This Other Life

Hi! I'm an artist. I used to work in the animation industry in LA. I still do as a matter of fact, when I get the chance. I'm an effects animator, the 2D kind. The kind they don't use much of anymore. The kind that were made redundant when the big 3D craze hit. I didn't learn effects in any 3D program such as Maya as it didn't appeal to me. I recently went back to my roots in animation which was in character animation, and that I have adapted to 3D, so now it's a matter of jumping back on the horse and getting back out there. It all takes time to get scenes and stuff together again for a new demo reel. I spent most of the last 2 years in school training on Maya full time.

Which brings me to my other world. My life outside the animation industry. Because of lost work and paychecks and house payments and cars and kids and bills, my wife went back to work as an RN (registered nurse). It's a great job and it pays well and it gets a lot of respect from me.

So we basically switched roles a few years ago, and my life is one of house husbandry. She had been out of the nursing realm for over 6 years as my job seemed secure at the time, so she had to ramp up too as it were on new techniques and medical procedures that changed over the course of 6 years. She went through a period of maybe a year and through 3 different hospitals to get to where she is now. She's an ICU nurse and deals with heart patients. She's amazing. If we make a mistake and kill a drawing, nobody dies. If she or a doctor make a mistake someone could die. I think she'd like a lot less pressure, like one of an artist.

We also have two kids. A girl who is 17 and graduated high school this year. Undecided in what to do. Might be animation, might not. She draws, creates jewelry, & is a quite the photographer. We also have a son who is 10. He does nothing but draw, usually 1-3 hours a day. He already knows he wants to design video games or something of that nature. Both kids are homeschooled so they are basically home all the time.

Maybe, just maybe, when I have time, I can eke out a drawing or sketch on a napkin or hamburger wrapper during my lunch at In 'n Out. That is if I don't use the napkin to wipe the ketchup off my son's chin or something disgustingly worse like the table we're eating at. Actually, a ketchup drawing might be just the thing. . .with mustard for the hair color.

All that and we're going on about 8 years of restoring our old house that was originally built in 1922 as time and money permit. It's almost done.

So this is my story . . . . . . . . . . .stay tuned. . . .