I architect brands and lead creative teams now, but I started out painting houses.
It was my first paying gig; I was 14 years old, Midwest, and our crew frequently ate gas-station hot dogs for breakfast.
From there, my career path went like this:
Furniture mover (for one day) \ pool cleaner \ Target team member \ Gap sales associate \ food server \ landscaper \ musician \ Starbucks barista \ children's museum educator \ cafe manager \ flower van driver \ Crate & Barrel stockroom boy \ newspaper reporter \ newspaper editor \ university publications editor \ communications manager \ copywriter \ creative director \ senior director, brand and creative services
All of this is important, of course, because every one of these experiences shaped me in a significant way. These are the places where I learned how to learn — and how to solve problems, and how to devise and pitch ideas, and how to talk to people, and how to turn green pool water clear.
At each stop, my brain was loaded up with new data, new proclivities and new scar tissue. The people I met and worked with along the way gave me perspectives and a narrative. And this is what I carry around with me.
I live in Denver (The Suburbs, now!) with my wife, Stephanie, and our three amazing daughters. They wish I wasn't into bicycles so much and that we went on more vacations.
If you want to ask a question, see more work or meet up for coffee, let me know.