#at least takeing art in college gave me the chance to learn graphic design

[monkawonka]

These are some of my mugs that I'm currently selling at a local coffee shop. Some of the first mugs were rough cuz it had been two years since i sat at a wheel, but after 5ish months they improved alot. I don't usually post my pottery on here but i decided it couldn't hurt.

[soyioblog]

Why I Chose to Major in Linguistics

The entire time that I was in high school, I was convinced that I would go to college and earn a degree in English, literature, creative writing, or something else of that sort. English has always been my best subject; writing was what I loved to do. My goal was to become an author and write novels that resonated with people the same way my favorite books had done with me. It wasn’t until my senior year of high school that I even began to think about what linguistics was.

Several years ago, my high school English class was studying SAT words, and every week we memorized the definitions of a list of terms. Each word on dictionary.com has more to their entry than the definition. There’s also the history of the word, its multiple uses, and what caught my interest was immediately under the term. Every entry has the word written phonetically, so that readers know how to pronounce it. However, this was not limited to using the letters in the alphabet. Words required symbols that I had never seen before.

So, I googled. I googled, and that was when I discovered the IPA, the International Phonetic Alphabet.  As any English speaker knows, letters in English can have multiple sounds associated with them, and many other languages have their own writing systems. The IPA takes some of the guesswork out of pronunciation, and that was intriguing. How much easier would it be to learn a language if you could use the IPA to learn how to at least pronounce things properly?

Ultimately, it was this discovery that jump-started my interest in phonetics, which inevitably lead to my interest in linguistics in general. At the end of orientation at my university, my freshmen counselor asked me what I wanted to major in. Literally up until that point, I was still convinced I wanted to study English and double major in graphic design, but I gave it more thought. English class was where I excelled, and I felt proud of my abilities there, but linguistics was foreign territory, a chance to challenge myself and learn something brand new. We talked for a while, and I made up my mind.

I was going to major in linguistics and minor in Studio Art. Sure, it meant that I probably wouldn’t get a job without going to grad school, but it also meant exploring a subject that would lead me in a direction I had never considered before.

[mercedesnameinlights-blog]

Para: Samcedes Catching Up

WHO: Sam and Mercedes

WHEN: June 20, 2017

WHERE: On the Bus

WHAT:  Reconnecting with Marvel Movie Madness

Mercedes was ready to chill for awhile.  The group had spent the day Forest Park and then had drove to Sullivan to check out the Meramec Cavern and stay there for the evening at their campgrounds.  It had been fun and very adventurous to say the least, but all she wanted to do now was kick back and maybe watch a movie.  She and Sam hadn’t had much time to really talk, outside of regular chatter with the group as a whole, so she thought this would be as good a time as any to bond with her best friend again.

It took her a minute to find him since everyone had broken off on their own, some in pairs and others just enjoying the quiet time alone.  She didn’t want to bother him if he was catching up with someone, but part of her was feeling anxious at the idea of getting to talk to him one on one for awhile.  “Hey,” she smiled when she finally found him. “You busy?”

Sam had had a really fun day. It was still really weird for him to see Mercedes with Puck, but she seemed happy. So San was happy for her. Having the rest of his friends there was just like old times, and he realized he’d missed them more than he'd thought he would. He had good friends back home in Tennessee, but no one was quite like this group of people.

He was hanging back on the bus while everyone was off setting up camp and hanging out because he just needed a little quiet time. He’d decided to watch a movie because it was the first time he'd gotten a chance to because it was hard to focus on watching a movie when everyone around you was talking. He glanced up when he heard someone getting on the bus and hit pause on the opening Marvel logo. His stomach flipped at the sight of his ex, and he smiled when she spoke. “No, I'm not busy. I was just about to watch Thor. Why? What's up?”

Her face practically lit up at the mention of the movie and she gasped dramatically. “You were about to watch my Asgardian boo without me?” She put her hand on her chest for added effect.  “I am wounded, Sam, truly wounded.” She laughed softly.  “I was actually wanting to see if you wanted to watch a movie.  If you’d rather be by yourself though, I completely understand.”  She wanted to reconnect, but she didn’t want it to be forced or uncomfortable.  Sam had always been the easiest person for her to talk to next to Santana, but maybe he wasn’t the same Sam anymore.  

