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Hey there, welcome to my very first blog post! If you do not already know me, my name is TJ and I am an artist, designer, photographer and now a new blogger! Hopefully, you are not too harsh with words when it comes to critiquing writing and grammar - said subjects were not my strongest skills in my high school and college days... although I will gladly take constructive criticism from those willing to give it!

For many months now, I have been interested in starting a blog of my own to not only improve my writing skills but to also step out of my comfort zone of avoiding any attention and criticism from the internet world. I came to realize that putting this off is not going to help me grow in the way that I would like, and that I can also create content that is useful and enjoyable to others!

Nerves set aside, I thought that a "10 Things About Me" blog would be a great way to kick things off and for you to get to know me. Well, here we go!

1) MY PASSION FOR ART AND DESIGN STARTED WITH THE PRINCESS DIARIES. 

It all started when Mia Thermopolis stormed up to her tower when she didn't want anything to do with the royal throne. I was about seven years old when the movie came out and automatically fell in love with the old fire house that Mia and her mom lived in. 

My dad has a creative side and always has some sort of project going on around the house. I turned to him after I saw Mia's tower and I said, "Dad, you can build that for me!" He told me to draw up a floor plan, not thinking that I would figure out what that was at seven years old. An hour later I brought him a piece of craft paper with gel pen markings indicating the space from a top view. Surprisingly he was able to read it, and from that day on I would draw up floor plans of my dream homes for fun. I'm sad to say that I never got that tower built in my room.

2) I BACKPACKED AROUND EUROPE AND GOT STRANDED IN THE MOUNTAINS OF NORWAY.

Most details of this experience will have to wait for a future blog post, but long story short I thought that my friend and I were not going to make it home from this hike! Thankfully we ran into some hikers who were so kind and offered us help with the proper gear, food, dry clothes, and shelter.

An eight to ten-hour hike turned into a twenty-four-hour experience... The hikers who legitimately saved us were from Milan, Norway and Little Rock, Arkansas, one of which has a prosthetic leg that led our group back to the camp grounds. 

The only regret I have with this experience is that I did not take the hikers contact information down. They were an amazing group of people and I would have loved to keep in touch with them!

3) LATELY, I HAVE HAD A HARD TIME GRASPING INSPIRATION AND COMING UP WITH IDEAS FOR CONTENT.

It's a bummer when this happens, but I am learning that it is okay and normal to find yourself in a rut. Since graduating college, it has been a while since I have created something of my choosing. I work an 8-5 job, and sometimes 8-5 turns into a thirteen or fourteen-hour workday in addition to my hour and a half commute. On those days, I end up coming home and going straight to bed to do it all over again, which is where I get away from working on my own stuff leading me to a creative block. 

Lately, I have been easing back into my work to gradually get my creative thinking back. Even if I do a ten-minute sketch, that is still better than no sketch. 

4) WHEN INSPIRATION DOES HIT ME, IT USUALLY COMES FROM MUSIC. 

I usually get inspiration not so much from the lyrics but from the instrumental part of the song. I think it is because I was a music student in an orchestra growing up and that was the only part of the song we would play. Music tells stories even without words, and with me being a visual person I always picture some sort of animation or graphic that goes along with the melody.

5) I PLAYED THE VIOLIN FOR TEN YEARS.

Playing off of my last fact, I was a violinist for about ten years growing up. My great-aunt, cousin, and sister all played the violin so naturally, I followed in their footsteps. It has been about five years since I picked up my violin but every now and again I feel nostalgic and miss the feeling of playing. 

6) THE FIRST ART CLASS I EVER TOOK WAS DURING MY SENIOR YEAR OF HIGH SCHOOL AFTER I DROPPED OUT OF CALCULUS.

This is classic. I feel like everyone has a story similar to this where they dropped out of something that they should have taken to pursue something they were interested in to end up loving it and wanting to make it into their career. Back at this time where I decided to take a failing grade and drop the course, I really felt like I was making a horrible mistake. The Calculus course was going to knock off one of my college credits before I even started college, but looking back on it now makes me happy that I decided to do that. That class kick started my art hobby and later became one of my passions.

7) MY INTEREST IN SCENIC AND TRAVEL PHOTOGRAPHY PEAKED ONLY TWO YEARS AGO.

I have always appreciated a photo that was taken well and looked like something that I would frame and hang up in my house. It wasn't until I traveled internationally for the first time when I became interested in being the person behind the camera. By this time, I was going into my senior year of college and had a few years of design education under my belt where I knew how to use programs like Adobe Photoshop, InDesign, and Illustrator. These are the computer programs that photographers frequently use to edit their work, and they are ones that keep me interested because there is something new you can learn every day from them. 

8) IF I WERE TO CHOOSE A DIFFERENT CAREER PATH, I WOULD WANT TO WORK IN CRIMINOLOGY OR FORENSIC SCIENCE.

This is obviously a field that is completely opposite of being an artist and designer, but my favorite documentaries, shows, and movies to watch are usually very morbid. I have always been intrigued with the psychology of a criminal's mind and how crimes are investigated.  

9) I HAVE HAD A PIECE OF ART STOLEN, AND I WASN'T REALLY UPSET ABOUT IT. 

A couple of summers ago, I participated in a charity event where local artists painted adirondack chairs for a city nearby my home town. These chairs were put on display around the city's river walk and then later assigned to locations at local shops and restaurants. While my chair was on display near the river walk, it was unchained and stolen from its location. It could have been thrown into the river for all I know, but thinking that it was actually stolen is kind of a compliment!

10) IF I COULD LIVE ANYWHERE IN THE WORLD, IT WOULD BE IN BARCELONA.

I left my heart in Barcelona. It is such an amazing city with an artistic vibe and lovely people. I was there for a month and wish it were longer. The only Spanish course I had taken previously was in grade school where all I remembered to say was rojo and mi llamo Taylor. By the first couple of days I was there I learned how to order my meals in Spanish and some basic food vocabulary. I am someone who always struggles with learning a foreign language, but found that it is much easier to learn when you are living like a local.

What are some fun facts about you? Let me know in the comments below!