About Me

For me, joy in work lies in finding what I love and spending as much time as possible doing it. I have been fortunate to have found many such loves. I have worked as a professional cook and a photographer. I spent 25 years working as a commercial artist and at the helm of various graphic communications companies. I have advanced degrees in anthropology from the University of California Santa Barbara and work as an archaeologist specializing in the use of geographic information systems (GIS) in field data collection, mapping, and hunter-gatherer studies. I am also a musician and a luthier (maker of stringed instruments, in my case banjos and ukuleles).

At times in my life I have worked at one profession single-mindedly and at other times I have sought to wed together many passions. After reading all of that, it probably is no surprise to you that I love maps and the art of cartography. BeyondMaps brings all these loves together in a very cohesive way. I get to help all sorts of people on so many interesting projects. I get to collaborate with authors, entrepreneurs, scientists, activists, and others creating maps. Maps are like graphic poems - pieces with the purpose of conveying information quickly, efficiently, and with maximum impact. And all of those projects I help people with help me to look at and perfect my art in new ways every day. Working at what I love helping people and improving every day - what higher aspiration could I have?