1. How did your group approach the concept of shelter?  Was it successful? Why?

My group saw shelter as being tied to childhood. As a child, you often play with materials you find around your home and backyard–sticks, branches, string, fabric. We built a hanging shelter reminiscent of a child’s fort. We used transparent tulle because it is delicate, gentle, and tangles easily. These attributes all seemed to fit childhood, as well. The fabric gives the person inside a sense of being protected, while still being soft and easy to rearrange. We felt it was successful after multiple people had approached us about the project. Many told us it reminded them of a blanket fort they’d built as children, or a treehouse because of the wooden “roof” we hung from the tree in front of Moody Hall.

2. What was the group budget for the project? Where did you source your materials and how did they cost?

We were given a max budget of $30 and were able to stay under it. We bought two spools of tulle from Michaels for $5 each and twine from Home Depot for $3.50. The branches were sourced for free from Blunn Creek. We spent a total of $13.50 on our shelter.

 3. Was the workload equal? Explain. 

It was mostly equal. I spent $10 on the two spools of tulle, while another group member spent $3.50 on twin, and the third did not purchase anything. I sourced the branches alone. We all worked together equally on constructing the roof with twine lashings, and equally on hanging it. About 50% of the work hanging the tulle was shared equally by all three of us, and the final 50% was done by me alone as my group members had to bail at the last minute for other things when we agreed to meet up.

4. What was the strength that you added to the group, your weakness?

My strength was in organizing us all together, assigning roles for who would construct what, and driving us all to purchase materials. My weakness was not speaking up when I was left alone to finish our project.

5. What role did you find you played in the group dynamic?

I felt like the organizer / leader of the group. I had to steer both group members away from a lot of add-ons they wanted that were going to be too expensive and too time-consuming for our time frame.

6. What advice would you give to the next group that must complete this project?

Clearly define your concept first, and then begin building. We found our concept along the way after deciding on materials, and we would’ve saved a lot of time if we’d had our clear idea from the get-go.

write a blog reflection containing 6 paragraphs:

1) about what changed within yourself from mid semester till now via expert hours.

I think the biggest change within myself from mid semester till now has been my willingness to try, and try again, and try some more. I’ve accepted the reality of design as a process–where you have to create multiple versions, multiple times, of a project until it’s just right. And even then, there will always still be room for improvement. While I previously saw this as “wasting time,” being frustrated that I couldn’t complete assignments as quickly as I felt it could be done (in a perfect world) I now understand that it’s the only method towards improvement. I’ve spent long nights in the design labs playing around with InDesign, the inkjets, and the various book-making equipment available learning as much as I can to understand this process better. And despite the long period of time I spent trying, failing, and retrying, I had so much joy creating the book and found myself enjoying what I learned from my mistakes, because I wouldn’t have learned any other way than by failing. In the end, I am very satisfied with my book. (And still see some things to change to improve it).

2) how you used practice time.

I spent practice time more effectively as the semester went on. I learned that I get distracted in my apartment, and distracted around others. Around midterm, as I was reflecting on my progress in the class, I realized I needed to make some changes. I found that in working in solitude (either in the “quiet section” of the library, or in an empty lab room (usually around 8 am on weekdays, where I would work before classes began at 9) really made leaps and bounds in my effectiveness during practice time. Rather than having to retrace my notes, have the lab monitor basically print out for me, and feeling all-around aimless, I’ve become more confident. This is directly due to my actually learning skills rather than memorizing the steps. Simple things, like actually learning what the different tabs on the print button mean, really aided my overall understanding. My practice time definitely improved.

3) how you dealt with feedback / how you gave feedback.

I took all feedback to heart, truly. I printed my book out five times until I finally got it “right.” I wouldn’t have been able to reach that point without listening to and implementing feedback I received from both professors and peers. In giving feedback, I really tried to stay away from the word “like” as a standalone descriptor. This has been a big change since the beginning of the semester. I strove to explain why I liked what someone made, or why I didn’t like it, as a way of constructively giving them a new idea to work with. I found that when I received this type of feedback, I was able to really improve. So I made sure to provide this level of feedback for others in the class.

4) example of the level of love in your work.

I kind of want to change my major to GDES. I don’t think I’m able to do that at this point,  so I’m instead spending all my free time learning about design. I really enjoyed learning how to use the Adobe Suite programs. This is something that I’d like to pursue in my professional adult life.

5) and your inventory of external “expert” experiences.

I went to Martin Nguyen’s TIME opening, as well as Donal’s Thin  opening on campus. I’ve logged nearly 50 hours in the studio with Jenn Hassin, and I’ve logged pretty much all my free time setting up an Etsy hand-lettering shop, Braun Haus. I spent both weekends of EAST at Canopy working and networking with artists. I designed all of Jenn’s posters for EAST this year, and taught myself to use Illustrator. I’ve spent a lot of hours watching YouTube tutorials and browsing Pinterest art & design boards.  Plus all the hours spent in the labs on Lightroom, Photoshop, InDesign, and printing, scanning, folding, cutting and stapling.

6) sum this all up with what points/grade you’d give yourself.

