Year 5 of Hendog Media + Design
Well, we are here, it was just 2016 when I formed this business as a way to expand on my skillset from the previous endeavor I partook in doing photography under the name of Marqued Photography which was two-fold because the name was a nod to a group I got to participate in during my high school senior year called Marqued Impressions which was about art & the name was also a nod to highlight my city, my area, my County where I was raised lived and grew up in La Marque in my 28 years of life on this earth. When I made the decision to make the switch to a new name in Hendog Media + Design 2016 (which is a nod to a nickname people have associated with me for a long time in Hen or Hendog) I did so because I didn’t want to pigeon hole myself because I could & can do way more than when I pursued this 4 years beforehand seriously in 2012, now I’m very capable of lots more like graphic design, filmmaking, drawing, etc. and I wanted the name to reflect that notion even though I could have easily kept the same moniker but everyone deals with some kind of adversity in their lifetime but dealing with the changes can lead to bigger payoffs sometimes no matter what it is. Somebody may say why did you pick to grab inspiration from La Marque, Texas in year five & I say why not? Because I’m just a kid from Galveston County who was raised in the area and I may be a product of 409 but I not gonna allow it to just define me and my thinking about a lot but the things that have happened good & bad are motivation to not only change but to improve & progress in all aspects of my life not just on a creative front. Growing up in this area people become one dimensional & truly comfortable in their ways because football is a really big thing not only in Texas but also in my area. I got an opportunity to be on a high school championship team roster in 2006 getting a ring as a by-product which was number 5 in the history of the school & I was on the flip side of things being on team to miss the playoffs since the ’80s which was a big deal to a lot of people. Even though I felt some type of way about because it was the last time I got to suit up in my 6 years of playing the game since I started in 7th grade when I started, but my people especially my dad looking at the big picture after his own journey as a college football player at University of Houston, not finishing his degree he saw the bigger outlook at things like my value & skillset which is and was way bigger than just being athletic it was more about pursuing other avenues in my life because like a game of minesweeper that he played before he saw things I couldn’t at the time. I could have easily pursued the athletic journey & went to another school for more PT because LM was always competitive on the football front & was a tough place but the bell was rung, the shot has been fired and I have no regrets about the decisions I made then or now. When I progressed to university at Prairie View A&M I still had athletic skills, an edge that you have to have playing football but the biggest difference for me was my stature (I went from 5’7” in high school to 6’2”) I could have competed & tried walking on at PVAMU for football but I followed a different journey pursuing my degree, sports medicine as a student athletic trainer which allowed me to go places & be part of a couple of more championships in my stint along with taking on photography seriously in 2012. The journey for lots of people is not linear filled with ups & downs, & the success we have is very subjective depending on the person but the lessons we learn from & the success we have grows us into the people we are over time whether we are patient or impatient because some of the best things can leave us uncomfortable and feeling some things are unsavory, but I would rather that than someone sugar coating everything being a yes man saying things that I want to hear leaving me stagnant not progressing. When you look at the word La Marque it is a French word that means the mark and in looking at my life and journey it has and is filled with lots of ups and downs & my book of life could have easily closed May of 2018 but it didn’t so lord willing if I get to chance to keep my book open I’m gonna set tone and make my mark with my actions, mindset, attitude, & not just put up a facade or act a certain way, or be selective. So I’m gonna keep loving, caring, & doing till my time ends, no matter what experiences I have, how vulnerable I may feel because it comes with the territory, & whether I’m in a time of greatness or everything is going sideways. Going into year 5 I’m thankful for everyone that has took a chance on me & I’m gonna keep doing because we all have to try & take a risk or chance in our lives & top of all that let people know where I’m from proudly West Texas City, Texas in Galveston County (long story about west side & how it used to be La Marque) because it doesn’t make sense to hide out here & it’s not where you’re from it’s your journey which varies person to person, so having an ode to this place makes sense because this place has helped make the person you see in its own way.
