I started out my career in design straight after college as a 3D parametric modeller, designing components for an engineering company and then moving on to designing toys for children with special needs. My love for design evolved with time and I moved from job to job until I finally found my true passion in web. I landed myself a junior role back in 2009 as a designer and haven't left the industry since! I currently work at the amazing Stickyeyes in Leeds city centre as designer & front-end developer. I try keep myself ahead of the curve when it comes to the most recent web technologies so I'm always researching and messing around with things on Codepen, you can check out some of my demos here.

I have played the drums since I was 12 so I'm always itching to blast out a few beats on the kit after a hard days work. I'm one of those annoying guys who is constantly tapping on things! I started out playing when I was at school after seeing an older student playing. It just looked like so much fun that I had to try it. A couple of lessons later and I was hooked. I could say that playing the drums is a little like design in that you shouldn't be afraid to try something new. Usually something that sounds a little 'off' to begin with can be refined until perfection is achieved. It also acts as another way to channel my creativity without needing photoshop!

I boulder regularly and visit the gym as often as I can (although I have been a bit lazy recently) I think it's important to do something active frequently in my line of work as I do spend a lot of time sat at a desk drinking copious amounts of caffeinated drinks. It's also nice to get away from the daily grind and clear your head. I mostly climb indoors (I don't think I have the skill to boulder outdoors yet) but I'm certainly working my way towards doing it! I think the next step after that is rope climbing... and then maybe Everest.

I am currently learning to play to Spanish guitar which is a relatively new adventure so I'm not particularly great at it yet. Again, I think this is just another way of channeling my creativity, plus I really really love the way that Spanish guitar sounds. I think once I have mastered the Spanish guitar I will move on to electric (I kinda jumped the gun and already bought myself one) P.S I don't always wear the sombrero when I play.

I volunteer for various causes when I can, for example designing and developing for charities. Once, I dressed up as a teddy bear at work to raise money for a children's charity. Unfortunately the little battery operated fan inside the head had broken so I was a tad warm that day. Another thing that is incredibly important to me is my friends and taking timeout to socialise with them. I love to travel and see new places, I particularly enjoy the architecture in different cities as it really can inspire. Oh, and I love my cat!

I think it's really important to give yourself some time off every once in a while to do something that you enjoy. This really helps me clear my head and means I come back to my desk with a fresh start, ready for the next challenge. It's also important for me to choose activities that will inspire me further and to have experiences that are transferable between my non-working and working aspects of life.

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