One of Chris’ alter-egos, Ol’ Dirty Blue Eyes™ (the Pink Tiger), with Shaggy (the Orange Fox) and Professor (the Green Lamb). h/t You’re Next
Creative for Life™
FYI & FWIW, Chris does not really enjoy having his picture taken. At least not posed. He took this selfie with his iPhone on November 18, 2023. The only retouching to the image is the black-and-white conversion.
Chris is a lifelong Creative¹ of Color².
Chris was raised (separately) by a mother who has always been a writer³ and a father who has always been a visual artist.⁴ Chris’ English step-father was a semi-pro water polo player who became a very pro successful entrepreneur and gave him his first, early taste of professional creative freedom⁵.
He grew up creating in two disciplines — words and imagery — simultaneously. By the time he was in high school, he was covering his bedroom in graffiti⁶ and designing clothes⁷, writing award-winning poetry⁸, being the cartoonist for the school paper and yearbook editor. When he got to college, he was designing logos and best-selling shirts⁹ for student groups and events and also having opinion pieces published in the local paper¹⁰. So, it came as a bit of a rude awakening when he got into the agency world, and he seemed to have to pick a lane¹¹.
A West Coast¹² native who has been living in the greater St. Louis area¹³ for the past decade, home is where Chris lays his head.
AntiGuru™, another alter-ego,
Chris has been clean and sober¹⁴ since September 1, 1997 and is the founder and co-host¹⁵ of the irreverent weekly addiction recovery vod/podcast: Since Right Now¹⁶.
Chris doesn't always write about himself in the third person but when he does, we do too¹⁷.
Chris can be equal parts irreverent (there’s that word again) cut-up¹⁸, socially anxious, passionately intense¹⁹, and introverted. Because of this, he has developed a keen sense of self-awareness.²⁰
Allyships + Pledges + Associations + Memberships
FOOTNOTES / Tip: Click and drag your cursor to select and highlight an item for greater legibility.
1/graphic designer, writer, art/creative director, brand identity, illustrator • 2/Latino: 2nd gen Mex-Am. • 3/She holds annual writers’ retreats now; one of the attendees is a great, great, granddaughter of Georg and Maria Von Trapp. • 4/He paints regularly and shows occasionally. The best place to see his work is on Euclid in the CWE of STL (He’s a regular street poster on hot button issues.) • 5/Chris designed the logos for two of his stepfather’s businesses and the monthly newsletter for a third. • 6/He can’t believe his mom and step-dad let him either. And, yes, they did regret it when Chris moved out and it came time to repaint the room. • 7/Chris’ tailoring skills were not up to his aspirations as a couturier, thankfully, his mother gamely served as his seamstress. • 8/Chris’ poetry career, like his fashion designer career, began and ended in high school. • 9/His “Screw the Bears” shirt featuring a giant screw driven through the chest of a cute teddy bear was a big seller for the 1985 Stanford v. Berkeley game. • 10/Of note was a scathing, if somewhat naïve, takedown of the glaring inequity between Palo Alto and East Palo Alto. • 11/At the time I picked “Art Director” and I remember having the distinction made very clear to me when I thought I might “punch up” some copy I was designing around and when the copywriter noticed, he demanded that I, “…just put it in the way (he) fucking wrote it!”. • 12/Palo Alto & Berkeley, CA + Olympia & Seattle, WA. • 13/ATM, Kirkwood. • 14/Since September 1, 1997, from alcohol and other drugs. • 15/And producer, and engineer, and booker, etc. • 16/Currently on hiatus after its sixth season and over 200 episodes. • 17/We've also got a thing for footnotes. • 18/Some might say, “goofy-ass m*therfucker”. • 19/Some might say, “intensely passionate”. • 20/Like, I’m pretty sure these footnotes are wildly annoying to some (most?), and to you, I apologize, but I genuinely enjoyed crafting this. Soo … 🤷♂️
Places I’ve Called Home
(And One That Felt Like It)
“No matter where you go, there you are.”
– Thomas à Kempis via Buckaroo Banzai
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