2002-03-15T21:08:00.000-08:00

i am just a right brained girl, here in my left-brained world
A small alternative paper in VA is considering using an illustration of mine in a weekly personal ad section. I am, being completely unprofessional and amature at best, am completely thrilled. Of course I don't need any money for it. I mean the Great Tarot Project has been used a for a lot of different things...a personal project to bring me back to my illustrious (pun thoroughly intended!) roots, a strange compulsion during the lonliest week of my life (stuck in a strange town in a hotel for a week, with barely any money, so I plied my art, so to speak. I used it for a Tarot Calendar in one class, and a web-design project in another, as well as putting some of it online. The Count was my inspiration, since I did the first illustration of the series for him. So I am just glad that it can be used in another way too. I've never had anything I was actually proud of be published before. I know it's not much, but it's a start. I know I have certain stylistic qualites to my work, and that style is what makes them stand out. My illustration idol is Gary Baseman...His work is quirky, and very unique, never failing to have a sense of it's own particular style. Even better than Baseman, is Jhonnen Vasquez, who does Johnny The Homicidal Maniac, Squee, and the Nickolodeon cartoon Invader Zim. I adore his work, because it's very individualized, with a dark, yet sharply witty style, that you seldom see duplicated or imitated (except by fans). Well...the twisted humor also gives it a big thumbs up. I read some of the comic books, and was impressed (and being female, I really don't read comic books too often).

My brain feels somehow limp from not being used on the project forefront. I have an enormous amount of passion on the subject of art and design, with the tenacity of a pit bull. I will not throw in the towel because of a bad crit. I will not. An unfair and unbiased crit, yes, but an honest one...no. I had one professor that "got" me, which made it so that I felt like I really was able to connect with her, and was willing to get her imput when a project was frustrating me. She was honest, but fair, and even at her worst, I accepted it, knowing that there was truth to it. She did say positive things too, so it balanced out. Another one...I didn't hate him as a person, but I felt like he was really biased against any ideas I had from the very begining. I felt like he never had a single positive thing to communicate towards my work, even when other people had good things to say. I felt uncomfortable to bring any of my work to him, even though he was essentially more demanding upon overlooking the project at each juncture. I did not feel like he understood a damn thing about my process, and that his arrogance, and negative attitude towards me made me less, and less eager to seek out his help. All I want is a little respect, eh? It's tough to be an artist by nature, and a designer by trade. It's tough to discover uncreative people, who are excellent draghtsmen, yet cannot draw worth a damn, are getting better grades then I am. Well...I can't blame the professor for that. These people "get" time managment, and also probably did not have the sort of catclysmic life events that occurred right as I started my upper division course work. It's no one's fault, it just is. I am bad at craft, and I am not really strong at layout. It just...confuses me. I know how I want it to look...shouldn;t that be good enough? No. Ah. I'm ranting.

I am an idea-machine. I am an illustrator. I am a damn good copywriter. I have an eye and a voice that enables me to give objective crits, with positive feedback. I just need to learn project management. I will. I better. Oh well...I guess I could just work in banking forever, but what fun would that be??

Oh....I AM JUST SO STOKED!!!!!

2002-02-02T11:29:00.000-08:00

We Have No Projects At This Time!

What, a graphic design student with no projects? Huh?? Wha??? You see kids, the thing is that I am taking the next few semesters off due to some personal stuff. You know, life happens, etc. I'm still taking classes, just no design classes. I may take a freelance project between now and then, but for the most part, the wheelings of my little brain will be kept on low-power. I usually keep very detailed project journals, to at least chart my progress and back of my lack of work to take to class. It's saved my ass a few times, a fact which I am glad of. My problem has always been my brain has a quick-stepping synapse, and flips out more ideas and possibilities for a project than I can possibly focus on. Too many ideas, can be somewhat of a burden if you happen to be very bad at editing, or narrowing it all down. This is why I need to work with left-brainers too. They need me, the right-brained, no-idea-is-a-bad-idea, creative machine-brain, since they are usually a little slower to approach it. I need them to help make the project...come into fruition. I am really good in the initial brainstorming, thumbnailing, variations stages, but it all get's "shot to shit" to use the vernacular when it comes to actually finishing up on the followthrough. A blog is good...since people can actually see what I am working on at any point, and also so I can keep it all straight.

I love graphic design. I am very good in some areas that happen to come to me naturally, the organized, dead-line, craft areas are the ones that I really am in desperate need of improvement on. My professors see this, and don't cut me any slack, although they have encouraged me to keep at it, since I can (and have a little bit) improved with the luxury of time. Time is on my side as of now. I am no longer in a mad dash to graduate. Instead, I am focusing on getting my skills to where they should be, and putting together an excellent portfolio. I don't have too many pieces as of now, that are even remotely portfolio worthy. So...when things get rolling, we'll see how the Prog-Blog works. It should! For now, it'll mostly be when I'm in a design mood, or brainwave. Which...does tend to happen.

love, peace and monkeys!

* tales of a right brained girl*