Hi. My name is Josiah Van De Steeg and I’m an artist/graphic designer. On November 25, 1997, I was born in the small town of Hutchinson, Minnesota which is where I grew up my whole life. Since nothing exciting ever happened in Hutch, I spent my early days playing legos with my brothers and drawing. 

From a young age, I expressed a strong interest in art. I could seldom be found without a pencil or paint brush in my hand. By the time I was 12, I had written and illustrated close to 20 original, quirky stories which served as an outlet for my imagination.  If I wasn’t writing and illustrating a book about talking penguins or monkeys, I would paint pictures of my favorite MLB athletes and hang the pictures on my bedroom walls.  Eventually I ran out of room on my walls to hang my artwork so I tried my hand at making digital art.

Perhaps by fate, I joined Business Professional of America (BPA) my Sophomore year of High School.  Through BPA, I competed with students around the state and country in a Graphic Design poster making competition.  By my senior year of high school, I found myself on top of a podium in Boston Massachusetts receiving a first place plaque for graphic design at the BPA National Competition.  As I stood atop the podium and looked out into the crowd of thousands of other BPA students from around the country, I realized that graphic design was what I wanted to do for the rest of my life.  

I am currently a College student at the University of Minnesota, Duluth and I’m pursuing a degree in Graphic Design and Marketing.  As a side job, I do freelance design work and I paint signs upon request from clients.  I will graduate from UMD in 2020.