Hi, I'm Rick from Nashville Tennessee, also known as "Music City." There’s a lot of music publishing here, but there's a lot of book publishing too. So, whenever I can, I like to combine the two: Listening to James Taylor or Amy Grant, or maybe classical music, while designing a book cover. Or while working with oils on canvas, or sketching with pencil or maybe creating a digital illustration.
A little more about me, if you want to know. I’m originally from the north suburbs of Chicago, so I follow the Cubs and the Bears. But now that I'm in the south, I'm learning to get into the SEC. I like to pick up the guitar for relaxation, imitating such artists as Paul Simon, James Taylor and McCartney. This is Tawny, the neighbor's dog, not mine. I'm allergic. Too bad for me!
I find it fun to make music with other people, too. Recently, I played for a singalong around the campfire at a local church fall festival. Nashville affords a lot of that kind of thing, being the hub of the music publishing business. Everybody has a guitar. I remember once playing bluegrass and gospel with a few musicians, including several members of the Nashville Symphony, at a church picnic!
Looking back on my life, I remember one day in the kitchen at age seven when I asked my mom about Jesus and gave my heart to him. He and I have been walking together all these years. As Andy Griffith once said, "I was born again when I was eight years old, and I've always been satisfied with it!" I just feel that we have all been given gifts by God, and I appreciate mine and I want to share them.
One day I found myself walking through Historic Downtown Franklin Tennessee, a little south of Nashville. I took a picture of an old brick storefront that I liked. Then I took that picture into Photoshop added a classic old car, a dog on the stoop and a sign in the window. I thought, “This is what my storefront might look like if I was working in downtown Franklin Tennessee back in the old days.”
May I add one more picture: This is a favorite of me and my beloved mom.