Ryan Halsne

I love to create things. Anything from drawing to building snowboard ramps, I've always been in the middle of multiple projects ever since I was a kid. As I honed my skills, graphic design became my passion. Though I have developed excellent proficiency with the Adobe suite, I have always found excitement in trying a medium I've never used, or attempting a new method to achieve materializing the vision in my head. For instance, one of these experimentations using spray painting on canvas with the use of stencils, hand cut as well as laser cut, has led me down an unexpected path. Collaborating with other artists in a highly experimental environment has given us very appealing results. Calling ourselves Tronos Paint, we've shared, presented, and sold our work online and in local coffee shops. This endeavor has taught me to get over the slumps of frustration when you inevitably run into technical, material, or creative problems when trying new things.

As I've grown through my work with graphic design, I can define myself as someone fueled by creativity, and constantly in search for inspiration in every book I read, street I look down, and person I meet. This drive has pushed me to leaving my home of Minnesota to study in Florence, Italy. Being the cradle of the Renaissance, I've come to the best place to find inspiration, and refine my design philosophy. As I reside in the neighborhood of some of the most highly regarded artistic geniuses like Michelangelo and Da Vinci, I can feel their impact on our modern world. Learning about such a long and deeply creative history has been empowering. Having the opportunity to travel Italy and around Europe, getting a taste of so many different cultures, has broadened my perception of not only the world, but the way I think about how people are influenced. Often the influencers and the way people react to them make up the collective culture. This insight has given meaning to my own roll in my home culture. I couldn't be more excited to return to the Twin Cities this summer, and begin making large strides towards my graphic design career, continue to learn, in hopes to be considered influential.