by Design
New Member
Graduation from High School occurred in 1983 and shortly after that I was commissioned to do my first sign. It was a 4’x8’ MDO. The results were not too bad having had zero experience. I should have realized then that Sings/Graphics should have been my vocation but I chose to go to college instead. After floundering for a few semesters, I realized that the major I had selected for myself was incredibly boring, so I switched directions and decided to pursue something more creative. During my last semester, I decided that it was going to be my last.
A relationship with my girlfriend was developing nicely and it was time to make better choices and decisions. I thought about that 4’x8’ that I had previously constructed and I soon realized that was the road I wanted to travel. I concluded that I wanted to try to enter the profession by further developing my airbrush skills. I traveled to Chicago and enlisted in a well established Airbrush class.
Upon returning I pursued employment in about every shop in Indy. I finally found someone who was willing to hire me, but NOT because of my airbrush skills. Instead he wanted to hire me to learn how to operate a new piece of equipment he had just purchased, a Gerber 4B. It was a tremendous opportunity. He was paying me to learn and I was loving it. I enjoyed all types of sign work and also silk screening. My favorite work was sandblasted signs. My employment lasted 2 ½ years. From there I moved to my current employer where I have been employed more than 18 years. For better or worse, my scope of work drastically changed and I found myself doing only design work for vehicles, fleets and emergency equipment. Ironically, I have never used my airbrush in my professional career.
I really miss constructing and designing signs especially the first class “Signcraft” type. My hero of the profession was Mike Stevens.
It is good to be here.
A relationship with my girlfriend was developing nicely and it was time to make better choices and decisions. I thought about that 4’x8’ that I had previously constructed and I soon realized that was the road I wanted to travel. I concluded that I wanted to try to enter the profession by further developing my airbrush skills. I traveled to Chicago and enlisted in a well established Airbrush class.
Upon returning I pursued employment in about every shop in Indy. I finally found someone who was willing to hire me, but NOT because of my airbrush skills. Instead he wanted to hire me to learn how to operate a new piece of equipment he had just purchased, a Gerber 4B. It was a tremendous opportunity. He was paying me to learn and I was loving it. I enjoyed all types of sign work and also silk screening. My favorite work was sandblasted signs. My employment lasted 2 ½ years. From there I moved to my current employer where I have been employed more than 18 years. For better or worse, my scope of work drastically changed and I found myself doing only design work for vehicles, fleets and emergency equipment. Ironically, I have never used my airbrush in my professional career.
I really miss constructing and designing signs especially the first class “Signcraft” type. My hero of the profession was Mike Stevens.
It is good to be here.
