I’m into a lot of very specific, and often expensive things lol. I made my first website around the age of 10, and went to college initially for Graphic Design.
I played drums in a Punk Rock band (Disclosure). I got a lot of life experiences and learned a ton of stuff through DIY methods. We recorded two albums and played over a 100 shows across 10 states in about a four year period. It was a ton of work, but I have countless stories and memories.
In college, the Art Department overly pushed Contemporary Art, of which I had little interest, and I switched my major to Mass Communication and pursued Graphic Design as a minor. I was focused primarily on Web Design, and after graduation, I opened my own small business. I developed anxiety and panic disorder in college, and eventually it started affecting me more.
I bought a townhouse in 2013, and I dreamed of being able to play an acoustic drum set at home. I did months of research, and I began planning to build a drum isolation / soundproof room in a spare bedroom. I documented the build and uploaded them to YouTube. I played in a Punk / Horror / Shock Rock band (Scarecrow’s Curse) at the time, and then met a girl that changed my life. We began dating, and I convinced her to move-in with me. We’ve now been married seven years and together almost a decade!
I wanted to continue pushing myself professionally, and I worked for a local Marketing Communications company. After that, I worked for a larger Marketing Company until I began having more health problems.
From 2016 – 2022, I spent the majority of my time seeing Doctors. No one could really pinpoint what was wrong with me. I had a wide range of diagnoses, and tried a lot of medications that made me worse. Walking and energy were my main issues. I took two month-long trips to the Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Mn, and I still came home without concrete answers. In late 2021, I was diagnosed with Psoriatic Arthritis (PsA) and Psoriasis.
When I first started having health problems, I decided to use my “downtime” to learn about Photography and Welding. I had been designing, editing photos, and graphics for over 15 years, but I had never tried to actually capture photos. I learned everything I could and used every opportunity to hone my skills. I’ve shot a wide array of genres at this point, and I shoot professionally as Michael Roach Photography.
I learned how to stick weld, very poorly, in my High School shop class. I never really pursued it outside of class, but I enjoyed it. After I became disabled, I wanted to be able to hunt places I couldn’t drive a 4-wheeler to. My solution was to buy a mini bike and modify it, so that I could take myself around the mountain. I stick welded some of the project, but I wanted to be able to weld thinner materials. I bought a secondhand mig welder and began teaching myself to mig weld.