Have you ever found yourself in awe of that savage, otherworldly beast, stalking through the dark deep recesses of an unfamiliar place? Have you wondered what kind of mind can possibly dream of such a thing? That's been me for over a decade. Where a sharp toothed, and slippery predator spread fear through the hearts of many-- for me, it brought admiration and an impulsive urge to befriend it. Creatures and their design has been something that's fascinated me my entire life. The Zerg from Starcraft, to the fiends and demons in Diablo II were the foundations for this love. Only to have my world tore open by Bungie's Halo CE in 2002, in flooded space aliens, and horrific, twisted beings who called their host's bodies home. Later Pokémon would find its own space within my mental palace of dragons, demons, aliens, and eldritch horrors. I embarked upon the journey to become a 'artist for video games' when I was about 9, it was only later that I learned I wanted to be a concept artist. Halo had inspired me so much that I boldly proclaimed to my father that I wanted to work there when I grew up. (I actually said I wanted to "work for Halo" and he sat me down with the game case and showed me what a publisher and a developer was--a few days later I made my bold decree). I still remember him pausing Diablo II and turning to me sternly, noting how serious I was and asked me. "Are you sure?" Of course I said yes. He leaned closer to me and told me, "you need to be sure, you can't half ass this. If you half ass this, you won't make it. The people whose art is in those books you like? You have to be better than them." With fierce determination I agreed. Though I had no idea what was in store for me or where to even start. What followed were years of opposition from teachers, and friends. My father was my harshest and most honest critic, and he helped train my work ethic. Even though we didn't have much my family supported me in what ways they could. I went to a generic university with grants in 2012, and was lucky to buy a second hand wacom off a classmate in 2016. Up until then I had used a mouse for any kind of digital drawing. I graduated in 2017 with literally no idea what to do. Lucky for me I had an industry vet invite me to talk with him, and that conversation was an eyeopener. A few awkward years of figuring myself out and I started to find my path. 2020 was a good year for me. My job temporarily closed and I used my unemployment to get a mentorship with Robotpencil and Lucidpixul. The guidance I received drastically improved my work and by the end of 2020 I took a leap of faith and quit my soul sucking retail job to fully dedicate my time and energy to my career. I've been working freelance since then, self teaching, and doing jobs here and there. My main focus is to make an excellent portfolio to catch the eye of a studio or concept house and finally start working professionally. My end goal is to find a place in the studio that continues to fuel my single minded drive and love for art, Bungie. That pretty much brings me to where I am now. If you've made it this far, thank you for taking the time to read my journey. :)