As time continues to pass, this is a look back on creative outlets new and old.
It’s funny sometimes how something takes a hold of you and never full releases its grasp. My blog and my artwork have been relatively quiet over the past couple months, but there is always something going on behind the scenes.
Looking back, early on in high school and into college, motocross racing was my passion. I look back on those days and am extremely thankful for how lucky I was to have the opportunity and the support to do it, and it allowed me to express my heart and my desires in ways in which I had never experienced before. You have all sorts of ways to showcase yourself:
- the bike you ride
- your custom graphics
- your setup of performance parts
- the color/fashion of clothing you wear on the track
- your goggle color to see everything through
And of course, there is the race itself, what gate you chose, how fast you want to go, and how to approach each obstacle. Looking back on it, it reflects my passion and desires in ways I never really thought of before.
Fast forward a couple years to software engineering. I think software is an incredible blend of engineering and creativity, in which the world has never really seen before. There are so many ways to create software, it offers endless possibilities for how you both approach and solve a problem. What constructs do you use? What databases? What design paradigms? What language are you going to write it in? How do you document, test, and store your code? How do you collaborate with others on your project? It’s truly a playground of so many fun things to learn and craft, and is an art on its own that is constantly evolving.
Next comes my artwork, which is what you see primarily on this website. The medium I chose, the colors I end up picking, my frame of reference, the process, the staging and prep work… it only begins to scratch the surface on how you can approach a piece of art. For me, I chose color as my dominant force most of the time, and focus on abstract concepts rather than realistic experiences. I love working on blending a concept that might be very plain in reality but is overlaid with a colorful chaos of confusion.
The artwork I have hanging in my house reflects this, and I still have much more in store that I wish to do here.
These are three very interesting pillars of creativity, but it does not stop there. My professional life gives me creative freedom in guiding an organization to success. I recently planned a large get party filled with color and a reflection of the life I have chosen to live. I enjoy the budding landscape of generative artwork, which is the idea of software which creates artwork. The music I chose to listen to, the clothes I chose to wear, the events I enjoy attending, it continues onward as a reflection of myself.
Lately, I have been working on an outlet that allows me to combine many of the above ideas in my life. The freedom of choosing my own path, the infinite ways of solving a software engineering problem, and the beauty of creating a piece of art that reflects my goals and motivations. It is not an easy process, but rather long and grueling. It consumes my free time, and many of the traditional outlets I use have fallen to the wayside. Sometime next year is my prediction of when this will finally start to rear its head.
Most importantly though, throughout this process I have always strived for the maximum amount of happiness I can find. To be able to find that, capture it, and use it in so many different outlets I am very thankful for. This website, my artwork, my career, and my life continue to ever change – being able to enjoy it to the degree I have been fortunate to stumble upon is something I would wish upon everyone in the world.
As my ever evolving create outlets continue to grow and morph, I think about how I can combine my passions, interests, experiences, and hobbies into something that fills my being with true and deep satisfaction. As someone reading this, how can you do the same?
