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AJ Brockman (born July, 27, 1988) is a visual communicator and award-winning digital artist. He also has spinal muscular atrophy (SMA), a progressive neuromuscular disease, and has been wheelchair-bound since the age of two. About his condition, Brockman says: “Although my SMA definitely influences who I am, it doesn’t define me — as an artist or an individual. I view myself as being ‘differently abled’ rather than ‘disabled.’ My motto is ‘Carpe Diem,’ and I actually have a tattoo of that saying. I live every day to the fullest.”

Creative journey At an early age, Brockman discovered a natural talent for painting that quickly blossomed into a full-blown passion. Working with acrylics on canvas, he drew inspiration from the landscapes and seascapes of his native Florida, developing a quirky, impressionistic style that made him a promising young artist with a bright future. However, when he began to lose the strength in his hands around age 13 — an inevitable result of his SMA — he also lost his ability to paint. Forced to give up his artistic dream and pursue another career path, he settled on broadcasting because his voice remained unaffected by the disease and he always could talk a good game.

His life-changing moment came when he was registering for high school classes and discovered a brand new elective course: Commercial Art Technology. “I thought it would be an interesting alternative to learning French or joining the volleyball team,” he says. As it turned out, the course was much more than just a couple of credits on a transcript; by introducing him to Corel Painter and Adobe Photoshop software, it enabled him to start creating again. Although he couldn’t use his entire hand, he learned how to maneuver a laptop touch pad, which controls the digital brushes and other tools, using one finger on his left hand. The passion was still there, and now Brockman had the means of expressing it. “Thanks to this awesome technology, today the only constraint I face is my own imagination — which means there’s no limit to what can design,” he says.

Career and awards Brockman went on to earn his BFA from Digital Media Arts College in Boca Raton, Fla., receiving the Distinguished Artist Award from his professors after graduating at the top of his class. His professional experience includes the following:

•	Founder/Creative Director – Morpheus Digital Arts, Palm Beach Gardens, Fla. (2006-09) •	Senior Graphic Designer, Truck Side Advertising and Mobile Billboard Creative Director – ViewWay Mobile Media, West Palm Beach, Fla., office (2009-10) •	Senior Designer/Project Manager – FullColor Creative (formerly Vision Haus), Delray Beach, Fla. (2010-11) •	Founder/Creative Director – Single Handed Studio, Palm Beach Gardens, Fla. (2011-present

Brockman specializes in branding, illustration, ad layout and commercial packaging, as well as Web design, content management systems, search engine optimization, user interfaces and landing pages. He has won gold and silver ADDY awards (the ADDY Awards is the world’s largest advertising competition, with more than 50,000 entries annually) for his cutting-edge designs.

When he isn’t working with corporate clients to meet their creative needs, Brockman pursues his digital painting passion through his self-created online studio, Single Handed Studio. Here, he displays and sells satire-laced, vintage-inspired canvas prints, metal pieces, wall mounts, posters, apparel and other awe-inspiring works, including the digital painting “Nozridr,” which was awarded third place at the 2010 Landscapes Expo, the first juried art exhibit to which he was accepted. Brockman and his work have been featured in a variety of print and online publications, including Palm Beach Illustrated, the Palm Beach Sun-Sentinel, examiner.com (the West Palm Beach Examiner), PDwrites.com, Florida Weekly and Palm Beach ArtsPaper.

Brockman draws inspiration from a diverse group of artists that includes Impressionist master Claude Monet, as well as contemporary artists such as David Uhl, Malcolm Farley, Jeff Finley and Dan LuVisi. “I admire all sorts of artwork, whether it’s street art, watercolors, oils, sculpture — I take it all in,” he says. Although his works often feature the ocean, landscapes and beachfront lifestyle he grew up with in Southern Florida, he doesn’t like to limit himself to one genre and will “paint” whatever moves him at a given time: sports heroes, musicians, historical figures, animals and more.

Advocacy and public speaking As a child, Brockman was Florida’s Goodwill Ambassador for the Muscular Dystrophy Association (MDA) and was involved with the Jerry Lewis Labor Day telethon. He currently works with Families of SMA, an international network dedicated to fundraising and patient support. He has done a variety of speaking engagements throughout his life, sharing stories about his artwork, how he can accomplish more with one finger than most people can with two full hands, and the challenges of living with SMA.

While Brockman doesn’t necessarily see himself as an inspiration or role model, he does hope his story will motivate others to achieve their own dreams. “We all have our struggles. Mine is just more physically obvious,” he says. “I truly am just an ordinary person with an extraordinary passion.”

Digital paintings