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a scenic photograph of what is probably the only pleasant area in the town which I was raised in

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This is a photo of my hometown, Edmore, MI. It's a stinky little village of about 1,200 people. I spent my youth here, first in the comfort of my Abuela's garden, and later, roaming the streets as part of a gang of young skateboarders up to nothing but debauchery. I always dreamed of moving to the city, and fortunately, those dreams came true as I now reside in Ann Arbor.

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my tribute tattoo to the work that I grew up with. Done by Alexis Colombo at Spiral Tattoo in Ann Arbor.

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The greatest gift that our generation received in my opinion was without a doubt the golden age of cartoons we were privy to in our early childhoods. (late 90s - mid 2000s). Due to the frequent absence of my parents, it was the animated programming on TV that became my surrogate guardian. If there was any show that I felt most tenderly about, it was certainly Dragonball Z. My older brother adored the show, and I adored him (and still do) so naturally I became an avid viewer as well. This all culminated in me receiving a gorgeous tattoo of a panel from the comic which Dragonball Z was adapted from. Animation has always been the focal point of my life, so I found it only natural to make it a part of  my body as well.

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one of my favorite pages from my high school sketchbook

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My affinity towards cartoons naturally transferred into a want to doodle creations of my own. In sketching and story building, I was able to create for myself a world in which none of the turbulence from my outside world was relevant. For most of my life I felt that my skills were inferior, and I was too afraid of my own passion to share it with anyone. As I got older, I was able to forge a clear path for myself and my current future plans include incorporating the art form I love the most into my life's work as an animator.

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The cake my friends so graciously gave me on the day I had my name legally changed (Oct. 5, 2021)

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When I was born in the early morning of October 13, 2001, the doctors told my Mother and Father that I was a girl. As I got older, it became abundantly clear to me that this was not the case. I began to go by the name Marshall and using he/him pronouns a month before my 13th birthday, while I was in the 8th grade. The reactions of those around me to this development were less than desirable. I went through many years of ostracization as well as self-hatred, but this did not come without rectification. I managed to snag the crown of homecoming king my senior year of high school, and this past fall I legally changed my name, which I was able to celebrate with my friends as seen above.