Use of practice time: I’d give myself a B (8 pts). I gave this class as much time as I could, and definitely sacrificed nights out with friends (as well as Netflix) to finish up my projects well. I didn’t miss a single class this semester, and worked on the book project both in and out of the classroom.

How I dealt with feedback: I feel I deserve an A (10 pts) because I implemented every word of advice given to me by Tuan, Bill, and my classmates. I also gave plenty of feedback via impromptu critiques with Alexa, Jin Ha & Amanda both in and out of class to help each other produce the best books we could.

Level of love in my work: Definitely an A. I loved making this book, and seeing a concept go from digital to physical. It was an incredibly satisfying process for me, and I feel quite happy with my final book.

Your inventory of expert experiences: I would say an A, because I truly did put in extra effort in this class and out of it. I worked on some other digital projects for Jenn, have done a ton of research on digital art, and spent most of my free time browsing design portfolios on Pinterest and Behance. Additionally, I helped several students with printing out their final books after becoming so used to using the printers. I feel I’ve definitely grown in both my technical understanding of the inkjets and Adobe programs we used as well as in my artistic skills when it comes to digital design. I’ve gotten better at using them, and my projects have looked better, too.

Within each paragraph support your assessment with evidence from the semester. We will assess your: successful completion of exercises, both in and outside of class, successful on-time completion of the assignment, work quality, your attitude, attendance and participation.

Part 1: Based on the notes you took during class, write a brief description and response to each of the Faculty presentations.

Tuan

Some of Tuan’s previous projects include 500 Doodles, designs for moving boxes, and branding for his dad’s various companies (Vietnamese restaurant, tea business, rice business, another tea business…). He also designed a few election posters in 2008, and then did some stuff for friends, including a coloring book for a friend’s kid. He also made some posters with a friend, put them on tote bags. He’s done a lot of screen printing with fellow designer friends, including some paper bags for gift bags as well as a book design for a friend’s photo project. He even made a design for Jimmy’s gradient book, and designed a tattoo for a student. Recently, he created 30 posters for the Food Bank Show, as well as the SOURCE art posters for 2015 (commemorative posters), and the expert hours posters all over the art building. He’s made gift tags, valentine’s day card, some hand-lettering, the card for last year’s VISU party, and various posters for the department.

Hollis

Hollis is currently making a graphic novel about herself, called Blanket of Fog. A quote that has inspired her is “Memory is a complicated thing, a relative to truth, but not its twin” (Barbara Kingsolver). Hollis is very interested in memory, and makes a lot of work about natural disasters based off her own memories — landfills, consumerist / disposable culture. Her work is process-driven, collected pieces. She did a series of drawings called Beautiful Monsters. Her work has always been very narrative; storytelling. She sees drawing as being a medium for telling the truth. It’s directly from your hand, you can’t hide own imperfections (especially when using ink). She’s obsessively making idealized things. She enjoys literally obliterating drawings to create smoke-like images. She’s also interested in sculptural drawing–using wood to make drawings. One is now in the lobby of a design firm in town. There’s a graphic influence on her work: stark / dramatic outlines, incredible amounts of detail. Blanket of Fog was in Women and their Work gallery in ATX — piece plays with a comic book narrative style. This piece, like many of her others, focuses on collective consciousness — constantly stealing things off of social media, then putting them together in other ways. One image will remind her of a real place / time / memory, then she creates a collage and projects it large, and draws it. But sometimes she draws w/o references, and just works it out conceptually. It’s playful, illustrative. She was greatly influenced by Tim Hawkinson. Every new piece by him is a new experiment / new experience.

Bill

Bill uses work to describe ideas — he lets the ideas lead him. Lately he’s become interested in quantum mechanics — the idea that life is not linear. Quantum mechanics clearly demonstrates that it’s all an illusion. He was trained for photojournalism, which has a set of skills to master for specific role. He worked for the newspaper, learned he hated it. He then came back to grad school to study photography. There, he emulated, copied, stole ideas to become great / original. He took black and white photos of Texas Prison Rodeo in grad school. He was really interested in large format black / white photography of the outdoors. He wanted to be the next Ansel Adams, realized it wasn’t easy. These landscapes led to doing portraits. He began approaching people on the street, asked to do their portraits. He photographed boxers on S. 1st, which led to photographing people with cancer. Both groups of people were hyper-aware of their own bodies, self-awareness. Exhibition of the portraits led to commercial work (editorial portraiture). This lasted for about 16 years. He maintained a full-time commercial business as a part-time professor at St. Ed’s until 2004, when he became a professor full-time. He photographed Michael Dell for Fortune Magazine, where he was only given 7 minutes. He also photographed for Rolling Stone, etc. He was making $7,000 in 7 minutes, and was all done for the day. It was a cool lifestyle, but he realized he didn’t like it very much. Although he was making a lot of money, at the end of the day he felt like he was creating landfill. The photos were temporarily important, but there was no real meaning behind it. To balance it out, he started photographing moving water in north New Mexico. He focused on how to turn control of process over to landscape–time as a variable. His work is becoming increasingly minimal + abstract. He’s become interested in tantric painting as well–used as a focal point for your personal meditative practice. Then he took work in a different direction — he could manipulate and take apart images, became inspired to learn more about art history.

