#i need to start building my portfolio !!!!! i need to be applying to art schools!!!!!!!!!! i am just horrifically lazy & boring & uncreative

[linafication]

‘I’m just having a really hard month for art’ I say, having made absolutely zero artistic progress in approximately one year

[sabertoothwalrus]

Hi!! I hope it's okay to ask, which university are you/were you attending? I want to study animation in university but i have no idea which one to choose, so can you please tell me about yours?👉👈

I go to CSUF! It’s definitely one of the cheapest places to get a degree in animation in California, if not the US.

Only a handful of the California State schools offer animation, and most of the ones that do are 3D only, and I wanted to learn 2D.

SJSU has a good 2D anim program, and they’re the only state school in the bay area that does, BUT last I checked you need something like a 3.9 GPA to get in?????? like HELLO these are animation students. who are you fooling

the other schools I considered were CSULB and CSUN.

CSULB has a strong animation program! They have the guy that literally created the worldwide 24 Hour Animation Challenge. However, they required ONE extra art history class that none of the other CSUs needed, and I didn’t have it, and I wasn’t about to prolong transferring a whole other semester just to take it. (It was prehistoric art history, I think, which I admit sounds cool as fuck)

The reason I chose CSUF, beyond liking their curriculum better than CSUN, was because I heard about the Pencil Mileage Club. It’s the largest student-run animation club in Southern California. I’d argue that networking is almost more important than your actual skill. I’ll admit, the faculty is probably not doing as much for the students as other schools, but PMC more than makes up for it. I’ve made all my friends (and girlfriend teehee) through this club. I was president of my Art Club at my community college, so it was important to me to be part of PMC’s council. I’m now an event coordinator and so I help organize and run events and studio tours and guest speakers! :)) Clubs and extracurriculars look fantastic on resumes, so wherever you go, look into what’s available.

Things I should note: when you start at CSUF, whether as a freshman or through transferring, you will not be an animation major yet. You have to do the portfolio review first, and you can’t have any of the prerequisite classes in-progress when you apply. The portfolio requirement is only a few years old, too, and therefore it’s not nearly as competitive as, say… calarts or sheridan. I often say, students make the program better, not the other way around. the higher the level of students that apply, the higher the overall education quality will need to be to match that. Though this does mean that the higher quality a program is, the more people will be excluded, unfortunately.

CSUF’s aniamtion program itself is…. a little silly. You take storyboarding and character design after doing your short film ? for some reason? The new department head started at the school the same semester I did, and she’s definitely trying to make it better. She held a screening of the production classes’ finished films, and she told me she plans to have the curriculum restructured by 2025 (after I graduate, lol).

I’ll also mention that the art buildings are in the process of getting demolished and rebuilt. The first wave of new buildings won’t be done until the end of this year, and once that’s finished, they’ll tear down the remaining two buildings and start remodeling those. For now, we do a lot of our classes in the modular buildings jdhshfjs 🫡

We also have a mated pair of gay ducks that come every spring. Their names are Pebble and Rock. They are beloved by the art students.

And really, you don’t NEED a degree in animation to get into the industry. There are SO many online resources out there, a lot that are free, that can give you just as good of an education (in fact, several of my professors’ lectures have just been playing youtube videos and pulling up articles). BUT your classmates WILL be your future coworkers. If you’re not establishing relationships with people in some way on your own, you definitely need to make that bigger priority. After all, you won’t be working by yourself when you’re in the industry.

edit: oh I forgot to say that all the california state schools are striking the first week of the semester. so uh. there’s that

[oobbbear]

Hey, so I don't know if you'll see this, but I really love your stuff and have been wondering if you have any tips for people who are looking into getting into art school. Did you have to submit a portfolio? Or just anything really would help a lot.

Most art programs need a portfolio to get into, I suggest going on the school website and see what the program you’re applying for want because often they have a very specific list that you have to complete! Most school changes the list every year and will release it to the applicants a few months before the deadline, DO NOT wait until the list come out to start preparing, search online or ask previous students for past year requirement list and start preparing very early on, the list changes every yearbut the big categories will stay the same, after that year’s list come out you can go back and change/refine your work. Speaking from experience you do not have enough time to make a good portfolio if you start after the list come out. (Unless there’s themed work that you really have to know the theme to start preparing, work on the general categories first in that case)

This is only suggestion but apply to multiple schools and pick one you want to get in to the most and prioritize on that portfolio. I spent 90% of my time making one specific portfolio and 10% on all the other schools, I only had a few months to build my portfolio if I spend equally amount of time on each school I wouldn’t have got into the school I wanted the most.

Get portfolio critiques! See if there are portfolio feedback events at your school, search if there’s online peer critique groups, for example our school have discord servers where at school students help applicants with their portfolio it is really helpful. Always have a second eye on your work I know we don’t like critique but it really does help.

Oh also go on YouTube and search if there’re videos of people from the school you’re applying to showing their accepted portfolio, it’s good to have a general idea of what kind of work your school like.

At last good luck you can do it :]👍!!!!!!

[that-wizard-oki]

How did you start doing jobs for kingsisle?? I'm trying to break into the industry as an artist, and I have no clue how to approach potential employers, even just for commissions 😭😭

Hey! So I actually work full time with KingsIsle as a character animator- my job year round is to make pets, mounts, mobs, npc's move :D

How I got started here is kind of a wild story. I had been wanting to reach out to KI about possibly interning with them post-graduation- I had a few people I semi knew at the company, and knew I'd have a good portfolio piece to show them from my senior thesis project. However, three days before graduation, a friend from KI msg'ed me that KI was doing summer internships, and asked if I was interested. I spent the next 3 days building my portfolio website/resume & sent it to my friend. A month and two interviews later, they accepted me! Once my internship was drawing to and end, they were able to offer me a full time position.

My #1 piece of advice for folks trying to break into the industry: MAKE CONNECTIONS. NETWORK. Obviously having dedication and building your artistic skills (whether that's character design, animation, story boarding, etc) is a huge part of it- like you can make as many connections as you want, but if you don't have a decent set of skills/a portfolio to back you up, then you might be out of luck there. But I cannot understate the importance of networking.

So, how do you make connections/network? My advice:

-I know everyone can't afford it, but going to an art school/college is a decent way to make connections- not just with teacher's who have worked in the industry themselves, but also with your future artists. Heck, I've been seeing younger artists like myself start their own studios. You can defo still make connections w/o college, but I just wanted to note that.

-Interact with artists/folks in the industry online. comment on their posts, ask them genuine questions. Most folks are happy to answer questions or give portfolio advice.

-Mentorships are a great thing- also something i see offered on twitter a lot. Some studio's like dreamworks have "internship" like programs where people who have recently graduation or are looking for a career change can apply to and learn from. I'd follow companies you're interested in via linkedin, or visit their websites to see if they offer things like this

-Also!! Participate in anijams, gamejams, art swaps, zines- these are all great ways to connect with fellow artists online. My college has an animation club that does anijams twice a year- which is a GREAT thing to put on your resume- it shows collaboration, dedication- things you need to be open to when working in the industry.

-I'd also say that trying to narrow down what you're really passionate about doing (for me, 3d animation just fit my heart the best) and learn more about it. Watch youtube videos, follow tutorials. Practice your anatomy, do gesture drawings from life, draw as many hands and feet as you can, lol. All things to help strengthen your skills! Consistency is key!!

I know that's a lot of info, so I just want to reiterate something: I've been at KI for about a year and a half now, and I am still just as passionate about this game as I was beforehand. That passion is one of my greatest assets. WANTING to do what I do for work makes working a lot easier, and produces a better product. If you have a passion, a drive to do something, you can do the damn thing. Making connections/being consistent as an artists can feel wildly overwhelming. But it doesn't have to be. You're worthy of sharing your art and ideas with the world, and people want to hear them. Baby steps! Start small. Heck talking to me already gets your started with networking :D

Hope that wasn't too rambly/answered some of your questions anon. Feel free to inbox or dm me if you wanna chat more- goes for anyone reading this :)

[nerves-nebula]

was wonderinv who to ask then saw ur poston art school and went . yo!

anyway can i ask hows art school? like . is it worth it?? whats the experience and everything like + do u regret ur decision to go there? (dont feel forced to answer any of these) (for context + incase it wasn’t obvious ive been wanting and thinking of going to one if ever given the chance)

Oh man, where to start. Well first of all some of the main reasons to go to art school are the resources and the connections.

If you wanna get into furniture for example, that’s a lot easier if you have access to a whole workshop with tons of different saws. I’ve learned to use three different book binders as well as done hand binding myself, which is great fun for me but idk how I’ll make money out of that.

The thing is that depending on your major/department, a lot of the stuff you do in art school you could theoretically do on your own as well. So if you think you have enough willpower to make your own schedule and find your own resources then I’d say do that, and work on building your portfolio so you can show it off if you ever get the chance. especially if you don’t really have the money for college (I’m incredibly lucky to have someone help me cuz otherwise I’d be screwed)

If I’m honest, I didn’t really want to go to college at the time of me applying. I was kind of interested in learning how to wrap cars, and I wanted to take a course in that, if you can believe it. but all of my parents kids have to go to college no matter what (as in my mom forced me to apply to college and then sent me off like “I can’t help you pay for college btw good luck!”) so it was inevitable that I was going to go to an art school. which is fine because i've also always kind of wanted to go to a school, i was just stressed about not being able to afford it haha.

THEN there's what kind of art school you're going to. I'm at one of the most prestigious fine arts schools in the USA, because though I got admitted to others, I couldn't afford to go to others. the one I'm at offered the most money, because they could afford to. Idk what I'm gonna do with this degree but im in graphic design rn so I'll probably do something in that field. and it helps that the name of my school is renowned.

but if you, say, want to get into animation you're probably going to NEED to go to an art school. even if you cant get into an animation school specifically, any art school at all is better than none when it comes to animation (I think, idk for sure i'm not interested in animation as a job. my friend is tho so maybe I'll ask him)

now, HOW is art school? WELL. I've heard this isn't uncommon, but the first year was literally actual torture. it was really really bad. it made me more suicidal than I'd been since I was 12 and it ALSO made me start cutting for the first time ever. but I survived it, and the second year was way better! (if still stressful) the first year is for where they try to kill you, and the second year is where they go "haha just kidding ok lets get into what you want to know" at least that's how it is at where I am.

