About Me

Sometimes folks ask for a more official PR-style bio thing. This… well, this is close to that.

Very Short Version

I write, animate, teach, and usually find a way to make a fool of myself while doing all three.

Short Version

I do a lot of things. You could say I’m an inventor. Sometimes I invent stories through words or moving images. Sometimes they’re still images. Other times I build or code tools to solve a particular problem. And I like to share, so sometimes I like teaching and I’m always pretty passionate about open source software.

Too abstract for you? Here’s the bullet-list version:

I’ve written and published 10[-ish] books
I ran a small animation studio
I’ve taught workshops internationally and college-level courses in the U.S.
I help design money
I used to have a podcast
I created custom jewelry by bending and carving wood
One of my job titles is Director of Marketing
I travel full-time in a motorhome with my family

Less Short Version

I’ve struggled deciding what to put here. This isn’t a résumé. Despite what I wrote at the top of this page, I don’t really do enough PR that someone’s going to come to this page looking to copy/paste my bio all that often. So what goes here?

Let’s start with this: I’m not big on nouns. I like verbs.

I’m not an inventor (notice in the Short Version, I said you could say I’m an inventor). I invent. I’m not an author. I write. I’m not an instructor. I teach. I’m not a anything. I do things.

I like to think I solve problems. That’s the heart of creativity, isn’t it? They’re not always the big solutions that affect people all over the world. Most of them aren’t. Sometimes they’re small. Curious experiments. Personal challenges. Brain candy. But a problem is still a problem; a pebble in your shoe sucks, no matter how small it is. I’m interested in removing those pebbles… and if it can be done in an entertaining way, that’s even better.

This has lead me down some interesting paths. I’m passionate about open source software and use it for almost everything I create. I ran my own small animation studio focused on local television commercials and industrial visualization. I’ve written and published over 10 books (if you count multiple editions and individual episodes… and I do). I help “fight bad guys with art” by working on technology in banknotes that prevents counterfeiting. I had a podcast for a hot second; it got to 52 episodes. I’ve given workshops all over the world and taught college-level courses in the U.S. I’m the Director of Marketing and the Director of Special Projects for a really incredible company that’s focused on nurturing creatives in the Blender community. And for the last 3+ years, I’ve been traveling full-time with my family. Most of the time we’re in our motorhome, but sometimes we fly, boat, or drive places.

So yeah. That’s me. I know stuff and do things… but not necessarily in that order.