My Story

Hi, I’m Ryan Briggs.  I’m a husband, a father, and a nerdy engineer with a bit of an artsy side.  I started my college studies with architectural engineering in mind, thinking it would be a good way of combining my strength in math and science with my artistic interests.  But as I went through school I narrowed down my studies to focus on my math/science side, and became a licensed civil engineer specializing in structural design.  In 2009, after 5 years of working for a mid-sized structural engineering company, I started Arx Engineering, which has been (and continues to be) my main focus for several years now.

I started Simple Owl as a way of expressing my artsy (and humorous) side, which tends to be a little underused as an engineer (earthquakes and beam calculations aren’t normally something you laugh about).  The Simple Owl comic characters are based loosely on my children, who provide me with a never-ending stream of humorous life experiences to help me remember to never lose that child-like curiosity, innocence and love of life.  I hope you enjoy, and remember to live life laughing!  Feel free to send me a message.