From the time I was thirteen, I only wanted to be one thing: a cartoonist. It's all I thought about. I ate, slept, drank and breathed comics. I studied everything from the Katzenjammer Kids to Charles M. Schultz to Jim Davis to Bill Watterson. Especially Bill Watterson! I devoured every Calvin and Hobbes strip and book I could get my hands on, and still do. Yep, the cartoonist's life was the only life for me, and I planned accordingly.A wise woman - my mother - once said: Life is what happens when you've made other plans. I joined the U.S. Coast Guard to help fund my cartooning college career, and saved all the extra money I thought I would need. When my time was up, I still didn't have enough. So I went to work, eventually paying my way through college, but something happened in college. I found other interests.Putting myself through college not only gave me the skills I needed to follow my chosen profession, it gave me a variety of work experience to draw from. My jobs ranged from a Janitor at the local VA Hospital to Micro-Solderer to Telecommunications Specialist at the 911 Center. It was also at the end of my college career that I started my own design studio. As a freelancert, I learned to become self sufficient and self starting, priming my portfolio for the move to Charlotte two years later.For over a decade now, I have been in the employ of NASCAR’s first officially licensed artist Sam Bass as his Senior Graphic Designer. My responsibilities include graphic design, maintenance and art direction for the web site, internal ad design, copy writing, research of new software/technology, client relations and presentations, and coordination with outside sources such as vendors, printers, and manufacturers. Working alongside the owner/artist, I have been involved with clients such as General Motors, Lucas Arts Films, Columbia Pictures, General Mills, IMG Sports Marketing, Coca-Cola, Miller Brewing Co., Lowe’s Home Improvement Warehouse, and many others.Specialties: Adobe CS/QuarkXpress, Microsoft Office, Color Trapping/Stripping/Prepress, Point of Purchase Materials Layout, Copy Writing/Ad Layout, Client Presentations/Public Relations, Workflow Supervision, Internet Theory/Web Page Design, Corporate Branding/Logo Design, Illustration