I was studying graphic design at the time, when negative scanners and all that stuff was coming out, and you could do it all in your apartment. So I would shoot, make contact sheets, scan all the cool negatives, and make all these zines and books of my photos to give to my friends. I was really into zine- and bookmaking from skate culture.

I don't want to be an artist that gets stuck doing one thing. I don't want to be an artist who people look back at and say, 'His early work was really great.

When I moved to New York, I was still in the closet.

I was pretty Irish Catholic Jersey, the middle of the line.

I think the driving force when I moved to New York was the fear of going home with my tail between my legs.

From 8 to 19, I was skateboarding every single day. That was my life. I worked at a skate shop. I watched skate videos.

The cool part about New York is that you can do that. You can talk to all the people you admire.