Corey Barksdale was born in Nashville, Tennessee into
a family of creative souls. He was exposed to color and form at an early age by his grandmother a quilt artist, and his mother who was gifted with an intuitive feeling for design and a fastidiousness for detail which she expressed in all aspects of her daily life. This rich beginning is the root of Barksdale's creative expression.

Barksdale earned his Bachelor of Fine Arts Degree at the prestigious Atlanta College of Art in 1994. After graduating from Atlanta College of Art Corey worked at various Atlanta companies from direct marketing to advertising. Throughout his art/graphic design career Corey has explored various aspects of the creative process ie. illustrations, web design, print designs, and storyboards.

His illustrations grace the covers of books, magazines, CD covers, and posters. Among his convictions, is to give back to his community through art education.