Jeffrey Smith
Living a Double-Life
Jeffrey Smith wears many different hats.  For some, he is Jeff A. Smith the graphic and web designer behind Vita Opus!  For others, he is Jeffrey Smith an aspiring actor and voice artist. And then for the rest, he is Jeff Smith.

What's His Story?

Jeff Smith grew up in Escondido, California where he basically just lived an average life.  His biggest life dream was to become a director for major motion pictures.  Creating movies in his head, telling stories through lego's and crafting well-written professional wrestling dramas to act out in his imagination were his biggest hobbies.  Oh, and video games.  He wasn't exactly the coolest kid in the neighborhood but he was definitely imaginative!  And he got better as he grew up!  Jeff's family eventually moved to Rapid City, South Dakota in the new millenium and that is where Jeff actually grew up. After graduating high school, he soon moved to Mankato, Minnesota where he recieved a Bachelor's of Science degree in Theatre Arts & Graphic Design.  He currently lives in Seattle, Washington due to his obsession with the 90's grunge band Pearl Jam.

Most kids would be out playing sports while I was in my backyard creating, not to be biased or anything but, some of the most interesting stories I have ever heard of. Instead of spaceships, my LEGO's were real places you could find in the city. What can I say? Even at a young age, I appreciated realism.  JAS

A Life in the Theatre

Jeff was a late-bloomer in theatre. In the first half of high school, Jeff still had to take the necessary steps in learning how to bust out of his little shell.  He had an interest in theatre for a while, but never really did anything to push that interest of his.  Instead, he relied on graphic design to express himself artistically, which is how liveArt! was born.  In his junior year of high school, Jeff had the amazing opportunity to perform a featured role in a farce.  From then on, he was hooked.  Now, with a degree in Theatre Arts under his belt, Jeff is constantly looking for new projects to become involved with. He is currently looking for ways to break into film work and has been producing voice-over work.  For more information on Jeff's acting career, please visit I am Jeff Smith.com.

Life Captured in Portraits

These portraits serve as timestamps for each year from 2004 to the present year. The portrait would always be created in January of the following year in order to reflect on the events that instigaged a personal change.

Professional Graphic Design and Beyond

My first website was a complete disaster. So were my designs at the time. I belonged to this professional wrestling forum and was apart of a fantasy wrestling league so I was put in charge of creating all of the graphics that went along with it.  Great experience, but absolutely terrible designs.  JAS

In 1995, Jeff's Grandmother purchased a computer for him and his family. Who would have known that that began a love affair that would last... well, forever. Jeff had the chance to learn the basics of computer technology by becoming familiar with the Windows platform, MS-DOS, word processing and, most importantly, the ability to create artwork.  A couple of years later, Jeff's uncle supplied the family with an updated machine with Windows 98 and internet capabilities.  This changed Jeff's life entirely.  Jeff became obsessed with learning everything he could about graphic design.  Jeff gained access to an entire collection of Adobe and Macromedia software, which intensified his thirst for knowledge even more.  His very first website was a Dragonball Z fansite that included a whopping 119 animated GIF's on the very first page.  Jeff had come a long way when he purchased his very first Mac years later, which was the next time he got as excited as he did when his Dell WebPC came in the mail way back in 1998.  With a college degree in his possession, Jeff plans to be an unstoppable force in design.  His thirst for knowledge has never stopped and never will.