Made by David

I am David — a husband and father still trying to figure out who I want to be when I grow up. Until then, I show up every day, whether I want to or not, and get a little bit closer to who I am.

Where I'm from

I was born in a small town in Alabama, and that was my only world for 22 years. The youngest of six kids — seven years younger than my next sibling — all I ever wanted was to be part of their group of five. I pretty much grew up an only child with five extra parents, and that was great, because who I am today is a direct result of each of them: I watched how they acted and learned how to be like them. I also took lessons from my parents that I still share today, keeping their memory alive.

The path here

I moved to Texas after college, didn't know anyone, to start a life on my own. According to the Bible, a man is supposed to leave his father and mother and be united to his wife — which is what my dad did, so I did it too. It wasn't long after moving here that I found my best friend, my wife, and we've been together ever since.

I've spent most of my career in technology, working for too many startups to remember — but I wouldn't trade any of those experiences.

Why the arena

I love quotes, and these two hit me hard: Roosevelt's man in the arena, and Garth Brooks — “Life is not tried, it is merely survived, if you're standing outside the fire.” The words that keep me in it →

I vividly remember sitting in my 1984 Ford Ranger outside a Division I college soccer tryout, heart pounding in the August heat, thinking I could just drive off and no one would know any better. Somehow I signed up anyway — tried out, walked on, and made the team. That wasn't the first scary decision I've faced, and it won't be the last.

I know firsthand how easy life can be when you stay comfortable, and I don't want to live like that. Life happens on the other side of fear, on the other side of discomfort. You have to suck before you're good at anything — and doing this AI work in front of all of you is one more way I'm living the example I set for myself.

The people who made me

My wife is my best friend. All I want to do is play Fortnite with her every night — and one day, we will. :-)

My son inspires me every day — the risks he takes as an artist, the way he learns, grows, and lives life.

My siblings — I watched you like a hawk growing up, and I'm a mixture of each and every one of you.

And to my parents, who loved me unconditionally. I keep your memory alive every day — in the lessons you taught me and the example I try to set.

Why I'm sharing this

My son is my real inspiration for this. He posts on TikTok and Instagram regularly, testing out new songs — some clips go viral, some get no response. He's done it since he was young, streaming games on Twitch and building a solid following. He started small, with two viewers — me and his mom — and grew it from there. I want to do the same thing: share my learning journey with the world. That's why I'm doing this.

I'm documenting the whole thing — the wins, the losses, the lessons — in the journal.