Damon Atkinson
They say that life is an adventure, well, for me that adventure has been quite a ride. To sum myself up in only a few words is rather difficult to do. Some people say that I have packed a lot into my forty-seven years, some have asked me if there is anything I haven’t done. Well the short answer to that question is, obviously, YES. Even though I have done a lot and have a lot of interests (or at least interested in a lot of things), there are a LOT of things I have not done. Many I would like to do, many more I would not want to do for any amount of money and others I would strongly consider for the right money.
None of that tells you a thing about me though, does it?
Okay, first and foremost – as far as this site is concerned – I am a freelance graphic designer. I have been a graphic designer in limbo for most of my life, it is only since I went back to schoool in 2004 that the designer was finally released and allowed to grow and flourish. For the decades before this career, I have ‘dabbled’ in photography (working as a commercial product illustration photographer for more than a decade) and in food services (working in a bakery through high school and again through the 90′s and up to around 2007 in restaurants – as a pizza delivery driver, manager, server, trainer, and more). I have also spent a chunk of time as a retail manager, a data-processing operator, a paper boy, a warehouse worker…
Let’s just say I have learned a lot of things over the years and I am now a graphic designer.
About TreeWalker Designs
TreeWalker Designs is a new venture for me. I wanted to create a web environment that built upon my freelance graphic design business and blended that together with some of my other interests. To me, my interests and background are every bit as important and relevant to my skills and talents as a designer. It is these experiences, this knowledge, this viewpoint of the world around me that come together to bring your graphic needs to life.
The name TreeWalker refers to a deep passion of mine – hiking, walking in the woods, being around nature. Ever since I was a young boy, I have spent a great deal of my time around trees. It is in this environment that I find peace, clarity of mind, quiet, the ability to allow creativity to spawn. Being in the woods, or on the beach (which is unfortunately 200 miles away now) gives me a chance to recharge my batteries. I find the crowded city to be very draining and exhaustive, so I need to venture into the trees to cast off that frenetic pace and allow the natural energy to fill me once again. I am not, however, a tree hugger (not that there is anything wrong with tree huggers).
The Site
I have created this site to be quite different from the typical graphic designer portfolio site. The reason being is that I want to present more of myself, who I am, than just the design work I have created. Because I am so much more than the work itself. By showing my design work, my photography, my idylic rantings of life as a TreeWalker, talking about food and that I made the most incredible baby back ribs for dinner tonight, and whatever other madness comes out of my head you will gain a better understanding of who I am as a person and what I can offer you as a creative professional. I may even entertain you a bit while you’re here.
The Images
All of the images, photography, graphic design, and all other material on this site is copyrighted. You may not use, distribute, publish, show, fold, staple, mutilate or otherwise alter anything here without the express written consent of Damon Atkinson. Any material that is shown here by other artists carries the artists copyright restrictions and will only appear here with the artists consent.
The Profile
Many people appreciate these profile breakdown thingys to get a better understanding of a person. Personally, a lot of it is superflous and kind of random and doesn’t really tell the story. Consider it a synopsis of me.
name: Damon Atkinson
age: 47
birthday: September 29
occupation: Freelance Graphic Designer (just in case you weren’t paying attention)
languages: English (the American version), some understanding of English (British version), Japanese (just enough to read a small bit of shakuhachi musical notation – which is almost nothing), Spanish (a handful of restaurant terms, not nearly enough to even form a sentence)
location: Atlanta, Georgia, USA (since 2000), previously Massachusetts (Cambridge, Medford, Malden)
sign: Libra (I keep things in balance, see both sides of a situation)
marital status: Single (and looking)
education: Cambridge Rindge & Latin high school (class of 1980), New England School of Photography (applied photography 1983 or 1985 – can’t remember), The Art Institute of Atlanta (graphic design BFA Magna Cum Laude, 2008)
social media: Facebook, Twitter @nomaD46 (new and confused), LinkedIn
activities: Is there anything other than working 24/7? I guess I could add things like photography, hiking, cooking (which goes right along with eating), playing shakuhachi – very poorly (Google it), ship modeling (attempting this in my spare time), head-stands (okay, not really an activity – or an interest – just seeing if you’re reading this far), I would love to add traveling to this – but the first item kind of prevents this, meditation, sarcasm (yes, this is an activity and something I practice extensively). There are many more, but you’ll have to wait a bit… I also served two terms on the AIGA Atlanta Student Board.
interests: I’m guessing this would include most of my activities – which I actually (occasionally) do, but should it also include things that just generally interest me? If so, then it would have to include: people, animals, cars (not so much), light, wind, thunderstorms, metaphors, architecture, astrophysics, kinetics, bio-mechanics, microbiology, massage, burdock root (aka gobo root, salsify), Japan, cetaceans, falling water, metaphysics, the way you make that look when you read this list and wonder what the hell I’m doing, AIGA, learning, forgetting, I think you probably get the idea that there are a lot of ordinary and completely bizarre things that interest me – and if you know me, then this may make some kind of sense to you – or you just don’t know me well enough – and likely won’t want to.
music: Yoshio Kurahashi, Boston, Jimmy Buffet, The Cars, David Duncavage, Violent Femmes, Brian Tairaku Ritchie, Steely Dan, REO Speedwagon, ELO, REM, ABBA, almost anything relating to shakuhachi or Native American flute (shortens the list substantially), Enya, Enigma, (yeah, yeah, whatever), pretty much classic rock from the 60′s and 70′s and some more modern stuff, classical – Mozart, Beethoven, Bach, Handel, Vivaldi, Chicago, so on ad nauseum.
TV: Bones, House, CSI (NY, LV, Miami), NCIS, Iron Chef America, Food Network Challenge, Cooking almost anything, The Mentalist
books: Anything by the late, great Douglas Adams – especially that wholly remarkable book… well you know. Also Lord of the Rings, Harry Potter (no, I’m not 12), generally fantasy/scifi genres.
beyond that, anything that is related to design and photography usually catches my eye. Other popular genres of books are cooking, ship modeling, photography, woodworking, traveling, did I mention Douglas Adams yet? There are numerous other topics that are intriguing (see interests). Sadly, I don’t do nearly enough reading – don’t have/take the time.
