I’ve always been a computer nerd at heart. Back in school, while most kids were sneaking out for mischief or grinding on sports teams, I was busy learning programming languages. At the time, I had this wild “highdea” that maybe one day I’d work for the CIA. Picture me, hoodie up, screens glowing, the digital James Bond of Dennis, Massachusetts.
Of course, there was a catch: I also knew I could never sit still in a cubicle. The idea of fluorescent lights and endless office hours made my skin crawl. Even as a kid, I had this restless energy that told me my path was going to be outside, moving, climbing, and creating — not stuck inside decoding spreadsheets. Turns out, fast forward twenty-plus years, and I was right. My life didn’t fit the office mold, and honestly, thank God for that.
But here’s the twist: just because I didn’t go the CIA route doesn’t mean I left my love of computers behind. Far from it. These days, I can still spend hours glued to a screen, deep in the weeds of video edits, graphic design, and other nerdy projects. The only difference is that instead of hacking government servers (don’t worry, FBI, that was never the plan), I’m building something of my own.
That childhood obsession with computers became one of the secret weapons behind Knotty Intentions. All those years tinkering and geeking out with tech taught me how to blend real-world grit with digital creativity. One day I’m up in a tree with a chainsaw, the next I’m behind a MacBook designing logos, building out a Shopify store, or tweaking video edits until 2 AM. It’s the weirdest mix of hobbies and hustles, but it’s the exact combo that gave KI a chance at becoming something real.
For me, computers were never just a “nerd thing.” They were (and still are) a tool for freedom. They gave me an escape hatch from the boring, cookie-cutter paths laid out in front of me. And now, they’re the bridge between the two worlds I live in: the dirty, knotted ropes of arborist life and the clean, glowing pixels of design and creativity.
So yeah — I never made it to the CIA. But I did build a life where I get to use my brain and my hands, my ropes and my computer, my nerdy obsessions and my need for movement. And honestly? That feels like the real undercover mission: proving you can live outside the lines, follow your instincts, and still tie it all together into something that works.