Hey Everybody, Meet Austin

So, where are you from?
I was born and raised in the suburbs of Des Moines.

How do you like working and living in Iowa City?
I love it — Iowa City is such a passionate and supportive place full of opportunity. It really feels like home in a lot of ways.

Do you have any phrases that you overuse?
Dangus. You will probably catch me saying “dangus” under my breath several times a day at work.

Dangus. I like it. Favorite ice cream flavor?
1. Pistachio 2. Sea Salt Caramel 3. Birthday Cake

Where is your favorite place in the world?
My grandparents live in a small town in Panama called Ocu, where they have a large backyard full of fruit trees and a small covered patio. Being there reminds me of childhood. I will always love swinging in their hammocks and playing dominoes with family.

Sounds beautiful! Coffee or tea?
We are loyal drinkers of Duran at our house, a wonderful Panamanian coffee.

Pizza or tacos?
Taco Pizza. Just kidding, do yourself a favor and get pepperoni, bacon, red onion, garlic, and light tomato sauce. It could change your life. Shoot, throw some spinach or mushrooms on there. Or both.

What is your idea of perfect happiness?
Let me paint you a picture. It’s a warm and sunny 72 degrees and I’m sitting on the dock of my private lake. I reside in a cabin nestled in the pines of some Pacific Northwest forest, where I own and operate a dog sanctuary. My pups are enjoying the air, while I enjoy a pepperoni, bacon, red onion, garlic, and light tomato sauce pizza. As I finish the whole thing, I feel a tug on my line. It’s a huge fish. I reel it in but I let it go. I do this every day for the rest of my life and never grow tired of it.

Weirdest job you’ve ever had?
I spent two years inside of the Chuck E. Cheese costume.

If you ever had to sing karaoke, what song would you choose?
“I’m Your Man” by Leonard Cohen and “True” by Spandau Ballet.

If someone wrote a book about your life, what would it be called?
Oof, that’s hard. Sometimes I find notes in my phone that I’ve written to myself that have no context and don’t make sense. For example: on May 23, 2016 at 10:09 pm I wrote, “‘Fat Knuckles and Skinny Fingers’ the name of your memoirs.” I don’t know what that means, or where it came from. That is not how I would describe my hands. But I guess I felt strongly enough about that phrase at the moment to describe my memoirs as such. So for that reason, I would have to go with “Fat Knuckles and Skinny Fingers.”

I’d read it. Which social media platform do you identify most with?
I believe that Instagram has become a powerful tool for artists, designers, photographers, etc. to post their work regularly and to get it out to a larger audience. I am very much a visual person, and find myself looking at other designers and illustrators work more often than I should.

Would you rather be cold all the time or hot all the time?
Hot — I am already cold all the time. It’s my Panamanian blood.

What’s the coolest thing you have on your desk?
My lil Bonnaroo cereal box. I’ve attended the music festival a couple of times and every year they send your wristband in an interesting package. This one came with a toy.

What do you want to be when you grow up?
That is something that has changed a lot over the last few years, and continues to change now. My hope is that I will use design as a way to help people and affect change, whether that is at the community level or at a larger scale.

What has been your favorite part about being a Sculptron so far?
The whole team has been incredibly helpful and welcoming, and has already made me feel like a part of the Sculpt family. Also meeting my new best bud, Westley. He’s a good, good boy.