I turned 54 today. I found this photo in an old mini album. My stoic gaze reveals my excitement for the game. Since I was very young my compass always faced due-South. I know the more common phrase is due-North, but let me explain. The South is associated with the imagination in regards to metaphysical stream of consciousness. Going southwards in prose and poetry is directly tied to going off-script into the depths of the imagination. That’s where I always felt safe in solitude, not to be confused as loneliness. The truth is that we are never alone, even when we cannot see others nearby. We are connected at the cosmic-code level. Innate. I made a crucial decision when I was in high school to drop football so I could continue piloting southwards.
When I was sixteen I made a decision that continued shaping my life as a passionate artist and designer. I finished my freshman C-Team football season with what I’d describe as lackluster. My Dad lettered in four sports in high school so my playing football was really for him, not me. Once we reached the halfway point of our sophomore high school football schedule I faced a conundrum. I approached my coach after practice informing him I’d rather be in the art studio. He obliged. From that day forward I spent my afternoons creating rather than trying to discover my killer instinct on the field. It’s pretty obvious in the photo that playing team sports was never really my thing. I’ve always preferred solo sports like body surfing and rollerblading.
The best decisions I’ve ever made were making my case to follow my passions for the arts. One afternoon after football practice sophomore year I told my coach I’d much rather be in the art studio. He obliged. Since childhood I was clearly a creator-type. I was primarily self-taught with some guidance from my Mom and art teachers. I loved drawing, painting, prose, poetry, and performing magic tricks. In first grade my favorite journal was titled “Stories That Come Alive.” When I was 12 I started selling watercolors. When I was 16 I acquired my first commercial client, Jerry Barber, inventor of the Free Fall™ amusement park ride.