Bradley Thomas

“Design is a solution to a problem; art is a question to a problem.” - John Maeda. I’m Bradley Thomas, and I grew up being told art wasn’t a profession. Growing up I always loved art, I would draw and doodle all the time but I was always told art isn’t an actual job and since I was good and math and science I should be an engineer or a doctor, a real job. So, that’s what I did. I first started college working to be a mechanical engineer, and I hated it. I felt lost and confused and what got me through the time of stress and uncertainty was art. I took a break between high-school and college to help pay for my wife's schooling and when I decided to go to college I was already a father. Now, I am a father to two wonderful children and one of the reasons I’m trying to get into the graphic design program is for them, but it’s mainly for myself. I’ve had a passion for art since I was little, and though I’ve faced challenges along my way here I believe I was able to persevere due to my family and my passion for art. I’m here now to learn and succeed, I want this for them and myself. I've learned so much from taking the graphic design and topography classes. From typographic rules to theories on graphic design, everything I’ve learned has helped me improve and grow and I have a deep eagerness to learn more. My classes with Diane, Matt, and Alma have changed the way I perceive the world, whenever I go around I notice the things they taught me. Looking at the restaurant downtown or the company across the street will never be the same. Because of them, I'm constantly looking at the problems others have and thinking of my own way to solve them.