Michael was born and raised in south central Minnesota on an acreage with four siblings, a grove, an old barn, and a wood shop. He became a jack-of-all-trades through the family business: custom cabinetry. He learned woodworking, electrical, housebuilding, plumbing, and roofing.
He took a different turn and finished college in 2012 with a B.A. in Theatre. Wanterlust struck him soon after, and he thru-hiked the Appalachian Trail from Georgia to Maine in 2014, later writing a book titled Hiking Solo, Not Alone about the experience. A few years later, he got an opportunity to work at Camp Perkins in the Sawtooth Range of Idaho. He was there for nine months during the winter of 2016-17 when the snowpack reached six feet. He returned to Minnesota and started a cutting board business called Grunke’s Grove. He always wanted to draw but didn’t start until he was 27 because he thought you had to be born with the innate talent to draw. He’s improved a lot after overcoming that foolish thinking. He writes original stories, with the goal of turning them into 2d animated feature films.