DESPITE the pain, and despite how even now I'm anxious about going back, I don't regret it at all. I really like my classmates and I love my professors. I love a lot of the work I've done and the skills I've learned. I liked living on campus and being so close to all that Art Stuff, even if i was too tired all the time to ever go out to any of the events.

plus on a more personal level, anywhere is better than living with my parents. so even if it was hellish the first year, i'm at least happy that i got things done and i wasn't wasting away at home with my mom.

hope that answers all your questions :)

[carlytayjepsen]

omg i hope this is okay to ask, i swear it's so hard to find other graphic designers to ask questions to, do you have any tips of how to build up your portfolio before you have had an official freelance or general design job? i've obviously been making edits and did things for my school work, but i'm terrified to dip my feet into actually working so i'm gathering as much info as possible lol!

hi! more than okay to ask! i'm still learning as i go along but here are some things that helped me when i didn't have much client work:

make up your own projects! depending on what kind of design you want to get into - you could use a generator to come up with a plot for a movie/book and then design the cover for that. Or make up a fake company to design the logo for etc! I'd put these under a 'personal projects' section and state that you made them up for practice (unless you're a good liar and can get away with pretending they were actually real, i'm sure lots of people do that lol)

ask friends and family if they need anything designed - you can treat this as client work and it's also a good way to figure out what you like designing if you're not sure yet! i've designed so many random things for friends which i don't think i would've tried making otherwise

i started out using a website called 99Designs - i wouldn't neccessarily recommend this (the amount of work you'll do for little, if any, money is ridiculous. and especially now it is full of AI "art") BUT it did get me a lot of work in the beginning! I still check it to see if anything interesting has been posted, and I'll view it just as practice, if i get any money it's just a bonus!

i use behance.net instead of having an actual portfolio website - you get a lot more people viewing it and other artists engaging with your work! a lot of people use dribbble too :)

show your work - include pictures of the design process, sketches of ideas, different variations of the design before you decided on the final one etc, and write about the process too! especially if you're applying to full time jobs, most places will want to know that you have a way of working and are good at managing your time etc

this is off the top of my head but i hope it's helpful! i think the main thing is include everything you love - whether it's actual client work, school work or a fun little fan edit :) quite a lot of my freelance work came about bc people saw my taylor edits!

[our-little-kingdom]

(from the feed of www.slcgo.com/blog/bankswives)

SLC Digital Exclusive: The Banks Kids Are Growing Up!

Von, Caleb, Este, and Aren have charmed you all for the past few years with three seasons of The Banks Wives on SLC! Recently, they’ve aged up into teenagers and we’re doing a special blog post to highlight their interests, hopes, and dreams for their high school years!

Von is already making a splash at his high school, where he has been placed on the boys’ varsity basketball team as a freshman -- a very rare event! Let’s get caught up with him.

Producer: Von, what are you interested in besides basketball for all those families (and young ladies) asking? We’ve pretty much known you as the sports guy!

Von: (laughs) True, true. Well, I’m applying to be part of the leadership board of Oasis Christian’s branch of FCA (Fellowship of Christian Athletes), which is an awesome org. I love to work out, eat tacos, and play SNBA with the guys!

Producer: What do you hope to achieve and do before you graduate in a few years?

Von: Well, obviously to really hone my skills in the hope of being recruited to a top-performing collegiate program, God willing. And if He has any extra time after that, Zion always talks to us guys about how amazing it is to go into your young adult years and your college years with a woman by your side, so um, my ladies who praise and worship the Most High...send an email?

Caleb is more focused on the arts while his twin dominates on the basketball court!

Producer: Caleb, do you find it hard sort of living in Von’s shadow?

Caleb: I don’t view it that way. Me and Von are our own people, and we were given our separate talents and interests so we’d shine for ourselves. I get to shine when I get to display my art, so I’m not threatened by him shining and showing his athletic ability with basketball.

Producer: What do you hope to achieve before graduation in four years?

Caleb: I’d like to build an animation portfolio in the hopes of either being hired by an animation studio or accepted into Del Sol Institute of the Arts after I finish high school.

Este is finding her voice - literally!

Producer: Este, tell us about how your the start of your singing career is going!

Este: Well, I’d hardly call it a career (laughs). I sing on Sundays at church, as well as in the gospel choir at Oasis Christian. However, I’ve been posting some secular song covers - a lot of Taylor Swift! My cover of no body, no crime has like...350k on SimTube right now!

Producer: Are you hoping to get signed to a label when you graduate?

Este: If that’s what God has in store! I’m trying to stay grounded and keep my eye on my real dreams -- to grow up, to get married, and have my own family, but obviously being able to glorify God with my music and a national platform is something to aspire to and pray for.

Aren is becoming an aspiring globetrotter!

Producer: Aren, tell us about all this travelling you’ve done over the summer!

Aren: Yeah, I went on a mission trip to Sulani with Eden, and Mom through the local. It was really an eye-opening time, just to see that even though it’s close to SimNation, really they’re still in need of street ministry and God’s presence. We also did some house building, which really sparked my interest in potentially flipping homes as a living in the future.

Producer: Wow! Think you might want to move there one day?

Aren: It’s a beautiful place, so yeah, I’d be open to it. I’m still not really sure on going to college, so learning a trade or an apprenticeship with a master carpenter is an alternative my dad and I have talked about.

See more of Von, Caleb, Este, and Aren on The Banks Wives on SLC!

(a/n: ya so i adjusted my aging settings just to help the generations pass a little faster lol,and it force aged these four, Zion, and the grownups. so yet another timeskip, but a much shorter one)

[marigoldseesstars]

Hi there!! My friend Lauren is having difficulty paying for college--I've pasted her explanation below--and is trying to raise money so she can come back this semester. Please consider donating and/or sharing! Thank you so much for reading!

Hi, my name is Lauren and I'm a sophomore illustration student at Moore College of Art & Design. I'm in the Visionary Woman Honors Scholar program, and work two jobs between my 18 credits worth of classes each semester.

I work so hard day and night to maintain my academic standing (3.96 GPA) and keep my scholarship, but even with my financial aid package, it's not enough to cover my yearly tuition.

Just getting into college was already a financial struggle for me. Right now, I live with my single mom and my little sister, and over the years we have overcome a lot, including finally being released from an unsafe household. Unfortunately, due to circumstances in my parents' divorce while I was in high school, I was unable to fill out a FAFSA and apply for financial aid to go to college, and we had no money to pay out of pocket since we had just escaped our situation. I was devastated, but I didn't give up on my goals and dreams. I spent a year working full time to save up money for school supplies, and worked hard to build a scholarship-worthy portfolio. After a year of delays, the divorce was finalized and I was finally able to fill out a FAFSA and receive financial aid and a scholarship to attend school for illustration.

Even with the financial aid help, I still have an outstanding balance. For my first three semesters, I was able to pay the remaining balance with funds left to us by my grandfather after he passed. But unfortunately, those funds have run out. My plan for this spring was to take out my first private student loan (I've already maximized all federal loans and aid), but this past week I was hit with the harsh reality that all loans I apply to will reject me due to two factors. 1) My length of credit history is too short because I'm only 20, and 2) my mom can't cosign for me due to a scar on her credit report leftover from when our family was taken advantage of by my father, and we have no living family members that are able to cosign in her place.

Over this past week I have searched for every possible funding solution or lender that could possibly help me, only to be turned away over and over again for the same reasons. If I can't come up with the outstanding balance for my Spring 2022 bill before the semester starts on January 15, I won't be able to return at all.

I've worked so hard to make it this far and prove that I deserve to be here just as much as the kids with financially stable families, and losing it all due to something that someone else did to my family years ago is beyond heart shattering.

I dream about the day I get to walk across the stage and receive my degree, and my future working in a field that I love. And I'm not ready to give that dream up yet, no matter how dire the financial circumstances may be. That's why I'm asking for any kind of support you can offer, every little bit helps me get closer to graduation, and I will be forever grateful for your support.

Thank you so much for everything,

Lauren B.

[torishasupremacy]

hey, as high school juniors start looking into colleges, here are some major tips I learned during my process under the cut because it got pretty long. this is really for anyone wanting to learn tips for the college admissions process!!

1) make sure the school you’re applying to has the specific major you want to do (if you know what you want to major in) so that you’re not halfway through a supplemental essay before you realize you don’t actually want to go to that school.

2) if you’re interested in colleges, go to virtual events. there are campus tours, faculty panels, student q&as, and department specific stuff. a lot of it is useful information, and even if you find it boring, you’ve demonstrated interest in the school which helps your chances at getting in. right after you’ve finished the event send a thank you email to the person running it (when in doubt, send it to the admission office) saying how you enjoyed the event and are interested in applying to that school. keep it enthusiastic, professional, and short.

3) application fees suck. for a lot of colleges you’ll have to pay $50-80 to apply which is bullshit and adds up quickly. ive gotten fee waiver codes by attending virtual events and emailing admission officers questions about my application. this is obviously not a guarantee, but again, demonstrated interest will give you a higher chance of saving money and getting in. make sure to tally up all the fees of schools you're applying to before you start the application. I applied to several no-fee schools, and had fee waivers for others, and still was looking at paying $1,000+ just to apply to the rest of my list, which got shortened pretty quickly after that little calculation

4) apply to a reasonable amount of colleges. the more colleges you apply to, the more extra essays you have to write, and the more money you have to pay. a model you can try and use is applying to safety schools, match schools, and reach schools. safety schools are schools that you are very likely to get into. match schools are schools that you have a decent chance of getting into. reach schools are schools that you have a slim, but possible chance of getting into. i would say apply to 2-6 of each type of school

5) you’re gonna have to write supplemental essays, and it’s gonna suck. so get started early. there was one girl in my grade who did all of her college apps in the summer of her junior year. i was stupid and didn't do that but I sure as hell wish I did because I went into the first semester of senior year with a lot of unnecessary stress. try spending 30 min-1 hour per school day working on college things, and you’ll get so much done by the end of the summer. you will thank your past self SO much

6) again, supplemental essays. you want to have a base pool of writing that you start off with. I applied to some UCs (university of californias) which have four insight questions you have to answer. I spent several weeks writing those and polishing them with my college counselor until they were really good. I ended up recycling them into my common app essay, supplemental essays for multiple schools, I put in the effort in the front end and it really paid off

7) seek out all the information on the specific application process for each school multiple times. if you’re applying for any kind of visual or performing art- including directing, stage managing, playwriting, comedy, etc- chances are you will need some combination of an interview/audition/portfolio, and you’re gonna wanna make sure you know the requirements before you put a bunch of time into something. if you're gonna be applying for visual arts, you really want to start building up your portfolio  as soon as possible, and noting all the different requirements for each school, because there is no uniform portfolio that you can use to apply to all art programs. I personally didn't apply for visual arts but my poor friend had a real rough time with it so please learn from their mistakes

8) schedule interviews as soon as you can!! they can really help your chances at getting in- ive gone to virtual events about interviews and college admission officers say that 99% of the time interviews turn out really well! but there are never enough slots for everyone so get those applications in early because a lot of the time you can only get an appointment after you apply. I applied to one of my top schools two months early and got one of the five remaining interview slots. but remember time zones when you schedule interviews so you dont have to wake up at 6 or stay up til 12

9) fuck deadlines. dont kill yourself trying to get your app turned in three months early, and dont sacrifice quality, but really, the sooner you can submit an application, the less stress you have to deal with. deadlines are the LAST day you can submit an application, not the only day. and if your application is a few days late, send it anyways. they can’t do anything but reject you, and as long as you dont have an app sent in, you're already not getting in

10) colleges care a lot about extracurriculars. it’s like their 2nd most important thing besides grades/test scores (which are becoming more and more irrelevant). but it looks way better to have concentrated and held leadership  positions, so don’t make yourself miserable not doing what you want to do/doing what you don’t want to do, but keep in mind how colleges will view it. when you're writing about your activities for your application, try to sound as impressive as possible while still sounding truthful

11) if you're a good writer, this process is gonna be a lot easier for you. if you're not, im sorry. I fall into the former category and wrote my common app essay a day before it was due, which is something I dont recommend, even if you are a good writer. its just stressful. if you're a good writer, your first drafts will still not be polished enough. get feedback and edit. if you’re not a good writer, start your essays early, and get a fuck ton of feedback and do a lot of editing. im serious, my college counselor said that from his experience, mediocre writers who frequently met with him to revise their work and good writers who didn't meet with him much often ended up having writing that was around the same quality. it will take more time and effort, but you can produce good work. meet with your counselors. meet with your english teachers. meet with your parents if that makes sense, or any good writers you know.

