👋 Hi, I'm Carter.
I'm a software engineer, musician, artist, adventurer and human being splitting my time between Anchorage, AK and Grand Marais, MI.
I love reading and if you're interested in some good books, look here.
I'm a Software Engineer 🖥️
My experience lies across the stack but historically I'm on the backend most. Node.js and React are my sweet spots but professionally speaking I've done everything from DevOps work in AWS to Django, Rails and ASP.Net. Styling is my nemesis and as important as it is, writing documentation is not my favorite.
Since 2014 my experience has mostly been under the "Bay Area Startup" paradigm (about.me, Broadly, Bevy). Before that I spent some time freelancing after a 5 year stint building GIS web applications at Resource Data, Inc. And, going back further, it was all computer science degree all the time.
If I code in my free time I avoid the Web Dev rigamarole... Things that float my boat: cryptography, programming languages and paradigms, video game development (someday) and struggling to relearn all those computer science concepts you forgot the day after the exam.
I'm a Musician 🎻
I do my best at a variety of styles and instruments. I play Old Time fiddle, banjo and mandolin in a string band called Big Chimney Barn Dance. We've been fortunate enough to tour Wales and Ireland, play Festivals across the US and more gigs in Alaska than I can recall.
Prior to Big Chimney I played in a bluegrass band called High Lonesome Sound. The band technically still exists... we just haven't played a show in a real long time.
I also dabble in Django style guitar and have been playing with an Anchorage based swing group called The Hot Club of Nunaka for years at this point.
My guilty pleasures are metal, punk, pop music and EDM. I wish I had more opportunity to play that stuff.
I'm an Artist 👩🎨
I love to draw (traditionally) and paint (digitally). I ain't like a professional or anything but I do spend a lot of time on it and it sure does provide joy.
Mostly I'm interested in people. I like drawing portraits of beautiful strangers I find online and I'm still pretty stoked on this John Singer Sargent study I pulled off.
I'm an Adventurer ⛰️
I grew up in Northern Michigan and was fortunate to be surrounded by a family who instilled within me a love of the outdoors. I moved to Alaska in late 2008 because, in my mind, it had to be the most outdoorsy place a person could be and still be in the United States. I think I was right.
I spend my free weekends and evenings trying not to break an ankle in the Chugach and the Talkeetnas (near Hatcher Pass). In the fall, I usually head back to Michigan, spending my days on the shores of Lake Superior.
A few years ago I began digging into mountaineering and during the summer of 2018 I achieved a long time dream of attempting to climb Denali, North America's highest peak. Unfortunately the weather wouldn't let us pass 14,000 feet but I was just so happy to be there. Perhaps someday I'll try again.
I also love skateboarding. Someday I'll be mediocre at it.
I'm a Human Being 💁♂️
Labels are like... for the birds, man! Right?? I'm making a website about me so I feel compelled to write all this stuff and, it's all true but the reality is, I try to keep an open mindset and a small identity.
Mostly I just love life, the world, the people in it and the grand experiences it provides.
I hope you find something worthwhile on my humble webpage but if you don't, that's fine too. Thanks for stopping by.