Sam hesitated, but only because he could already feel himself excitedly saying yes, and that was weird, right? She was engaged to his high school friend. He needed to cool it. “Nah, I don't need to watch it alone. ‘Sides, what kind of guy would I be if I deprived a pretty girl of her favorite Asgardian demigod?” He stood up and hooked his laptop up to the tv that Finn had put on the bus. “This way, we don't have to huddle together to watch it on my laptop,” he explained as he worked.

She smiled at him and did her best to ignore the ridiculous fluttering feeling in her stomach when he called her pretty.  She was about to get married, that shouldn’t happen!  She quickly pushed the feeling out of her mind, chalking it up to being an old habit rearing itself.  Sam’s southern twang made his words ooze with sincerity, so any girl would feel slightly giddy.  “Plus I need to see Thor in all his muscled and golden haired glory in full 1080p and optimum screen size.” She teased.

“True, he and I have that in common,” he joked, taking the couch after he’d hooked it all up. He pulled his laptop into his lap and hit play on the movie. It was quiet for a moment, and he kept trying to find something to say, but nothing felt quite right in the situation. They were familiar but strangers at the same time it felt. How did someone interact with someone who’d once been their best friend and love of their life after not really speaking in four years? “So, how’s...everything going? Are you...nervous for the wedding yet? Or has it still like not sunk in that in a few weeks you’re going to be the new Mrs. Puckerman?”

Mercedes couldn’t help but laugh softly. “I’m telling you, you’re missing out on making the big bucks by cosplaying as Thor for events.” She had always joked with him about that back in the day.  She sat down on the couch next to him, but not close enough to touch.  Being in this space with him was so...different.  “Things are good. Hopefully the PMJ show next month will get some positive buzz going for me, so cross your fingers.”  She bit the corner of her lower lip slightly.  “I don’t feel nervous, but...I don’t know, maybe it is nerves, just not performance ones.”  She felt something, but she didn’t want to bother Sam with all her mental workings.  “It definitely hasn’t sunk in.  I mean, I’m still learning about what he can and can’t eat and things like that.  Part of me feels I’m gonna mess it all up.”

Sam chuckled. “I’ve done it before. It was fun. There’s pictures somewhere. I think they’re on my Insta.” He’d done well. Girls seemed to really love it. “You'll learn it all, and it's not gonna get messed up. That's the fun part of marriage, learning how the other person works. You have a lifetime to learn, right? You don't gotta know it all right away.” He couldn't really see her being with Puck forever, but that wasn't really his place because he knew really nothing about their relationship except that they seemed happy when they were together. So he was probably wrong.

“Oh you ain’t right for telling me that! I’m going to be combing through your Instagram like a stalker now.” She laughed, sobering slightly. “I know, but...I think I’m just being overly critical of things.  It doesn’t help that my mom asks me every single day if I’m sure I want to get married now and stuff like that.  But enough about me, I want to hear about how awesome everything is in Tennessee.”  And it was true, she and Sam were friends on Facebook, but she didn’t get on there often because of work, and when she wasn’t working she was taking online courses to try and finish her degree so her dad would stop growling at her about it.  She wanted to hear that he was happy and doing what he truly wanted to do.

“Don't let anyone try to talk you out of something you know is right in your heart,” Sam offered. He might not think that they made sense, but Mercedes had always been her own person, and if there was anyone he trusted to know what they wanted, it was her. “Tennessee is awesome. I'm really happy I went home for college. It was like I'd never left. I missed everyone, of course, but Lima isn't like home to me. How about you? Is New York everything you thought it'd be?”

She wasn’t sure anyone was trying to talk her out of things as much as they were worried there was a reason she had agreed to getting married so quickly and so young. She had assured them she wasn’t pregnant.  “That is awesome.  I’m glad you came to Lima, but Tennessee is definitely your home.” She smiled at him, thinking of all the good times they had back then.  “New York is like no other place on earth. I definitely have a love/hate relationship with it at times.  But I know this is where I need to be to make the dream happen.  Even though it’s a struggle to not feel defeated everytime I get rejected.”

“Well, your songs are awesome from what I hear and that's not a surprise because you've always been really great at singing. Plus, I know you're working your butt off. But it's kind of like catching lightning in a bottle, but you're gonna do it. I have every faith,” Sam said easily. He knew it was a tough industry, but Mercedes was strong and brave. “And then I'll tell my kids that we used to date in high school, and they'll never believe me in a million years.”