12) if you're a boy/girl scout, GET YOUR EAGLE SCOUT/GOLD AWARD!!! im not kidding that thing can get you tens to hundreds of thousands of dollars in merit aid!! I was a girl scout for several years and hated it, but I did my gold award on something I was passionate about, it didn’t suck as much as I thought it would, and it literally paid off. get it done as soon as you can before the admission process because I pretty much finished mine right before the admission deadlines and it was hell

13) there will be days where you just have to sit down and grind out a bunch of admissions stuff. that’s just a reality, not matter how well you schedule your time. try to make a calendar with deadlines for each app/essay and have a plan for when you’ll work on each thing. you may not follow it to the letter but it will help guide you and keep you on track

14) im so serious, finish your apps during summer before senior year and you will feel so light while the rest of your peers are being dragged into hell. please please get your apps in early. please

15) if you really dont want to live in a certain place (its way too cold, its way too populated, its too far away, etc), just dont apply. there are a gazillion different schools that can give you great experiences without subjecting yourself to environmental misery. for example, my anxiety levels spike when I leave large cities, so I only applied to schools in major cities. if anything, it definitely helps you narrow down the list

16) apply to several schools that you would be happy going to instead of pinning all your hopes on One Dream School. admissions processes can be the most arbitrary decisions and there is ALWAYS a chance you won't get into a school that you thought would be a cinch. there is not one sole school that is your perfect fit, there are hundreds of schools that you would have fulfilling experiences at, so make sure you apply to a few of those. it’s like my dad says, don’t close any doors until you know which one you’re going to walk through

17) apply for financial aid, even if you don’t think you’ll get it. the same goes for merit aid. apply for as much aid as you can. college is expensive as fuck, and the majority of people are gonna come away from it with some form of debt. but debt WILL drag you down, so you want to try and get as little as possible. apply for scholarships, not necessarily the big $100,000 lotteries that a billion people apply to, but to several $1000 ones that require you to write 500-800 words. if you wrack up several of those it can seriously help you out. there are a lot of interesting ones you can find, and  you'll probably come across a prompt that you're passionate about. and remember, there’s no shame in going to community college if everything else is going to put you in too much debt to climb out of. remember, there’s interest to that debt, so you can spend your whole life paying off the interest and not the debt, and end up paying more than you took out in debt without actually paying off the debt

18) the college process SUCKS. its classist as hell, and inherently designed to make it hard as fuck to apply so that the more persistent people get in. you're just gonna have to accept that, get started early, work hard, and make sure you're passionate about what you’re writing about/applying to. make spreadsheets or lists or whatever helps you organize. do your research. START EARLY, you’ll hate the world a little less. good luck!!

[mohi12]

How do I make money online from home?

Explore handy ways you can keep earning from home, in the long and short term.

There are plenty of reasons to want to make money from home – perhaps you’d like to supplement your main income, keep busy during parental leave, or even start a brand new career. We’ve put together a handy list of 11 ways to make some additional money from home (or in some instances, via the gig economy) – including everything from one-off tasks to ideas that may end up as an additional income stream.

1.Get paid to write online

If you’ve always wanted to be a writer, what better time to start? While a lot of online writing jobs don’t pay, there are still quite a few websites where you can make money by creating high quality, relevant content. You can get started by looking at:

Listverse: a listicle website that will pay $100 per accepted article.

Longreads: a long-form content site that pays competitive rates. The website doesn’t specify the amount paid but other websites and blogs have stated rates of 1,500.

Back2college: a site aimed at older students will pay $55+ per accepted article.

All Pet Voices: a pet website that pays $75 per accepted article.

iWorkWell: a website for HR professionals and SMEs that pays $200 per accepted article.

Loaded Landcapes: a photography website that pays $20-150 per accepted article.

Income Diary: a website focussed on making money online that pays 500 per accepted article.

A Fine Parent: a parenting website that pays $75 per accepted article.

All of these sites only pay for accepted articles, so make sure that you review their criteria and read through the websites for an idea of their existing content and style before you start. Some websites also prefer to receive pitches before the main article.

While a lot of freelance writers have regular clients, writing for some select websites allows you to build up a portfolio, create a niche, and work up to higher-paying and more reliable income, if that’s something that you want to pursue.

2 Become a virtual assistant

If you’re a good communicator, have strong digital skills, and excellent organisational skills, you could work as a virtual assistant. You will need to accurately type at a speed of 80-100 wpm, work well remotely, and adjust to the needs of the business or person that you are assisting, but this is one of the more long-term and reliable options to make additional money.

There are a number of virtual assistant websites like Virtalent and 24/7 Virtual Assistants, offering $10-12ph and 20-120 hours per month. However, these websites typically require extensive experience within the sector before they will take you on. If you’re new to being a VA or PA, you can apply for jobs on jobs websites like Reed, TotalJobs, or Glassdoor.

If you’d like to brush up on your skills or improve your CV before you apply, you can take some free courses that can help you get hired by improving your communication, growing your digital skills, or just learning how to write a great job application.

3 Have a clear-out

If you’ve noticed more clutter than usual – perhaps there are a few boxes that you still haven’t unpacked after moving, or a room that always looks overfull – you can clear out your home while making some money too.

These websites are a great place to start once you’ve identified the items you’d like to sell:

Ebay is a great place to sell anything from garden furniture to old clothes and shoes.

Webuybooks will buy books, CDs, DVDs, and games.

MusicMagpie will buy phones, MacBooks, CDs, DVDs, games, books, and lego.

Cex will buy phones, laptops, game consoles, DVD players, smartwatches, assorted tech, and DVDs/games.

4 Get crafty

If you’re into arts and crafts, you could turn that hobby into an additional income. You can make your own jewellery, homemade cards, print t-shirts, upcycle things around the house, or even make beautiful terrariums to sell on sites like Etsy.

Not all crafts sell well or will make a profit, so before you get started it’s a good idea to check out what’s already on there, how much it sells for, and compare it to what you’d expect for the time, effort, and spend associated with it. You can also see how much competition there is, and decide how you will make your own crafts stand out.

5 Make money by taking surveys

If you’d prefer a lower investment in both time and expense, you can make money by responding to surveys online. You can even do this while you’re binge-watching Netflix. The rewards depend on the website – some offer vouchers but a lot of them also payout via PayPal or directly to your bank.

While it is relatively low-effort, it can also time quite a lot of time to build up your earnings – surveys pay as little as £0.05 and as much as £10 each, with the majority towards the lower end of the spectrum. You can get started with sites like YouGov, Prolific, Swagbucks, LifePoints, Survey Junkie, and OneOpinion.

6 Try online tutoring

Now that schools and colleges have closed, there’s been a huge increase in parents looking for online tutors for their children. If you have in-depth knowledge around a particular subject, great communication skills, and feel that you have the right temperament to keep your students engaged and nurture their interest, you can apply to a variety of online tutoring websites that link up tutors with students. Some focus on academic subjects but others offer the chance to teach music, crafts, and other skills.

If teaching for the first time feels daunting or you don’t know where to start with a lesson plan, we have a range of free courses specifically designed for teachers. They can help you become a better music teacher, plan a great English lesson, or provide a grounding in how to teach online.

7 Sell your photographs

If you’re interested in photography or have lots of photographs on your hard drive, why not try selling them online? Businesses are creating a lot more online content at the moment, so the right images and themes could help you earn some money. Rather than uploading a lot of landscapes and only selling what you have, take a look at the kinds of images that business websites, news websites, and blogs have been using over the last few weeks. Try to shoot images around those themes and stay on top of what’s in demand at the moment.

Stock photography sites like Shutterstock, Alamy, Getty, and iStock take a commission from sales and allow people to find your images based on keyword searches.

8 Get paid to test websites

You can make money by testing out websites and letting businesses know whether or not they’re user-friendly. Small adjustments can make a lot of money for people selling online, so it makes sense for them to get opinions from their target audience, rather than just their own marketing and development teams. You can get paid

5-90 per test or interview, but most tests are around $10 and will be paid directly into your PayPal.

You can get started with these sites:

User Testing

Userlytics

Try my UI

Userfeel

You don’t need to be a digital expert to make a good tester, you just need to answer the questions honestly and understand what you’re looking for. But if you’re interested in brushing up on your knowledge, we have a free user experience course from Accenture to help you understand the

9 Get paid to transcribe audio

Transcription has always been a popular job to do from home – pay tends to start at $20 per audio hour, and how quickly you can transcribe will define the pay per hour worked. The increase in online video content has fuelled a rise in demand for transcription services, but speech to text software is also getting better so it can be a tough industry. Websites such as GoTranscript and Transcribe Me can help you to get started.

10 Start a blog or website

Popular websites and blogs earn hundreds if not thousands through affiliate marketing, advertising, and brand partnerships.

Creating a blog that makes money definitely isn’t a short-term fix, but it could provide income over the long-term if you’re dedicated and willing to learn how digital marketing works. Most successful blogs either get the majority of their traffic through organic search (via a process called SEO) or via social media by building a quality following. If you’re not sure where to start, we have some free courses on digital marketing, social media, and web analytics to help.

11 Put up some gigs on fiverr

Fiverr is a freelancing marketplace that used to advertise the majority of tasks for 5-20 for anything from marketing tasks through to relationship advice. You can browse the categories to see what’s on offer before deciding on what you want to advertise. Most of the work is bespoke, but if you want to scale your earnings it’s a good idea to advertise work that you’ve already done, such as creating a guide or ebook that people can buy as a pdf.

Thank you for reading my article.

[mcnuggyy]

hi i'm applying to art center, it's my dream school. Your link to black at accd helped me take off the rose tinted glasses & understand its reputation doesnt mean it's perfect. I still want to go though...Do you have any tips for how to be a successful student at accd? i know its been a while since u were there, but any scrap of info would be appreciated....

sure thing!!! This might be a bit harder to do during a pandemic but it can still be done through voice chat and discord and stuff! A big thing that really helped me that I wish I had done earlier when I first started was finding some friends I can work with, vent about the same professors too, etc. They’ll be going through the same hardships you will be and that bond is stronger than anything, god the intense work and projects you and your classmates will have to do, it can be hard to go through it alone. So even if you can find someone just to sit silently with while you work, quiet encouragement. It’s a great support system that helped me immensely. Like a study group but with art!

Art school is expensive, TOO expensive imo, so even when a profesor says “BUY THIS SPECIFIC BRAND OR ELSE” still try and find cheaper solutions! Lots of students sell old supplies, I’ve even given my supplies away for free to lower classmates! cause for a lot of classes you will really only end up using those supplies just for that one class and never again, so might as well recycle them and give them to someone else instead of keeping them in your garage forever! (Again this will depend on the pandemic situation but we would have fliers and stuff for people selling their supplies! People would even sell art tablets for 100$ or less!! Great resource!)

