Introduction

Hello everyone!  My name is Mason Gray.  I’m an oldest child from Sulphur Springs, Texas, and a four year veteran of the Air Force.  At heart, I'm a creator and love creativity-driven pastimes like writing fiction, reading fiction, playing video games, and very basic programming technology. Until around the 9th grade I was not very good at English in school, despite being a bit of a bookworm.  In fact, I remember being quite embarrassed that I couldn't understand the basics of grade-school English while my peers seemed to have no trouble at all.  But something clicked for me in high school, and I've excelled at it ever since.  In my service time in the Air Force I worked with a lot of advanced technology, and discovered a second love.  I discovered that I genuinely enjoy pushing technology in ways it was never intended, creating something new and exciting.  I don’t have experience teaching officially, but I hope these traits are a sign of good things to come in my goal of becoming a professor of creative writing.  I hope to draw from my talents and use technology in ways that are unique, engaging, and maybe just a little wild.

As both a writer and someone who heavily uses technology, I believe technology plays an increasingly important role in the creative process, and I hope to see our education systems embrace that potential.  I strongly feel it's is a powerful aid in that process, and that it allows us to capture our imagination beyond traditional pen and paper (though I still use those too!).  I remember having an imagination in grade school that was never fully utilized, and I want to have a part in changing that for future generations.  I want to make a difference in people's lives by helping them connect with their creative side, and I plan to use whatever technology is available to that end.

I am of the philosophy that the spirit of creation does not change, only the tools we use do.  I’m sure many people resent the advancement of technology because it’s unfamiliar, but in my experience, art is a constant thing that technology revolves around, not vice versa.  Technology helps to express what words alone cannot, and it’s easy to forget that at one time even the pen was cutting-edge!  Personally, I look forward to seeing our own cutting-edge tech dwarfed by something bigger and better, and I'm excited to see how that will aid in my passions, and the passions of my students.