when i create poetry, music, shoot photos, and the like, i usually sign my work as d jon downs.  for sketches, paintings, and other visual art pieces, i use the marks ‹‹ djd ››, ‹‹ djond ››, or sometimes you will see ‹‹ twig ››.  on academic or career work, as well as on other types of writing, i typically sign david j. downs or david john downs.  for special writing projects and song lyrics, it's j. downs.  a pseudonym is occasionally required, and i have used more than a few.  other names to which i will or have responded in the past:  daddy-o, mr. downs, captain, twiggy, fooman, big d.
 
in most situations, i simply call myself j.  feel free to call me j, as well.
 

artistic interests
explorations of this site should provide insights into my work.

in addition to my work as an educator, i am intensely interested in both writing and the fine arts.  i compose and perform music on a variety of instruments (having learned to play most everything during my undergraduate preparations).  i enjoy painting and sketching.  black and white photography is another pursuit.

my writing is all over the map: poetry, fiction, political diatribes, and educational pieces.  much of my writing tends to the satirical.
 

why?
photos, poetry, sketches, music, long-winded tirades, links to seemingly random pages (ed: they are never random, by the way).

why do i feel i must share my creations with you?  clearly, i am a jack of all trades and master of none.  in such a position, wouldn't it make sense just to keep my half-baked ideas and potentially embarrassing efforts to myself?

i say no.

the reason is here.