“No chance you could be the real Thor and use the hammer to throw some lightning my way?” She shook her head, tucking a loose curl behind her ear.  When he began to talk about kids, she felt...weird. She wasn’t even sure how to describe what was going on inside her head.  “Whatever! Your kids are going to be too busy being amazing little artists and creating the next awesome cartoons and comics to care about some woman singing songs.  When I finally do get a record deal I’m going to need you to design my cover.”

“I hope they're artists that like good music. So they will definitely know your music,” Sam assured her, his mind unable to stop from imagining the kids he thought he'd someday gave with her, but that was a long time ago. She was going to have kids with Puck. “Deal. I'll design the first one for free.”

“My cheeks are starting to hurt, I haven’t been able to stop smiling. It’s so nice to get to talk to you and see you.  I’ve missed that.  I’ve missed you.” It was an easy thing to say because it was true. She and Puck were close, but he wasn’t as into the superheroes and geeky things like she was, so they bonded more over music and the entertainment business in general. It was easy to talk to someone that was dealing with the exact same things and knew how crazy the hours could be. But at the same time, it created a bubble. Being together was easy because they didn’t have to explain work life.  There was a familiarity and a sense of comfort to being with Puck because she knew him. She felt safe.  “You are still doing your art right? Are you working on a graphic novel yet?”

Sam couldn't help but smile back even if it made him feel guilty. “I missed you too. Blaine’s pretty geeky, but it's not quite the same as when we’d hang.” And he didn't mean because they'd sometimes hook up. “But we're getting to hang now So that's awesome.” He let his attention drift to the movie for a moment before nodding. “I still do some art, but it's mostly just graphic art for school. I haven't really been illustrating lately.”

“Are you still interested in doing that? Or are you really into the schoolwork art?”  It had been 4 years, goals changed just like people did.  Something that hadn’t changed was the way his smile was contagious, or how his eyes could lock you in place if you looked at them too long. Which made it very clear she needed to be looking at the movie and not him.  She shouldn’t be thinking about another man’s eyes, she was getting married! What was wrong with her?

“I don't get what you mean. What's schoolwork art?” He let his gaze return to her, his brow wrinkled a little in confusion. Had he just not been completely paying attention again? It happened sometimes. His meds didn't usually wear off so quickly, however. So it probably wasn't that.

“The art you do for school.  Do you draw for yourself anymore? Or someone else?” She asked him, tilting her head slightly.  She still had all the pictures and cards he had ever drawn her. They were in a binder on her bookshelf.  She couldn’t get rid of them.

Sam’s cheeks flushed as he let out an embarrassed chuckle. “Ohhhh, not really? Because school was just like a series of projects, and I went digital. Sometimes I doodle in my notebooks, but mostly I'm learning to design for marketing and stuff. That's how I got the job I have waiting for me back home.”

She nodded her head in understanding. “Oh, okay!  That sounds pretty neat.  Do you like it?  Will you have an office and have to wear a tie?” She liked finding out more about his life, she used to know everything about him, and with him being here now, she wanted to learn all she could about him.

“It���s pretty fun,” Sam answered, pausing again to watch a part of the movie. “I get my own cubicle, and I don’t have to wear a tie. That’s what I like about tech jobs. You can basically just wear a t-shirt and jeans.” His lips quirked a little. “You’re the lucky one. You don’t have to work an 8-4 like me.”

“But at least you get regular days off.  Being a backup singer means crazy weird hours, and that’s just for recording in the studio. Being on tour was super crazy, but fun.  And then when I’m not doing either of those I work at the studio, and sometimes I have to be there late into the night.  But I have to put in the work if I want to put out my own album one day.” She smiled before turning her attention to the movie. “I’m glad you came, Sam.” She said softly.

Hearing her crazy schedule made Sam feel a little better that they’d ended their relationship before college. If he were dating her now, they’d never see each other. “Paying dues, right?” He had a few friends back in Tennessee that were trying to make it as country artists. He’d played a gig once when one of his friend, Trent’s, guitarist got sick. It had been great and really fun, but he definitely wasn’t meant for that life. “You’re going to do it. I know it.” He gave her a little nod and smiled wide at her soft words. “I’m glad I did too.”

