home : about_me
|
I'm a normal person with an abnormal obsession. I spend a lot of time thinking about stuff. Once I think of something, chances
are I won't be content until I've tried to create it. I bother myself with figuring out how things work, exploring the abstract, trying
to combine things which haven't been put together before, things along those lines. I'd like to say I do it all for practical reasons,
but really, sometimes it just happens to be practical. Other times, it's just "cool." The creative process is my real
motivation; the result is just a side effect.
I'm currently working as a Technical Artist in the game industry. When I first saw the term, I thought a Technical Artist was probably
someone who draws technical things. Luckily, I don't spend my day drafting diagrams and pointing at components. What a Technical Artist
actually happens to do is a little more diverse. My typical day consists of confronting odd problems, possibly explaining why
they are problems, and then devising some solution to them. I also translate between the languages of Engineer and Artist, create
software to let artists make content easily, and keep an eye on procedures to smooth out kinks in the "Pipeline." In reality, it's never
the same day twice.
In my spare time, I write programs to explore ideas, to make art, or just to make something new. My primary language of choice is
C++, although C# is earning its place for certain things. I have a big fascination with Information Theory, Digital Signal Processing,
Neural Networks, and Data Visualization, so most of my programs tend to revolve around those. I also like exploring basic program
architecture, and possible ways for people to interact with computer programs.
I've primarily thought of myself as an artist. Unfortunately for me, art never became something I could feel content
with. Maybe it's because I was never that great at it, or maybe I never took it seriously, but creating a piece of art
didn't feel like enough. It never had much personality beyond what I gave it; it never took on a life of its own.
Eventually I started to dabble with merging the fuzzy aesthetics of art with the clear and functional world of
programming. Well, now I'm hooked.
|
