Hello everyone!
My name is Paul and I am The Big Bad Project’s Facility Manager & Animal Care Specialist.
I have spent my professional career as a caregiver even though I have a degree in computer science. I just always found work taking care of others more rewarding.
I started work with The Big Bad Project in 2020 when they were still working on a lot of the behind-the-scenes aspects of the organization (structure, timelines, program development, etc…), so I guess you can say I have been here from almost the beginning!
My fascination with wolves has been lifelong and I truly feel like I am living the dream every day I get to work with these amazing animals.
With two Ambassador Animals to care for, there is no shortage of things to do! Depending on the time of day, you can find me preparing their meals, taking them for walks, or just hanging out in their enclosures watching YouTube videos.
This basically translates to - grunt work. We have a pretty detailed protocol when it comes to maintenance of the facility, which means I am no stranger to scrubbing out water bowls, cleaning enclosure spaces, or ensuring our fences are in good condition.
When I am not with the animals, I handle a lot of the coordination of our developing programs. A lot of my work in this area has been centered around focus groups, from coordinating schedules for programs to surveying participants afterwards.
Our natural world boasts an endless task of conservation and preservation. But a committed few can make big changes in both the world around them and in the minds of others, I see this happening here at The Big Bad Project every day.
I have always been passionate about art, in all forms, and it has always been a prominent part of my life. Growing up I found myself lost in drawings, passing hours doodling away when I really should have been studying!
Honestly, my brother was probably my greatest inspiration as an artist. He was, and still is, meticulous in everything he did. It really just made me want to be better at what I was doing, you know…friendly sibling competition and all.
I continue to be inspired by really fantastic artists out there like Daniel Sprick, Justin Coro Kaufman, Petar Meseldzija, Paja Jovanovic, N.C. Wyeth, and Dave Santillanes (just to name a few).
When it comes to subject matter, I have always been fascinated by Western art. I can stare at paintings depicting the old west or just western landscapes for hours. Growing up in Scotland, there was just nothing that compares to that type of landscape or history. I have no shame admitting that I absolutely love this part of history in Western society.
There really isn’t anything that I won’t tackle when I paint. My wife loves it when I paint pictures of our dogs and I really enjoying painting the ambassadors I work with too!
If I am not actively painting you can still find me at art museums, enjoying the works of others and finding inspiration in their art.
I am a huge nerd and LOVE playing all types of games. Board games, DnD, PC games, you name it, I don’t discriminate.
I used to be a Dungeon Master (DM) for a long-standing DnD group before I moved here to the states, now I get to do some RPGs with friends on occasion, or helping my stepson write his own DnD campaigns!
Right now, my main nerdy outlet is PC gaming. My family is full of PC gamers, so this is just something we do together to unwind at the end of the day. We are currently enjoying the first season of Diablo 4, even with all the bugs and issues that it has been having. I have also enjoyed this season of Path of Exile, but don’t have as much time to play.
Really, as I have gotten older I have come to the realization that I just don’t want to grow up! I love being a kid at heart and I hope that never changes.
