That’s where it all started: colorful art within sequential stories. What else could a nerdy 11-year-old want? All it took was one X-Men comic, and from that point on, I had a comic with me everywhere I went.

In no time, my latest comic book was joined by a sketchbook and a mechanical pencil. As soon as I finished reading an issue, I would spend the following hours drawing my favorite characters. That eventually led me to sketch out my own comic creations—and their logos—with dreams of illustrating my own comics one day.

By now, it’s fairly easy to see where the story went. I went to art school, studied graphic design, and for the past 20-odd years, I’ve found my place in various agencies as a designer, director, and illustrator.

After all this time working in the industry, I’ve learned that everything comes down to one thing—storytelling. Whether it’s developing visuals for a company’s rebrand, directing/editing a video for a life sciences corporation, or illustrating a poster for a local play, storytelling is at the core of everything I do.

And speaking of storytelling—yes, I eventually illustrated a story for a comic book.