My name is Michael Felton, and I’m a Graphic Designer out of Kansas who specializes in motion
graphics and illustration. The past few years, I have been working as a freelance graphic designer
for a few local businesses near my college to provide apparel, business cards, flyers, banners, and
more to grow both their digital presence and boost physical engagement. I had worked as a tattoo
designer as well up through high school, and decided to pursue a Graphic Design degree when
transferring to Fort Hays State. Because of the endless number of growing businesses, big and small,
you’re bound to run into clients with project goals that don’t seem to have clear objectives. I have
gained experience firsthand with how to deal with these scenarios through trial and error in my designer
career up this point, understanding how to ask the right questions to pull information from and build off
their ideas during the project briefing. After working on my own during my pursuit of a degree, I’m looking
to become a motion graphics artist for an agency that takes on clients in the sports world, where I can prove myself to be a leader and future project manager. I think I'd be a great fit for this role because of my lifelong commitment to athletics as well as my understanding of client needs, understanding how to dedicate myself to the process while maintaining coachability. Most importantly, I am excited for the opportunity to work with other creatives where I can utilize my strengths as an illustrator and designer to grow a brand.
THE ATHLETE
I was born in Fort Collins, Colorado, home of the Colorado State Rams and about an hour north of Denver. Soon after I was born, my family moved to Loveland, the southern neighboring city to Fort Collins.
I grew up around sports, seemingly my entire childhood comprised of every sport I could try. That said, baseball was my original passion. Growing up on a baseball field, with a dad as an assistant baseball coach and head softball coach for my future high school in addition to a mom who shared the same passion for sports as he did, the environment became second nature as I spent every afternoon on the field with the big boys and girls.
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Even with such an influence, I couldn't pick a single sport. From the age of five up to high school, I participated in baseball, football, basketball, and wrestling. Dropping wrestling as I was introduced to high school sports, I became a three sport athlete with a memorable stat line for Mountain View High School's athletic program.
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To some, sports are a nonsensical concept, holding little value for the games themselves. I couldn't feel more strongly the opposite. I made friends I would have never made and brought my family closer than most could wish to be, not to mention the physical attributes I attained over the decades.
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When high school graduation came around, I was lost on what to pursue in college. I knew I wanted to be successful in something I loved, but had absolutely zero clue how to transform my passions into a fulfilling career. Admittedly, I would have never attended college if it weren't for receiving a full ride to play baseball at Western Nebraska, a Division I junior college. So I took it and rolled with it, assuming I would discover my professional passion as I completed the general studies courses. The years came and went, right smack dab in the middle of COVID, putting my academic and grown up life on hold for an extra year.
THE ARTIST
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I have always been an artist at heart, using it as an escape from the outside world and into my own. As a particularly loud kiddo (us catchers and linebackers have to be) the contrast between my interactions with others and the solitude I felt when putting pencil to paper was a feeling I couldn't wait to replicate again and again.
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Unlike a lot of teammates I've had the opportunity to play with, I was extremely socially awkward from day one. That hurdle is one I'm still trying to jump to this day, but there was one aspect of life I could rely on for outward approval associated with minimal unnecessary interaction. Drawing.
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I have tried countless mediums with my art, but I was most definitely a pencil on paper kid. As my youth years came and went, I felt as though people saw me as an artist as much as an athlete. When I made it to high school, unfortunate circumstances with a teammate led him to approaching me for a tattoo in memorial of his best friend. Beyond honored, I drew it up the very next class period and it was on his calf within the week.
It was my first work of art that was tattooed on someone else, and something that permanent signified the trust in me as well as an appreciation for my art like I had never felt before. It seemed like every other week proceeding it, I was being asked to draw something for someone's tattoo idea, and I loved it. Still unsure of the value my art held, I would severely undercharge and over deliver.
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By the time I graduated, I had somewhere between fifty to a hundred new works of art. It didn't provide any sort of valuable income, even as a high schooler, so I got it into my head that there was no future in art for me if I wanted the life I dreamed of. I had a dream (and still do) to draw for cartoons, but it seemed out of reach since I just wanted to draw and had no concept of what animation entailed.
THE DESIGNER
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Fast forward to the end of my junior college days, and it was time for a decision; earn a bachelor's degree or return home to start making money. Two schools offering yet another full ride scholarship approached me based on my performance on the field: Missouri Western University, and Fort Hays State University. I wasn't sold. I didn't foresee myself as a professional athlete, rather one that was trying to stay in the game I had been obsessed with since I could talk.
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So, I took a visit to each campus and talked to the coaches in depth about my passion for art, and they mentioned graphic design. I was literally shaking with excitement when I first learned of what it all could entail, and after doing some slight research, I learned of the nationally respected Graphic Design program at Fort Hays. I punched my ticket and headed there to pursue my dream job without a second thought.
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Two and a half years later, on the verge of graduation, I couldn't imagine my life without this program. I made incredible strides in what I thought I was capable of and gained a sense of accomplishment that I had only ever felt with my tattoo designs.
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Each project, I poured my heart out, doing my best to reflect who I was and my passions as an individual. The thousands of hours I spent were probably not the most effective, as I kept learning new ways to speed my process up after the fact. Still, I was determined to make every project my best one. From applying my illustration skills, to learning new programs, to understanding design concepts, I can truly say I have never felt more complete as a member of society and newfound graphic designer.
