My Creative Journey
I have lived a life dedicated to arts and communication. I have always loved being around creative people. It is in my DNA. No one showed me the way in life. I found my own way.
Posing for a photo shoot in Bethany, CT, during my high school years. Photographer, Steve Lewis.
Performing continuity on a student film during my undergraduate year at New York University.
After my first year at NYU my father suddenly withdrew financial support because he
did not want me to pursue a life in New York City. So I took a year off and figured out
how to make my own way.
Student pass while studying for a Bachelor of Fine Arts at School of Visual Arts.
I graduated with honors by unanimous vote.
I graduated with honors by unanimous vote.
One day, soon after graduating from SVA, I was hired to work in an art department at
Fairchild Publications. Six months later I was promoted to Art Director of their footwear publication. Who knew one could make money art directing shoes?
Art directing a photo shoot in Coney Island, Brooklyn for Footwear News.
Photographer: Mahlon Robinson.
Styling a shot as art director of Footwear News, a weekly tabloid where I was also founding art director of Footwear News Magazine. Footwear News was a part of Fairchild Publications and was my first job in publishing. Fairchild was located in Greenwich Village, walking distance from my apartment in Soho, a location that met my criteria for never venturing north of 14th Street.
Hamming it up on a cover shoot that I art directed for Footwear News Magazine. I invited film director Martin Brest to pose as Charlie Chaplin. I also did all of the styling for the shoot.
Pausing during a photo shoot for Slimmer, a health and fitness magazine in Los Angeles. I lived in Los Angele for a year in my late twenties and was very productive there but I missed the New York City publishing world. Polaroid by Raul Vega.
Posing at the top of the Empire State Building for a photo shoot for a J.C. Suares book.
Photos by Don Hammerman.
Above
Setting up a cover shoot for Personal Computing magazine where I did a comprehensive redesign. Personal Computing was a part of Hayden Publishing, which was located in Hasbrouck Heights, NJ, just a few miles out from the beautiful George Washington Bridge. Personal Computing was my first art direction job for a major consumer publication.
Below
The legendary photographers Carl Fischer and Curt Richter took my photograph.
Left: Photograph by Carl Fischer. Right: Photograph by Curt Richter.
On my way to a meeting. I was Associate Art Director of Money magazine, located in the Time Life Building at Rockefeller Center across from Radio City Music Hall. In addition to being chief designer, I was responsible for assisting with staffing and tracking scheduling.
In my office at the top of the Time Life building where I was
Founding Art Director of Fortune Small Business magazine.
Striking a pose during a photo shoot for our Editor's Note at Fortune Small Business magazine.
All things come to pass. When the dot com bubble burst in December 1999 and the magazine business imploded, I regrouped, bought a home in Bloomfield, NJ, and created a home office where I worked for ten years billing out 400 jobs for numerous clients in New Jersey. It was another time of creative discovery, released from the pressures of the corporate world, and I thrived.
In another surprise, I found myself working in the wonderful world of Apple Inc. for eleven-plus years, in three different locations, including the magnificent Soho store. It was an extraordinary experience and another form of communication, in this case customer-facing. I also maintained my home office and never stopped designing.
Then I sent myself back to school. The world was changing fast. Here I am presenting my capstone project on rebranding at New York University, where I got my Master of Arts.
At NYU, I earned my Master of Arts in Graphic Communications, Management, & Technology.
My life had come full circle.
Magazine art direction was wondrous in its heyday.
Below are some Editor's Notes I have been featured in over the years.
Below are some Editor's Notes I have been featured in over the years.
Click on any page to enlarge, then click the little x on the upper right to come back.