[zephfair]

Day 16 ficlet

Day 16: College Art Students AU only not exactly

Grimmjow/Ichigo pre-relationship fluff

Rated G except for language

WARNING: This contains university student/TA relationship. Be warned for slight age difference which is never mentioned, and if that whole student/TA thing bothers you, please don’t read this.

Grimmjow pulled his phone toward him when the text notification went off three times in a row. Grading freshman essays was his least favorite part of the job so he didn’t mind putting it off for another couple minutes. The paper he was trying to read was so bad it made him want to shred it.

The phone chimed a fourth time. Then a fifth.

They were all from a number he didn’t recognize. The first read Hey don’t think i can come tonight

the second: imma bout to fail this project for mon

the third: shorty Jagermeister and this shorty project

*shorty

*SHITTY

Grimmjow was staring at the phone in bemused silence when it jingled again.

i hate him and his stupid pretty face with a line of red angry emojis

He realized that it was obviously a wrong number. That could happen to anyone. The disturbing thing was that it appeared to actually be about him, if that nickname was a joke about his surname. He was a teaching assistant for Professor Aizen in the art department, and his senior class in sculpture did have an important project due Monday.

He just wondered which one of the little bastards it was. He really wanted to find out.

He started typing then erased it and finally settled on Where r u now

The writer hadn’t caught on yet apparently because they answered right away. art bldg ofc where else would I be? The ducking kiln is killing me.

Then *Ducking

F UCKING

FUCK NEW PHONE LEARN MY CURSES

Grimmjow smiled a slow and evil smile. He was still in his office, just two floors above the studio where the student must be trying to cram a semester’s worth of sculpture into one weekend.

There were so many little irresponsible douchebags in that class. How many times he’d wanted to tell them off or push them off their high horses. But Aizen had warned him to be professional to the little asswipes and so he’d tried.

Well, there was a first time for everything.

And if he just decided to stroll into the studio on a Friday night and bust a student for being a dick, well, he had to take pleasure in the small things.

Meet you there he texted as he strode toward the stairway.

The building was usually dark and quiet on weekend nights, and this was no exception. He was able to creep down the hall toward the only studio with a light on and know he’d found his texter.

He peered in and luckily the bright orange head was turned the other way. He should have fucking known it. He’d known that kid was trouble from the moment he walked into class.

Ichigo Kurosaki was a graphic design major so he and Grimmjow hadn’t had any classes together. And he’d saved the mandatory sculpting class until his last semester which Grimmjow could have warned him was a big mistake.

He’d been quiet in class and conscientious enough, turning in projects on time along with other mandatory assignments. His work wasn’t even totally horrible which was more than Grimmjow could say about the rest of the class.

It was the fact that during the second class of the semester, Aizen had asked Grimmjow to talk for part of the session on his interest and specialization in Renaissance work, but that kid Kurosaki had the audacity to be the only student who even bothered to ask a question and then had the balls to challenge him.

They’d spent the next five minutes in spirited and increasingly angry vulgar debate, only to have Professor Aizen step between them with a cutting joke and placate them by making fun of them both. The resulting laugh from the rest of the class still rankled Grimmjow. He’d studiously ignored the kid ever since and rigorously held up his work to exacting standards, although Aizen always had the final word on grades so the kid was doing fine.

To have that dumbass be the one who sent those texts… wait. Grimmjow stared at the messages again. He actually thought Grimmjow had a pretty face?

Grimmjow felt the smirk begin in his very soul. He could work with this.

He carefully ruffled his hair so it looked casually worn. He finished untucking his shirt then unbuttoned the top three buttons. He debated taking off the glasses but thought they only enhanced the vibe.

Then he walked into the studio as confident as a cat stalking a helpless baby bird.

Kurosaki was still facing away, scowling at whatever monstrosity he was attempting to create. The scowl was even bigger than his usual expression.

Grimmjow crept up behind him without even trying hard. He leaned down almost even with his ear and said, “What the hell is that supposed to be?”

He whipped his head back just in time to avoid Kurosaki’s startled jump and shrieked “SHIT!” He would have cackled madly but fought to keep his neutral, unimpressed, disinterested look as Kurosaki whirled around.

“What the fuck are you doing here? Why’d you sneak up on me?”

