All new ideas need to start somewhere, and sketchbooks are the first place they are written down, whether the ideas come from an artist, engineer, scientist, musician, writer, or any other person whose profession is to create new ideas. It’s my favorite part of the creative process, and sometimes I think it’s more enjoyable to go through a sketchbook than it is to see the final product that it leads to. What I like most is that it’s the part of the process that is the least constrained by outside influences. Drawings don’t need to be perfect, there are no worries about how the public will react, and it’s okay if there are grammar and spelling errors. Unfortunately, you seldom get to see this part of the creative process.

I think many people are intimidated by the creative process, because all they ever see is the end product, and they think they could never create something so perfect. They never get to see the years of ideas and revisions that were necessary to create the final product. I think people would be less intimidated if they got to see this side of the process.

I’m interested in a lot of different subjects, and I have a lot of ideas about these subjects. This website gives me a place to collect these ideas, and get feedback from other people. That’s why I call it my online sketchbook. Sometimes these ideas have no relation to one another, sometimes they are barely coherent and require more work to make something meaningful, and sometimes they will have to be abandoned entirely.

My background is in chemical engineering, and I have been employed as both a chemist and engineer for nearly 15 years. So I have a great appreciation for science, technology, and engineering, and I think this influences how I approach other subjects. Writing and drawing are two of my favorite subjects, and I think both have been influenced by my background. Some of my other favorite subjects that I may explore occasionally include comedy, martial arts, philosophy, Legos, and outdoors activities, among any other random subjects that may catch my interest.

I’m not sure what ideas will come out of this sketchbook, but my hope is that something lasting will come out of it and you can say that you were present when the initial ideas were formed, especially if you provided useful feedback to me.