I was born in 1979 in Colorado Springs, Colorado. As an only child, I first discovered art when I was nine or ten. It came naturally to me and suddenly I wanted to draw or paint everything I saw. I had won a few coloring contests and a few elementary art shows but nothing serious came along until junior high school. I was entered into a statewide art show for a self portrait I had done in oil pastels and through a field of over three-hundred students I was given the award of excellence.

I spent the next five years being closely mentored by the art director of my school district. During my last three years of high school I had only English and science courses while the rest of my day was compiled of art history, sculpture, drawing and painting. When I began my junior year, I was entered into a program which allowed me to take college level courses in art while still in high school. After high school, most of my peers went on to college; however, I went to work. Despite my many achievements in art, and the many opportunities for scholarships offers, nothing really came through. So, I decided it best to get a "real job".

I would spend the next two years working full-time and hating every minute of it. I had gone from drawing every day to drawing once a month to hardly drawing at all. I was miserable. Then one day, as fate would have it, I bumped into an old friend who got me fired up again. Well … 2 days, 2 airbrushes and 200 dollars later I was back in business.

The next three years, I focused more on art and less on work. You could say I was a starving artist but not because I was poor, because I was hungry; hungry for a chance to make it doing what I loved. I painted on everything: buildings, canvases, cars, the walls in my apartment! You name it, I was doing it. Airbrush, acrylic, Japanese watercolor, spray-can, pastel, and crayon, yes, crayon. I did several murals for business owners in my home town, the largest of which was 96 feet long and 16 feet tall. I did logos for local companies, portraits for pet owners, and a ton of stuff which I just gave away.

In 2004, I went to college and suffered through all of the tedious classes. I found that it was not for me. But what is for me is doing art every day; it is my life, it is the reason I am here, and whether I make a million dollars doing it, or just make a million people smile it's all worth it. Because I am doing it my way.