Grimmjow shrugged. “I’m the one asking you what you’re doing here. On a Friday night. Two days before your big project is due. Surely you’re not trying to just get started now? I’m sure Professor Aizen would love to know that you’ve put off his assignment until the very last minute.”

Kurosaki’s jaw worked like he was physically holding back what he wanted to really say. Grimmjow folded his arms over his chest and allowed himself a little smirk.

“The assignment isn’t due until Monday. My work’ll be done then.”

“Not if that,” Grimmjow gestured toward the mess on the table, “is your project.”

“I’m working on it,” Kurosaki said tightly and sat back down.

Grimmjow leaned down and put his arms around Kurosaki to get his hands into the clay. Kurosaki jumped but then froze.

“Are you sure you don’t need a hand with that,” Grimmjow purred into his ear.

“N-n-no,” Ichigo finally go out. Then he got angry. “Stop it, what are you even doing?”

“I thought I could help. Certainly wouldn’t want you to fail and then not graduate. Then you’d have to take our class all over again.”

“Not going to happen. As long as I pass this project, I’ll pass the class.”

“Ah, but not if you don’t manage to turn in something presentable.”

Ichigo turned a little and Grimmjow’s nose was in his hair. He took a deep breath and Ichigo froze. Gotcha, he thought.

“Maybe you just need a better design for your piece? Maybe I could model for you and you could capture my pretty face.”

Ichigo was so still Grimmjow almost checked him for a pulse. It seemed like he was even holding his breath.

“How did you… why would you say that?”

Grimmjow slapped his phone down. “You really should know your friends’ numbers by now, Kurosaki.”

Ichigo stared at the messages. “I had to get a new phone and my contacts are all messed up. I was trying to get Ishida.”

“Well, you got me,” Grimmjow straightened up then spun Ichigo’s chair so it faced him. “Whether you wanted me or not.”

“Shit,” Ichigo said, with feeling. “Wait a minute, you knew I was bitching about you. And you still came here?”

“I wanted to see which of you asshats from class was talking about me.”

Ichigo’s expression changed a little. “Or maybe you hoped one of us actually thought you were hot.”

Grimmjow leaned down right into his face. “You never said I was hot,” he purred. “Is this your true feelings coming out now, Kurosaki?”

Ichigo’s face started to pink and then darken to red across the cheeks. Grimmjow watched in glee. “No! Shut up!”

Ichigo tried to turn his chair back around, but Grimmjow held the arms firmly.

“Maybe I thought I’d come down here, see who it is, maybe sneak up behind them, get a little close and intimidate them, make them sorry they put off their project to the last minute. But instead, maybe I learned something even more interesting.”

“Like what?” Ichigo blustered.

“You may know shit about Renaissance sculpture but you’ve got great taste in men.” Grimmjow leaned the extra couple inches slowly, giving Ichigo the chance to move away, but his eyes darted to Grimmjow’s mouth and he licked his own bottom lip quickly.

Grimmjow kissed him slowly, tasting his firm lips, feeling his mouth open and, unable to resist the invitation, licked his way inside his mouth, just for a tease. When he pulled back, Ichigo’s eyes were closed and he swayed forward to follow Grimmjow’s mouth.

“Hmm, too bad your sculpting isn’t as good as your kissing,” he said.

Ichigo’s eyes popped open and he said, “Too bad you’re a dick every time you open your mouth. If you’d just stay still and look pretty, you wouldn’t be half as bad.”

“You’re cute,” Grimmjow flicked his forehead. “Now get back to work. I don’t know what the hell that’s supposed to be, but it’s hideous.”

Ichigo’s scowl encompassed the clay as well. “It’s my backup. My first piece is in the kiln but something’s all messed up. If it doesn’t fire right, I figured I was fucked so I’d better try something else.”

Grimmjow shook his head. “You’re a mess.” Ichigo opened his mouth to argue but Grimmjow shushed him. “Let me take care of the kiln because I actually know what I’m doing. Let’s hope your first try is better than this. And then,” he leered broadly as Ichigo’s scowl didn’t lessen, “maybe if you need more inspiration I can model for you and see how well you do with male nudes.”

He ignored Ichigo’s mumble of what he’d like to do to Grimmjow that included much violence but he leaned down again and gave him a quick kiss. “And later, you can see what I can do with a nude male.”

