Let me start the post by announcing that today is the 1 year anniversary of Blender Guru!
Put on your party hats people, ‘cos I know you’re as excited as I am! 
So today I thought I’d write a special ‘get to know me’ type of post, where you can take an inside look at the man behind Blender Guru.
Who am I?
My name is Andrew Price and I run Blender Guru. I am 21 years old and live in Brisbane, Australia.
As well as updating Blender Guru, I fill my days working as a debt collector for Toyota. My job entails calling customers who haven’t paid their bills and trying to convince them why they should
In the lobby at work
In my part time, I also serve as a Reservist for the Australia Army. I train on Tuesday nights and some weekends.
When I’m not talking on the phone or shooting guns, I’m lighting weights at the gym. My dream is to one day weigh 90kg, but I can’t seem to break 80!
In August last year, I went to a party of a mutual friend and met my now girlfriend, Chloe Lim. She knows all about my obsession with blender, but doesn’t mind as long as it doesn’t cut into our “together time”
When did you start using Blender?
I started using blender 8 years ago, because I wanted to learn how to make cool looking 3d cars.
I queried google for “free 3d software” and came across this image on blender.org:
So sexy...
I was hooked.
Upon seeing this image I made a silent vow to learn the software well enough until I could one day create my own car.
How did you learn Blender?
My first week with Blender could best be described as embarrassing. I had absolutely no idea what I was doing. In fact, if you check my post history on blenderartists.org you can see what a true burden I was to the community:
*groan* Another thread by redbyte.
My learning style was the very definition of “play it by ear”. I randomly floated from tutorial to tutorial, finishing some and abandoning others until I could finally make something on my own. As I recall it was a cube man.
Through constant practice and learning new things I eventually nailed the basics and moved onto bigger projects and finally developed my own art style.
4 years from when I started, I was finally able to accomplish the dream that I set out to achieve:
Why Blender Guru?
I started Blender Guru in April last year as a way to raise my profile as a freelancing artist. I had heard that creating tutorials was the best way to get work so I registered the domain, blenderguru.com and started writing.
However it wasn’t until I attended the Blender conference in 2009, that my goal changed.
I was overwhelmed at the response I received. People who I had never met before were coming up to me, shaking my hand, and asking me when the next tutorial would be released. I was flabbergasted!
So from that day forth, I decided to make blender education my primary focus.
I am currently writing my first commercial eBook called, ‘The Wow Factor’, which you will hear me mention more of in the coming weeks.
Other Hobbies
As well as Blender, I also enjoy…
Going to music festivals:
At Big Day Out 2010, watching Lilly Allen perform
Exploring the outdoors:
In a wheat field with my friends
Climbing a mountain in South Korea.
Enjoying a swim at Fraser Island
Today Blender Guru has over 4000 email subscribers, 1000 RSS subscribers and receives over 240,000 page views a month.
Have you subscribed yet?
Happy Birthday Blender Guru!! Your tutors are very good and help-full.
Thanks for all you do, it is a part of what makes Blender so great. keep up the good work …
from Jakarta
Excellent job! Congratulations on your website’s first birthday. I drop by for the first time a couple of days ago. I’m impressed how young you are. You know what tutorial will be great? Something like: “Blender 2.5 for dummie newbies”.
Best Regards from Mexico.
Happy Birtday! You are the BEST!
That’s willpower!
Congratulations!
Hi, great going, all too often many good resources tend to disappear. Watched most of your tutorials, and they just get better and better. Would be nice to see some of them done in B2.5.
BTW, I am on the Gold Coast, not far from you hehe, but will as of next month be moving to Tasmania.
Happy birthday Blenderguru.com! Nice to have a look who is behind and runs the site! Great work!
Roman
If not for your writing this topic could be very convlutoed and oblique.
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Happy anniversary, and Brisbane is the BEST place to live (when sunny).
Big thankyou for all the giving. Really appreciate that.
