Know yourself

  Often times when my children find themselves on the other side of  a mistake and we are trying to find the root of where they went wrong, I will ask them "why did you do it?" and most often they respond "I don't know". Well that is true to a point, often times kids don't look at themselves or their motives for why they do what they do, they are still forming, and getting to know themselves.

  As an adult, in my early years, I would say before 35, I didn't spend much time thinking about why I did most of what I did, but as time passed I learned that I could find greater success by understanding the underlying motives that drive my actions in life. The root of my actions begin at the core of my being, tracing the roots to the source I find the prime ingredients of who I am. By looking at those prime ingredients, or I would say the main reasons that drive my actions, I can build a plan that is in line with my reasons. By knowing my reasons for why I do what I do, I can choose actions that fit with who I am. This means going with the flow, not fighting the flow. There is greater success in being what you are than in being what others expect you to be.

  Art and animation are things that I exercise in my life, they are tools that are powered by my inner self. Those artistic expression take form in the world after having been inspired and formed from deep inside of me, from that place where dreams and ideas come from. Art and animation that I create are things that flow from my imagination, poured and strained through the fabric of my mind and creative spirit, then splashing out into the world through my collection of skills and tools.

  What that means is that my creations are a reflection of me, or at least they are colored by me, containing small parts of me. With this kind of thinking, and an understanding of myself and what makes me me, I can be more effective by involving myself with projects that fit with who I am. I can share that one of my core ingredients is story telling, stemming from a deep desire to be understood. That is what art and animation are for me, the telling of stories. That is why I developed as an artist animator, to tell great stories. Now I will tell how every bit of art I create, tells me in some way about myself.

  This is an image that I drew in 2013, The main reason I drew this is to print and sell the image in order to supplement my income and help to pay down my student loans. What that tells me on the surface about myself is that I will create ways or find ways to solve problems in my life. I will face my problems and build a plan of action to address the issues at hand. Then I will then follow through on that plan. This image titled Special Opps is one of three military style pieces that I drew and then printed, matted, and framed, and is currently on sale at a local airsoft store named Fox Airsoft in Parker Colorado.

  On another level, this image shows me where I'm at in my skill development, it demonstrates my patients and willingness to apply myself ( the image took over 40 hours to draw). The idea of the soldier represents my values, I will assume an aggressive stance for what I believe in. In my heart, my desire is to define my person, my space, myself. I want to thrive, and to build a place in the world, I am human and I want to make. This seems to be at the core of most people I have ever met (but not all) and yet most people I have ever met don't acknowledge that their driving purpose in life is to make, to build the next moment, to create themselves. Well that's how I see it.

  So I will fight against those things that seek to imprison me, to take away my freedom to express myself, I am after all a US citizen, schooled in the public and private school system, an honorably discharged, non commissioned officer of the United States Army, and a college graduate. What that means is that I have successfully received the social program, I have integrated and assimilated the material, and I am a productive member of society.

  Knowing myself, I am looking for a place in the world where I can exercise my person, where I can bring to bare my skills and operate from my core principles, I see that I would find great success in the gaming industry, where I could tell interesting stories about soldiers on mission, I could help to engage fictitious enemies while keeping the real enemies of poverty and oppression from my doorstep. Movies about princesses and unicorns might be a rough fit, but throw in some villains and knights engaged in epic battle and  thats a project I would like to work on.

  This I know about myself, I am a better soldier than I am a general, I am a team player and strong mission supporter, in a pinch I am creative and resourceful and will not give in until I am spent, I leave it all on the field holding nothing back. How about you? As always, my deep hope is that someone out there finds within this piece something they can use.