Why hello there!
My name is Robert L. Barrett, but you can call me Rob, Bob, Robbie, Wahb, Bobert, Bear, Barrett, Robo, Roberto, Robatron, Bor, Bub, Rubby, but most definitely NOT Bobby. I don't like Bobby.
I was born and raised in Michigan, which means that I wear sleeveless shirts and shorts in 40 degree weather while utilizing my hand as a map. Early on, I found that creative thinking was something that I could just... well... do. It came naturally and never felt like work, so I ran with it, finding myself 20 years later with a BFA in Graphic Design from Central Michigan University. It was certainly a fun trip and far too ephemeral, but in my book, the party is just starting.
I'm a Detroit sports fan, which is really difficult sometimes [*ahem* Lions? *ahem*], at least until hockey season starts [*ahem* Red Wings! *ahem*]. I prefer to watch the more violent sports [football, hockey, etc.], but oftentimes you'll catch me watching my guilty pleasure, golf. I love it. I love to play it. I love to live it. I love to love it. It's just a great, relaxing game of swearing under your breath, nervously yipping 3 foot putts for chump change, and never, ever, (EVER!) playing to your true ability. Yep, it's the greatest game ever created. I also enjoy recreational (more like semi-professional) softball, and not your 6-12 foot arc stuff. We're talkin' unlimited, 30 foot high, arc pitches. It's a blast.
When I'm not working my ass off at Fanatics Inc., you can find me in a multitude of places. Whether I'm on the golf course in the spring/summer, at a Lions game in the fall, or having some brews in the winter, the name of the game is work hard first, play harder second. Throughout the year, I'll try to keep myself sane through ridiculously strenuous workouts and charmingly abstract paintings. This, however, only temporarily keeps the insanity from boiling over, but I'm okay with that.
Being able to problem solve through creative thinking is the one thing that makes me, well, unique? Perhaps outrageous ideas aren't always the best solution, but they're the ones that have made me successful enough to use the word "successful" in a sentence. I don't think I'll ever run out of insane creative ideas, and I sure as hell won't ever get sick of them.
You might be thinking why Rob's Mental Playground? Good question. I'm a kid at heart, and I do my best to maintain a youthful curiosity about anything and everything. Therefore, Rob's Mental Playground seemed appropriate, as my thoughts are oftentimes experimental playthings, much like a playground is a plaything for a curious child. It's a perfect metaphor for the inner workings of my creative mind and spirit. So I invite you to absorb the mental nuggets I'm presenting here, and don't worry, I'm not as pretentious as my writing might suggest. I'm just a normal guy who put a box on his head, doused it with lighter fluid, and set it ablaze to prove a metaphorical point...
Seriously, I really did that.
-- RLB
P.S. - If you'd like to see what my "about me" used to be, click here!
