Updated: 28th of January, 2023
I’m living in Morehead, Kentucky, and ready to leave the states with my family. I’m itching to travel and explore. I’ve always been a nomad at heart. Being “settled” for such a long time is making me restless.
I’m the proud member of a family of five. I’ve kept my personal blog to help artists and creatives turn their passions into fulfilling careers, but I’m starting to see a different side of life and career, and I’m not sure how to express this new phase.
So this is a place where I can ramble, I think.
Family
Me — Papa Bear. I’m a mindful workaholic but I always put my kids in bed. I’m learning to be more flexible and adaptable after a summer of being a mostly-at-home dad, followed by months of being a home nurse as my kids brought home every illness they could find.
Haley — Mama Bear. My wife. My best friend in the entire world. Currently gainfully employed to move us closer to our goals as a family. Humble goals that seem impossible for some families. Working toward becoming a Certified Medical Assistant, then a Registered Nurse.
Maddix — Six. Lover of all things artistic, especially if scissors are involved. High-energy and creative. Loves reading, playing video games, Spider-Man, climbing trees, going to school, monster trucks, riding his bike and wearing fingernail polish. He’s learning terrifyingly fast. I couldn’t be more proud of the little man.
Arya — Three and a half. Sounds like a pack-a-day smoker of 30 years (and has since she was born). It’s hilarious. Loves Disney princesses and thinks she is the queen of the universe. Finicky eater. Refuses to be a forgotten middle child. Will demand what she wants out of life. She scares me.
Harper – One point five-ish. Thinks everything is funny. Curious. The biggest goofball of all three kiddos. Learned how to talk overnight. She is also the most destructive creature we’ve ever allowed into our home. She is a real-life Ctrl+Z — if anything gets done around the house, she will undo it.
Affinity Art Co.
The tattoo studio I built with Autumn Dennis. We provide support to women through tattoos and as a Safe Place for victims of domestic violence. We are also a Safe Place for children who have been victims of child abuse.
This is an important mission to me, as I was a victim of child abuse.
I’m incredibly proud of our newest artist: Erin. We focus on artistic development, so we invest heavily in quality art training.
Our hope is to change the stigma and assumptions around tattooing. We do this by focusing on the quality of art, the quality of the experience and being heavily involved with organizations that support our causes.
CreateQuest
Built with Chris Beaven. The CreateQuest project is on hold right now, possibly indefinitely.
The idea was to help artists with meta skills necessary for success with their craft. As we were doing this, we realized that our own craft(s) could be dramatically improved, then we started focusing on doing that, instead.
We still meet weekly to keep each other accountable and discuss what we’ve done or learned through the week. Chris is my best friend (other than my wife), and I’m glad to have him in my life as a growth partner.
Learning
I’m addicted to learning. I’ve had to slow down.
I read one book at a time while I take notes on it. I read slowly and deliberately.
I use Anytype to collect ideas that I would like to use for writing (with citations).
I’ve shifted a bit of my beliefs around learning toward an action bias. All knowledge is useless if it’s in your head. It needs expressed. I’ve turned to consuming ideas and knowledge on a “just in time” basis instead of “just in case.”
I still follow curiosities, but if I have an idea for a project that excites me, I get to work on it immediately, then learn what I need to know or fill gaps as I’m DOING, not before I start.
Weird Opinions
My latest curiosities have led to some pretty strong opinions as I dive into the rabbit-holes of things I disagree with.
- Open-source is the bestest. Over time, I believe open-source software will win over any closed-source corporate software.
- Socialism works. I’ve been a die-hard capitalist for most of my life, but that’s because I’m an American. The happiest places on Earth are socialist countries, though. It works.
- Web 3.0 will change the ‘netscape (not the browser).
- Fascism is terrifying, and it’s happening in the United States.
- Hate breeds hate. As much as it pains me to say this — speak up against hate, but don’t punch a Nazi, no matter how much they make you want to.
- Seek to understand before you seek to be understood.
I’ve also created a living document called Instructions that I will update regularly with simple directives on living a fun, fulfilling, and successful life.
I wrote it mostly for my kids — it’s the stuff I wish I’d known when I entered the “real world.”