Don’t be afraid to ask upper term students questions! We are all going through it, and have had to deal with a lot of crazy professors and projects and shit, so don’t be afraid to reach out! They are full of good tips, advice, resources, etc. And just like Black at ACCD, they won’t be afraid to tell you who to watch out for which I think is super important when it comes to choosing classes. Most people are really kind, we just look tired from the lack of sleep 😔

Talk to people outside of your track/major too!! (NETWORKING!!!) this goes hand in hand with the first tip. The biggest thing that helped me, specifically for the future, is the friends I made, that’s how I got my first few jobs! Because unfortunately In the industry it IS very much about who you know. As for talking with other majors!! You never know when you might need a photographer or graphic designer or they might need an illustrator or character artist!! Like it’s great to be able to say “I know someone” and they can do the same for you! It’s great to build those healthy work relationships and also just meet and hang out with other creatives with unique perspectives! Good for your art AND good for actually getting a job in the future 👌

(this also includes networking with some professors, a lot of them have industry experience they can provide! some are willing to look at ur portfolio and even share your portfolio with recruiters!!!) 

Setting up a good work schedule is super important cause the amount of homework you will get is pretty much impossible to do at most times, then again I speed run college, I took no breaks and finished in 2 years because of poverty. I do NOT recommend this because o suffered from constant burn out, depression, stress, isolation, etc. So make sure your work schedule includes time to eat, sleep, chill out, ya know good mental health stuff!

Might be good to get a therapist. Art center WILL increase your mental health issues drastically. Everyone I know suffered from stress, anxiety, lack of sleep, etc. and are still feeling affects from Art Center to this day. So it might be good to prepare yourself for this, because it does get really bad for a lot of students unfortunately...

As always my inbox and DM’s are always open! If you end up getting a specific professor, or someone you know I might have had to deal with I’m more than happy to talk about my experiences with them! A lot of them have had the same assignments for yearssss. I was in the entertainment track specifically so I had professors like Will Weston, Jeff Smith, Rey Bustos, Gayle Donahue, Bob Kato, Adam Dix, Peter Han, Richard Keyes, Steve Turk, Paul Rogers, Aaron Smith, Mike Humphries, Ricardo Delgado, etc. (some of these u might be familiar with from the BlackatACCD account so yeah I had to deal with a lot of them :/ ) but I was fortunate enough to take some cool queer classes too, and those were some of the few minority professors in the school, they were the best honestly, I recommend taking a class with Rocio Carlos or Gary Kornblau for sure if you get a chance, they are a breathe of fresh air on campus. 

Hope this helps!! sorry for the long post jaja <3

[timextoxhajima]

Chapter poster by @/lovehyuck on Instagram

NCT One Shot Collection

Member: Johnny

Genre: Fluff, gets a tiny bit suggestive at the end

Word Count: 3.7k

A/N: this was such a fun one to write! i may or may not have busted a big, fat uwu writing this. 

Art school was not the least bit easy for you. Not with all the different events and projects your course forced you through in your freshman year. Your media and design course needed you to constantly pull on a smile and an excited tone whenever you did broadcasting exercises, then back at home when you were off screen and not interning at an external company, you needed to learn the aesthetics of setting up websites and online blog shops. Writing and photography were skills you also needed for your course. All of this was extremely hard to handle when you're a freshman and had trouble even memorizing your way around the huge university campus.

You were absolutely dreading the next project that was set to come your way, because you would be interning at an independent boutique chain to learn the ideas and ways of online advertising and sales, but what you didn't expect in the package was the gentle giant that you would meet during your time of intern at the boutique chain stores.

"y/n?" One of the boutique's managers called out. You looked up from your journal of scripts and half done speeches you had done and would be doing in the future for the advertising projects.

"I'm here," You hurriedly shoved the book into your bag and got to your feet.

"Please, come in. I'll introduce you to your partner you'll be working with for your internship," The lady had a blazer on with a maroon top underneath, paired with black pants and a blue lanyard with her pass in the cardholder. You made your way into the room behind her, and before her sat a cheerful young man who was a few years older than you. The moment he noticed you, he stood up and offered you a handshake.

"Hi! You must be y/n! I'm Johnny Seo, the boutique's newest fashion designer and accent advisor. 'Johnny' will do just fine," he smiled at you, his wide grin making you feel warm and welcomed, despite his large and seemingly intimidating frame.

"Hi, nice to meet you," you took the handshake and bowed a little.

"Good to see that you two are starting off on the right foot. So, the both of you will be working closely for a project that the boutique is planning on launching in summer, preferably for a autumn collection. Johnny will brainstorm the styles and ideas, color palettes and all, and you will be handling the promotion and setting up of website for the project launch. How does that sound?" The lady leaned forward on the table, clasping her hands together and interlinking her fingers.

Johnny eagerly nodded, before turning to you, who obviously had some doubt in yourself.

"Relax, y/n, it's your first big project with a brand name. It's actually Johnny's first big launch too, but both of you have reputable portfolios. I don't expect the grandest, but I do expect your best efforts. If you perform well, we might consider you as permanent staff," The lady smiled at you. You processed her words, letting them sink in as you began to peel the small bits of skin round your fingertips and biting the ripped skin off your dry lips. Reputable profiles? Permanent staff? This is a huge brand name. Working for them would be like working for the Gods themselves. 

"y/n, really, don't feel pressured. We want our crew to be as relaxed and comfortable. We chose to accept your internship with us out of a few hundred because you have amazing presence and your work is unique. After the internship, if you'd like to work for another brand instead, it can remain in discussion. But for now, all I need you to do is to work with Johnny to produce the best project launch for this autumn, that's all. Can you do that?" The lady raised her brow, her voice softening as she tried her best to calm you down. 

You nodded. 

"Amazing. Johnny will show you to your temporary office and give you a small tour and orientation of the office building. From today onward, just report to this building for your internship and you can do everything you need to do in this building. Your school has already been notified of this information," The lady leaned back in her seat and pulled out a file from the cabinet behind her, opening it to an internship contract page and setting it down on the table in front of you.

Both you and Johnny signed your respective contracts, and off you went on your orientation with him. 

"Do you that when you're nervous or stressed?" Johnny spoke after a moment of silence. You were in the elevator with him on the way down to your office floor.

"Wha--? Oh," You looked down at your fingers and noticed the skin that had been peeled off had caused a tiny bit of bleeding. "Yeah, it's a habit. I'd like to get rid of it, but I've been doing it for years. Can't seem to stop it," You pulled your cardigan over your hands. Suddenly, you realised how under-dressed you were for the job. You were a broadcaster, a photographer and a writer, yet here you were, in a simple blue cardigan that covered your black top and some part of your denims. Even your ugly pair of strappy sandals were not up to your own standards.

Not when Johnny was there, fitted perfectly in his clothes.

Fashion designers.

"Fan of blue?" Johnny spoke again after the doors opened. 

"Yellow, actually. But my favourite yellow dress was in the washing machine this morning when I checked so..." You shrug and follow him out of the lift. He smiled as a gesture of courtesy, letting you know that he heard you. He tapped a card with his face printed on it on the door scanner, a soft beep turned one of the scanner's lights from red to green and he pushed the door open for you. 

"So, uhm, since you're working with this brand for the first time, I'll just let you know that their offices are on a rotational basis. So for example, you're working with me until autumn, right? Your office will be right next to mine until the season is over, and once you get a new partner, your office location will change, or maybe your new partner will come to you. Works both ways," Johnny walked and spoke at the same time, the office floor having a row of closed-door offices on both the left and right side of the floor, with office cubicles in the middle like a maze.

"The cubicles are for?" You looked at the employees sitting in cubicles, some talking on the phone and others looking intently at their computer screen.

"Oh, they basically handle the admin stuff. You know, employees, the money, event signing etcetera," He stopped right outside a closed office door. "I believe this office is yours," Johnny stretched out his right palm and gestured to the door. You glance at him and look at the door, the tab on the door where your name and position was supposed to be, still empty. 

The office was simple, but prettier than you expected it to be. After all, this was only supposedly an internship.

"Whoa," You breathed, stepping into the office and placing your bag on one of the guest chairs before heading for the window. You could see the city before you, with cars the size of fingernails and the glistening reflection off window panes from other office buildings. 

"I know right?" Johnny smiled. "Uh, you can get your access pass from the security point from tomorrow onwards. The admin counter on the first floor will give you your name and tab for your door when you clock in tomorrow," You hummed in response, still taken and completely obsessed with the view, so much that you didn't even notice Johnny had gone into his office right next to yours. 

After setting up your office, linking your devices to the office's network, putting in your name and tab on the door and shelving some of your files for research and information purposes, you were finally settled in. Of course, some of that settling needed an extra hand, and who else to help but your office neighbour and also your partner for the next 8 months?

The first teaser or promotional event for the launch was set to happen in about a month's time. That meant you needed to do filming, editorials, find some contract models and dress them in the clothes that Johnny was to design. Though you had a month, it felt like you had a week, and once you realised that, you began chewing on your lip like a dog chewing on its toy bone.

"No, I need a week to edit and fix up the promotional videos. I need the models in three weeks from now, not six," You spoke into your office phone. Your eyes were fixated on website designs and filming techniques you had learnt at school but was never able to apply them, but your ears were listening to the horrendous dealings of a model company who couldn't offer models when you needed them.

"Don't be ridiculous. Which part of 'three weeks' did you not unders-- look, if you can't give me my models - which the company I'm currently working for now would've already informed you so forth - in three weeks, then the company is done with you, got it?" You didn't wait for a response. Slamming the phone back into its phone set on the table, you were frustrated and stressed out. Not because you were now interning at a big brand name, but because you genuinely wanted to do well. Your website was barely put together with the absence of photos and information about the project launch. Only the color accents and layouts were fixed, but otherwise it was a barren land. 

Knock knock.

"Come in," You sighed and held up your fringe with your left hand, your right handling the mouse and moving the cursor around the website page, wondering what else you could do for it.

"Heard you yelling at the model contractor from next door," Johnny let himself in and shut the door behind him. 

"Please tell me you have some designs and you're ready to make them," Your eyes shifted to the man, your posture remaining slouched and stiff infront of the computer screen.

"Was just about to show you some of them. Thought they might help with the color accents for the website too," Johnny was holding a sketchbook and a file filled with sample materials and designs. He sat down on one of the guest chairs and pushed the file over to you on the table.

The sketches were amazing. Both the male and female designs were stunning, simple yet dramatic, and he did not stick to a single color accent. He used every single warm color available on the color wheel.

"These are amazing, Johnny," You took the sketchpad nearer to your computer and changed up the color accents on the site. "You should start materializing these. When the launch is done, the brand's definitely going to want you working for them," You clicked rapidly, fixing every crook and cranny of the site to fit the color accents of the designs in his sketchpad. 

"I actually wanted your input on the specific designs and materials. You do photography, so you should have an idea on what would look good in photographs," He looked you in the eye and had this adorable, sheepish, grin plastered on his face. It was almost like he was always happy and nothing could ever bring him down.  "Also because I need to ask you for a favour," His expression progressed from sheepish to embarrassed.

