Some of you all knew this and some of you are finding out, for the first time. March will be the last month that I reside, in California.

Throughout my 30 years of existence, I dreamt of becoming a better person. I remember when I wanted to be a DJ and a stand-up comedian. Before I graduated college, I wanted to be a master of Horror. I spent seven years at Colorado State University-Pueblo and received a bachelor’s degree in Broadcast Journalism. Then, I barely graduated (2.7 GPA) but I did it.

I often spoke of the concerts I attended. Then, I bought an extra ticket to every concert for a friend. I never asked for a quarter and I just wanted them to have a good time. I wrote about Sasha, John Digweed, Nate Galusha, Justin Brown, Harley Westerholt, Russ Cole and Ty Tek. Close enough.

Before my three year residency, in Los Angeles— I earned the opportunity of a lifetime. I apprenticed for my favorite Master of Horror, Clive Barker. I’ve said this many times and I’ll say it again—he taught me how to write. I’ve learned many things from his former and current staffs. I learned to write Horror that was realistic, write fiction and how to make it personal. Clive granted me one of a few lifetime memberships to the compound and I became an official family member. Close enough.

The television show, “Martin”, played a huge role in my life. In my second year, I helped come up with comedic material for Martin Lawrence’s company, Runteldat Entertainment. I had everyone bursting into tears with laughter, with my ideas. It lasted four months and it was worth every second. Close enough.

I combined my love of writing and music and became a concert journalist. Then—God gave me the opportunity to see 50+ years of music, write 100+ articles and I only had to pay for parking and concert t-shirts. I stuck to a career that put my degree to good use. Karma. Close enough.

The moral of this story is that you cannot dream the same dream, whenever you sleep. You have to keep dreaming. I am going to continue this journalism journey and write 100 articles, in each time zone. Perhaps, write and publish more books. I was thinking the world but I’ll be happy with Denver, Austin and New York.

Close. Enough.

After I read “Mister B. Gone”, I wrote Clive Barker’s people. I needed an internship to graduate college. When I read it, one strange incident occurred. I was lying on my stomach and I was reading what the main character, Jakabok Botch, had to say. He said he was jumping on my page. The ceiling fan wasn’t on and I looked over to the page and it was moving. The story involves the Gutenberg Press, the first printing press.

When Clive interviewed me for my internship, he asked why I wanted it.
I responded with, “Because I want to be just like you. The books, the video games, the toys, the comic books…”
“…The whole shebang?” He asked.
I replied. “Yes. The whole shebang.”

I earned the internship, after three questions.  Upon my arrival—he told me to write him every week, for a year.  With that, he turned me into a writer. He taught me to put everything I had into words. Then, Colorado State University-Pueblo turned me into a journalist. I enjoyed writing about the concerts that I saw, rather than the campus happenings.

When I got home, I studied all of the interviews Clive was in. I learned so much from them and it taught me about whom he is, as an artist. When he talks about his paintings and his techniques, it opened my eyes. You don’t need a brush, all the time. You can use sharp tools, your hands and whatever else you can find around you.

Then, I stumbled upon this interview of Clive. I wanted to share this excerpt with you:

“What matters is there’s something in you. Which is unique to you and that’s the only thing that matters. Not being the next Clive Barker. Not being the next Stephen King. Not being the next Steven Spielberg. Whatever. What matters is being the next whoever you are. The only whoever you are and right or wrong—I’m the only Clive Barker.”

-       Clive Barker, “Abarat – The Artist’s Passion”

Currently, I am one of Clive’s artists. I love writing about musicians. They are my favorite artists. First, I am an artist. Then, I am a journalist. I will continue to put everything I have into my words. I think that’s why I look at articles as a painting, before anything else. Everything came back full circle and I evolved with it.   

Be you.