Ichigo’s blush was going to be addictive, but it shut him up to get back to his work while Grimmjow went to work his own magic on the recalcitrant equipment. His night wasn’t going anything like he’d planned, but it might be that he’d found something a lot better.

From Ichigo’s muttered curses and the loud splat of clay behind him, it just might take a little longer.

*Ichigo managed to scrape together a project that Aizen passed and so he still graduated with honors. Grimmjow taught him a few other techniques that were more personal. And they never did agree on the importance of Renaissance sculpture.

[lizarddream]

Project 3 Final + Semester review

521 Project 3 presentation script:

1.) Hello, and welcome to my presentation on Project three of ArtGr 521. For this project I choose to explore animation with a focus on narrative storytelling in frame by frame animation.

 2.) As I covered in my last presentation I decided to change up my last two projects, adding in a project on illustration, removing a project on java, and moving the animation project to last.

 3.) In my initial research on animation I found myself really drawn to animations with a handmade, more tactile feel, especially college base stop motion. With this in mind, I wanted to avoid the flat animation style that is very popular right now.

 4.) I decided to continue the theme of the last project and work within the genres of western, horror, noir, and sci fi. I began with these assets, imaging a cowboy walking through a desert and into an old west town.

 5.) However, the figure proved to nearly impossible to work with in AfterEffects, so I redesigned it in Illustrator to be more simplified and with distinct pieces that could be easily moved in AfterEffects.  

 6.) The results were…underwhelming, and I was having a really hard time achieving the look and style I was looking for. So I went back to the drawing board and tried to do more research, and what I found is that AfterEffects is great for creating motion graphics but not as great for more naturalistic animation.

 7.) In my research I noticed that a lot of the animations I connected with were made using frame by frame animations in either Procreate or Photoshop. So, I thought I would give it a try to see if this was feasible and was pleasantly surprised.  

 8.) This style was not only much more comfortable for me and moved significantly fasted than using puppet pins in AfterEffect, but also allowed me to experiment more with mark making and texture.

 9.) This freedom was the real draw for me, that I could not only mimic mixed media or traditional media animation, but also consider how those colors, textures, and layers can add to the storytelling and support the communication of a message.

 10.) While frame and frame can sound daunting, I found working with all these frames actually helped me understand where you can simplify and economize, that the eye fills in a lot of information for you.

 11.) I started my animations with what I called a framework but was essentially a shot by shot storyboards with line work only. This helped me layout what I wanted to show and how I would get from one frame to the next.

 12.) Once I had animated all my frameworks I went in and added color, texture, and backgrounds. The horror animation was the last one completed but is first in my sequence. I was probably the least happy with this one but I’ll cover that later in the presentation.

 13.) For my noir animation I was able to work off of a storyboard I had created during project 2 but choose not to move forward with. This was helpful given the short timeline to complete these animations.

 14.) For sci fi, I had a clear idea of what I wanted for my storyboad, but I struggled to create the depth in each frame that I wanted. And while I like the finished project, I realized at the end my palette was a little too pink focused, which worked in the illustration but was a little overwhelming in the animation.

 15.) The western animation was the first one I completed, and while because of that it is a little herky jercky in spots, I actually find it to be my favorite because I took more time to play around with details, making more nuanced in spots that the others.

 16.) I knew I wanted to compile all of these animations into one video, but I wanted the transition between the videos to feel purposeful and not just cut to the next. So I went in and animated short transitions to tie the first and last frames together creating a less harsh transition.

 17.) There are of course lots of things I would change given more time. The horror animation especially has some odd frames where a layer was accidentally deleted, or where the face doesn’t move as smoothly as it should. By the time I was animating this one it was crunch time and I just need to finish.

 18.) I also can see that textures and marks got sloppier and less thoughtful the further along I went. The top two here are great examples of using marks in interesting ways to create a feeling, where the bottom two really missed the mark.

 19.) I do feel like I learned a lot on this project, even with some rocky starts, and would really like to continue working on animations, exploring more tactile mediums like collage and stop motion, as well as giving Aftereffects and motion graphics a second chance.

 20.) Overall, despite a few bumps, I feel like I learned a lot that I can implement in future projects and I think I’ll continue working with animation and pushing what I can do further as a gain comfort with the medium.

