About Me – Goals and Ambition

I believe one must have an open mind and heart to achieve their goals. Truly listening to others and the world around you will teach valuable lessons; lessons that you can apply to everyday life. I strive to constantly learn and improve so I can overcome any challenge thrown my way!

I’m self-studying Japanese. I figured I might as well learn the language and immerse myself in the culture I enjoy. I can read hiragana, katakana, and some kanji with plans to gain fluency. Who knows, I may just become a translator… or selfishly experience some Japanese-only games and manga for myself.

I’m SUPER interested in video games as an art form, especially the apex of the medium; JRPGs. Manga and Animation are some other personal donations of mine. I’ve found myself, too often, being engrossed within each individual frame or panel. I love engaging with these wonderful mediums but have a burning desire to contribute to them!

Final Weapon was my first foray into writing. It helped actually become a part of a community I’ve revered for most of my life. Gaming and Game’s Journalism. This opportunity has given me a feeling of accomplishment and purpose, along with leading to self-discovery. Now, I can face the future with a reinvigoration I thought previously impossible.

I have dreamed of having a creative career since childhood. That dream originally started as wanting to make games, in a general sense. An eight-year-old can’t realistically grasp the concept or intricacies of such an undertaking, but it’s a sentiment I’ve held close and dear my entire life. I loved to draw as a kid, much as I do now. I eventually decided that I would be an artist; be it for games, manga, or animation. I even abandoned my pursuit of a Computer Science degree in college to attempt a more art-related degree path.

Fast forward to 2021. I ended up learning 3D Modeling, accomplishing part of my childhood dream and landed a hopeful gig with a company that sought to create VR Training Modules. I saw a bright future ahead. Until I was cut loose by the said company due to what I can only assume was their losing interest in such an endeavor. That combined with accruing some college debt put those dreams and an art degree on hold.

Living at a place I had previously grown tired of habituating the two times I stayed there prior combined with having a job in a field I held no passion for had left me crumbed up, and spent. Nothing like, what I thought to be at the time worthless, browsing through Twitter to heal a weary soul. A niche Japanese gaming site I followed had just put out a recruiting call. I figured, “Why not? It’s at least tangential to what I like”. I went ahead and applied. And guess what? I found my flock.

I will love art ’til the day I die. Breathtaking scenery, imaginary world brought to life, portraits you could just reach out to, and, my favorite, thoughtful character design. These sorts of things will always be my foundation. However, my near-magnetic-attraction to art did have a complimentary AND supplementary cousin I had ignored for far too long; writing.

My main artistic passions almost all come from video games. I fell into a passionate fervor for art BECAUSE of finely crafted games. The first thing people typically judge is looks. Of course, I love how games look. Finely crafted pixel art, expressive animations, and detailed modeling; I live for that stuff. However, during a Game Dev course I took during my time at ATU I made a connection. I had inadvertently planted a seed of realization that would sprout an epiphanous tree; the art I loved was the cover of the book I judged.

It’s so obvious. I loved the covers. I obviously know there’s more to art than an outward appearance, they are intentfully designed. All of that goes for the environment and character art that helped me grow as attached to gaming as I have, as well. But what was the other major thing that made me fall in love with games? Well duh, I love graphics and still do. But what else? Yeah, I can talk about gripping gameplay all day long. However, there’s still one last aspect to this Holy Trinity. Writing. I have always wanted to create characters, yes, but I have also always wanted to create a plot, world, and motivations FOR my precious characters. And y’know, I’d love to do that for others’ creations, too.

I have chosen to not stay as complacent as I used to. I shall strive to be better and aim for higher heights. Thank you, Final Weapon.

Education – Arkansas Tech University

Associate’s Degree, General Studies: August 2018 – December 2021

I attended Arkansas Tech University, completed my General Studies Associate’s Degree, and took several art classes, game design courses, and creative writing.

During my time at Arkansas Tech, I had the honor of being on the Dean’s List.

COURSE	DESCRIPTION
Digital Skills for the Graphic Designer	Students will learn graphic design software which they will, in turn, use to create various projects.
Intro to Drawing	An introduction to structural and expressive responses in drawing by the study of line, volume, shape, light perspective, the media, and their interrelations.
Digital 3D Foundations	A practical introduction to all aspects of 3D development for film and game, including modeling, texturing, animation, rigging, and rendering.
Introduction to Creative Writing	Introduction to techniques of writing both fiction and poetry.
Manga and Japanese Culture	-NO OFFICIAL DESC.- In this class, I learned about manga history and many aspects of Japanese culture/design.
Game Development I	This course is an introduction to the fundamentals of game design and development.
Digital Audio Production	An introduction to digital audio production through lectures, practical assignments, and in-class exercises.
3D Modeling	This course introduces the fundamentals of object and character creation using 3D modeling software such as Autodesk’s Mud Box and Maya.
Two-Dimensional Design	Basic study of elements and principles of two-dimensional design employing a variety of tools and materials.