I had two childhood dreams.
Draw animation or comic strips. Animation won.
I got my foot in the door of Nickelodeon as an intern on a new show just beginning production - Hey Arnold. I was hired as a background designer halfway through my internship, and eventually worked my way over to drawing storyboards for the series. Over my 6+ years at Nick, I bounced back and forth between storyboards and backgrounds, occasionally working on other shows as well.
I lived in a charming 1920s bungalow in Pasadena, and became one of California's earliest commuters of a gas/electric hybrid car.
The original studio facade from the late 90s. My desk was right behind that front window next to the gate.
My own silly sketch of Helga and Arnold.
The Great Outdoors
Living in California afforded me the discovery of the western landscape.
I found in myself an outdoorsman I didn't know existed. I hiked nearly every weekend in LA's mountains, and camped frequently across southern California and the western states. I even learned to snowboard near Los Angeles.
Courtright Reservoir, a camping spot I frequented in the Sierras.