Happy Birthday, cool to read some information about you! ^^
Happy Birthday, realy is very usefull your infos for me. I has learned too much with your tutorials.
Thanks, I really appreciate that.
My dream goal is to also create a cool looking 3d car in blender…
Thanks for the sweet tuts
@Dennis Suitters
Sorry to hear that
Nah just kidding, I’m sure you’ll have a great time. Why are you moving there?
Happy (sorrry for belated) Birthday MR. Blenderguru!!!
Think i checked this site out like 7 months ago the first time and did all the tutorials. they were among my first steps with blender. Really helped me to familiarize with the interface and modelling techniques!!!
Very enjoyable background on you Andrew, Australia must be a great place to live!
It’s impressive to see what you achieved at your young age, if i got this right you started blender when you was 13, i think that was a perfect age!
Cool Story and pics, thx for sharing*thumbsup
Lilly Allen rocks!!
good day for blenderguru
thnks for sharing ur tuts
bali-indonesia
i live in america but i wish i lived in australia that is the COOLEST PLACE EVER!
I lived in Brisbane for a year in the year 1999… I was studying in QUT back then.
It is a nice place.
Thanks for your cool Blender tutorials…
Hello Andrew. I´m from Brazil, and I am learning Blender about two years. Your tutorials are great! Thanks. You make part of my life now.
Hey Blender Guru man, Happy (very belated) Birthday.
Absolutely love your work.
You’re an inspiration to old fart Sydney sider like myself!
Stu
This is a really cool Blender learning site! Keep up the great work!
Please let me know as soon as your WOW FACTOR is on sale!
I live in London UK.
Kool , all the best and will be looking forward for more tutorials on the way
@Andrew, moved to Tassie to give our kids a better education, and a better life. Also starting up a computer repair business in Queenstown, as they have no one here for that. Also, looking at setting up a proper CGI Studio, once I can get a render farm together, and of course it will be using all OSS, and Blender as it’s 3D Software of choice. Should prove an interesting prospect.
And of course, no one to annoy me, so I can get work done, lol.
Happy Belated Birthday BTW, keep of the good work, and look forward to getting your new book.
my dear master
you remindme another big master. his nick is soliman form niel3d. i learned a lot from both. thanks.
sorry i´m form colombia and my english is sad
Hmmm… Thats odd, it only took me aroung four months to get to the CubeMan, but it took you more than two years?! I’m only twelve for gods sake! But it seems after that point you accelerated massivly to become the BlenderGuru
and now you are helping me.
Keep it Real Andrew….
I very much admire the person that you are,
as much as your work in Blender.
You are certainly one of the greatest Blender artist.
Keep it up!
Hi Andrew, Wel done on the achievement. When are you joining as at Blender educatin en become a BFCT. You would not have any problem getting approved.
Hi Dennis good luck with the plans. Big stuff
Thanks for everything that you do! I really mean that. You have inspired my sister n law to learn and enhance her artistic capabilities. As for myself; I work as a network engineer who wants more than anything; to create things of beauty that I can show for all my hard work. I am also a disabled veteran of the US Navy. Anyway, keep up the great work. Across the globe; people are watching you and we are all very impressed.
I love your tutorials!
Wow, you got alot goin on over there. Kudos. Your tutorials are excellent, & I’ve used them alot. My learning method is similiar to yours, but I always look forward to weekly updates. I don’t know how you do it( outside of drinking a few cases of Red Bull daily), but keep it up. If I ever get the money, I would love to visit Australia. Laters.
Man, I can’t believe you’re so young and You make unbeliveable things ! I started use Blender almost year ago, but just now I start to think about Blender projects more professional and your tutorials helps me a lot !
Your works are fantastic !! You’re really a guru to me !
Congratulations, though this is a year ago and soon will be two
Greetings from Argentina!
P. S. Do you speak another language? ^^
Do you have a copy of the originall cube-man, out of curiosity?
Do you have a copy of the originall cube-man, the one you mentioned, out of curiosity?