It is all about the journey isn't it? One of my favorite past-times is to reflect on how far I've come from the clay roads of Alabama.

Artistic inclinations took me to North Carolina School of the ARts then to NY School of visual ARts in Manhattan where I promptly became a chef - go figure.

22 years as a chef has given many opportunities to be creative and re-invent my artistic self many, many times. Whether within the industry or on my own as a CGI artist, I have been blessed with the time and opportunity to create and express myself through imagery.

If I were to try and dispense some kind of intrinsic wisdom here on these pages I think I would say something about your hands. I hope we all use them often to make things. Things like Art and attractive food and furniture and housing and earth-friendly machines and towns and medicines and communities and love.

I would try to say that we need to use our hands to make more good things and not destroy them - use them to console and heal - use them for someone who cannot use theirs - just use them.

Your brain and your hands are a combination completely unique to the rest of the animal kingdom. The possibilities are endless.

No matter what you "do" for a living or otherwise, the decisions you make each day, the actions you take, the people you enable and the ones you shut down all send their own "ripples" into the sea of life in which we find ourselves. Each of our actions is effected by and effects the actions of others.

As soon as I start taking myself too seriously the universe reminds me in one fashion or another how not-in-control I really am over my destiny. I don't think any of us are - the absolute best we can do is select direction and maintain a course of action all the while trying to anticipate the unpredictable.

Or we can drift and let the currents take us where they may.

I think a healthy combination of both is best for me. I have a marriage which is as sea-worthy as they come and a great co-captain who knows where she's going. She knows very well how to keep us from getting lost but knows how to enjoy the voyage as well.

ANd best of all; we both believe in magic and the spirit.