 21.) I’ve uploaded the full final animation as a separate video, but I would so appreciate if you could watch it and provide feedback. So now that we’ve covered the basics of Project 3, let’s turn our attention to an overview of the semester as a whole.

 22.)At the beginning of the semester I presented 3 projects, all of which I felt doable and little concern over, However reality set in fast and I found that the best laid plans oft go ary. Despite this I feel I still managed projects that pushed me and allowed me to explore arenas I am interested in.

 23.) My research at the beginning of the semester was focused on Typography, a mix of illustration and animation, and generative art through coding. In the end the only topic that got the boot was generative art, which I’ve been exploring in another class, so the changes weren’t seismic.  

 24.) Despite changes to projects and unexpected hiccups along the way, I did try to maintain structure and timeframes, which not only helped me finish the projects and stay on time, but I think have helped me develop better independent work and project management skill.

 25.) My exploration of Type in Project 1, lead me to reframing my initial goals, of become proficient in type, to more manageable ones of understanding how good typographic structure is designed and typeface identification.

 26.) While this project didn’t yield elegant results to put in a portfolio I think it actually did something more for me, which was get me to think about type critically. What makes good typography? How do you think of type as system? As a structure?

 27.) Was this project successful? I think so, I completed the goal – to create master copies of famous posters, and in completing that goal was able to gain a greater understanding of type than I had from several weeks of reading about type and blindly testing ideas.

 28.) For Project 2, I chose to dive into a topic I feel a lot of affection for, illustration. I think this passion for the topic made the work that went with it easier, I enjoy drawing and painting which in many ways’ illustration is an extension of.

 29.) this project gave me a chance to sit down and think critically about illustration, not just what I like about it, but why I like that and what is the intent of the artist. It gave me to time to consider how we use imagery to communicate, and where you can push those boundaries of communication

 30.) With all of these projects time was an issue, given more time or at least more dedicated time would I have changed things, given more though to details and really honed these images, of course! But just like in the real world, there are deadlines you need to meet, so I feel pretty satisfied with the results.

 31.) My project was focused on animation and narrative storytelling. I continued my genre exploration framing from project 2 and chose to work with a frame by frame style of workflow.

 32.) I enjoyed working on these animations, it was a struggle, but each discovery felt like an “aha!” moment. It also allowed my to pursue ideas from project 2 that didn’t translate as well into a still image, looking at camera movements and cinematography.

 33.) This project felt rushed, I can’t lie, I had some personal things going on that set me behind and I feel like I never really caught up. My biggest regret is that I was so rushed to finish this that I didn’t have adequate time to experiment, to try alternative and to explore abstraction.

 34.) So now that we’ve reached the end of the semester, with all that I’ve learned and explored, and gained …. What’s Next?

 35.) As implied earlier in this presentation, I’m not done with animation. I feel like I’ve just touched the tip of the iceberg and I now I really want to take some time to explore more experimental animation, to take things in a more playful, personal direction.

 36.) I’m also looking to work more on taking what I’ve learned and applying it to less traditional means. I’m hoping to explore tactile and kinetic type, and thinking of ways to merge type and imagery. I’m also interested in exploring the interaction of design with fields like art, cinema, and theatre more.

 37.) With this intersection in mind, I’ve been exploring production design in my limited free time, and it’s something I want to dive further into, as I think this concept of creating a world not just a product could lead to some interesting design work.

 38.) While working though this semester I’ve been trying to keep my thesis, which is exploring de stigmatizing death and grieving, in mind and I was kindly sent an article that discussing how designers and illustrators are already looking at this issue.

 39.) I think I’ll definitely be pulling from concepts explored this semester I look to understand how to approach difficult conversations in a non-threatening and participatory way.

 40.) Thank you for your time. I look forward to reading your comments and question.

[snyderly]

This was merely going to be a list of various career paths and why I did not choose them or failed at them...

Accounting – woulid have been easy and boring for me; I wasn't interested in dealing with numbers forever

Math – doable, but gave me headaches and not something I wanted to do

Writing – this is still an option, I guess. I've been fighting it my entire life because I have never liked the process, but I'm a creative person and do love to create, even if I don't like the writing process. At all.

Music – interestingly, I was recently reminded via finding my ACT test results that "music theory and composition" is what I selected as potential field of study at the time. It honestly baffles me mostly because I took a music theory class and there is no way, no matter how much I love singing and performing (which I have only once done in public other than in choirs, and it was a miserable failure due to stage fright), I cannot see myself in composition. Note that my all-time favorite college class was "History of African-American Music" with Josephine Wright.