"What is it?" You chuckle, taking the materials file and flipping through them, reaching for a pen from your pen holder and writing down some of the material codes next to the respective designs you thought fit.

"I have a couple of friends from high school organising a social event, and everyone who's going is either attached or engaged and--"

"And you want me to go?" You raised an eyebrow, looking up through your lashes and at him. He scratched the back of his neck and tilted his head. 

"Ah, you know what? Forget it, it's horrible for me to ask you to act like someone you're not, so--"

"Nah, I'll go," You waved it off with your free hand without looking up. 

"What-- Really?" Johnny paused, watching you scribble all the material codes on the final few pieces of his designs.

"Yeah, sure. Why not?" You finished the last codes and handed the sketchpad back to him. "I've matched the designs to the materials I think would be suitable. So just check them for me and start getting them made. Photo shoot is in about three weeks." 

"No, wait, y/n, you're really okay with going to the event with me?" Johnny had a little frown on his face.

"Why not?" You leaned back in your chair. "Haven't been to one of those in awhile. Won't hurt to get one night off this stinking intern that's making me tear my hair out," 

He nodded and was obviously very happy.

"Okay. So I'll just text you the date, and you text me your address and I'll fetch you then, s'that alright with you?" Johnny squinted his eyes like he hoped you'd say yes.

"Cool," You smiled at him. There was an awkward pause as all he did was stare at you, when you weren't sure why he was still there. "Anything else, partner?" You furrowed your brows and pursed your lips. 

"Oh!" He exclaimed and whirled around in a circle, like a cat looking for its tail. "Nothing, I was just, zoning out," He frantically grabbed his sketchpad and material files from your table. "I'll see you tomorrow," He gave you one last nod before leaving your office. You waited until his shadow had disappeared from outside your door and into his, before sinking back into your chair and turning it around to see the glaring evening sun setting on the city. 

This internship was the hardest internship you had ever done. You were working for 9 hours straight a day, some days spent in the office doing research on materials and other days visiting material stores to gather information about the cloths and the small details like lace and buttons that Johnny needed to begin making his clothing line. But what you failed to notice was that every single time you were procrastinating on a meal, Johnny would never fail to appear at your door with some packed food, knowing that you hadn't had anything since the previous meal. After awhile, he noticed the trend in your tastes: nothing spicy, soup is a must, and you always had tea over coffee any day, and that was exactly how he would send lunch or dinner to your office despite it being way past the respective mealtimes. 

Before you knew it, the day of the social event was here. It was at a rather extravagant bungalow at a chalet right outside of town. All of Johnny's high school friends were going to be there, drinking booze or playing a game they weren't supposed to. Long story short, it was an event with all of Johnny's american friends.

"Hey Johnny, uhm, I was wondering..." You had the phone between your ear and your shoulder, all your party clothes laid out in front of you on the floor. "What are you wearing and what's the color code like?" 

"Oh, uhm, well, nothing sophisticated I guess? Denim jacket, T-shirt, pants and a pair of... Vans? I mean, it's a guy thing though. Girls usually wear prettier, slightly more... extravagant styles."

"Cool, so blue and black?" You eyed the black crossed-back singlet top with black leather pants. 

"Sounds fine to me."

"Also, Johnny," You were now holding the phone. "Who am I going as?" You smirked to yourself. You knew, but it would've been a lot nicer if he had just asked you to be his date directly.

"I... well, everybody's bringing someone you know, so... just for this once, pretend you're my girlfriend."

You smiled to yourself.

"Pleasure," You hung up. 

When you showed up at the party, you knew exactly why Johnny wanted you to go with him. This wasn’t just a social gathering, this was a white boy frat party. It wasn’t that bad, but everybody Johnny greeted looked like they used to play sports and had a girl attached to their arm. Johnny was popular with the people at the party. He was so sociable and such an amazing talker, you wondered why he hadn't gotten himself a real girlfriend when all he did the entire night was introduce you to his friends and by saying, "Hey, what's up? Dude, meet my girlfriend, y/n," Then he'd carry on and talk about how he met you at an internship and now you were both doing a clothing line project launch together. 

The night was getting late, and you definitely had more drinks than Johnny did. Your brain was like walking a tightrope and constantly on the edge of losing your composure altogether. Your date wanted to send you home when he noticed your face was rosier than usual and your eyes were no longer looking straight anymore, but you insisted and refused to leave. So when you found yourself in a circle next to Johnny, an empty bottle of beer in the middle and everybody else was screaming when two lucky people got chosen to make out with one another, that's when you decided to take another shot of vodka to completely immerse yourself in the party experience. 

"y/n," Johnny grabbed the shot glass, trying his best not to let you finish it. But the alcohol rushed down your throat so quickly, you belched, earning loud hoots from the rest of the circle.

"Next round!" The friend of Johnny's who was hosting the event yelled, grabbing the bottle and pinning it down in the middle of the circle.

"I think I'm going to send her home first, she's wasted," Johnny gently brushed the hair out of your face, your eyes barely open and your limbs functioning at the least. The bottle was spun and landed on Johnny.

"No! I'm staying, this is fun," You giggled, snuggling your head into his chest. 

"Oh, that's even better! Won't even know what's going to hit her!" His friend shouted, twirling the bottle again before Johnny could protest. The bottle landed on you. 

"Ooooooh, rules are rules, muchachos!" The host lifted his beer bottle. "If the player chosen is attached, then 7 minutes of heaven in the closet we go!" 

Johnny panicked. He watched as other girls from the circle got up to help carry you into the closet upstairs while the other guys hyped Johnny up to follow you upstairs. Before Johnny knew it, he was standing in front of you in someone's closet, the smell of cologne filling up both your noses and your eyes struggled to find a face to focus on. 

"Why is it so dark?" You groaned, rubbing your eyes and smacking your lips.

"Because you didn't want to leave the spin-the-bottle circle, you doofus," Johnny sighed and tucked your hair behind your ear.

"Care to explain why you don't have a girlfriend? Everybody else here has one besides you," You burped, the smell of sprite and vodka temporarily intoxicated the air between you and Johnny. He winced in disgust, before waving the air with his hand.

"My last dumped me. Said I was too focused on a career path that wasn't promising." 

Your muddleheaded skull processed this information, before it struck a chord in one of your nerves. 

"Jeez, I'm... sorry for that, I didn't mean to pry," You frowned and rubbed your face. 

"Nah, it's alright," Johnny shrugged, his eyes adjusting to the darkness and noticing your jacket falling to your elbows. He subtly pulled them up, covering your shoulders.

"What do people even do in 7 minutes in heaven anyway? Dumbass game," You shuffled your feet, failing to register that Johnny was kind of uncomfortable with how little space there was between the two of you. 

"Most people just... you know-- hook up," Johnny cleared his throat. You paused and looked up at the shape of his jaw under the horrible lighting, your fingers only able to graze the outline of his facial features since you couldn't see well. Your fingertips halted at his chin, then shifted up to feel his lips.

"Have you ever...?" You whispered. Johnny could only hear the sound of his own breathing, the feeling of someone else's fingers on his skin was so alien, yet familiar.

"No, only small kisses here and there, but never really a real..." His voice trailed off as he felt you tiptoeing to reach his height. "Kiss," He finished his sentence, and before he could register it, his arms were wrapped around your waist, and yours around his neck, trying to pull his head down to match your height. 

"Why are you so goddamn tall?" You huffed between kisses, the heat in your chest building up, and it wasn't only because of the alcohol. Johnny took the hint and shifted his hands to your thighs without violating your bottom, lifting you up and guiding your legs around his waist. It was almost as if every single word in the dictionary couldn't be processed in either of your heads. All he could taste was the lingering tinge of alcohol from your tongue, and all you could think of was how hot he was, being able to carry you and lifting you off the ground while still handling everything north.

"7 minutes is up-- whoa!" The host pulled open the door, only to see you hurriedly hop off Johnny's hips, your lipstick smudged and his hair in a mess. You coughed, surprisingly more sober than before. You began biting on your lip, noticing how everybody was shooting you smirks and teases. Johnny pulled up your jacket to your shoulder from behind, carefully patting down his hair and calmly wrapping his arm around your shoulder. 

"We have business to finish, so if you'll excuse us, I'll be sending her home."

[squarecarousel]

Interview with Caitlin Alexander

Well folks, we're nearly at the end of our Square Carousel journey, and there are just two interviews left – both with two of our longest-standing members! Today, we reconnect with Caitlin Alexander, who has been with the Square Carousel Collective from its very beginning almost 10 years ago. Although we've featured an interview with her here in the past, it's been so long that we are due for an update! When she's not freelancing or performing her duties as an SC admin extraordinaire, Caitlin works tirelessly on her craft, creating prints, products, hand lettered posters, and artwork that embrace the earthy beauty of nature. With a strong focus on environmentalism and a sense of community, her artwork exudes a warmth and complexity that draws the viewer in and invites them to stay a while. Read on for her gems of wisdom!

Make Earth Cool Again

Q: Comparing your early work from your first few years after college to your most recent pieces, you've kept a lot of the textural, playful essence of your style while refining certain elements. Has your process changed much since those early days, and if so, what do you now do differently? 

 A: Such a great question straight out of the gate! My process has changed quite a bit since I graduated in 2011 (almost a decade ago... yikes!). In college, part of my crafted identity as a brand-new illustrator was my traditional use of gouache paint. I actually, in all honestly, was kind of a snob about it, because so many people in our department worked solely digitally. I felt that digital painting was a crutch, which I suppose can be true in some cases, and possibly even more-so when you're applying that to college students, but I certainly had no ground to stand on. In reality, my snobbery kept me from learning critical tools, as I never took Photoshop or Illustrator classes, aside from the one that was required for graduation. This hindered my work a great deal outside of college, given that illustration is so often paired with graphic design, and editing work for clients was so much more difficult traditionally. In 2013, I got a job designing t-shirts, and lied to the company, saying I knew how to use Illustrator. Luckily it was remote, so I was able to teach myself without anyone hovering over me, but that was so foolish, looking back, given the expensive education I got at SCAD should have been my opportunity to learn those things. I introduced digital work more and more over the years, and by 2016 or so, I was primarily a digital artist. Gouache will always have a place in my heart, and I will still break out the tubes occasionally, but working digitally has allowed me to grow so much more as an illustrator, with the ability to edit, paint with more detail, and having more control over color and layering. 

Q: Of all the projects you've done in your professional career, which would you say is closest to your heart? 

 A: Probably the picture book I worked on a couple of years ago, titled "Cool For You." I had a lot of creative freedom for that project, and the subject matter of climate change is personally very important to me. Working with the author, Marianna, was really wonderful, as well. 

Cool For You book cover

Q: The Southwest influence on your work is pretty significant, and I think it's safe to assume you appreciate the majesty of the landscape in your region of the country. However, if you had to live in another state, which would you choose and why? 

 A: Funny you ask that, because I've actually considered moving from Texas to Colorado lately! The culture there is still very western, but I appreciate the liberal point of view (Texas has been grating on me lately, even living in Austin), and the landscape is even more stunning out there! I'd be close to so many inspiring National Parks. Plus, summers wouldn't be 8 months of the year and over 100 degrees for half of it! 

