Summary

Short Version:

I am just a simple back bacon lovin' Canadian. I'm also a former computer programmer turned artist. Art has always been a hobby of mine since I was a kid. I grew up with a fondness and love for film and video games. As I got older I came to appreciate the bits and pieces that make up our amazing world such as architecture, mechanics, animals, and the environment. These things combined with imagination and story telling are what sparked my desire to pursue art professionally.

The Whole Story:

My name is Michael Smith and I am an artist and writer. I grew up in St. Catharines, Ontario, which was a great place to live, especially with beautiful Niagara Falls only a short drive away. My parents are wonderful and caring people, and they ensured I had a happy childhood. Although, being born a shy little bundle of stress and anxiety was beyond their control. Even though I was always the quietest person in the room, my mind was racing a mile a minute. What was going on inside my head? Past the barrage of stressful thoughts, I was usually daydreaming and conjuring up stories. To this day I still experience those moments of lost time. My mind still races and wanders till all hours of the night. Even though this can be a bad thing, it’s part of what fuels my desire to be a storyteller. So, I will live with the lack of sleep, and the jolting awake at 5 am to make obscure little notes about a dreamy idea.

As a young boy in school I was always terrified of expressing myself and interacting with others. Fear actually controlled a lot of my life. As a result I deviated away from more outgoing subjects like English, Literature, and Music, instead opting for a more isolated path in the company of Math, Science, and Computing. The choice made sense because I was proficient in Math and Science anyhow. Outside of school I was very much a loner, often finding comfort in quietly drawing, playing video games, watching movies, or tinkering with computers. They were my escape from stress and a portal into fantastic and exciting worlds. I had a slew of video game systems to occupy my time, which included the NES, SNES, Sega Genesis, Sega CD, Sega 32X, Playstation (1,2,3), and XBOX 360. But my favorite by far was the PC. My reading material was Nintendo Power and similar video game magazines. I fondly remember spending hours browsing the magazine racks in smelly little smoke shops, and I loved it. All of these things would form a foundation and constant reminder that the entertainment industry was calling me.

Fast forward to my last two of years at Lakeport High School. That was when I finally started to come out of my shell a bit. I had a tight knit group of friends, learned how to better interact with people, and felt more confident. My school offered an introductory course into computer programming. Since I had spent so many years tinkering with computers, the opportunity was hard to pass up. I immediately signed up for the class and excelled. It was not uncommon for my classmates to tap me on the shoulder and ask for help. I even shamefully did some of their work for them. Bizarrely, on the other side of the school, I somehow found myself in a creative writing class. To my surprise I really enjoyed creative writing and sharing my thoughts, even though it gave me extreme anxiety. Looking back, it seemed the struggle between two vastly different paths had already begun.

In 2002 I attended Brock University with the goal of obtaining a Bachelor of Science degree, majoring in Computer Science. The years were grueling, the work immense, and time crawled by at a sluggish rate. There was also the lingering uncertainty that I had not chosen the right path. During my time in university I had another group of very close friends. But, I often avoided social gatherings outside of school, unless it involved going to the movies or playing video games. As a result I tended to isolate myself further. Even dating was out of my comfort zone. So, I turned to my faithful computer and put myself out there on the internet. I began chatting with my future wife, Tricia, in March of 2004. Tricia helped me come out of my shell during my last few years of university, as she was much more outgoing and confident than me. We traveled to Europe and went on many other exciting adventures together. Our passion for travelling steadily increases and we take off as frequently as we can. I became exhilarated when experiencing a new place, as if electricity was flowing through my veins. Little did I know how much these experiences would shape my life and decisions later on. University started to feel like a second priority, but I stuck it out and graduated in October of 2007. Even though my program was difficult, I am very thankful that I had the opportunity to reach a higher education. The experience gave me many new skills and helped me become a better person. My parents and grandparents even funded my schooling. I am a lucky guy.

