The beginning
Q: Why did you decide to become an author/graphic designer/professional artist?
A: I think, deep down, it was a place I always knew I would wind up. I’ve been writing and drawing since I could hold a pencil. Originally, I had planned on going into law, until I worked for a law firm and started taking some pre-law stuff and attending conferences. And I realized that while I love law, and still do, I could never do it as a career and be happy. And that was sort of the turning point that allowed me to push off in the other direction. After graduating from Leicester College and getting my footwear degrees, I went right into starting Onmyodo and sneaker design, which was the first career foray into the art world.
Q: Who or what has been your biggest inspiration?
A: I don’t think I can point out one specific thing. There have been so many factors that have influenced me. Both my art and writing have a heavy fantasy bend and my art has a definite Japanese influence to the style. From the time I was a little kid, I’ve always loved fantasy, which I can probably chalk up to my father reading me Tolkien as bedtime stories... And I’ve always had an intimate love of Japanese culture (I was lucky enough to study there during my junior year at Dickinson). I also spent a lot of time at the Philadelphia art museum as a kid. So I think my biggest inspirations are all tied up in a massive knot of amazing fantasy authors, incredible artists (both modern and not) and Japan as a whole (and while I adore their modern pop culture, I’ve always been super drawn to the culture and art of the feudal era).
