I was born in Gulfport, Mississippi I spent most of my childhood in Morgantown, West Virginia where I enlisted in the Marine Corps in 2004 right after graduation. I served in two tours to Iraq, where I was injured. I ranked up to Sergeant in the Corps before being medically retired in 2009 due to PTSD, TBI and other physical issues.

I have been married to my wife, Lyndsay for (almost) 14 years now and we have three children; Madelyn, Brantly and Kenzie. We homeschool our children and enjoy traveling as a family.

I have always enjoyed art and seemed to excel in it naturally. In 2014 I started art therapy when I was in a very bad spot mentally. Being able to utilize art therapy as a module for healing allowed me to dig deeper into the hard roots of my PTSD that were destroying my life. It gave me an outlet to express myself creatively without thinking or having borders. My art therapist pushed me to understand my damaging triggers, and art allowed me to convey my thoughts in an organic way. It has continued to be influential in my ability to express myself today in my relationship with others.

I continue to use art today, (though not as often as I would like) as a hobby to express myself. While I prefer to use charcoal, pastel or drawing if available I don't have a favorite genre but enjoy utilizing different techniques based on what I am trying to create/express.

The artwork piece I have chosen today is a piece I've created. This piece is expressing my struggles with PTSD and TBI.