Jim Dicus has a Master of Fine Arts (MFA) in creative writing from Arizona State University, so his background is in language and the written medium, but because of his interest in expanding the possibilities of what language presentation can be, he focused on design work in his years working with both writing and music-related activities. He teaches English courses and works as both an instructional designer and a video editor. His many hobbies challenge him to continually acquire new skills. Through music promotion, he got into design work–learning photo editing, video editing, and graphic design. He became familiar with the tools and software necessary to create effective layouts for marketing both on paper and the Internet, which he was able to translate into website design.
Jim understands the connection between pedagogy and practical application in an instructional environment and is QM-Certified in Applying the QM Rubric. In addition to teaching, he spent three years at Bellevue College (BC) in a faculty support role where he guided faculty in their curriculum development as well as created and presented trainings on best practices in design among others. He spent a year as part of the UDL Cohort at BC where he worked in direct support of the coordinator at the request of the eLearning Director, Ekaterina Stoops.
Although he is a native of Washington, Jim spent 12 years in Arizona where he learned some hard lessons and earned his MFA. Immediately upon returning to WA, he threw himself into the local music scene–sitting in on a few Power Skeleton sessions and playing bass in Skunk Rider in addition to transforming his longtime project This Definite Sky into a full band rather than a studio project. Because of his long time involvement in bands, he learned graphic design and worked to expand into video production when he began his work on the story of The Basement–a documentary about a small art and music movement in Wenatchee. This work with video editing and production led him to begin working under the umbrella idea Far Horizon, editing and producing music videos.
In addition to his musical and design commitments, Jim enjoys spending time with his family–going to the beach, running, taking bike rides, playing football, and going to concerts. His hobbies include making movies with his kids and recording music in his home studio.