The Full Send

Today, I will be picking up my toolbox and taking it to my home.  March 12, 2025, marks the first day of my new career as a self-employed illustrator/graphic designer.  A field in which I have no professional experience. The last time I practiced a related activity was well over 10 years ago, right as I was finishing my degree in Video Game Art. And if I'm honest, I hadn't spent the time back then honing my fundamental drawing skills. I went through a fairly rigorous and fast-paced bachelor's degree. It required, more often than not, well over 40 hours per week to finish assignments.  I also had a full-time job working in a salvage yard and had just gotten married the year prior.  Life was so busy back then.  I remember thinking during the classes that required drawing, “After graduation, I will replace assignment time with practice and hone my skills to where they should be". 

Not the actual toolbox I brought home. This one is going to a new home to make room for my boxes from work.

My follow-through? Well, it didn’t. 

About halfway through this 32-month bachelor's program, I found myself leaving the auto salvage industry, and through events, ended up working at an ornamental metal fabrication shop.  This was a blessing from the Lord.  The owner, Kevin Marchetti, was by far the nicest man I have had the privilege of working for.  The schedule was a huge relief to the workload I had been juggling. We worked a 4-10 schedule, which allowed me a whole extra day to do my school assignments.  Graduation came and went,  I took a little hiatus from digital art to enjoy the extra free time I had gained.  Then by default, I received a promotion at work, I was now the shop foreman.  The art had become less of a priority at this point. I liked the work I was doing. I told myself that once I had settled into the new role, I’d start building my portfolio and develop my skills.  Then our house flooded. Priorities changed rapidly.  The next two years our focus was spent rebuilding our home from the ground up; to about 24 inches. Art became non-existent in my world.

As we look back over our lives it's a smidge easier to see how the Lord has positioned and moved us to where we are.  I have been calling myself a Christian since I was 7 years old and I decided to put Jesus as the Lord of my life.  I will say there were many years where I did not live my life as someone carrying his name should, But, I came to my senses and started to rely on his grace, and began seeking Him and his will for my life.  I can’t recall how we(my wife and I) decided that going to school would be a good idea. I have always had an interest in making game environments.  This interest started with a game called Kingpin from the late 90’s. It roused my interest and I dabbled a bit over the next few years before it fell to the wayside as a lost hobby.  However we came to that decision, my wife and I decided I would go to college for Game Art. Through his grace, the Lord led me to that degree program.  I have often felt that I wasted a lot of money getting my degree; money that I still owe.  I have never earned a single dollar from the video game industry.  I learned some valuable skills that I have used consistently over the decade since I graduated.  The 3D modeling skills have helped me with CAD software while I worked in fabrication, and when I designed and built my own CNC plotter.  My familiarity with Photoshop translated pretty well to video editing when I decided to try my hand at motovlogging.  But generally speaking, I never thought that creating art, which I’ve always been low-key passionate about, could be something I would be doing as a career. 

It’s wild. The way the Lord works things.  I can see how he has been aligning events to prepare me for this point in my life.  And now I get to finally hone those art skills that have been shelved for so long.  A real trial by fire, since the practice is getting published.  I am relieved that this endeavor is not reliant on anything I can do.  The Lord called me to step out in faith and give him room to work.  To the best of my ability, I am doing that.  Our nature as humans is to hold on to control because losing control is scary. However, amazing things can happen when you willingly hand it over to the author of the universe.  I will do my part by studying hard and devoting time to my new craft. I will continually try to learn new techniques with the tools I’m using, to produce things that people find appealing and will want to purchase for their enjoyment.  I’m going to keep seeking the Lord every day. I will surely learn about Internet advertising and how to find target markets. I will use the extra time I have to make improvements around the house. I will do everything I can, in vain, to pour so much love on my wife she tells me to go away. But my success in this endeavor and the financial provision resulting from it will ultimately come from the Lord.