1.) I would say that I spend at least 3-5 hours a day on my graphic design work. I would like to spend more time on it but I have other classes and work. I have actually started getting people to cover my shifts so I can work on school work more, which is really nice because I feel more involved in my work. If the work is mandatory I would say that more than 40 hours a week is a little excessive because we have a lot of other things to do. If it’s not mandatory then I don’t really think the amount of work being done can be described as excessive. There is always work to be done.
2.) Sophisticated work can best be described as work that follows certain rules and guidelines and shows some sort of higher knowledge being expressed through the work. I feel like the most sophisticated thing about my work for the maps is how I carefully picked out the color scheme. It was something that I was having a hard time with but I feel like if there were a bunch of different colors it wouldn’t look good, or sophisticated. The typography also falls under this. I don’t think I did a good job picking the typefaces, but it was something that I spent a lot of time looking for.
3.) I feel like I didn’t get much feedback for my maps. I think we should have put all the separate maps together. We also didn’t really take time to look at other people’s maps closely like I thought we were going to. It made me really happy that everyone liked my cat map. I always think that people are going to hate what I make, so it surprises me when people do like it. I worked on these maps a lot though, so I guess it makes sense.
4.) I feel like the hardest part about making these maps was figuring out exactly what I want to do. It’s really hard for me to come up with original ideas (layout mostly), so I challenged myself to start over and do something that I would actually enjoy. The main map that comes to mind when I say this is map 3. I didn’t really like the final product, but I’m proud of myself for doing something that would take more time. I’m excited to eventually keep working on map 3 and develop the symbols a little more. The easiest part was finding things I wanted to make the maps about. I find that when I choose something that I really enjoy, like my cat and snacks, it’s easier to come up with information to put on the maps. Usually when I make work I’m embarrassed with the final product, even though I work hard on it, but this time I was actually happy with the results. I feel like I learned a lot on my own and it’s exciting to see my skills start to develop.
5.) I started up a new sketch book/diary type thing. I want to challenge myself to draw more because I feel like I have a lot of cool ideas in my head but I just don’t know how to get them down on paper. I also saw really cute ideas on Pinterest so that’s something that I am going to challenge myself to. I also have a really awful memory and I feel like it’s getting worse. A lot of really weird shit happens to me and I want to be able to remember it so I’m also going to be writing a little bit. I only have three so far, but over the break I’m going to do more. Finals have just kept me really busy.
6.) I’m in a pretty good place in my life right now. I’m pretty happy and I am learning new ways to deal with stress. One thing that really sucks is that I get headaches everyday. Sometimes they are mild and I can get work don’t but other days it’s really hard to completely focus on one thing. This doesn’t effect my design classes as much because I can just work in illustrator and not have to think that much, but I am struggling in math. I have busted my ass to try and keep up but I have a 72 and I’m at risk of failing. One thing that I think is the problem is a certain headache I’ve been getting. It’s not really painful but it’s more like pressure in the front of my head above my eyes. When I feel it, it’s hard to think. Like It’s extremely hard to think and even hold a conversation. I’ll be in the middle of talking to someone and then I just totally forget what I was talking about, and it’s really hard to articulate things. I cant remember certain words or things that happened an hour before. So when I study math sometimes I get these headaches and I can’t really absorb the information I’m taking it. Like it will take hours for me to understand one thing. I have to look in the book and ask my teacher and look up separate videos and ask my boyfriend to go over it again. (It’s only math for liberal arts). I’ve always sucked at math but I’ve never had this hard of a time. (These new headaches started a few months ago, but I’ve had headaches for as long as I can remember) I don’t remember if I talked about this in the last assignment, but I also feel like I’m not getting enough rest. It takes me an hour to fall asleep, I often wake up 2-5 times a night and I have vivid dreams every night that I remember. I feel like my brain never shuts off, like it’s always running all the time and I’m always pretty tired. I mostly talked about my head aches for this section because that is the biggest problem in my life right now. It’s getting to the point were it bothers me so much that I start to tear up because I feel like I can’t function like a normal student.
7.) I think the current environment of our classroom is perfect. We all challenge each other and give each other ideas when we need them. I always feel like I can ask someone for help or advice when I need it (for design work anyways). That’s something that I really appreciate because I talk to some of the upperclassmen and they say that a lot of the people in their class hate each other. There isn’t really anyone that I don’t get along with. I think it’s important to help other people when they need help too. I can’t always offer the best advice, but I still have an opinion that can help challenge other people’s ideas (because I love to do that).