I was digging through some old archives on Omega zip disks, (remember those?) that I found in a box while cleaning out the garage. Therein I found this treasure. An old project to design a shaft and gear for an air compressor.

For all you engineers out there, maybe you remember a particular instructor, or project that had a major influence on you? Mine was the designing of a this compressor gear. I went a little overboard creating an illustrated report, and animation. To wit, my instructor, Professor Tom Gavigon, gave me an A+. (Certainly better than the A- I received in chemistry. I guess balancing equations wasn't to my liking, and I didn't get to blow stuff up either).

Here's the report.

It was also my first foray into 3D animation and graphic design. Important skills I would acquire during my product development and testing days.

While my desire for the arts had me trade in my lab coat (and pocket protector) for Ray ban's and faded jeans. What I learned in engineering influenced me greatly in how I approach and solve problems in the studio. Such as understanding the properties of light, reflections and shadows, and how all these influence one another. The studio became the new lab, my setup or rig was the testing station, and end result, the Art, was the 'invention' for the day.

Yes, it's kinda geeky, but in a cool way, and I can only describe it by a single word that I use often: Artineering.

It's important to understand the value of an education. I'm not talking about racking up the degrees. I talking about the process of always asking questions, and seeking answers by reading, or from the teachings of others. Like the saying goes, we are what we eat. We are what we learn.

-Keep shooting.