After University life seemed to be going smoothly. Only a few months after graduating, I landed a job as a programmer with a video game company named Silicon Knights in St. Catharines. Initially, my job was exciting and seemed perfect. I felt like the luckiest guy in the world. But, after three years I began to grow tired and was uncertain of why. I remember venturing to the second floor of my building and visiting the artists. There was a feeling of jealousy that I was not doing what they were doing. Afterwards, I would return to my cubicle and overhear the writers chatting away in the corner office. The same feeling of longing overcame me. I thought it was too late for me, I was just a programmer and always would be. Things got worse as stress began to mount. Milestones and many hours of overtime soon took their toll on me and many of my coworkers. I told myself that maybe I just needed a change. So, I quit my job and started my own iPhone software development company called Pigeon Toed Productions. During my time as a sole-proprietor I created an iPhone game called Fly-n-BOOM!, which was released in May of 2011. I formed the entire game from the ground up, which included research, design, art, animation, programming, and marketing. During this time I also started a fairly popular YouTube channel. My ‘Let’s Play’ videos were of me playing video games and commenting on the action. People really enjoyed them and it was a great way to release an inner desire to entertain and make people laugh. It almost feels like a contradiction to start an entertaining and comedic YouTube channel, yet insist oneself is an introvert and isolated. Yet somehow that’s what happened. Overall, the journey was a blast and very challenging, but there was still something missing. If I have to be honest, even though Fly-n-BOOM! was a fun project and I am proud of my work, it was misguided and distant from my heart. Afterwards I dabbled in small projects. I worked on a couple of my own video game engines, which were never completed. Between 2012 and 2014 I felt idle and very depressed. I really began to struggle emotionally. My gut was telling me that I needed to change my path again. I had discovered a few things along the way at least. Silicon Knights, my game Fly-n-BOOM!, and my YouTube channel proved that I was still drawn to entertainment and art.

After so many years of programming and sitting at a desk, I realized that it was enough. My first thought was to do something completely different, but what? I was thinking outdoors, animals, fresh air, and excitement. Hmm not very specific. I like cooking, should I become a chef? I like travelling, what about a truck driver? Or a travel agent? No, no, something with animals, that has to be it. My mind was all over the place! I found a local horse training facility in Youngstown, New York and began volunteering. It was a phenomenal time and very dear to my heart. I helped out around the stables and in exchange learned to ride and take care of beautiful horses. Unfortunately, I developed trigger finger and my hands ached constantly. However, I worked through the discomfort and soaked in the fulfilling experience. Unfortunately, it was not obvious how to turn what I was doing into a career, or at least it would be very difficult. So what did I do next? The most obvious thing really…I became an animal rescue driver for the PetSmart Charities Rescue Waggin’ program. I know, I know, crazy right? it made so much sense at the time though. After all, I really loved animals and it was incredibly rewarding saving cute dogs. I also got to travel across the north-eastern United States and see new places. Sadly I was on the road for five days a week, and most of that time was stuck in a cramped van pulling insane hours. At least I was on the right track by veering away from programming. Honestly, I still wasn’t quite sure where I needed to be. A trend was starting to occur at least, I was following what I was passionate about.

Much is clear to me now. One of my strongest passions has always been story telling and art. Even though some my previous jobs were in the entertainment industry, I felt detached from the exciting elements, or overburdened with the mundane ones. Story telling and art might seem like a whisper up until this point, hiding in the background. Maybe that is because I have not written much about what I did with my free time, beyond video games and movies. I would often spend countless hours drawing and painting at my desk. Then, I would rack up more hours reading books and watching videos about drawing and painting. The buzz was always there when I was doing these activities. It was not until I became more proficient that I asked myself, can I draw or write for a living? Can I make a career out of telling stories? It felt right. Although, becoming a professional artist or writer always seemed like something unattainable.

As I read over what I have just written, I admit it feels like a puzzle where the pieces do not quite fit together. Life is just not that simple. But, here I am with a goal of becoming a published author and professional artist. It is a new and exhilarating journey into a familiar, yet somewhat unknown world. I have a desire to write novels, take on freelance work, work for an entertainment company, or just do my own thing. It is important that I keep learning, and I would like to ease into a teaching role at some point as well.

Thank you for stopping by and please feel free to contact me anytime. I hope to build a friendship with you, and anyone else who loves the same things that I do.

Mike

Beyond art and writing, some of my favorite times have been travelling, cooking, horseback riding, kayaking, dirt biking, hiking, playing video games, and watching movies.

Skills

Software proficiency

Photoshop

Illustrator

SketchUp

DAZ Studio

Blender