Extended Biography
I'm Dave Seah, and I'm a freelance Digital Media Architect. In other words, I am skilled in creating computer graphics for interactive computer systems. I've been making graphics since 1981, back when computer art, well, required a lot more imagination to see.
My educational background is slightly unusual in that I have degrees in both Electrical Engineering (interest in digital electronics) and Computer Graphics Design (fine arts). It's a useful combination of skills to have.
Prior to getting into New Media, I worked in video games. My favorite stint was with startup Qualia, where we made our bid to become a 3rd party developer in 1994-1997 with a 5-man team and a game called Crixa. Other games I've worked on are Star Reach, NCAA Football 99, and DuelTris in various artist or manager positions. This period was exhausting, and I was quite burned out by the age of 32.
I got into New Media during the heady bubble days of 1999 and 2000. I worked on a number of small interactive projects for companies Interactive Factory and Active Edge New Media, specializing mostly in Director and Flash, with a healthy pinch of project management thrown in. I designed the GUI for an interactive sky chart, made the 2001 MIMC award show animation, some tradeshow kiosk work, some Flash-based product demos, and a couple of interactive kiosks for the Boston Museum of Science.
In 2003, I needed to take a break. That break become an extended sabbatical as I reassessed my goals. The reason I got into computers at all was because I wanted to deliver interesting experience that wasn't possible in the real world. This could be games, it could be something else. I'm pretty sure it won't be through through corporate multimedia or web services. I need to find my own voice.
In the meantime, I've been doing some education and web projects. The first one is Showing Evidence, created with learning science specialists Inquirium. Showing Evidence wrapped in July and is now out in the field on Intel's Thinking Tools website. The main code is ActionScript 2.0, architected and coded in great part by myself, with project management and code support provided by Inquirium.
My current focus is to get back into development using C++ and similar languages, with an eye toward Windows application development. And maybe back to games, this time of a smaller and more personal nature.
Though I'm distancing myself from Internet and New Media Design in order to redevelop my programming chops, I still take on projects from people who still have that personal "sense of mission". The whole point of this blog is to establish a rapport with people who get that. What Sean Kernan has to say about creativity and career seems spot on.
Dave 09.2004
