Despite the doctor turning me around three times, I came into the world feet first, setting the example for my life as an artist. When my father tells the story, he finishes with, “It figures. You’re still marching to the beat of your own drum.”

I started drawing in kindergarten, painting in junior high, and photojournalism in high school. When my teacher asked if anyone could photograph a game for the yearbook, I cajoled my dad into letting me borrow his Yashica 35mm and off I went, instructed by him to not lose it, break it, or put it down. This was my first experience with a 35mm camera, and when the contact sheets came in, it was crystal clear he would never get it back. I started Dyer Photography in our paneled den in Donna, Texas, while I was still in high school, shooting portraits and parties, and after graduation, I moved on to weddings and quinceañeras.

Naturally, I decided to major in art when I entered college, but my practical and wise father asked me how I would make a living as an artist; there began the switch from fine art to graphic design. My career started with winning first prize for a jeans pocket design, and progressed to designing retail window displays that paid mostly in clothes and shoes. Before long, however, I was doing portrait and wedding photography again (and earning real money to my dad’s delight), then fashion illustration, graphic design, layout, copy writing, and creating newspaper and radio ads.

Nearly every day was an adventure, especially when I went to work for Brian Loflin & Associates, a commercial photography and design studio in Brownsville, Texas. One day I would be assisting on photographing the world’s largest offshore drilling rig, and the next it would be an all-day shoot at an aloe vera processing plant, art directing a fashion shoot for a western clothing catalog, or accompanying Brian in a Cessna while he photographed a shopping mall from 1,000 feet up.

In 1989, I struck out on my own as Dyer Design: it was the best decision I ever made. I can march to the beat of my own drum, but I also love to collaborate with clients, colleagues, and other artists, in making all kinds of creative music.