Day 01 – The Architect

Greetings and thank you for agreeing to join me on this adventure. Not here of your own free will? That’s okay – nobody’s perfect. As this is day one, I’ll start with a tough subject: me, aka The Architect. While this might seem a bit pretentious at first, you’ll get over it soon enough. My real name is John and I reside in this madness of thought and imagination: Dream Jungle Studios is my creation. I fancy myself a designer, a creator, and a dreamer. Born and raised in Colorado, I’ve lived in the Centennial state for all but eleven years of my life. This is always an interesting point to note because most people swear I’m from Michigan. Though I did live there for approximately 6 years in total, the truth of the matter is that my father was the one from Michigan and I simply grew up deeply enamored with the state thanks to my strong “sports inheritance” (Lions and Tigers and – oh no, definitely not Bears – Pistons and Red Wings and Wolverines). My mother is from Thailand, where she met my dad some 50 years ago, and gave me a strong heart and thoughtful mind. Side note: the fact that I’m part Thai seems to throw people off because I guess it’s hard to place my heritage by examining my face (or even by comparing me to my siblings), but I digress; these facts are neither here nor there – really just some tidbits for the quiz we’re having later.

As a kid, I really embraced imagination through LEGOs, make-believe, drawing, and even writing. When I graduated high school, I thought it was my destiny to become an engineer because I wanted to build things and invent and create. It wasn’t until several failures to hit any kind of stride in college that life forced me to re-evaluate my interests. I even considered becoming a writer (more on that for another time). Following a full relocation for my wife’s career and some deep soul-searching, I enrolled in an Industrial Design (ID) program in Portland, OR where I studied art and design. After three years and 2.5 kids (one was in the oven), I graduated with my Bachelor of Science degree in ID and we moved back to Colorado to be closer to family.

Over the next few years, we’ll just say that I struggled to manage my mental well-being and had some major bouts of low self-esteem regarding my talent level. I didn’t design much of anything, feeling dejected, and walked away from creative pursuits for a while. Disclaimer: I didn’t bring you along to drag everything down (chin up) – but I do feel it’s important to be honest and upfront. Hopefully sharing some perspective on my background provides better insight on where I’ve been and opens up an opportunity for us to connect and relate on a personal level. I still encounter self-doubt and battle with insecurities concerning my skills and abilities, but I’ve learned a lot about accepting that we’re all human (at least as far as I can tell anyway) and that failure is an important experience on the path to future victories, both big and small. Dream Jungle Studios is built with the belief that anything is possible and I encourage you to follow us and maybe share a journey from figment to reality.

Now who’s ready for that quiz?

– JL