I’m 33 year old Web Designer born and raised in Los Angeles. I got into the industry in about 98 after art school. I took my lumps learning a lot of lessons about the industry. I guess I was out there on the edge as far as internet technology goes when I made the biggest decision of my life. The days following 911 I joined the U.S. Army. I left the comforts of my home office and warm California weather for the cold barracks and a hard bed at Fort Sill Oklahoma. After about 5 months worth of Basic training and AIT (Job Training) I was shipped off to Ft. Benning Georgia where I attended U.S. Army Airborne School, and the Ranger Indoctrine Program (a program to weed out the “weak”). Needless to say that summer sucked. Finally on October 12, 2002 I arrived at Ft. Lewis Wa. where I was assigned to the 2d Ranger Bn. 75th Ranger Regiment.

My time in the Army
I deployed to combat 3 times. Iraq in 2003, and Afghanistan in 2003 and again in 2004. It was a really interesting time in my life. I met a lot of good people, and a few who were… well, let’s just say they were the kind of kids who pulled the wings off of flies. I met really good leaders who inspired me, men who would lead from the front and no matter what would never let one of there men do something they wouldn’t do first. I was fortunate enough to serve with Pat Tillman, one of the most down to earth people I have ever met in my life. The friends i made forever have my respect and undying friendship.

A lot of people have asked me if I miss being in the Army, if i miss my friends and my job. Yes. I miss my friends and that bond. I miss that honesty that the corporate world lacks. Where when somebody is messed up and doing a bad job they get called on it. I miss the structure, the no BS defined line. The knowing exactly what I have to do and anything not performed to standard is unacceptable. Most of all….. I miss the sucking. The walking up mountains with 5 other people because we have to be at a certain place at a certain time. I miss the smell of jet fuel while walking to an airplane for a jump with 200 pounds of equipment and parachute strapped to my body (Lawn Dart?). After the sucking is over, the time in barracks bar having a beer with the people that were there laughing about almost passing out cause of dehydration or just how bad in general our body’s hurt. Good times…

Growing as an artist
Getting back up to speed has been quite a process, to say the least. I’m glad I have had the opportunity to come back from my adventures in 1 piece. Getting back into the industry I’ve learned a lot of things that weren’t so apparent to me when I was younger, call it ego, or just being young and cocky.

1. Not everything can be a masterpiece. Sexy doesn’t always mean successful when it comes to designing for clients that have a product / service to sell. When I was working at Reunion.com I was fortunate enough to be working with some of the brightest marketing people in the internet industry. I learned a lot about optimization and analytics. I realized how much of an impact small changes make. I learned how you can make the worlds sexiest ad or landing experience but it may not out perform the ugly one.

2. The 3 second rule (no not the food one). If you don’t know, don’t ask. Trade secret!

3. Be honest to your clients. I’ve come to realize how many people have been ripped off by shady designers / developers. So many people have been taken advantage of when it comes to there web project. In the last year I have seen so many clients come to me having paid thousands of dollars for websites that look like they were designed by a blind man. This makes the few good designers in the world look so bad. It seems like people feel like they are at the dentist getting teeth pulled when they are dealing with designers.

4. Web 2.0, Best of Blog sites, Viagra & Cialis spam emails, and shotty social networks really suck.

5. Monster is better then Red Bull, Google maps are better then Local.live maps, Mapquest gets you lost, and yes I have reached the end of the internet.