Travel West postcard (1 of 6)

Q: TV shows or movies? 

 A: Lately, Jordan and I have been watching New Girl on repeat. I'm not usually one to watch a show or movie over and over again, but I think we really just needed something light and fun, since life has been so very stressful over the last year.

Q: What's your favorite subject to draw? 

 A: This one is hard! I'm torn between people and landscapes. People are more fun and comfortable for me, and I could knock out a bunch of them quickly. Landscapes are always intimidating, and I'm nervous the whole time, feeling like I can't remember how I did it the time before. It's so strange, because it always ends up fine! But since I feel that way, the payoff is so much greater when I feel satisfied with the final result. 

Q: What would a perfect day look like for you? A: I probably would have answered this totally differently pre-COVID, but in this current world we live in, I would absolutely love to have what used to be a normal, uneventful weekend day for me: Jordan and I would sleep in a little, see an early afternoon movie at the Alamo Drafthouse where we'd eat lunch, then spend the rest of the afternoon browsing used book stores and estate sales, and then meet our friends at the neighborhood coffeehouse for dinner and Trivia Night. I will be so happy to have that again. 

Cover art for East Side Magazine

Book Lover Ladies series- The Book Clubbers

Q: What have you learned from your years at Square Carousel, whether organizing behind the scenes or as a contributor? 

 A: Oooof!! So SO many things! Wow... well, I'll go with the most obvious first: as a member, I learned how to continue to make portfolio-worthy work, even without jobs coming in. That was definitely the most valuable thing about Square Carousel, in my opinion, and hopefully what everyone else got out of it, as well. It can be so hard for fresh graduates to keep up that momentum, and the group saved many of us from becoming stagnant. In terms of running the group... it's been rewarding, but honestly very difficult throughout the years. There have been many ups and downs, and finding the right balance between structure and patience can be extremely challenging. I'm super proud of Elizabeth and myself (OG members!) for keeping it running through the messes-- we've been through some shit together! My major takeaway is the importance of diligence. Projects, businesses, organizations-- they all need at least a couple of people who just keep chugging along, always maintaining the structure (schedule and accountability) and balance (rules and lighthearted encouragement). 

Moth magnets

Q: As the readers are aware, Square Carousel drawing to a close soon. Do you have any plans for what you'll do with the extra time you'll have after our tri-weekly challenges end? 

 A: You know, I actually haven't thought about this too much yet. It's probably because I'll just fill it with more self-imposed projects and deadlines, since I was able to bring that skill I learned in Square Carousel into the rest of my career a while ago. (Or more real jobs! That would be ideal!) I'll miss the community though, and hope to find a way to keep that aspect of freelance life alive. Instagram friends, anyone? 

Q: What's your quirkiest habit? 

 A: Jordan told me recently that he found it weird and endearing that I joke-sing to my cats in the kitchen about really stupid stuff... so probably that! Official Cat Lady© status achieved.

Caitlin and Buster Keaton the Kitten

Q: What advice would you give to a newbie illustrator just starting out today? 

 A: I'd give them the hard advice that our professors didn't really give us in school: there is no way this is going to work out for you if you're not incredibly committed to pursuing it. Now, don't get me wrong-- I'm not telling anyone to have an unhealthy work/life balance because I think that's a toxic sentiment. But you have to keep illustrating and illustrating and illustrating, and arguably more importantly, keep networking and networking and networking. You're going to be rejected or ghosted more often than not, but if you really want it to work out, you're going to keep doing it anyway. And taking critiques if industry folks offer them, to grow and become better. Don't become stagnant in those critical building years.

Caitlin’s studio

Q: Anything else you would like the readers to know? 

A: Yes – thank you so much for supporting Square Carousel through our amazing ten years of challenges! We really appreciate everyone who has kept up with us, checking out the illustrations for each prompt and reading our posts and interviews. Y'all are wonderful, and we hope you'll continue to find us, wherever each of us fly from here! And on that sweet note, we say goodbye for now! Check out Caitlin’s website for more, and follow her on Instagram for new art when it drops.

Join us next time for our final interview!

[souprights]

DIY for Transmasc Minors/Those still living with unsupportive family

For context, I'm just turned 17, still living with my parents and live in the USA. This is just my experience! It may not be the best/easiest way to go about DIYing. I'm going to do my best to make this as comprehensive as possible, and please let me know if anything if incorrect or if I should add anything.

Firstly, if you're under the age of 16, I don't recommend this at all!! DIY should be a last-ditch effort, after you've tried all else. Please seek therapy, a supportive friend group, and a good community before turning to illegal means, because, yes, purchasing and being in possession of T without a script is illegal.

What's it Gonna Cost?

For cost, you're going to need about $60 - $115 of reliable income a month. Depending on the site you use, and how many millilitres of (injectable) T you purchase, that's going to vary, but $60 is the typical minimum I can find. Don't forget shipping is going to be around $15-30.

This only includes the T!! Don't forget you're going to need needles, bandaids, and alcohol swabs if you're injecting, as well as blood tests.

What Kind of T?

Whether you use gel or injections is entirely up to you and your comfort. However, please avoid orals! Those are just gonna wreck your liver, no matter how painlessly tempting they may be.

Gels run more expensive, but with injectable, there's extra purchases/packages to be had.

Hang On, Blood Tests?

To make sure your levels are in a safe/normal range, you're going to need a blood test. If possible, look for Quest or LabCorp-esque places to get proper bloods done. I was too nervous to do that, given how closely my parents track my every move while I'm not at home, so settle for finger prick at-home tests if necessary. Unless the site advertises Discreet Packaging, I highly recommend having these sent to a friend and picking them up at school/when hanging out.

Do one before starting T, one at Month One, Two and Three, respectively. Based on your levels, adjust or figure out your dose. If everything is typical at Month Three, you don't have to test again till Month Six. After that, check at your One Year mark, then yearly thereafter.

Where/How Do I Get All This?

eroids.com is the first place I turn to when looking for places to order T. You can read reviews for each site listed, and get an average rating from people who've used the sites. If you want to go for gels, I suggest poking around Reddit and finding other people who've DIYed with gel, and asking them for their opinions and recommendations. Make an informed decision no matter what you choose, and spend PLENTY of time researching.

For needles, bandaids, and alcohol swabs I honestly just use Amazon. MAKE SURE you mark your order as a gift, or else you're probably going to run into the issue of the packaging being marked with "medical supplies." Imagine your overbearing parents seeing that and ripping open your package, and immediately assuming you're spending your days in back alleys shooting up. Not fun. Take my word, and learn from my mistake.

As for bloods, just poke around till you find a test that takes your free T and total T both, or go somewhere and have it done proper.

Now, you might try using a PO box to not worry about your family seeing any packages arriving, or having it sent to a friend with more relaxed/accepting parents. Later in the year (when I'm doing this) using the approaching gift-giving holidays to keep people out of your parcels might be plausible. Or maybe your family doesn't care. Ultimately, imagine the worst case scenario and judge what to do knowing your own situation.

Okay, But....Bitcoin

Ah, yes. Daunting, tricky Bitcoin. Majority of sites only accept Bitcoin as payment. But I swear it's not as bad or hard as it sounds. Your first issue is honestly going to be finding somewhere that doesn't require you to be 18+ to purchase it. Now, don't worry too much. For me, I got my older sister to put in all her details, and I just used my money to make purchases. You can do the same with an 18+ friend, relative, or relative of a friend's. Or, send an 18+ friend's CashApp the money necessary to make a Bitcoin purchase and transfer for you.

Now, my first order of T was only about $60, with shipping and everything, since I only bought 4ml total to begin with. If you buy a bigger vial, it's going to cost more. $60 was as much as I could spend without making my parents suspicious (they keep an eye on my bank account), so if you have a similar problem or a smaller spending threshold of concern, don't worry. Just spend your max threshold on buying Bitcoin as often as you can. The Bitcoin will be stored for you to compile and use later. Keep in mind its value may go down, so buy a bit extra if you're saving up over time.

I use an app called Edge to handle all my Bitcoin transactions. It's simple, easy, and you can use a card, a direct bank transfer, Apple Pay or Cash (if there's a Bitcoin ATM near you--no worries, there's a handy map in the app itself to lead you to the nearest one of those). I used Apple Pay, so unfortunately, I can't help with any other methods than that. You can also use CashApp, but Edge's verification went much much faster, and I was not in the mood to wait a few extra days.

There's going to be a fee, usually outlined before you select your payment type. I included that in the cost of the T above, which might be more or less.

And lastly, it's not instant. It usually takes a few hours, but if it's more than a few days, reach out to customer support.

Each site lists instructions with how to send payment once ordered. Just follow their instructions, and talk to them if you have any trouble. They're usually more than happy to help you send them money.

So I've ordered my T

Shipping times are going to vary!! Keep this in mind. If you used eroids, users typically include shipping time in their reviews. This may influence which site you pick. Domestic sites tend to have faster shipping and don't risk customs seizing your pack--if customs seizes a pack with an illegal substance, you're going to get a letter. That's pretty hard to find an excuse out of, way closer to impossible.

Typical processing times are 2-5 days, but may vary a little, depending on things that may include a lovely little pandemic. Shipping is typically 1-2 weeks for domestic sites, 3-5 weeks for international. Shipping prices tend not to vary much, however, no matter where the warehouse is.

Hiding Changes

This is going to be the tricky part. I've known some people to only go on T for three months or so, as to get some changes to reduce dysphoria, but not have family members notice. If you spend a lot of time around family, the changes are gradual and they might not notice. But keep your own safety in mind above all else. What's the worst that's going to happen if your family confronts you over your changes? How long will you be able to write off your voice as "a cold" before someone wises up? How much longer are you going to be staying with your family?

I'm out to my unsupportive family, so despite being discouraged from any transition of any sort, any and all voice changes I'm writing off as voice training. Facial hair? Minoxidil. More muscle? I've been working out. These may or may not be things you can use, so consider carefully.

Aside from your voice and facial hair, there won't be anything too difficult to hide or write off. Shave your facial hair away as soon as you get up if it develops/needs to be hidden. Consider and compile a list of excuses as to why your voice is changing in case of questions.

Hiding Supplies

This is going to depend a lot on your house and situation. Do you have animals, parents or siblings who invade your spaces and find your hidey holes? A piece of advice I read in an MtF guide to DIY is to hide something you won't get in trouble for where you plan on hiding your hormones, and see if anyone finds it over a few weeks. Repeat until somewhere safe is scouted.

I have small cardboard boxes I keep under my bed, in a cabinet I have in my room, and on my desk. Only bandaids are kept on the box on my desk. But the other places I hide things have an equal distribution of my supplies, so even if someone finds one box, I'll be able to continue HRT.

Try to keep your T much better hidden than other supplies. I'm in an arts-focused degree in college, and a very artistic person, so I've managed to write off needles and syringes as pieces to build a 3D art project for a portfolio. Try to find an excuse to use if your needles are found. Maybe the art thing works for you, maybe not.

Consider taking precautionary measures of removing/covering labels of your T if you're using an injectable kind. You might be able to get away with calling it a prop of some kind, for a TikTok video or something if it's found.

