What’s My Story?
My name is Ruel Abadam. Abadam Studios is named after me and my father and his father before him and his father before him. You get the picture. I’m also known as Ru El, host of Ru El’s Running Podcast. Abadam Studios is where I choose to have my graphic and web design services live.
Both my grandfathers were hands-on builders and creators. Bottom line…they worked. My father was the same as a visual merchandiser. You could say I grew up around creative and artistic role models. As a kid it was easy for me to sketch things I saw. I also realized my brother had the same ability as did a couple of cousins in the family. As I got older, I noticed nieces and my own kids express similar artistic talents. So some artistic gene seems to get handed down or there must’ve been something in the water.
Creative Relationship
While growing up it seemed a no brainer to study art and make a living related to design and graphic arts. Although, I didn’t want to turn what I found to be a personal or private side of me into a job. The fear having this become a job, a chore, and a tedious and no longer enjoyable. I wanted to preserve it for some reason.
Photography & Business
By the end of high school, my mom had been hearing about how computers were going to be a thing and something worthwhile learning. Her advice for me in the early 90’s was simply to “study computers”. When I graduated I left all the books behind me and focused on working full-time. I landed a job at a photo lab and portrait studio. I learned to process film and prints. I learned photography. On the side, I developed interests in both fitness and computers. These side interests both helped me stay in shape to run around on photo shoots and equip me with the computer skills in the office to performing accounting and payroll. Strange mix, but I was interested in learning the business inside and out. At some point I exposed some graphic design abilities and under management approval, I redesigned the company’s original and long standing logo. It was my first logo redesign and it was fun. It ended on up on product packaging and the storefront signage.
Computer Desktop Publishing and Design
While most folks my age at the time were working on their college degree and serving in the military, I kept working and exercising. In between, I poured into books and magazine on personal computers. When that wasn’t enough and I needed access to a computer that wasn’t the office’s or the library’s, I sought out other ways. With my hunger for more knowledge working with computers and natural design skills, I stumbled upon Sally. Sally Struthers was on TV telling me I could enroll in a correspondence school which included a personal computer. Sign me up! Out of all the available courses offered, one program peaked by interest and appealed to my creative side was Computer Desktop Publishing and Design. The goal was to breeze through the program and get a personal computer shipped to me while making incremental payments. In order to get it, I had to get through half the course. I completed the course, got my diploma, then spent a lot of time learning about PC hardware, operating systems, connecting online service, and at the time, the emerging Internet. The design software was fine but not as interesting as the computer. After four years, having learned on-the-job photography, photo-processing, accounting, and payroll, and at home taking a computer desktop publishing and design course, and learning general personal computer hardware and operating system skills , I realized I was ready to step into a classroom again.
Database, Networking, and Education
As the crow flew and over 5,810 miles, I followed my then girlfriend, now wife, to a place where one could go to better “study computers”. We moved to the San Francisco Bay Area. Enrolled in a university that had night courses, I was able to study and hold a full-time job.
I worked as a court records researcher running background checks on a long list of potential employees and renters. It was for my cousin’s agency. I retrieved and reported on numerous court records from courthouses either from paper files to microfiche. This public data was brought back to the office where it was manually entered in a standalone desktop PC. It was in this setting where I started learning relational database systems and local area networks. I performed a bunch of self-study through books on the subject and converted the company operations from the standalone database PC station to a networked replicable database across multiple workstations. It was fun figuring things out.
I took four years to complete a bachelor’s degree in business information systems and immediately signed up for another two years and earned a very similar masters degree in computer information systems through an online program.
Technology Career
During my university career, I managed to get a position in a dot-com company in a customer service and helpdesk role. I supported a web-based hotel reservation site and system, which was new at the time, but a common thing today.
After a year, and closer to completing the first degree, I entered an engineering role in software quality assurance. I also took on the additional responsibility of software release coordinator and have worked with many people, teams, and companies. Highlights included Google, Shutterfly, and Ginger.io.
Online Teaching
With school out of the way, I was able to find time to teach online courses in beginners web design and structured query language. After dedicating six years as a working student, I understood how balancing commitments of making a living and accomplishing goals at the same time. I knew the perspectives of the full-time working professional earning a college degree and felt I could relate, share, and give back to the world. I instructed online courses close to five years.
Website Design For Fitness
If that wasn’t enough I studied four martial arts, created and hosted a martial arts group website. Ever since I was a child I was attracted to martial arts It started with all things Bruce Lee, Bruce Li, Jackie Chan, Five Deadly Venoms, Chinese Connection, The Big Boss, Return of the Dragon, Kung Fu Theater.
As a photographer, I based my exercise routine on Bruce Lee’s Training Method. On Guam, it was the closest I could get to bridging the gap between me and Bruce’s legacy. It was also a way to combat the post high school weight gain. You know the kind that happens when a young adult has a job and spends a paycheck?
Early in my career, I had the honor and opportunity to train several disciplines of martial arts with a generous man who was very knowledgeable in several arts. I developed and hosted a martial arts club website, which promoted his class, which grew and served student all over the Bay Area. I served as the senior student, lead classes, and maintained the site for years before I had to step down to training and focus on job and family. The martial arts will always be a part of me and hope to someday share it with my children.
Podcasting And Designing For Health
As time went on and some job shifts, I focused on family and got married. My wife and I created a home and started a family. We have three kids and they are a blast. It was such a blast starting a family that I happily put on weight. Post-martial arts weight gain. Unable to relive a past martial arts life, I trained for a marathon instead as a way to get back into shape. Even though the conventional training eventually got me across the finish line, I was even heavier. Not so cool right? The cool part was that I started listening to podcasts about marathon training. Then over a series of various podcasts, I found myself wanting to run greater than the 26.2 miles or marathon distance. After completing my first 50k distance, I sought out other podcasts that might help me improve my running in ways that didn’t leave me fat. I needed to float like a butterfly and sting like a bee. Many other people run longer and faster. So I needed to find out how I could do it too. Without going into detail, after searching and experimenting with nutrition, I learned and improved. I came down to a weight I’ve not seen since high school. I live and fuel better on and off the trail and road. I celebrate the transformation and set an example on my podcast over at Ruel’s Running Podcast. I do it to share, try to inspire, and give back to the NSNG community as created by Vinnie Tortorich and Anna Vocino. Other ways I’ve been able to give back is contributing to the closed Facebook groups and help Vinnie by creating some fun shirt designs to keep his message across and promote the lifestyle.
Creative Never Gone
I’m blessed to have gone through these periods. Looking back I can see how the creative bone couldn’t be suppressed. I once feared losing it, but know it never can happen. The coolest side effect has happend through my life’s journey, which is a wonderful blend of these experiences that make it possible to channel the inner artist:
- Photography
- Desktop Publishing
- Database Administration
- Networking Administration
- Website Design
- Podcasting
- Graphic Design
- Online Teaching
So here I am. Here we are.
After knowing more than you need to know about me and if you’re looking for a little help when it comes to your website, graphic design, podcasting, and things in between…drop me line!
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