Motto: we'll make it work

Am I an illustrator who likes to write and compose? A writer who composes and draws? Or a musician who draws and writes? I'm at my best when I'm all three.

Here's a $10-word for you: "autodidact."

That's Greek for people who don't have anything better to do than to teach themselves new skills -- anything from cooking to nuclear physics. Autodidact nuclear physicists are easy to pick out in a crowd because they have a joyful glow about them.

 

Usually, I don't like labels.

The idea that human beings may be reduced to one word is downright depressing. But as labels go, autodidact's not so bad. It sounds almost as weird as my name, which my parents swear is pronounced D-D-A Bah-u-o.

 

So who am I?

I was born in the Dominican Republic and raised in France until I decided to try my luck in the United States a few months shy of my 18th birthday. After a 15-year career in journalism, which culminated with a three-year stint as news editor at the Northwest Florida Daily News, I am now giving my artistic side a chance.

In March 2009, I started studying computer animation at Full Sail University in Orlando, Fla. I graduated Dec. 17, 2010, as valedictorian and advanced achiever. I am now a stereo compositor at Digital Domain in Port St. Lucie, Fla.