abbreviation; work in progress: a piece of writing, music etc. that someone is working on
Hello. My given first name is David and I’m a work in progress (wip). It is often that I am aware of how things can be improved in the world around me and myself as well. I try my best to put that awareness into action when possible. Along the way, I make mistakes, but I also make things better every now and again.
I identify as a human, artist, life-long creative, dude (he/him/his), designer of visual and interactive communications (graphic design and web design/dev). I have also been known to take up the role of adventurous learning mentor (aka instructor/teacher) for a time or two.
My journey as a creative professional began as an artist studying and practicing fine art and graphic design which eventually led me to web design/development and entrepreneurship. I’ve also danced a jig or two in marketing, UX, animation, video production, and on a stage within several bands as a musician. Before all of this, community college played a vital role in my journey both as a child and an adult. My mother was able to lift me and my two brothers out of poverty by way of earning an Electronic Technician degree and I was able to complete high school and plant the seeds for later achieving a BFA with honors by way of resources from the same community college.
In my life, I have experienced many things while working, living, and learning as a human who is inclined to be creative. Aldous Huxley is known to have said “The more you know, the more you see.” of which I believe the reverse to also be true. Throughout my life, I’ve seen-to-know in ways that allow me to offer unique perspectives and experiences to clients and peers as well as students who seek to become professional creatives themselves or just wish to explore the intersections of life, creativity, art, design, and commerce.
I’ve been fortunate to have worked with small mom-and-pop companies just getting started all the way down to notable brands like Otterbox, GE (Aviation), Ameritas, Universal Pictures (Lorax, Minions), and Sony (Inpop Records). I’ve even worked within city and county governments and with collegiate brands such as Colorado State University and CU Boulder. This being true, at the end of the day I am most fulfilled when my actions and work can have a greater impact in the world at large by affecting people’s lives within non-profits, small businesses, civic institutions, and with my students in ways that build a better world for all.
Over the past 20+ years working as a professional creative in design I’ve put in my 10,000 hours, but I’m not yet done learning. Tested wisdom is what I seek to share with students in practical and attainable ways that resonate, inspire, and affect personal transformation. In my effort to attain these goals I am very much a wip and I expect to continue learning indefinitely within my lifetime. As I have come to know it, this is the way of a modern creative in the Holocene.
If you like, you can read more about my background.