Disposing of Needles/Wrappers/Etc

Alright, so you've done your first shot of T, or applied your first gel packet. Congrats! Now, how to hide the evidence? Firstly, for gels, it won't be too difficult. Just use a plastic grocery bag and fill it with other miscellaneous rubbish and mix the wrappers in with that. Toss the tied bag in your own bin, or a neighbour's bin if that's safer. If that's not possible, do so at school.

Needles are a more tricky circumstance. If you're able to purchase and safely dispose a sharps bin, 100% do that. If you're in a place like me and that's not possible, go and buy some soda with twist-top lids, or get them from friends. Once the bottle is empty, you can toss needles into there. In my experience, 1ml syringes and the small needles used for T injections fit in these 500ml bottles no issue. I throw these sealed bottles in the bin once they're full. I know this isn't proper disposable, but I'm unable to get a sharps bin.

Never throw exposed needles into the bin, or leave them somewhere anyone or anything could possibly be exposed to them.

For T bottles, I've only ever found one site that sells it in containers smaller than 10ml. I'm not sure if the 10ml bottles would fit into the soda bottles or not, so follow the same procedure as disposing of gel wrappers. If that's not possible, use a sharp knife to cut open your soda bottle at the widest part and put the bottle in there, before using a strong adhesive tape (not scotch tape--duct tape or something similar) to seal the incision before disposing of it.

In Conclusion

I've left out a list of the changes T causes, and starting doses, because those are all easy things to find, which you probably know already. Regardless of what this small guide says, please keep your own safety in mind and do as much research as possible before moving forward with DIY, and know that I'm no kind of professional, and all this is based off my tiny bit of experience.

As of the original posting of this, I haven't yet started T. I'm going to start in about two weeks, however, and have gathered everything necessary. I may update this guide further as I take T.

[tangerinegod]

Hello! I am sorry to bother you but I am a senior getting ready for college this year. I am in the US and I wanted to major in the same thing you did, do you have any possible tips for me? I still haven't even looked for colleges that would be best for animation majors so I figured if you were up to giving out any tips/saying any basic ideas if you wanted to/if you had the time to then maybe I'll have a better idea! I apologise for if I sound weird! I'm tried to word it correctly but I can't 😿

hi!! i’m totally down to share my experiences! someone else also had some questions so i’m going to put them all together in this post haha, hopefully this helps! it’ll get pretty long so apologies ahead of time but art school is a lot to think about so i wanna be as helpful as i can around it, its a lot of time and money. I’m gonna put it all under a read more cus it is really really long!

i wanna start off with the fact that I had the privilege of attending school in a financially stable environment, my parents were/are really supportive so w merit scholarship i only came out with around 20-30k in debt and i also had housing support my entire time in school. they were ok with me focusing on academics so i didn’t hold a retail job unless i was out of school like summer/winter break. Ofc though i regularly take commissions/do merch/cons to try and pay for all bills that arent rent cus i did want to be financially independent where it was possible. I also did try and work during the semester but everytime i did my body would deff start to breakdown from the fact that i didnt wanna compromise schoolwork with jobs.. so just read ahead know this experience is from a student who was able to attend focusing only on school work for most of the time!

the biggest thing is knowing art school is not required to become a professional in either freelancing or industry! there are a huuuge amount of online tools and classes these days that provide the exact same education and for cheaper too. i think it depends on what experience you prefer/can handle/want but it’s definitely possible to make art/animation art your living without higher education. the thing that college will for sure give you though is the ability to meet deadlines, work even when you dont want to, and connections with peers+teachers. i think the connections part is invaluable because you’re basically coming out with a network of people you already know and who know you! 

also its good to know if you want to attend/can handle art school! it’s a lot of time and energy and students get burned out really fast. the best piece of advice i got before going was ‘if you draw every single day, even if its for only like 5-10 minutes or a doodle for a whole year you should be fine’ consistency is super key because you’re attending school to draw, and you’ll have to create work for stuff you aren’t excited for at some point or another. burnout is extremely real and the only reason i didn’t experience it was probably because i got super into drawing naruto fanart again inbetween sophomore and junior year! it helped give me something to draw seperated from school which is the only thing i was drawing for since i had entered rip. a heads up id also consider myself a workaholic so i fit in ok with the ‘art school’ environment but it is suuper unhealthy. if you are fantastic at managing your schedule then it’s definitely possible to take care of yourself! freshman year i got 8 hours a sleep a night and only pulled all nighters for some second semester finals at the end. sophomore year + up though i ended up prioritizing hw over sleep and like for sure, definitely shortened my life span. there’s another q down below where i’ll go more into detail but ya, be careful w ur work balance!

another tip especially for animation is knowing for a fact what type of animation you’re looking to go into, and what the school is offering. I didn’t think i’d get into art school at the time so i only applied to two places + decided if i didnt get into either id attend community to get credits out of the way while building portfolio. honestly? i did not do a lot of research LOL but like i did end up having the chance to tour and stuff! just know that each school will have a very different curriculum. The main differences are schools that prioritize 3D (cg animation, cg modeling, ect) and 2D/traditional (hand drawn, ‘oldschool’, digital or traditional based) this is a huge difference so make sure you do research for it! in most cases a 2D/traditional program will also offer 3D since it’s at the forefront of the industry animation wise rn. My school taught 2D but like hand drawn on physical paper 2D, frame by frame. while it was a good experience it’s super outdated because digital tools make it way faster + easier! i’d recommend looking for a program that is digital 2D over traditional 2D. 

if after your senior year covid is still affecting campuses in the US to keep them shut down i’d recommend attending a community college to get credits and then transferring into school. one of the negatives is paying money for gened classes when ur not there for them; if you can get them out of the way sooner and cheaper there is absolutely no negative + you could graduate earlier or use the extra time for better work or to work a job! 

these are all the general tips i think i’d give on like a broad basis of attending or not to think about? let me know if u have more q’s! someone asked q’s im answering below that go more into personal experiences + work culture so heres those:

- how many hours a week do u spend studying, in class, otherwise making art? like how much of ur life does it consume?

I was basically working on art.... 24/7! since i wasnt working a job at the same time i crammed as many credits as possible into my schedule so on avg i did 18 credit semesters (around 6 classes) art classes go for 6 hours and non art go for 3, so i’d spent around 30-35 hours in class a week! hw wise it varied on the class but combined it would be around 35-50 hours a week... im guessing? on average studio classes would have 8-10 hours of hw, maybe 5 for a light week, and gened classes 5 hours w them all combined. or this was probably how things were before junior year? junior+senior year i had thesis + everything else ontop.. i’d spend around 30-40 hours on thesis a week with other classes ontop of that bc my film was super long cus im a dummy! 

- is it hard going to art school n realising that altho u were probably quite talented… so is everyone else? Like. all of a sudden. ur not special and everyone seems as good as u, you know? More generally, how do u deal with comparison?

kinda?? i think instead of the idea of like you vs others it feels more of like a competition at first to be the best. this varies hugely on school culture though; my animation year was really friendly with each other and get along extremely well, so my answer to this is v different than some others who attended different schools. i think that the idea of ‘comparison’ only lasts a portion of the first year because at some point you realize that it’s not a who’s better as much as its a ‘these are my coworkers’ type thing? like healthy competition 100% because we’re all working to improve but i think most of us learned pretty early on that viewing each other as peers going into the same workforce helped a lot. also at some point everyone develops their own style/starts to develop their artistic preferences so there isn’t a way to compare whos 'better’ anymore? i dont think there ever is tbh because style is appealing based off of an individuals preferences. If anything realizing everyone else is also amazing makes you wanna work harder ig? or thats how i felt! it’s inspiring to be surrounded by so many people who create such amazing work. 

- is there a lot of workaholic culture? all nighter culture?

100000% there can be a workaholic and all nighter culture. i know people who avoided it and thats honestly fantastic because i fall super easily into that pit. sometimes i’ll pull all nighters on a personal project just because i really want to finish it... i am definitely considered a workaholic all the way through and its not healthy rip... i’d estimate at the worst i was pulling 2-3 all nighters a week and only 4-5 hours of sleep on the nights i didn’t? that was only for one year tho, after that i was like yeah ok this is really bad for my health in the long run LOL so i tried to cut it down to one all nighter a week and around 5-6 hours of sleep the rest of the week! by senior year my decision to cram in full semesters paid off and i was able to consistently get around 7 hours of sleep a night + no all nighters minus finals since my schedule was lighter despite thesis 😭 while there is that culture i don’t think people view it as like a badge of honor or something to be proud of anymore which is good, we mostly view it as a flaw of the art school system and something that needs to be fixed!!

- are you glad u did it? how did u know it was what u wanted?

i am glad i did it! i’m definitely in a limbo right now of if it was worth both my time, money, and my parents money rip but i think with what i got out of it i definitely wouldn’t be as far skill wise or knowledge wise when it comes to the art industry. i would say it was only worth it for be because i had so much support going in though so i was able to focus so much on improving. if i had only been able to put in part of the effort and not make full use of the resources provided i would honestly have a different answer.. 

i knew it was what i wanted when i realized i really couldn’t see myself pursuing a different profession happily! despite all the bumps and stuff im fully in love with drawing still and feel honored that it’s a field that can provide a living. my second profession choice was to go into culinary school? and third option i think going was into music cus i was also a band kid hehe.  

- how do u cope with ur hobby becoming ur job? how do u deal with art going from something u do for fun to something u do on command constantly?

i think seperating work art from personal art is important! in my case im doubling naruto into being personal work so i have something to fall back onto that isn’t work related. its been a hyperfixation for 12+ years? so drawing it at this point is just like personal art imo. some people have hobbies outside of art and only draw for their job! i think after attending classes for so long the idea of hobby turning into job feels extremely natural? also i enjoy doing it so thats a huge plus! 

sorry this is SO long but i hope i answered your guys’ questions! if you have more just lmk!

[stuck-in-hawkins]

Their First Fight

Jonathan got his things as quickly as he could.  Having photography class as his last subject of the day was both a blessing and a curse.  He was always the last to clean up, wanting to use up every second he could.  Jonathan had been elated at the prospect of staying late on days where the lab was open after school.  He had hoped to build up his portfolio to apply for colleges and some local papers.  

But, how could he now?  He couldn’t tell Will and El to walk home.  Not with those thugs from the locker room on the prowl.  There was a hope that maybe they would find a club or a group to belong to, the way the party had been for them back at Hawkins.  But in the meantime, he was responsible for their safety and couldn’t risk staying late.  He threw his bag over his shoulder and made his way to the parking lot.

When he got there, he saw Will and El leaned over and listening to the Walkman.  

“Hey guys.  You have the keys, you could just listen to the radio and save the batteries.” He tried to sound lighthearted but he could tell by the look in Will’s face: the day had not gone well.

“Is everything okay?”  Jonathan regretted asking the moment the words left his lips.  It obviously wasn’t.  And that question only ever got the blanket statement:

“Yeah. Fine.”  It came from Will.

You can read on ao3 here or below. 

El flicked her eyes over.  

Jonathan realized how red and puffy they were.  “That bad, huh?”

