Encourage A Young Writer Day

This is the day I have chosen to make my first blog post. April 10th is officially "Encourage a Young Writer Day." Youth is a state of mind. How old I am or you are does not matter. The inference applies. What is this blog all about you ask? In reference to the name, I'll make it simple:
This blog is about ART.

Art is a difficult topic to define. One of my favorite phrases is "If all else fails, call it art." I choose to define it as the realization of dreams. I make dreams a reality. The specific concept might be relatable in print, words, audio, or in a physical state. So who am I really, and what am I doing putting all my thoughts out there for the world to see? I want you to see my thoughts. I want you to share my vision.

I have recently closed one of my greatest endeavors to pursue something more expansive. Ora Trei Designs was a virtual world fashion label that has been frequently called THE brand of 2009. From open to close these graphic designs were only available for approximately a year. During that time I learned more about myself than I ever thought possible. I learned more about others than I ever thought could be.

My handle in the virtual world of Second Life, or SL for short, was Potnia Theas. This world was my inspiriation and my training ground. I graphically created several fashion labels using Adobe Photoshop and Jasc Paint Shop Pro 9, the most prominent of which was OTD. This is an extremely complex process to learn. It took a year of development and another year of execution to create the OTD label. I have taught a six week course on how to design in this world effectively.

I made more close friends than I can count. Many of the people were "1st life" professionals in graphic design or marketing. This was my inspiration to return to college and obtain a degree in Visual Communications. Now I plan to replicate the process I followed in Second Life in my first life.

Many people I know have said that I became a Second Life celebrity. I say as long as there are new frontiers to cover you must continually reinvent yourself. Always believe there is something new to accomplish.

As you follow my progress and my process, please take note of the ups and downs, the silences and the times of extreme activity. Life is an art, too. In parting, I would like to remind my readers to never give up on your dreams. Success is based on consistent efforts.