An Alternative Guide to the U.S.

I recently wrapped up illustrating and writing a chapter about various alternative attractions around my desert home of Phoenix Arizona. My chapter will be one of twenty five others, each centered around a different city in the U.S. and written and illustrated by a designer living in that city. The book will be published by London based agency Cicada Books and will be a follow up to their popular Graphic Guide to Europe.

I was honored to be asked by Cicada to contribute to the book and working with everyone in their office was a real pleasure. In all I did eleven illustrations for the book and was more than pleased with how they came out. I had also been dabbling in writing for sometime and was thrilled to have an opportunity to do some rambling for an actual definitive cause. The book is slated for release this fall and I can't wait to see the finished product.

Here is some sample text from my chapter:

The greater Phoenix area or the Valley of the Sun as it is often referred to is the nations fifth most populated city, one of its largest in land area and one of countries fastest growing. The gem of Arizona, the Phoenix metropolitan area is an island of population surrounded by an ocean of sparsely inhabited diverse geography offering up everything from mountain ranges to low lying desert flats. The Valley of the Sun is made up by a series of cities including Phoenix, Scottsdale, Tempe, Chandler, Mesa, Gilbert, Peoria and dozens of other communities. Most of my reviews will be centered around central Phoenix, Tempe and Scottsdale because those are the places I live, play and work.

For all of its size, diversity and potential Phoenix has long lacked a solidified cultural identity and reputation. Sadly it is often only associated with being absurdly hot, which believe me it certainly is, but only for four months out of the year. The rest of the time Phoenix is nothing short of a dream weather wise and your almost guaranteed a breathtaking sunset every night. Despite the cities long running identity crisis I believe the next decade promises to see Phoenix rise as a cultural capitol all its own.

With a thriving tech industry and rapidly growing art scene the city has become one of the top destinations for young professionals and creatives such as myself. As this flux of fresh blood comes up in Phoenix we are afforded the ability to not only experience the growing culture of Phoenix but to help shape it. Due in part to this new generation of Phoenicians the city has finally begun to reverse its momentum and begin to grow inward, slowing the sprawl and focusing instead on the revitalization of downtown and the densest regions. With this shift in movement an emphasis has been put onto community and creativity, two characteristics I'm sure my city will soon be recognized for.