My Story
I was 16 when I started writing to an audience. I would write travel entries on skateboarding trips, back when life was one big unpaid tour. In those days, a blog was really just a long forum. I didn’t realize it, but I was contributing to skateboarding journalism, and although my contribution has been minor and my work mostly unread, I hold this knowledge with much pride. I am still writing for that same publication today: Toebock INdustries.
Yet, it was not until my early 20s that the true power of writing showed itself. In moments most grim, I would get lost in writing a poem or a short story, and before I knew it, the hefty weight in my chest would subside and set back behind the breastbone. I fell in love with writing and knew that no matter how complicated life got, writing would be there. For once, I felt like I had a purpose. When I pondered failure, I knew none of that mattered because I was willing to fail as many times as it took to succeed. Writing is that special place I have been searching for all my life, and even if I die trying to make it great without doing so, I’ll still pass pleasingly.
Then to Then
In 2015, I decided to explore my love for writing by enrolling in college. Just before I enrolled in school, I released my first large online project, a digital novella titled The Court Tour. This personal accomplishment and the implementation of academia gave me the confidence to start trying to make a living writing. In the beginning, I either wrote 500-700-word articles for $1.50 apiece or I simply got scammed for my work. There were a lot of growing pains to be endured. But passion kept me rolling… and obsession.
In January 2020, I self-published my first print publication, a collection of poetry titled PorchSide Poems. The Fall of 2022 marked my graduation from the University of Arizona Global Campus, where I received my BA in English. Having no real academic background (I was a high school dropout with no GED), this marked a HUGE accomplishment for me. In 2024, I self-published my second book of poems, character. I also continue to write pieces about skateboarders, their journeys, and the phenomenal lives that they lead.
On the Horizon
I must live to become the best writer that I can be. To never stop learning. To always remain curious. To always stay dedicated to the work. All these years later, writing still remains the raft that keeps me afloat, even through the toughest of times. And I will continue riding that raft until the ride is done.
Whether it be through a poem, an essay, or a short story, my goal is to use the craft of storytelling to immerse the reader in an experience. Because experience is our only rope to the heavens beyond. I can’t tell you how many times I have been lost and found myself in a great book. Good writing has liberated me when life has shackled me–it has cleared the thick clouds above–it has saved me. So, I will never stop striving to gift that same experience to my readers. It is my purpose to put power on the page. And I wear that purpose with pride.