Jay Jarvie
Some people call me an artist, but artists are strange and disjointed people . . .Okay, so maybe I am an artist, but I like to call myself other things. Most of my work has been in the design and engineering world, but art and and sciences are not so far apart. So, I just say, “I am a creator!”
My father was an artist, one of those strange and disjointed fellows. And it was he that sent me on the path of thinking big and believing I could do anything. You see, as a young teenage boy I had dreams of sitting behind the wheel of an exotic sports car, (What boy doesn’t?) but for me it was different. I was determined. The problem was my determination lacked an exotic car budget. My Dad said, “Build your own,” and from that day on I became a builder of things.
Another factor that formed my life was the fact that I was extremely shy as a child. In fact, “extremely,” may be an understatement. At the time, I thought shyness a curse; in retrospect I see it was a gift from God. Because of this shy nature I became an observer and as you can surmise from my comments above, I was an observer of art, machines and most of all – people. The real blessing of my “stand back timidness” was the uniquely peculiar glimpse It gave me of people and how they treated each other. Something that would always effect the way I did things and how I viewed the world.
I grew up in several different stretches of the desert west; amidst the wide open skies, tall mountains and endless miles of sagebrush. It could have been anywhere, but were a person is born and raised highly influences the rest of their life. You might be surprised to discover that my having no were to go and nothing to do (according to city people) tended to create, at least in me, an overactive imagination. Or, was it the books? Anyway, I have never lacked for ideas to pursue.
Now at this point everybody’s biography trails off with tells of all their achievements and qualifications and if I laid out my list of qualifications, and it was better than yours, you might be impressed. However, if my list was short and dubious, compared to yours, you might NOT be impressed. So, lets skip the list . . . . I tend to lose lists anyway. Instead here is an un-list:
What are my qualifications?
Actually, I try not to do anything that requires qualifications.
What is my education?
I suffered through my early years despising most every minute of school; wondering why teachers were talking down to me and treating me like a child. At twelve I grew a mustache and did everything I could to convince my teachers I was a grown man. In college, after one year, I was given an award for being the most outstanding student in an automotive program, but realized it would be 4 more years before they actually let me design cars so I left; deciding never again to let school interfere with my education. Ever since then a real education has started to unfold.
My Skills? Achievements?
I’m sorry, but they are limited! I don’t think I could build an atomic particle accelerator. Mostly because the science bores me. Any thing else I just might be able to do. Okay, board games bore me as well so I will say I can’t do that either. (Especially if you plan on inviting me to a party where there will be board games.)
I’m an underachiever! The greatest under-achievement of all is that I have never thought that I was above others in my under-achievement.
What I have achieved in my slightly greater than, half century of living, is a sure knowledge that I am one of the most blessed people on earth. I may not have arrived at a financial situation were I can do whatever I want, I may not have gained any particular fame or recognition and I have not traveled extensively, but what I have done is managed to secure a happy life with a wife and four children that honor me with their love. I wake every morning knowing there is a God. I know where I came from. I know what my purpose is on this planet and know were I am going after I die.
These few things are more than just the greatest blessings in my life, they may actually be what tells you more about me than anything else I might say, or have said.
I might add a few things not mentioned, that will serve as indication of what you might expect from BuilderCreator.com:
I grew up working for my father in the family owned fine art bronze foundry. I have since then expanded that early experience to include green sand, lost foam and other industrial foundry knowledge.
Bronze sculpture was just one exposure to fine art. Like my father, I tend to dabbles in many art mediums.
The experience, I told above in the biography, of building a car, took place when I was 14 years old. Since then I have built and experimented on a few other cars and even attempted to venture into becoming the next Tucker/DeLorean. Although the car manufacturing endeavor didn’t get to far, my first car and that experience, immersed me in the world of fiber reinforced plastics (FRPs) (composites) and gave me a love for that industry.
Self taught in AutoCAD, I spent quite a few years in the architectural world, designing houses and light commercial. And, although I say I can visualizes a project 90% in my mind, the ability to show others what to do, with some real world drawings, sure helps.
So, here you are with the knowledge of my enthusiasm for the BuilderCreator venture and the world ahead to conquer; let’s embark on a grand and glorious adventure together.