I'm a military kid from humble beginnings. My father served in the US Air Force and met my mother while stationed in South Korea. They dated and eventually got married. My mother gave birth to two boys, my older brother and then me. Being a military family, we moved around frequently and lived in many places through out my childhood including some time back in South Korea. My family was literally on the way to Mississippi when I was born in Omaha. Maybe that's why I've always been comfortable being mobile, moving to other cities as a young adult and becoming a remote worker years before Covid-19's impact on work.

The last location the Air force assigned our family was near Spokane Washington. Soon after arriving in 1983, my father was killed in a tragic car accident when I was 7 years old. It's been my mother, brother and me ever since. An immigrant mother trying to raise American boys in rural Eastern Washington was not easy for her. We didn't have much, but we made it work.

My humble beginnings have fueled my ambition and work ethic which has shape who I am today. My background and life experiences has enabled me to have different perspectives on life, work, and culture. I believe these all benefit my design thinking, inspiration, and process.

Being a designer has been my calling since I was a young. Since the time I watched a movie called Beat Street where a character named Ramo in the movie was a graffiti artist. I was "hooked" immediately. I started sketching designs as far back as I can remember. While attending high school, I enrolled in a Commercial Arts program at the Spokane Vocational Skills Center. This program allowed me to earn college credits while also attending high school. I won various design awards such as "Most Professional" and graduated from my program as the top student.

That gave me the validation needed to continue pursuing a design career. I've always viewed design as a craft. I was creating design projects by hand using airbrushes, X-Acto knives, glue, ink, and pencil. Once the design tools went digital, I was off and running and have been honing my skills for the past 20 years. I ended up in Denver, Colorado where I spent the majority of my career. I settled in Denver to raise my daughter Micaela who's now in her 20s and pursuing a career as a music producer and DJ. Proud father!

Currently my wife and I live the remote lifestyle. We shuffle back and forth between Mexico and the US throughout the year. I was never into the stagnant normal life and I personally think it's what makes people unhappy. Selling our home and going mobile has been the best decision we've made. 🌴