Ever since I was very young, I've loved to tinker with gadgets - none more so than computers. In the mid-1980s I was starting to notice an explosion of computer generated imagery in film and television. Lacking any funds (like most pre-teens, I suppose) I started to experiment with home computers - from a lightpen on a ZX Spectrum, to game builders on the Commodore 64.

My big epiphany came in the mid 80s in the form of an Amiga 1000 - 'borrowed' over one summer from the college here in Dumfries via my ever-encouraging father.

To be able to even get close to the type of images I was seeing on TV at the time was an absolute marvel which lit a spark in me. I managed to get my own Amiga (A500) and started my first business in 1992, working with architects and civil engineers on projects which would push the limits of my home computers. I was also teaching CAD and computing on PCs.

My passion for tinkering came in handy when I started to build my own PCs. I hated PCs, DOS and Windows to be honest. But I wanted to make pretty pictures on a computer and couldn't afford to buy anything powerful off-the-shelf, so learned to customise my own.

Moving to a PC allowed me to use Autodesk 3D Studio, then 3DS MAX. I continued the visualisation business, working with companies like Intel and CBS, but nothing was very creative. It was also painfully time intensive!

When I got the opportunity to move into music full time in the early 2000s - playing and teaching guitar - I jumped at the chance. This was mostly due to the sheer amount of time it used to take to create the kind of work I wanted, with the budget I had (very little...).

Fast forward 20 years and we had that little global pandemic. That, along with arthritis made me re-think my music career.

Looking round at the industry during lockdowns, and trying a lot of software, I found that my dream of super-fast computer graphics was getting close. I made the wise choice to start a degree course at Dumfries and Galloway College, and now have the experience, and confidence, to begin offering graphics services and producing personal work again.

I'm looking forward to meeting new clients and delivering creative animation, real-time interactive experiences, and exciting VR worlds.