I’ve been an Advertising nutter since I was a wee babe.

Lots of infants have favorite toys and blankets, but my dad got some surprised looks when he taped a flattened box of Cheerios to the wall in our home because it was my favorite picture. I toddled over in my crawler to stare at the box for a significant amount of each day. The obsession continued into my early teens, when I managed to collect all of the “¡Yo quiero Taco Bell!” ads, starring Gidget the Chihuahua, on my parents’ computer. Let's not forget that this was in the late 90s, nearly a decade before YouTube existed. My grandfather would also record the Super Bowls so I could watch the ads. Perhaps it was growing up in a Television-free household, or maybe it was a merging of my interests in art, business, and science, but my interest in advertising has never waned.

I often concepted advertisements in my spare time, even when I was supposed to be working on my Physics degree in college. I still like some of the Staples ads I concepted in my teens. Perhaps I'll have them as a client one day and be able to pitch those ads for real. Eventually I decided to stop fighting the inevitable and I went to a school that would train me to become an professional advertiser: Portfolio Center

Photograph by Thomas Hawk (and modified a bit by me)

I have seen too many movies, and too few as well.

I've been a Netflix subscriber for over a decade. I have rated at least one thousand, eight-hundred and ninety-four films and television shows on their site. That is both something I'm proud of and mildly horrified by. Those are just the productions Netflix has provided me with — once you add in Hulu, library visits, movie theaters, class rooms, television at friends, grandparents and hotel rooms, that number grows exponentially.

Yet with as many films and television shows (good and bad) that I've seen, there seems almost an infinite number more that I need to see: a reference to a classic I didn't get, a new release everyone is talking about, or a director I adore has a film that I previously didn't know existed. Each time you learn something. Even the worst films have lessons to be learned. Michael Bay is reviled by many, but few people can argue that his films aren't simply stunning to look at: saturated colors, careful compositions, and character posing that is so intensely dramatic that it borders on self-parody. He cared enough about the look of his film to include a letter to the projectionist with each copy of his film and honestly, it was the best looking 3D film I've seen to this day. (Though still an undeniably awful film.)

I love the film and television mediums for how they enable you to identify with the characters and enter their world for a few hours. For this reason, I find myself unable to appreciate cringe-humor and I fear I'll never be able to fully enjoy “The Office”. On the positive side, I know I will always have another two-hour escape from reality waiting at the projection screen whenever I seek it.

Visiting the Great Wall O'China, Beijing, 2009

If you are expecting a long monologue that feels like it was torn from the pages of “Eat, Pray, Love”, you’ll be disappointed.

I like to travel for the food, the music, and the people. I’ve eaten goose ankles in China, learned of fado from the crazy Portuguese Royalty next door, who was blaring it at all hours of the day, and met a multitude of strange and interesting people from all walks of life. Travel is a great way to come up with new ideas, practice photography, and try all sorts of strange foods: Assuming you can endure the TSA.

Photograph of Eugene Hütz by Andrew Duneman

I’ve been told by students from the Crane School of Music that I have the most diverse taste in music of anyone they’ve ever met. I’d like to say that I have music from every nation represented in my library, but I’m not quite there yet. That said, I have been known to switch from a 60s Uruguayan pop band to the Red Army Choir. Building my library, one album required I navigate a Slovenian website (mostly with luck and a lot of faith in common web design), others had to be tracked down from unlisted tracks on film soundtracks, and one arrived in a package from Israel that I’m 90% sure travelled part of the way by mule. With the advent of digital music, it is just as easy to buy a local album as it is to support a young musician in Montréal. So I’ll keep hunting for new groups and sounds, and perhaps do so as I listen to my favorite Norwegian girl-band.

"Orphan Girl at the Cemetery", Eugène Delacroix (1823)

It all started with walks down my elementary school hallway as my father quizzed me on the names of the artists behind the paintings hanging on those walls, from Gilbert Stuart’s unfinished Washington portrait to some of Degas’ ballerinas. I honed my early drawing skills by copying some of those famous pieces, but it wouldn’t be until I’d abandoned art — angry at everyone assuming I’d pursue an art career due to my young talents — and then finally, years later, returned to the field that I learned some of the stories behind the pieces: like that Stuart’s portrait of Washington looks so grumpy because George was busy, bored with being painted again, and didn’t bother putting his dentures in for the few minutes he granted the painter. Knowing something of art history has given me a vocabulary with which to discuss, describe and analyze art as well as a wealth of tricks and techniques these masters have innovated but work as well today as they did then. I try to visit art museums whenever I can, sometimes taking time to sketch the works on their walls. I still have so much to learn.

“Fisherman Returning Home”, Terceira, Azores (2012) (Photographer: Me)

I don’t much like bringing home souvenirs from my travels as a home can quickly fill up with knickknacks that become less memorable each day you look at them. Photographs, with the advent of the digital era, take no space, and sometimes let you remember moments with startling clarity that otherwise would have been quickly forgotten. Plus, they make great holiday cards.

I’ve been messing around with my DSLR for over a decade now, and while my talents are far outshined by any professional photographer, it allows me to talk to them in their language. I can ask for a tighter depth of field rather than yelling, “Blurrier! It needs to be blurrier! What aren’t you getting?!?”

2006 Philadelphia International Cycling Classic, Manayunk, USA (Photographer: Me)

When I was nine years old, I completed my first century, 100 miles in one day, on the back of my father’s tandem. Granted, riding as stoker is easier than biking by yourself, but the sheer buttock fortitude required for that 9-hour ride (we were slow) should be impressive in and of itself. As the years went on my interest in cycling has fluctuated, but it did lead me down the road of recumbent bicycles and their relaxed speedy comfort. My parents continue to ride, as does my brother, a one-time professional road racer, so I think of cycling in my blood of sorts. Even my grandfather rode into his 70s; right into the back of a parked car as he marveled at how fast the computer said he was going. He got back up on that bike after a quick hospital visit. I too, will keep getting back on the bike — though maybe not right now, it looks like it might rain.

morganowen_2006-06-11_Philadelphia_International_DSC_0184.jpg

First and foremost, I owe a huge debt of gratitude and support (financially, emotionally, et cetera.) to my parents. Without them I wouldn’t be here — both literally and figuratively. Children rarely say “Thank You” enough (just one of the reasons I wonder why people have them) but now is that time: Thank you, thank you, thank you so very much.

I might not have made the leap to go back to school if it were not for the gentle but persistent prodding from my brother. I can’t fully express how much he’s helped me over the years. John: Thank you.

After that, there’s all my great teachers over the years, but specifically, Rick Parker, who taught so much about advertising, design, and creating new ideas. So many people from Portfolio Center have helped me and pushed me, Michael West, Hank Richardson, Theo Rudnak, Tania Rochelle, Bryan Dodd, Claire Danielson, Stephanie Grendzinski, Ron & Pippa Seichrist, and so many more people I’m certain to have forgotten. My work would not have happened without your guidance and support.

For providing a welcoming place to work and a stable internet connection, I must extend my thanks to the Powers Library. So much of this portfolio was crafted under your roof.

Lastly, I must express gratitude to my friends and fellow students who collaborated with me, challenged me, and inspired me. I’ve made many great friendships with you all and I wish for the best possible careers for each of us.