I'm still just the kid who won't stop making things.

I've been making things since before I knew it was a job. As a kid I drew and wrote and built constantly — all day, every day. In high school I went to a career school to learn digital design: film, photography, code, music, games, whatever they'd teach me. I studied fine art in college — charcoal and canvas — then dropped out and joined the Marines as a combat photographer.

That's where it clicked. I'd edit my photos in Photoshop and keep asking the same question: how do I do this? How'd they do that? I taught myself off YouTube, one video at a time. First it was physical — posters I'd design, print on a large-format printer, glue to board, and cut by hand. I've still got the scar to prove it. Then websites. Then I started rebuilding other people's sites and magazine covers just to understand how they were made.

When Steve Jobs announced the App Store, something locked in. I wanted to build things people carry with them — an experience that rides in someone's pocket wherever they go. The biggest thrill I can think of is watching a stranger use something I made and having no idea it was mine.

I've been chasing that since 2010. A lot of ideas, a lot of failures, and more than a few times I was told I wasn't the guy. The one thing I did consistently was keep going. That's how I went from making brochures to leading design at companies that got acquired — first designer to head of design at Hush, then again at Spin — and eventually to building my own studio, Boneyard, where I make my own products and work with teams at companies like Google, Apple, and Very Good Ventures.