Bio
Introduction
Allow me to introduce myself. I am Keith Aric Hall, a graphic designer and user interface developer currently residing in Austin, Texas. My beautiful wife, Estelina, and I take much delight in our comfy little home and growing family. Together we enjoy the laid back atmosphere of this Central Texas, Live Music Mecca.
Background
After graduating from Southwest Texas State University with a Bachelor's of Business Administration in Accounting, I immediately went to work in the Houston office of the then prestigious, now infamous Arthur Andersen, LLP. At that time I was young and very naive. As the proud son of a workaholic seventy, eighty, and at times ninety hour weeks did not strike me as odd initially. In fact, enormous amounts of overtime and billable hours were seen as badges of honor within the firm. After two years of crunching numbers, insane hours, and an expanding belt-line from the countless late night meals courtesy of the "Uncle Arthur" I began to tire. The first signs of emancipation were making themselves evident. Nearly two years to the day of starting my career as a tax accountant, I relocated to Austin, Texas, this time as an employee of Ernst & Young, LLP. It would only take one year for that emancipation I spoke of earlier to fully take hold, beginning the rebirth of my career and my life.
After three years of Public Accounting I was miserable. The only thing that kept me going was the support of my new bride. You see, I had originally wanted to go to design school after graduating from high school. My father, having my best interest in mind, urged that I choose business or engineering. He concluded that business and engineering careers were more stable, and insisted that I could always "do art as a hobby." As you have already read, I took his advice. So there I was, hopelessly unhappy with my career choice and struggling for a reason to go to work everyday. Obviously, this affected my work. Around that time I had begin to sketch again. I had a couple of friends employed as web designers, which I found intriguing. I had always loved art and technology. This web design thing sounded like a perfect marriage of both. After thoroughly interrogating my friends and garnering the support of my wife, I set out to retrain myself. Amazingly enough, after only about 4 months my little sad portfolio (which consisted of my hideous personal site and the prototypes of a redesign for a small business site I was working on), landed me a gig as a web designer. Oh the days of nested tables, endless font tags and spacer images. Since then, I have held several positions that have helped me advance my career. My most fulfilling was as a user interface developer at frog design. At times, I still have a hard time believing that I can support my family doing something that I love so much.
Interests
I often tell people that I am a life long sufferer of ADD. Since I was a child I can remember being fascinated by a variety of different things. Following is a brief list of some of my many interests.
Kung Fu and Tai Chi
I have been studying kung fu for since 2001. I grew up watching kung fu movies as a kid. Besides being great physical exercise, I find that kung fu and tai chi help me maintain balance in my life as a whole.
Art
I really enjoy the creative arts. I love to sketch and have a renewed interest in painting. Woodworking seems interesting too. I told you I had a short attention span. I think most of all; I want to explore different mediums. Each has its own special characteristics. There is a certain intimacy between an artist and his/her medium that cannot be replicated in other occupations.
Design
Design is everything as everything is designed. Design is so pervasive in our society that it there is no shortage of subject matter to study. From paper clips to grand hotels, I love looking at how things are designed and how we use/interact with those them.
Reading
I am not sure that I can expound on this too much more. I like fiction, science fiction, history, technical books and trade magazines. It should be no surprise by now that my choice of reading is varied.
Writing
As a kid always made up my own stories. Even today, I do it for my children. My love of reading feeds my interest in writing. It amazes me how some authors can paint such vivid pictures with words. Words that evoke emotion, inform and inspire. One day I am going to write that great American novel. That is, if I can stay focused long enough to finish it.
Movies
I love old school kung fu movies and sci-fi flicks. Nuff said!