As far back as I can remember, I have been inspired by illustrators of children's books, cartoons, and comic books. Early on in my academic career, I experimented with acrylic paints, colored pencils and pens, charcoal, and other various mediums. Each experience is different from the previous, but always an adventure of learning and advancing my perception of the material world. By the age of twelve, my classmates and I were heavily obsessed with the cartoons that were played on public television at the time, those being Pokemon and Digimon. During recess time at school, instead of running around to channel our adolescent energy, we sat against the wall in the shade, sketching out our favorite characters. Each one of us influencing and inspiring the next to advance our ability to render our favorite characters with precision. I don't think I was ever completely satisfied with my renders, but I was proud to find a sense of accomplishment through sketching and later adding color with gel pens. When I advanced to junior high school, I took my first traditional art class. During the experience, I remember being intimidated by my instructor's skill level of rendering a natural setting. It was at this time that I became aware of some of my favorite landscape artists: Claude Monet, Georgia O'Keefe, Paul Cezanne, and my own grandfather, Leon Herbert Formes. I remember my mother being extremely proud of my interest in pursuing art as a hobby, since she had spent the majority of her childhood exploring with her siblings while her father sat and patiently rendered the landscape either with oil paints or pencil. Around the age of 15, I was really passionate about skateboarding and surfing. It was at this time that I was heavily influenced by the graphic art that the skateboarding and surfing industries were producing. A lot of my favorite graphic artists would incorporate themes from well-known works in a satirical style, often leaving the viewers with the ability to interpret the philosophies that encapsulated the counter-culture. From this interest for alternative ways of living, compared to the nuclear American family lifestyle choice, stemmed an interest in finding a balance between opposing ideologies and alternative views. I knew that I wanted to pursue graphic design and visual communication from the age of 15. I really became passionate about self-expression through my work after my mother had passed onto her next spiritual experience when I was 20 years young. At the time, art became more than just a hobby; it was my saving grace, my way to connect to the inner parts of my soul that everyday living was taking away from me. Art became therapy for my grieving heart and a form of escape from the mundane responsibilities that never gave me any solace. I spent several years experimenting with various mediums, surfing in the ocean, and skateboarding after work. I enrolled myself in Cypress Community College in the city of Cypress, California. During my experience there, I learned how to render a still life with charcoal and how to utilize other visual tools. After a while, I didn't see any promise of landing a position to support my living expenses, so I dropped out to join the workforce. Many years later, I am currently pursuing my teenage passion for visual communication in design. My aim is to learn how to collaborate with others to co-create visually stunning designs that portray their messages clearly and concisely. I look forward to learning more about user experience to advance my designs.