Welcome, foolish mortal!  Want to know more about me and how crazy-awesome I am? Stick around; for this is the wildest ride in the wilderness!

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I delayed writing this self gratuitous piece for years due to the fact that I'm pathologically humble and I'm tragically bad at selling myself. Thankfully, I have an array of family and friends that have swiftly kicked my butt into gear and have successfully encouraged me to let the world know how truly valuable I am. 

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It all started on a rainy day. For all days are rainy in dreary old England.

(Here we go...commence eye roll)

Day 1 - Jon was born. Yep. Mom and Dad were in the military. We promptly moved back to the states after a couple years and I've never returned to the commonwealth since. I hope to change that someday. Following that experience my parents proceeded to bear four more children, of which I am the oldest. Being the oldest of 5 children and a military brat has put me through a crucible of life experience. I am adaptable to change, can see the  bigger picture, and exhibit an unquenchable thirst for knowledge. I did the math and I changed schools 10 times before graduating high school. Because of this I make friends easily, am a generally nice and well mannered person, and I take things as they come, without ever shutting down or losing it. 

 

High school was pretty darn cool. I attended the Academy for Math Engineering and Science (AMES), a college prep school, with the intent of becoming an engineer or a doctor or something of the sort. This education afforded me a solid foundation in the sciences, having taken college courses through the University of Utah such as Chemistry, Physics, and Calculus. I also participated in the student council, which unlike other schools was hand picked by the AMES faculty.   I've always had a deep appreciation for those people who have a wealth of knowledge and are willing to share it. I seek people like these out and pick their brains at any chance I get, because I love to learn.

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Starting in 9th grade I began working. First at a ski resort, teaching little kids how to ski. That summer I also landed a job at the local theme park, selling merchandise and whatnot. I then also began working for Craig Campbell, a magician in Salt Lake City, mastering lighting, sound engineering, set construction, and whatever else was needed behind the scenes. For a time I worked in Production Services at Utah State University while I was doing my general education. I perfected and honed my skills in lighting and sound and worked on productions such as Seussical the Musical, Sweeny Todd, and A Midsummer Night's Dream. We also hosted musicians like Pat Donahue, and comedians such as B.J. Novak. I then chose to switch to Salt Lake Community College, due to the fact that I could attend for free through my Step-Dad's faculty discount. During this time I worked at Kneaders, a sandwich chain that started in Utah and has grown quite considerably in the last few years. When I went to college in Savannah, Georgia I helped to open the new Whole Foods Market, in customer service, cashiering, and cart management (self proclaimed as nobody else wanted to do it and I was happy to).  Looooong story short, I've been in the blue collar workforce since I was 15 years old. These diverse experiences have turned me into a jack-of-all-trades and even a master of some. They were all learning opportunities, lending themselves to whatever future I so desired to apply them to. 

 

Which leads to me to animation! My mom loves to tell the story of when I was three and I was watching Toy Story (1995) and I asked her how the movie was made. She explained that there were people who animated the images on the screen and how that process was done. According to her I then said, "That's what I want to do when I grow up." Fast forward 17 years and I'm finishing my associates degree and freaking out about what I'm going to do with my life. A letter comes in the mail with an invitation to attend the Savannah College of Art and Design (SCAD).  I hadn't even had the inkling that animation was something that I could feasibly do with my life. Not that I never thought I was good enough. I knew I could learn. I just thought it was a job for people who never wanted to make money (still sort of true). I got this letter. I did a little research, and I said "screw it". And here I am today. With a Bachelor of Fine Arts Degree in Animation. My passion. My love. I'm still figuring things out but I don't think I could truly be happier than if I had gone into a science based career path. Don't get me wrong. I love science, and again I love to learn. Applying the sciences to my art is where I believe I truly shine. The understanding of Calculus and Physics is what makes my animation so uniquely "right" and more tangible.