Will crossed his arms and turned towards the window.  Will knew it probably looked childish but he didn’t care.  Everything was still too close.  He felt like if he talked about it, he would explode and either end up yelling or crying.  He had been fine for a moment, comforting El had been comforting to him.  She looked to him for answers.  She was the only one who did that.  Everyone else would try to solve things for him and that just made him feel pitiful.

Jonathan looked to El.  “How about you, El?  Give me the highlights.”

“Highlights?”

“The best part of the day.”

El blinked for a second.  In truth, it had been being comforted by Will.  Some wall had been brought down.  She was really beginning to feel like a sister to him.  She felt hopeful and less alone.  He was going to help her get her powers back.  Or, at least, they were going to try.  But she didn’t want to share it, not when Will was so tight lipped.  She didn’t want to ruin what they had now.

“Leaving school.”

Jonathan’s shoulders sagged and looked at them both.  He realized there was a line, a distance, that he couldn’t close.  He turned and started the car.

Will saw El look over at him, pleadingly.  She saw the hurt.  She always did.  

“Lunch was the highlight.”  He mumbled.  “My art teacher wants to help me make a portfolio for college.”

Jonathan looked back, “Are you serious?  That’s amazing!  My photography teacher offered to help with mine, too.  He said that they look for variety but it’s good if you have a niche.  But you already seem to have one with those characters.”

Will looked at his hands.  “Those aren’t going in my portfolio.  They’re just doodles.”

Jonathan looked back in the mirror.  He could see the light inside his brother dimming.  Moving out here had stolen something from him.  The security he had among his friends, even through their troubles.  Jonathan used to be able to pull Will out of those dark places, the dark thoughts.  He used to be able to reach him.  But now he couldn’t, no matter how hard he tried.

The car was quiet.  Jonathan filled the silence with the radio, and wondered when Will had shut him out.

_____________________________

Once they got home, El and Will went to his room to do homework. Jonthan preheated the oven and got the chicken out of the fridge.  He had prepped it in a baking pan the night before, so all he had to do was throw it in.  Joyce was trying to teach him some basic meals before he went to college.  

Saying, “I don’t want you having eggs and canned soup for every meal.”

Jonathan started tidying up around the kitchen when he realized that they were out of dish cloths.  

He called down the hallway, “Hey, Will?”

“Yeah?”

Jonathan made his way over to Will’s room, “Can you throw some of the dish cloths in with your laundry?”

Will threw down his pencil.  Among the things he hated about the apartment was its lack of a washing machine.  They had to go downstairs to the communal laundry machines.  He rubbed his eyes for a moment and sighed, trying to push away the annoyed feeling.  Bright side.  He told himself.  He grabbed his sketchbook, library book, and Walkman.  He would at least be out of the apartment.  He could just sit and draw for a bit.  Maybe work on something for his portfolio.  Or maybe just draw out some more creatures.  He had gotten a book from the library on special effects from different monster movies and he had been copying some of the concept art.  

He threw them in his backpack and started grabbing piles of laundry.

The evening fell into a familiar pattern.  Jonathan got the remainder of dinner ready and checked El’s homework.  When Joyce got home, she was tired and felt gross from a day of cleaning houses.  She poured out her gratitude for Jonathan, though feeling like it was never enough.  Then she excused herself to get washed up before dinner.  Will came in lugging the clean laundry and setting it in his room to be folded later.

Dinner involved a dance that El had caught onto by now.  It was a lot of smiles, even if they were forced.  All of them pretended to be happy to spare the other, even though she could tell they were all sad in their own ways.  The conversations were lighter, only the best things from the day, the “highlights.”  

“How was your day, El?”

“Good.  I like the book from English class.”

Will cut in, jokingly, “You like The Old Man and the Sea?”

She straightened, and her eyebrows furrowed a bit.  She was being called on to defend her book, much like the squabbles she had seen the party engage in: which movie was the best, the better comic book character, the better writer.

“It’s a good book,” she stated.

“All he does is talk to himself.”

“That’s what I like.”  She thought a moment, “You hear his thoughts.  It’s quiet but…” she searched for the right word, “meaningful.”  She settled on.

He shrugged.  “It’s easier to read at least.  I’m not reading the same line 40 times.”

“Just wait ‘til you get to Charles Dickens,” smirked Joyce.  

Will clasped his head in his hands.  “Don’t remind me.”

El enjoyed these bantering moments.  In the woods, before Hopper found her, El used to daydream about what it would have been like to be part of Mike’s family.  If everything they had wished had come true: if Nancy had been her sister and Mike her not-brother.  What their dinners would have been like, something she had only glimpsed at but wished for so desperately.  Now, she finally had it and,as grateful as she was, she hated what it had cost her.  

She wondered how long it would take for the dinner happiness to stop feeling like pretend.

Joyce insisted on cleaning up dinner and El volunteered to help.  She tended to be attached at the hip to Joyce when she got home.  Will went to tackle the clothes.  Jonathan walked over to his room, “You need some help?”

Will shook his head, holding one sock.  “You cooked dinner.  It’s fine.”  Will tried to find the other to match.

Jonathan picked the other up and handed it over.  “It’ll go faster with two.”  

Will shrugged and the two started folding.  Jonathan racked his brain for what to say.  It used to be so easy.  But these days, there was a divide and he felt like he was walking on eggshells, like he could never say anything right.  

“Hey, Will?”

“Yeah?”

Jonathan took a deep breath and hoped that what he said would help, “I know that going back today was rough.  You don’t need to tell me why.  I just want you to know that, I’m here.  Okay?  You’re not alone.  And I know that school feels like a nightmare right now but you just need to find your pack, and I think you will here.  It might be with art class, or something else but you’ll be okay.”

“Yeah.  Thanks.”  There was sharpness in his words, a knife’s edge in his stance.  He snapped the jeans as he folded them and his lips were tight.  

They folded in silence.  Jonathan didn’t know what he’d said but he decided not to press, despite the urge.  

After a moment, Will asked, “Is that what you did?  Did you ‘find your pack’?”

“Well, I’m trying-”

“Because it sounds to me like you’re talking out of your ass.”

Jonathan was thrown.  Will had never taken this tone or swore at him.  It felt surreal.  

The floodgates had opened up and Will couldn’t stop himself.  “You don’t know that the people in this town won’t be ten times worse than Hawkins!”

Jonathan snapped back, “Oh, I’m sorry, are you comparing them to the flayed?  Because I think they stand a pretty good shot in comparison.”

“I’d have taken my chances with them all over again if it meant I could have been with my friends.  It took me YEARS to make those friends and I lost them.  And what?  You think I can just make more?”

“I wasn’t trying to say it was easy-”

“Yes you were!  You made it out like I am some socialite.  Like I’ll just turn around and make new friends!  When you don’t know SHIT about that!  You don’t have a friend in the GODDAMN WORLD!”

“I have friends, Will!”  Jonathan couldn’t believe he was going on the defensive against his little brother.

“You have family, not friends, and a girlfriend who’s a thousand miles away!  You don’t know JACK SHIT about meeting new people!”  

That struck a nerve, and a resentment bubbled up that he had always buried.  “You ever think that maybe you have something to do with that?!  That maybe I missed out on that because I spent all my time babysitting you?”

“I NEVER ASKED YOU TO!  I don’t want you to!  I just want you to LEAVE ME ALONE!”

“Fine!  Wish granted!”  Jonathan stormed out and Will slammed the door.  Jonathan stood there with ugly feelings on his chest and sour words in his mouth.  He couldn’t quite process it.  This had never happened.  Never.

There were stupid squabbles when they were kids, before Lonnie left.  There was teasing and annoyance and some back and forth arguments.  But they never yelled.  Will had never cursed at him.  And Jonathan had never, never voiced the bitterness.  This was all new and Jonathan hated every bit of it.  

Joyce walked over to him, gently.  “What happened?”

“He… Will and I… we had a fight.  I… I don’t know… what happened.”

Joyce sighed.  “Let’s make some tea.”

Jonathan glimpsed El wringing a towel in the corner of his eye.  Joyce turned to El.  “Sweetie, I need to talk to Jonathan for a moment.”  She kissed El’s head.  “I’ll be in, I just need a bit.”  El nodded and went to her room.

Joyce put on a kettle and they sat down at the table.  

Jonathan clenched his hair in his hands, “Why did I say that?  I blamed him… I told him he was the reason I didn’t have friends.”

Joyce gently took his hand away from his head and held it.

“You have a very different relationship with your brother.  My brothers?  We used to say that stuff all the time to each other.  But you never did that with Will.  You were always gentle and when your father left, you took on the role of dad to Will in a lot of ways.  That wasn’t fair to either of you.  Just like it wasn’t fair to move you all so far away.”

“We had to…”

“But Will is mad about it.  He’s going to be mad about it for a long time, and we need to let him.”

“...I feel like I don’t even know him anymore… like we left him back in Hawkins.”

Joyce squeezed Jonathan’s hand.  “Do you remember when your father left?”

“Yeah.”  The mention of his father made him scowl involuntarily.  

“Do you remember how bitter you were?”

Jonathan shook his head.  “I wasn’t bitter.  I was relieved that he was gone.”  

“Maybe a part of you was but that wasn’t the only thing you felt.  Your grades dropped that year.  I had multiple parent teacher conferences.  You didn’t want to play baseball anymore.  You skipped out on the after school program.”

“Will and I never went to the after school program.”

“Yeah, because you kept walking home with him.  You said that you forgot.  You refused to go and after two weeks of me paying for a program, that wasn’t being used, I gave up.”

Jonathan seemed bewildered, “I don’t remember any of that.”  

“It was a fast few months, or it seems like it was now.  It was before we really settled into our groove.  There was an adjustment period.  And you needed it.  But Will never got that.  I watched him.  After Lonnie left, he made it his job to make us happy.  He didn’t let us see how things hurt him.  He has always tried to be strong for us.  But now, after everything, he’s tired of smiling.  He’s angry, he’s bitter, and he’s allowed to be.  We need to let him feel this, and work through this. We need to still be there for him even if he’s being miserable and moody.  He deserves our patience.”

Jonathan swirled his spoon around and watched the sugar dissolve.  “Did I act like this?”

“You didn’t swear like that.  But you lashed out at me.  You blamed me for him leaving.”

Jonathan’s head bolted up, “What?!  No.  There’s no way.”

“Yeah, honey.  You were grieving.”  

Jonathan couldn’t process that.  “Mom, I’m so sorry.”

“It’s water under the bridge, sweetie.  You apologized the same night.  I knew you didn’t mean it.”

“Was I like that with Will?”

Joyce looked toward Will’s door and shook her head.  “You were gentler with him.  You tried your best to make up for Lonnie being gone.  You have always tried to fill that hole for Will.  So, it only makes sense that you get some of the teenage rebellion aimed at you.”  She said it with a laugh but it was hollow.  He could hear the echoes of her own disappointment, like she had failed them somehow.

Jonathan squeezed her hand back.  “I wouldn’t trade it for anything.  We’ve got good roots, and we’ll make it through.”

She smiled at him.  

Jonathan looked back down the hallway.  “I should probably go apologize.”

She shook her head.  “You need to give him time.  Let him come to you when he’s ready.  For now, give him space and drink your tea.”