Welcome to “A Blueprint in the Chaos”.  As an engineer, I have been trained to follow the blueprint – the plan – that is presented to me.  The blueprint usually is thorough and easy to follow.  Sometimes it contains just enough information to point you in the right direction, allowing you to make informed, educated decisions concerning the next step.  And then, sometimes, the blueprint may be so confusing that you can’t make any sense of what it seems to be saying.  All of these statements are applicable to my life, and I suspect that they also may be similar to yours.

I’m a man on a mission…a mission to discover as much as I can of the blueprint that God has for me.  So far, the blueprint has held many surprises, some tears and many blessings.  It’s taken me to a place today where I sometimes refer to myself as an engineer with a creative side hiding inside, dying to escape.  That’s probably an exaggeration (I’m not a trained artist, but I do love art and design – and I no longer practice engineering, but I am a register Professional Engineer), but in many ways it does describe my life today.   

I am Civil Engineer working in the water and wastewater industry.   I’m the fortunate and blessed husband of a wonderful woman and the father of two beautiful and wonderful girls.  I’m an evangelical follower of Christ, lover of good music, coffee and other libations, as well as an aspiring photographer.  I’m the third child of a Southern Baptist pastor and elementary school librarian.  Childhood was one of happiness, fun and family.  However, it was not a life of luxury or riches; it was more of hard work and frugality to help sustain a family of 5 on a pastor’s and teacher’s income.  Later in life, I have come to realize the impact this has had on my view of personal finances and work.

Life has given me the opportunity to live, work and play in various locales around the US and Caribbean.  I’m proud to have been born and raised in Mississippi and graduated from Mississippi State University.

So, why say I’m an artist trapped in an engineer’s body?  From an early age, I loved art. Drawing, tracing, dreaming up new and strange creatures and designs – they all inspired me.  Then, I stumbled into photography on a church youth trip to Ridgecrest, NC where, using an early ‘70s Canon EF SLR film camera with a 50 mm f/1.4 prime lens all borrowed from my brother, I actually made some really interesting photos.  All by accident, of course!  I had the shutter speed dialed in to the bulb setting for the entire trip so my photos were either wildly blurry or, when I held the camera stable enough and had fast enough fingers to open and close the shutter quickly, they had wonderful full color and just enough of blur to create a sense of mystery and softness.  Yes, all by accident.  But, this experience has remained with me for the last 25 years as a wonderful accident.

Then, I realized that I was really good at science and math.  Thus began my transition from a life full of creativity, art and music to one filled with logic, reason and formulas.  Life took a different turn as I pursued my engineering education and career.  Very much a turn that, in retrospect, took my life in a direction that has been both fulfilling and rewarding, but also lacking.  Thus, my attempt in this blog to delve deeper into my inner creative side while, at the same time, celebrating the technical and logical side of life.

Engineering was the logical route for my career.  The only problem with this was that my experience in engineering school beat the creativity out of me (figuratively, of course).  Logic and reason were all important.  Formula and the scientific method were my guiding principles.  There was no place for creativity, art or expression.  Of course, this serves me well in my engineering and scientific career but my artistic and creative side was suppressed.

Meeting and marrying my wife definitely was a God thing!  Not only is she wonderfully made to be my soul mate, but she has a creative side that was a perfect counter to my logical side.  She is an Interior Designer (not an Interior Decorator – DO NOT make that mistake with her!  Ha!) and her creative flair was nurtured in college.  Marrying a creative soul was one of the best things to happen to me!  I was able to tag along to her design firm’s presentations and parties, enjoy the presentations on why creativity and design were important in their work, hang out with other creative folks and just soak in the artistic juices.  By the way, her “brush with fame” was working with Vern Yip of HGTV fame at the same firm for a few years.

With her encouragement and support, I’ve been able to rediscover some of my creative side.  I mostly work with photography now, and it is a work in progress.  I’m learning as I go and finding the time to really focus on this has become my big challenge.  I don’t seem to have the patience anymore with drawing and painting.  I really am disappointed in this, but I think the drive for immediate results and the “now” attitude in today’s workplace has influenced me in this.  I hope that this will change as I learn and mature with age.

So this brings me to today.  I love photography, music and good design.  Why?  Because it takes work and talent to do them well.  They cannot be reduced to a series of numbers or formulas.  They’re subjective yet follow many established rules.  They initiate visceral responses of the mind and body.  They have the amazing ability to delve deep into our grey matter and find memories of experiences in times gone by, both happy and sad, that make us who we are.  Ever hear a song and you are instantly transported to a childhood memory?  Yeah, me too.  I’ve got this song from Jefferson Airplane that, no matter where or when I hear it, I instantly think about riding in my parents’ Ford Country Squire station wagon – you know, the one with the simulated wood paneling.  I don’t even remember the song’s name, just the tune instantly transports me.  

I believe creativity, design and artistic expression are just as important to one’s makeup as are logic and reason.  The Lord created them both for our use and enjoyment as well as for His worship and praise.  It is my hope to delve into these ideas in this blog.  I need to express my inner artist.  I need to develop this inner writer that I think is hiding somewhere in my psyche.  Why “A Blueprint in the Chaos”?  Because I believe that this is my life.  God has a blueprint for me.  He has since before I was a twinkle in my parents’ eyes.  His blueprint is my guide in the chaos of life.  If I can tap into and learn from the blueprint He has laid out for me, then He will help me navigate the chaos of life today.

So, I welcome you to come along for the ride.  I’ll share some of my photographic endeavors.  I’ll share my finds from the design and art world.  Writers, books and music will be explored.  I’ll link up and hopefully introduce you to some of my favorite artists, writers, bloggers and creative friends.  And, yes, I may even satisfy the engineer, logical and reasoning side of me with posts relating to my career, personal finance and science.  I probably will open myself up for great challenges and debate in politics.  I hope you’ll enjoy this as much as I.  It promises to be a fun time.  Thanks for checking it out!