Michael RochaFrom my earliest memories, creativity has been the guiding force of my life. Even as a child, I felt a magnetic pull toward the act of creation, a compulsion to shape ideas into tangible forms. My love for reading, as natural as breathing, became thecornerstone of my imagination. Books of every kind-detective mysteries, sprawling fantasies, sharp-edged science fiction, thought-provoking philosophy, and gripping historical accounts-fueled my young mind with infinite possibilities. Later, my mother nurtured another profound love within me - Cinema. She didn't just show me films; she introduced me to their very soul - the intricate craftsmanship behind the scenes. Through her, I came to see cinema not as mere entertainment but as an art form encompassing scriptwriting, photography, editing, directing, and so much more. Including music... My father, on the other hand, gave me a love for the natural world and a passion for sports, but my creativity demanded more than physical outlets. At just five or six years old, I began crafting percussive music with household objects, finding rhythms in the mundane. Around the same time, I became captivated by the idea of world-building, sketching intricate maps of fantastical lands where my imagination could roam freely. These maps soon gave rise to stories, each one a reflection of the landscapes I had drawn. By the age of seven or eight, my creations took on a three-dimensional form as, with my father's help, I began building miniature towns and villages for my action figures, giving my imagined worlds physicality and life.But amidst the music, another creation was quietly taking root. The MiddleVerse, the seed of my imagination, began forming in those early years. I devoured films from the likes of Kurosawa, Tarkovsky, Hitchcock, Scorsese, Godard, Scott, and Lucas, amongst many others. I marveled at how cinema blended my passions: photography, architecture, music, poetry, dance, and storytelling. Each medium fed my creativity, and by consequence, The MiddleVerse itself. For most of my life, The MiddleVerse existed solely in my mind. It grew and evolved, its mythology expanding with each passing thought, but I never put it to paper. Life carried me forward, demanding my attention elsewhere. Yet, like an eternal flame, The MiddleVerse remained. I began with the skeleton, crafting the mythology that would form its foundation. I wrote the histories of its Houses, the intricate relationships between them, and the grand arc of its cosmic narrative. As I worked, I sketched the imagery that would bring these stories to life. The MiddleVerse, which had lived so long in my mind, now began to take shape in the real world. Today, my imagination overflows with more ideas than I have time to bring to life. Balancing creativity with family life has become a delicate dance. Time, as precious as a fistful of sand, slips away faster than we can hold it. Yet, I am determined to use the second half of my life to leave as much of The MiddleVerse as I can for others to explore. I create because I must. It is not a choice but a necessity! A relentless drive to shape the infinite into something tangible. Through The MiddleVerse, I hope to share the wonder, the beauty, and the boundless possibilities that have filled my mind since I was a child. It is my gift to my young progeny, a piece of eternity woven from the fabric of their father's imagination. Read More Read Less