It's not Business...it's Personal

image credit heeey-o

It started at a young age. Gathering pens and several of my best notebooks, I climbed onto my bed to scribble out story after story. Using a mattress as a news desk, my brother and I were anchors. Dad was sound and camera crew and Mom was part of our loyal audience of one. Car accidents happened, babies were born, new shopping malls were opened and magic shows were announced. I was always busy writing as a child. Not only did I produce several years of Wood Television News; I also frequently penned The Wood Newsletter. There was nothing better than capturing the days' events, solidifying them into 12 point font. Letters marched across the page like ants, though I was unsure of their destination.

Years later, a high school teacher introduced me to a new passion. Sitting in a darkened classroom, the projector lighting the far wall of the room in blue haze, my teacher flipped through slides. We, a group of teenagers, sat silently dozing in the blue film. The slides advanced and an electricity permeated the air. The Calling of St. Matthew by Caravaggio filled screen, its tenebrisim breaking through our darkened stupor. It was as if every shard of Greek pottery, every serene Roman statue, every inch of canvas sped towards this painting and culminated in these brushstrokes, this contrast between darkness and light. This tension between changing one's life and rejecting an opportunity. It was then I realized my high school life hung on this tension. This was my defining moment. I could continue on towards the nearby colleges chosen by my friends, surrounded by the same people I grew up with, feel comfortable fitting the mold, or I could challenge my self. Break free from my comfortable surroundings and embrace a life changing opportunity. I left my home, moved to California and graduated early from university with a Bachelor's degree in Art History.

Returning to my home town after graduation has again placed me at that point of tenebrisim, that breaking point between light and dark. Rather than settle for unchanging experiences, I choose to continue carving my own path, create my own light. Ultimately, it is my goal to bring the same inspiration to others; sharing the world of culture and visual arts as well as continue to challenge myself, my world view, my beliefs and experiences.