In an interview a while ago, I was asked whether my work in cyber security provides inspiration for my writing. Upon initial consideration, I almost denied any correlation beyond the obvious “work in tech, write about tech”. Then, I thought a little deeper.

In the field of fighting hackers, you often have to think like a hacker. For instance, why might a hacktivist want to ruin a company’s website for political reasons? This type of thinking outside the box definitely calls for a streak of creativity on the job. In particular, when placing myself in an opponent’s shoes, I often find myself daydreaming about the entertaining venture of exploring a villain’s backstory. Every antagonist has their motives, same as their heroic counterpart.

How does your art come into play with another career you might have? Or vice-versa?