Art has always influenced his life in one form or another.
Ryan Duff had been drawing and painting for as long as he could remember. All he needed was a clean piece of paper and the world was his.
In Ryan’s educational upbringing, art was a fundamental value. His teachers were not always as enthusiastic about his passion for art, preferring he focus on the lessons at hand. It was a high school algebra teacher who saw right through Ryan’s bad grades and pulled Ryan out of study hall and put him in front of a computer. It became the moment that changed Ryan’s life. That day he was drawing but instead of a pencil or pen, it used a mouse. Two weeks later Ryan was teaching a group of students how to use that program and became one of only a half a dozen or so students that acted as administrators over the computer lab.
After developing a strategy guide to one of the few interactive multi-media educational programs allowed on school computers, Ryan’s teacher offhandedly said “well, what are you going to do next?” Without hesitation, Ryan stated, “I want to make my computer drawings move.” Ryan launched an effort with other students to make a video game. Ryan created the art and animation of the game, but he soon discovered a surprising passion for computer programing. With these new forms of creative expression, his life was once again forever changed.
Ultimately Ryan’s passion for art led him to the School of the Art Institute of Chicago. While still in high school, Ryan attended Portfolio Day where the faculty of SAIC would review potential new students and give them advice for their work as well as review the admissions process. With a couple of cardboard boxes and a new leather art portfolio case packed with his drawings and paintings, he took the Chicago El downtown and laid out his work. After 3 hours of reviews and interviews, Ryan was accepted to the School of the Art Institute of Chicago BFA program on the spot. His freshman year at SAIC, he learned art is not only drawing and painting, it touches and informs every aspect of one’s life. Ryan finally heard someone say how he’d felt his whole life.
After the Art Institute, Ryan set out on his career path. His passion for interactive media got him noticed and soon he landed the role of a Senior Art and Development Director of Multimedia at one of Chicago’s leading marketing companies. Ryan’s passion for expanding his creative and technical knowledge led to the company’s launch of a video production department where he now had a venue to explore his love of animation.
In the intervening 25+ years, Ryan started his own company and has gone on to work with clients all over the world on projects varying from mural paintings to national TV commercials.
Ryan still lives just outside his home town of Chicago with his wife Kelly, who is a published writer working in the tech industry. In his free time, Ryan still creates for himself. Always pushing himself to learn more and expand his creative reach.