South side of Chicago, April 16th, 1993. A legend is born to 2 unsuspecting parents. Little did they know that their son would grow up to be Chance, the Rapper. And a few miles away from that hospital, I was also born.

I grew up in Evergreen Park, IL. It was in my sophomore year at Evergreen Park Community High School that I accidentally fell in love with graphic design. See, I took this class, Computer Graphics, that I thought would be about programming. Yup, I was wrong, delightfully so. I spent the next couple years following tutorials, manipulating photos of friends, and making mock concert tour posters. I took some summer classes with Columbia because why not? Every professor and mentor that I had urged me to pursue a career in art (except my high school photography teacher, we didn’t get along.) Well, my music career was not going to take off as I was mediocre at best at guitar and bass, but boy did I have stage presence! I decided I would get into Graphic Design so that I can work with the music industry in a different way.

I continued my education with Augustana College in Rock Island, IL. I ended up majoring in Business Administration: Marketing and minoring in Graphic Design- though I took every class minus the Senior Inquiry. I was on my own, financially and could not afford another term to finish the major. I don’t regret my time, I just wish I had studied a little harder and paid a little more attention to how my requirements would fall together, but hindsight is 20-20! It was during my college days that I bought my first DSLR and fell in love with photography too. So now we’re up to music, graphic design, and photography as my list of passions. Basically, I’m drawn to the expensive hobbies.

As a professional, I made my way putting 100% into whatever position I got hired into. I started as a donut maker at Kirby’s Korner Bakery in Manhattan, IL, a tiny bakery in small town, about an hour drive south of Chicago. THAT JOB SUCKED. While I was working there, I got hired as a doorman//barback at the local watering hole in Manhattan, Fritz’s Saloon. I worked Friday and//or Saturday nights until about 3am. It was fine, exhausting because of the hours, but not a bad gig. Then I got the in at Potbelly Sandwich Works in New Lenox, IL. That job sucked a little less and management seemed to like me. I’d probably be a GM by now if I had stuck with it, but like J. Cole, I got bigger dreamz. In April of 2016 I found work at a local brewery that was opening soon in New Lenox, IL. This brewery is Arrowhead Ales Brewing Company. I had never been a server or bartender, but I knew enough about beer to get hired. I juggled those last three for a little bit, sometimes putting in 80-90 hours in a week, before leaving Potbelly to pick up more hours at Arrowhead Ales. Within a few months, I got trained to be a bartender, and shortly after that, I was promoted, given keys, and tasked with counting money and locking the restaurant. A few years later, I began working at Burns Photography as a full-time artist and photographer. I kept working at Arrowhead, mostly on weekends and whatever weekdays needed to be filled. I was at Burns for about 11 months when I again agreed with J. Cole and decided it was time for me to do something bigger. I quit there March of 2019 and worked my last shift at Arrowhead Ales in the beginning of May to make the leap of faith and move west. I landed (figuratively, because I drove) in Gilbert, AZ. If nothing else, I’m in the same situation but with different scenery and no polar vortex. Seriously, -40 degrees is no bueno.