A little about me...

Coding is a creative process.

I've been coding since 2010 and developing web apps since 2012, but first things first.

I'm a geek. I love technology and software. I love board games like Scythe and Wingspan. I love Lord of the Rings and Star Wars (the original trilogy) and I don't quite understand why Tom Bombadil didn't make the cut for Peter Jackson. But I guess that's not important.

When I'm not coding or staring at my computer trying to solve problems, I am usually found playing guitar, ukulele or testing out a new song. I consider myself a singer-songwriter who plays semi-regularly at coffee shops and the occasional open mic night.

 

So how did I get into coding (when I never thought I would like it)?

 

I grew up in the Midwest and studied a bit of music, art, and design in college. I moved out west to chase some dreams in 2005. I didn't expect that I would be soaking in the colors and designs of thousands of full-color print jobs at one of the west's largest printing companies in the region. One thing led to another and within a few years, I found myself working freelance graphic design for clients across the United States.

 

I've had the priviledge of working with Corona Labs (back when they were still called Ansca Mobile) a premier mobile app SDK platform based out of Silicon Valley. During this time, I used my experience with this mobile app SDK to work on some new skills. I launched a couple children's apps into the App Store and a mobile app for a handwriting specialist on the east coast. After all, In 2010, mobile app development was still a new and prime opportunity.

 

Around 2012, my wife and I ended up moving back to the Midwest for a job. I landed at a software shop that made products for Non-profit and Church Management. The next several years at this company proved to be pretty amazing. Not only did I get to use my graphic design skills, but also documentation, content-writing, marketing videos were all things I added to my toolbelt of experience. But the icing on the cake was that I grew enough to develop web applications from the ground up. Tools that people could use. Tools that WE used.

 

These were projects that I was proud to call my own because I scoured the internet for best practices, pored over documentation, and spent hours of work building. Projects like:

• - Web app add-on products to compliment the desktop software that allowed users to check-in for group/class attendance.
• - An in-house CRM platform that included Contact management, invoicing, bug tracking, emailing, and payment handling.
• - A completely new event registration SaaS platform that could sell tickets and merchandice with a monthly subscription fee.

 

And since then I've been thrilled to be a full stack engineer that builds software for non-profits and churches.

Recently I had the honor of building an open source ui framework that our engineering team uses called Mainsail UI. I've fallen in love with the intersection of design and engineering. And documentation. I actually geek out over good docs.

 

Though my journey started with graphic design for print and web, I've ended up slinging script in a code editor. I wouldn't have expected this transition, but this work has solidified a realization in my mind. Coding is a creative process. From ideation, to iteration, to realization. Though the landscape is ever changing and new practices and frameworks pop up each day, I love being a part of this community of developers.

  

I can't wait to see where this wind blows next.