Eric Christensen

All my life, there have always been certain things that I have enjoyed more than others. Country-style living and creating things. As a child, this meant I spent my days building forts, building with Legos, and building ramps to launch myself and my bike off. As I got older, I started working in construction, and at the same time, I began drafting blueprints for both mechanical and architectural plans. I have been drawing to some extent as long as I can remember, but the drawing itself has to be precise. Each line has to be perfect because it has a particular place and rigidity in the drawing. It has to be perfect. This was the start of my dreams.

After High School, I left home, my job, and everything else. I decided to enlist in the Marine Corps. Over the next thirteen years, I traveled the world. I have seen all aspects: the good, the bad, the happy, the sad, the combat, and the peaceful parts. I was a mechanic and a teacher on two aircraft. I followed, and I led Marines. I always sought that perfect balance of being a friend, a brother, a subordinate, and an inspiration.

During the last few years in the Marines, I knew I would need more education to find a job outside the Marines. Though, I was unsure exactly what I wanted to do. When I first started going to school, I planned on getting a business degree but discovered quickly that it was not for me. This was when I looked into my past, returned to my roots, and started my drafting and design degree. There was just something about that creative process and the preciseness of drafting. The only problem was that the school closed in my final semester, preventing me from getting that degree. Though, it rekindled a flame in me for the creative process. Therefore, I found the only degree program that would fuel that fire and received my degree in welding technology in 2020. In 2021, I earned my degree in art. Additionally, I will complete my degree in game development in 2024. Throughout all this time, I have discovered that my dream job is 3D modeling.

One of my first projects in game development was creating a board game for a class. I didn’t want it just to be any old board game; instead, I wanted it to be different than anything else I have seen. Therefore, I bought my first 3D printer and sat down and designed a gameboard in Blender. After completing the design process, I spent the next week printing and painting every game board piece. This is where the addiction to 3D modeling and 3D printing began. From the start of that first print, I have spent most of my free time designing, modeling, and printing anything my mind can produce. Most of the things I have done have been mechanical, whether it is an upgraded part for one of my printers, an invention for a friend to help in flood zones, or a replacement part for the toy my kids just broke.

While in the Marines, I was lucky enough to find my wife. Since then, she has been with me through thick and thin and has always supported me. We also have two children, one boy and one girl, and I have had the pleasure of being the stay-at-home parent for the last few years since I have been a full-time student. This has allowed me to watch my children grow into the people they are today.