Politics – This would havew been a great career choice. What held me back mostly was that even in the 1990s, long before the sewer fire that is our current political dialogue, I found arguing and research exhausting—especially arguing. I can do the research; it's tiring but educational and rewarding. I could not and still cannot debate worth anything and would rather hide. It must be the introvert side of me.

Teaching – I have gone through all the training and have the license. I love education and learning, but I am a ridiculously horrible teacher, and don't get me started on classroom management. I am thinking of running for school board and have notions of getting a masters or phd to be in guidance or administration, but I have no money to do that and I need an income now.

Communications – I honestly don't know what I'd do in this field, but I did enjoy studying and my intro to communications class. I'm too soft-spoken and introverted, I think, to be a public speaker, although that is a skill I would love to grasp.

Religion/theology/Christian history – a definite choice, even today, if I had the money and time to pursue it, which I don't. The biggest hindrances historically for me were the thought of entering an echo chamber of my once conservative theology and (like with politics) the exhaustion of debate and argument.

Graphic design – This is #1 on my list, but I failed at taking my chance when I had it. (Hamilton would be disappointed.) I first entered this field when it was just called desktop publishing, learning Adobe Pagemaker in 1995, and I fell in love. I did have two separate full-time jobs and several temp jobs during the 1990s and early 2000s, but did not have a graphic design degree that was then becoming popular, so was often passed over for better opportunities. One of my favorite jobs in my career was working at the small local print shop where I learned Photoshop on the job and got to manipulate or create business cards, newsletters, annual financial reports for banks, and—most improtant of all from my few months there—a catalog for a ceramics exhibit and a local arts center. I did not create the catalog from scratch, but I wasn't supposed to change the design at all yet sneaked in little changes—better use of white space, a serif other than that infermal and ubiquitous Times New Roman, better symmetry and alignment of elements—that I thought made a great layout. And I still have one of them in my possession.

You'll note I said "my few months there". This was the derailment of my first opportunity. See, I'm completely blind in one eye. (I was alrieady when I got my print job.) This happened when I was a sophomore in college the first time. That didn't stop me in desktop publishing. But five years after that first vision-destorying infection, my other eye got infected. It got to the point where I could no longer see to drive or even cross a street by myelf and it was at least nine months until I (quite thankfully) had vision restored in that eye as well as I could expect (thanks to surgery by the doctor who would have operated on the POTUS if he had needed eye surgery, who was named Frank Burns, of all things (M*A*S*H*, if you don't know). That's nine months that the print shop was supposedly willing to wait for my eye to heal and me to see again, but I didn't want to saddle them and I was depressed and I had no idea how long it would really take or if, again, I would lose my sight completely.

Long story short, because most of this is for a separate post someday, my vision was much more limited even after surgery and I had trouble distinguishing shades of colors, which I knew would make me worthless in graphic design.

Four years after that, I did have the opportunity to try for a graphic design degree at Ohio State, but at that time entry into the major was limited and highly competitive and required art classes and painting and drawing samples. I honestly just want to place elements on a page. I had no interest and still have little interest in acrtually creating my own drawings and such. I canvas and my creativity are in the layout and use of type and white spaces. And my vision was still crappy (I would have the computer screen an inch or two from my face to be able to fully decipher what I was looking at), and I knew there were numerous people with much better drawing, painting, and design skills than I had, so I didn't bother trying.

.....

Well, that's the main list of things I have considered pursuing. Obvously part of my problem has always been simply nailing down one thing and sticking with it because I like too many things. In the end, I simply finished a bachelor of arts in English at OSU (the quickest and easiest route at the time), then didn't get any work in it until I started subbing, then got my teaching license that I haven't fully used.

What am I doing now? Proofreading part-time for a local newspaper (well, an international Amish/Mennonite newspaper, I could say) and trying to freelance edit. I enjoy doing these things, although I suffer immensely from imposter syndrome.

And still, that voice telling me to write, which I have tried to smother and suffociate for decades, is there saying "I told you so". And I continue to try to ignore it.

(This post is not grammatically perfect and has not been and will not be edited.)

@teachreadingwrite