Next time, Ted... next time.

Mitch, I emailed you my Skype name. See you then!

Blake - I sent you a Facebook invite. Come over whenever.

See you then!

This is great Dave. There is a consistent flow of emotional experiences while you were searching for inspiration and pursuing relationships. Very interesting stuff.

I love this so much. It's a beautiful story!

1982: Born in Elmhurst, IL into a family of four: my dad, my mom, my older brother Jon, and me.

1989: My little brother Jim was born because my parents loved each other very much.

1991: Moved to Rutland, VT after my dad took a job as the lead pastor near his hometown.

2001: Attended SCAD to study "Computer Art" and explore video/animation/graphics/motion/web.

2003: Changed my major to Film since I loved working with diverse teams on big projects.

2004: Started a design collective called Dandy Dwarves with my three best friends: Britt, Charpie, and Kevin because we wanted to make amazing things together.

2005: Finished my thesis project, graduated from SCAD, transitioned the collective to an official company, and fell in love with the girl of my dreams - Amy.

2007: Proposed to Amy because I realized I couldn't picture my future without her.

2007: Two months later, we married and moved to San Rafael, CA with my friends Andrew and Christian for a fresh start in another beautiful city with a larger media production industry.

2009: Amy and I moved to LA to live in a bigger city and work with a bunch of amazing people.

2010: Burned out, got depressed, and refocused my work and creative mindset into a new direction.

2011: Was asked to come back to SCAD for a 6-month project with Andre 3000.

2011: Decided to stay in Savannah, buy a house, close down the business, and pursue my current position as the Creative Director of the Collaborative Learning Center at SCAD, which is a multidisciplinary "think tank" for industry-sponsored design projects.

Up Next: Is it time to start trying for a family? And of course, HOW WILL I CHANGE THE WORLD??

I do indeed! And after thinking about it, I plan to take a few smaller steps to help make this first step more achievable for everyone.

It's a pretty vital starting point but it's also a pretty hard thing to do. Any thoughts/ideas for smaller steps that could be taken or exploratory questions that could be asked?

The earliest dream I can remember was wanting to be an elf in Santa's workshop. That's what I wanted to be when I grew up. I would daydream about working with a team of the craftiest artisans the world had ever know, as we all whistled while we worked, making the most amazing toys that anyone could ever imagine.

In middle school, I never lost sight of designing toys and gifting gifts but I started to obsess about the idea of building a treehouse in the woods behind my house. I went as far as developing an eight page proposal, budget and all, to present to my parents.

I never built that treehouse but never forgot about that dream either (as some of you know) and over time that vision morphed into a more "practical" idea of building a secret game room above my garage that my friends and I could access from a hidden door in my closet.

Whenever I thought about my future "adult life" I would always dream about designing my own house and having a family. I would, of course, incorporate a secret room or two for me and the kids. Then with the house complete, I'd move on to making the best amusement park in the world.

Seeing all of this together I'm wondering why I never chose to be a toy designer or architect, but I guess theres's still time to incorporate a few of these dreams into a plan to change the world.

I love it Ted. Good stuff