I loved coloring as a child. Well, that is until the very first day of school. I gleefully started as soon as my teacher brought out the crayons. I was in a state of mindfulness and transcendence that we strive for as adults. I was lost in the world of colors. That ended abruptly and harshly as soon as the teacher saw my work.

She told me that I was doing it WRONG. I didn't understand. How could coloring be wrong? "One must always color within the lines," I was told. Elation immediately turned to shame. Something magical had turned into a joyless and tedious task. I never particularly cared for coloring after that.

I went through life hiding my [WRONG] self behind a dull grey veneer until my wonderful wife encouraged me to pursue my passions. I returned to university to study music composition with numerous award-winning and world-class musicians. The experience was transcendent, and I eventually joined the faculty myself. However, it seemed like we were all clinging to a small raft of Western Music tradition in a sea of endless possibilities. I wanted to explore that sea.

For the first time, I wrote an uninhibited work without concern for external approval or academic merit. It broke open the cage my inner self in when I was young. I immediately started painting for the first time since I was that child, and have never stopped.

Find your true voice and paint the world with it.