to get into in the School of Art. I struggled through the many horrific foundation classes where I learned to draw lots of people…lots of regular people. Sure I could sculpt and paint and…pot? Is that what potters do? But the graphic design field was calling me.

In my last year, I found myself learning about kerning and leading and picas and layouts and line screens and so on. I also discovered computers and interactivity. Now, this was exciting! Today, it’s hard to get by without a computer. Hard, but not impossible. But this presentation wouldn’t be quite so stunning on some 3×5 note cards covered with black magic markers.

My wife and I graduated at the same time. Housing Services on campus created a full-time position for me but we were ready to move out of Greenville. My wife got a job in Greensboro; so we moved. What followed was a rewarding, fun few years at a childrenswear company where I got to do all sorts of screenprints and other creative things. An opportunity arose at a web design firm for designing web pages. The next step. I jumped. Higher and higher I rose through the creative ranks. Always learning. Always trying to do better. Not just for work, but for myself as well.