Matt

Matt lives in Larkspur, CA with his parents Chris and Dave, but plans on moving out as soon as he can, or at least that’s what he wants you to think. But living with Chris and Dave is pretty comfortable since they are the kinds of parents you wished you had. The ones that are still in love, have been since they were 16, the ones who will take you to a Metallica concert to see their friend Lars play, the ones who will meet you out at the bar, and get you up at 6am to go running the next day to teach you a lesson. They are teachers and caregivers and have instilled this in Matt and their daughter Devin.

Matt was also fortunate to grow up with another role model, Dave Potts. Unlike Matt’s father, Dave liked to push the limits and was an avid sportsmen and adventurer. He took Matt skydiving and white water river rafting. He taught him “how to be a man”, to fix stuff with his hands. They even built a house together. This past summer, Dave died in a tragic accident while vacationing in Hawaii.

What does he think and feel?
Since the accident, Matt has been helping to take care of Dave’s infant son, Indigo. He evaluated his own life; his partying 24 year old lifestyle, taking off his Lucky Brand shirt at any chance he got and felt that it was time he was more responsible. He started nursing school at College of Marin this past fall. He just broke up with his girlfriend and worries about that decision and thinks about finding a great girl. He worries about not doing well in school, about letting his parents and his friends down, about letting Indigo down. He’s trying to live up to adulthood and make the right choices. He’s learning how to balance being social and studious, being there for himself while being there for his friends and family.

What does he see?
Matt is comfortable in Larkspur, living in the house where he spent most of his life, even though he reminds me again about how he can’t wait to get his own place. He now spends most days at school, 15 minutes away from his house. While he’s there, he tunes out from everything and everyone and just focuses on school. He also works twice a week at a law firm, doing whatever work they hand to him or just chats with people on Gmail. Most of his free time is now taken up by studying, but he always ensures that he gets in the gym for two hours every day. He spends most weeknights at home with his parents, having dinner, or grabbing whatever they happen to stock in the fridge, frozen taquitos being a favorite go to snack. On the weekends, he still manages to find the time to go into the city, partying with his sister Devin, his cousin Doug, or one of his many friends from growing up.

What does he say and do?
Matt has a fun loving, up for anything attitude. He is confident and comfortable in any situation and doesn’t have to be the center of attention, although he doesn’t mind it either. He can carry a natural conversation with a stranger that he’s just met, that probably striked up a conversation with him, being drawn to his enthusiasm for life. He ensures that everyone around him is having a good time; even it means grabbing you and throwing you over his shoulder to get a laugh out of you, or just asking you if you’re ok.

Matt grew up playing sports. His dad coached his team growing up and never missed a game when he played in high school. Matt now plays on a softball team, but is up for a pick-up game of anything, anytime, anywhere.

Matt is 6’1” and is in great shape, which you would know if you met him, because he probably had his shirt off. He recently went to visit Austin, and felt that he was meant to be there, since he fit in with his Lucky wardrobe of snap shirts and big belt buckles although, his rainbow flip flops and short beach blonde hair also make it seem like he belongs on the Southern California beaches; surfboard in hand. Matt also likes to dress up, put pomade in his hear and wear suits and be dapper sometimes.

What does he hear?
Matt says he doesn’t care about what his friends and family think; that he has his own style and does what he wants. However, after I talk to him more about his habits, it’s pretty apparent that his purchasing decisions are strongly influenced, especially by the women in his life: his sister, his past girlfriends, even his mom. His mom will sometimes buy things for him and if she wants him to like it, she will give them to Devin to give to him. Matt reads GQ for style influences and likes to have nice clothes. He describes himself as price-sensitive, but says some of his clothes are “way too expensive, but whatever”.

He sticks to what he knows and is a loyal consumer; once he finds something he likes or someone introduces it to him, he sticks to it. He has been wearing Lucky for the past ten years, which was introduced to him by his aunt that worked for them. The employees at the store even know him by name. When it comes to basics, like deodorant, Devin picks them for him. She chose Old Spice Pure Sport, which he’s been wearing since he first needed deodorant. He doesn’t care about technology. He just got an IPhone within the past year just because he happened to be up for an upgrade and has in fact had the same laptop for the past six years. He still drives the white Jeep that his parents handed down to him when he turned 16.

What are his pain points?
Matt’s biggest fear right now is that he will not do well in school. He is trying to figure out his place in the world, what he wants out of life and how to become an adult. He believes he is past the point of making poor decisions, so he feels like an idiot when he slips up. He is hard on himself when he does make mistakes, like not studying enough, partying too hard, and basically reverting back to the old ways before Dave’s accident. He feels like he needs to figure “his stuff” out for Indigo’s sake.

What does he hope to gain?
Matt wants to finish school and establish a stable career. He wants to get out of Marin. He wants to be a great nurse and take care of others. He wants to travel the world. He wants to settle down and start a family and live in Marin.

Success to him is being accountable to his friends and family, being there and able to help, being able to support who he needs to support.

Matt just turned 24. He wants to keep growing, keep getting better at everything he does. His biggest obstacle is ensuring he makes the right choices. It might not be the most fun, but it gets him to where he needs to go. He is trying to find a balance between the dapper young man in a suit, and the guy that constantly wants to take his shirt off.