I don’t post up much about my son because I struggle with the duality of being a proud father and a protective one. I want to share this awesome kid with the world, but I don’t want him to be overexposed to the world. I also don’t want to be that guy that shares every single picture and story of his kid only to bore the crap out of anyone that happens to get caught in earshot. It’s a personal battle I go through every time he does something I think is cool. However, something happened this morning that gave me some perspective on both his life and a little of mine … he rolled over onto his belly while sleeping, twice.

Ok, nothing earth shattering, but when you watch it happen over time, it’s truly amazing. My baby is quickly becoming a little boy and each new day brings about new growth and development. He makes these tiny little changes and soon the become bigger things. It went from kicking his legs to twisting back and forth to turning on his side and then finally getting the arm strength to push himself over completely. Next he’ll be pushing himself up on his knees and trying to scooch across the room. I’ll be baby proofing the entire house in no time, I’m sure.

Although sometimes I just want my little guy to stay little, I also revel in watching him develop, learn and grow. It’s an amazing spectacle and I have a ringside seat, but what does this have to do with me?

Although I’ve dabbled in many different art projects, I’m really focused on Beach Cities right now. I look back on my first piece and even though some really like it, I realize how much my work has grown just in the few short months I’ve been doing it. I’ve been a professional graphic artist for going on 14 years now, so you’d think I would have my style and skill honed pretty finely but I am still learning with each new project. Some are better than others, but each piece gets me a little further ahead.

On top of that, as I progress with my work, I pick up new fans along the way. With the new fans comes new people willing to share my work with their inner circles, which brings about new types of fans and also new kinds of work. I just finished my first private commission (to be posted later) for a fellow artist and it was one of the most rewarding experiences of my short career as a digital artist. I’m sure not all commissions will go this smooth, but the challenge of doing my work to the specific standards of another can only take me to new places in my development.

I know that my current work is pretty commercial and far from experimental. I realize I’m tapping into a general population of individuals rather than looking for avant garde collectors, but that doesn’t mean that I won’t get there eventually. I am currently working on a more ambitious piece than anything I’ve done to date and dealing with the challenge of pushing myself to be more experimental. I like where it’s going, but I know in 6 months or a year I’ll look back and think I could have done more/better. It’s the nature of being an artist and I can only hope it keeps taking me into new and better directions.

Is that kid cute or what?

Stealing an idea from my friend, Kelly, I turn this back on you. What are you doing to push your work in new and exciting directions. Comment here or write about and share the links.