Professional
From 2011 until 2014 I was employed as the premium theme lead (and formerly a Theme Wrangler) at Automattic Inc., the company responsible for, among other things, bringing to the world WordPress.com and Jetpack. The vast majority of my waking hours were spent feverishly obsessing over making premium themes a world-class experience for all WordPress users (you can read more about it here).
From 2009 to 2011 I worked at Graph Paper Press as a WordPress theme developer and “support guy” alongside D.C.-based Thad Allender, Kathmandu-based Chandra Maharzan, and Mexico City-based Rick Alday. What made this experience so remarkable for me is that although our team was small and only met in person one time during my entire two years of employment, I grew close to each of my teammates as a friend. Leaving Graph Paper Press was an incredibly difficult decision and I will not soon forget or take for granted the time I spent there.
Prior to working in companies I was a freelance front-end web developer who specialized in WordPress, HTML, CSS, JavaScript, and web typography. I managed my own projects and clients from shortly after graduating university in 2006 to 2009—some of my favorites were the Rice Design Alliance, Tenfold Creative Services, Urban Martial Arts, and the Viet Nam Literature Project. Suffering through the initial roadblocks and speed bumps that came with freelancing after college was one of the most difficult, yet best decisions I have ever made. I contend that I learned more about web development, business, and communication in those nearly three years than I ever would have learned in as much time as a full-time, entry-level code monkey.
Education
I graduated from Rice University, located in Houston, Texas, with a B.A. in Asian Studies. I attended the school from 2001 to 2006. During that time I studied abroad twice, once at the University of Social Sciences and Humanities in Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam (Spring 2004, School for International Training), and once at Can Tho University in Can Tho, Vietnam (Spring 2005, SIT). Studying abroad profoundly changed my life for the better.
Personal
From 1982 to 2001 I was born and raised in both Longview and Houston, Texas. Since 2004 I have spent most of my time in limbo between the United States and Vietnam, but these days I fully consider myself an American expatriate and Third Culture Adult based in Hanoi. Most of my world view has been shaped by my upbringing in a multiracial and multicultural household—I was born to a black American father and white American mother—and my experiences becoming an adult in Vietnam. I follow the teachings of Buddha somewhat seriously.
Elsewhere on the Web
It takes not an insignificant amount of time to write meaningful content for this website. For delivering bite-sized, time-sensitive, and otherwise irrelevant thoughts I use Twitter (@philip_arthur). I’m convinced that without music my life would fall into utter chaos. Everyone at times feels voids; I remedy mine with beautiful tunes and track my listening habits on Last.fm.
A Final Word
To say that our time on this planet is quite limited would be a gross understatement; spend it wisely. Above all, approach yourself and those around you with respect, integrity, and charity; everything else will fall into place. I promise.
Thank you for visiting my website.
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