New Kid In School

When I first landed here in L.A. I moved into an area known as The NoHo Arts district. Located in a pocket of the San Fernando Valley called North Hollywood. Apparently this area used to be the equivalent of a demilitarized zone and then people with lots and lots of money came in and started buying up all of the property and turned it into a thriving area of business and art with trendy shops, restaurants, and nightlife, not to mention overly priced apartment complexes. During my time living in this area a construction company broke ground on a massive project just a stones throw from my back balcony. I could see the construction and hear all of the racket, but assumed that it would be nothing more than a generic office high rise. Little did I know that this structure would be providing me with my future education. The Art Institute of California, Hollywood. I had done the whole school bit after high school and it wasn't my thing. I even attended cosmetology school in Kansas City, but like most early twenty-something gay men I decided to party and dropped out. True story, I'm a beauty school drop out. I never thought about nor had any desire to return to any level of higher education. I was stubborn and far too consumed with my party boy ways to be bothered with school and I thought I was too old. Now after a very roller coaster year I'm proud to say that I'm once again giving college a go. This time I'll be going for a Bachelor of Science in Media Arts and Animation. The campus is brand new and full of every kind of artsy-fartsy, high tech, movie making gadget you can think of. Since the school is located right next to Universal and Warner Brothers Studios the overall atmosphere of the campus is very "film industry", which isn't a bad thing. I'm a 35 year old freshman just closing my second quarter at A.I. and I'm welcoming every opportunity that this school is providing me with. I'm a self taught artist until now and the experience is tremendous and exhausting all at once. I'm learning new ways to draw and different ways to develop my craft. This is just the beginning of a long journey. The next chapter of my life after turning the page on a very dark one. I'm willing to learn. Ready to create and truly blessed to have this.