Part 2: Create a 5-year plan. What are your long term goals beyond college? What do you need to do to accomplish those goals?

In the long-term, I have a few different ideas about what I’d like to be doing. I want to work as both an artist and a designer. I see myself opening a store-front with handmade, hand-designed goods. To accomplish this goal, I’ve started conceptualizing the store and crafting an online presence. After numerous requests from friends and friends of friends, I opened an Etsy shop where people can buy my illustrations. I’d like to expand from just illustrations to screen-printed t-shirts / bags / hats, stickers, stationery, and the like. To get there, I’ll need further classes in design (and some business, as well!) to be successful post-grad.

PART 1

Lynné Bowman Cravens

Lynné studied Photocommunications at St. Ed’s, then went to grad school at UNT. She is now a professor in Dallas as well as a photographer. While in undergrad, she studied abroad for 7 weeks in China with Joe Vitone. She suggested to us to keep using your college blogs when a professional, because you can see your old work for reference. She works out of her living room, random places for her personal photography. She took a 3 year gap between undergrad and grad school, which she suggests. Grad school is much freer, with less restraints, so she suggests getting some work experience first to get inspired to go back to school. She also mentioned thinking outside of your medium (in her case, photography) to make it in terms of art, mix ideas.

I felt inspired looking at Lynné’s work. She has successfully found a way to pursue exactly what she loves and fund her passion as a professor during the day. As a student without money for studio space (or much space at all, really), I felt encouraged when she said she often works out of her living room. Taking a break between grad school and undergrad wasn’t a path I had really thought about before, and this information felt valuable to me as well. It also makes me realize that working in the “real world” will allow me to decide if I’m happy where I am (and don’t need another degree) or if I’d like to move up or learn more in a different field, and then apply to grad school. This way, I’ll have a better understanding of what I really need academically to achieve my career goals.

Miranda Petrosky

Miranda was a graphic design major, art minor at St. Ed’s in 2013. She’s now an interactive designer at Bakery, where she mostly does UI and product design. She designed the app Muncher, which was not released. She also worked on UI website mock-ups (can’t release info yet because of NDA). She is also a hobby screen and relief printer. Her path was as a student worker on campus, then an intern at Bakery (2012, fall junior year), then a junior designer (2013), and interactive designer as of 2014. Her next path? She could be a lead designer, art director, creative director, etc… lots of paths. She also described what design is– it can be digital or print. Industry design can take the form of ad agencies, design agencies, product shops, standalone projects / apps, print shops, and more. Overall, the design field is diverse and growing. Tools and approaches change regularly, so creativity / adaptability are highly valued. There are advantages to both specializing and having range, so it’s really up to the designer. Only industry constants are the basics: layout, type, hierarchy, color theory, etc. Also, fun fact: she learned coding in middle school via codecademy.

Watching Miranda’s presentation really made me reconsider what I’d like to do when I finish school. I never really considered graphic design as an option for me, but I’ve since gotten inspired to learn HTML and CSS via Khan Academy. I think that broadening my scope as a creative will really aid me in achieving the goals I have career-wise. I felt hopeful as a creative, seeing how she landed a job immediately in a field she loves (because she got “in” via an internship her junior year).

Dustin Meyer

Dustin was a photo communications major at St. Ed’s, now does wedding and portrait photography. He worked for Bill and his partner, Jennifer Lindberg, right after graduation. He’s worked for lots of celebrity / politician weddings, but Bill had to let him go due to budget constraints. He then worked at another place, occasionally picking up random photo jobs. He learned enough from all these places that he began his own company. He’s been published in USA Today, The Knot, Kodak, etc. He’s been shooting weddings now for over 10 years. He’s an official Nikon Fellowship Instructor, an instructor at Imaging USA and WPPI, and a Precision Camera Workshop Educator. He suggested staying friends with all your classmates, because you never know when you’ll need a connection later. He also said to take advantage of Lightroom, because bulk editing is essential. Other things to learn include posing, camera settings, lighting, composition, marketing and pricing. His final word of advice was to not put out ads, because they are expensive, and word of mouth often goes much further (and is more effective.)

I enjoyed Dustin’s presentation. While I am not a photography major, I found his no-nonsense business advice very helpful. It seems like he learned a lot about starting a business by working and collaborating with other (and thus learning from them). His advice about maintaining connections made in school was quite valuable insight to me. It made me realize that everyone in the VISU department will be working professionals one day, too, and keeping contact will help me network much easier down the road. I’m already finding this now. I just opened an online store, and am already building a small team of graphic design and photo people from St. Ed’s that are helping me sell my prints!

PART 2

This semester I began an internship with artist Jenn Hassin. So far, I’ve learned quite a bit about working in the studio as an artist, and balancing commissions with personally-driven projects. Three other potential internships that I am curious about are:

http://mmaustin.com/downloads/Intern2013.pdf

Internships

http://blantonmuseum.org/get_involved/intern/

http://www.austincreativealliance.org/internopportunity/