Part 1, VISU Department Student Presentations:

Many of the students who presented brought up similar, important points and threads of great advice, such as “take every opportunity you can to go see art (it’s everywhere!)”. However, they also each discussed and incorporated their  own thoughts according to their field and personal experiences, too, which I will determine and expand on in this post.

ART

Rachel

One point that Rachel made that really stuck with me is when she said that art takes a lot of time and that it’s “visual language”. Sometimes I do put art to the side; I sometimes just think it will just come naturally and I give it less time than what it needs to reach its full potential.

Caelan 

Caelan emphasized how we should we should maintain an outside practice of art while building the best experiences we can through internships and classes. We don’t need to wait for ourselves to be “ready” or “perfect”; the employer will “exploit” any talent we possess. We all have a lot more to offer than we realize.

GRAPHIC DESIGN

Shelby

Shelby talked about finding our passion, to the point of us losing track of time as we work on the passion. What we do should be something we love so much that putting time into it is not a chore, but a goal and a part of our lives. Her examples of her influences and inspirations incorporated throughout her work (such as Wes Anderson’s style) really inspired me to reflect on what excites my creativity. Shelby also discussed her life outside her major, and how we should participate in other activities (networking outside the art-field, “set up doorways”). This reassured me about my participation in other things I love to do (music, literature, theatre, other interests) and their potential to connect with my other passions as well (leading to unpredictable opportunities).

Paul

Paul’s work was very, very interesting (especially the logo for the first year writing program!). I also liked how he shared his concept for his senior project (a graphic novel/book that catalogs his dreams through representational, graphical means). He emphasized the importance of a portfolio, and how “a better portfolio means a better job”, because that is your presentation of what you can create. He also passed on advice that he received: “HUSSLE”. I took this as maintaining your “grit” (as we talked about before), pushing on with determination, and doing all that you really want to do.

PHOTO COMMUNICATIONS

Christin

I really loved Christin’s discussion of her work and how she became interested and involved in her subject matters. Her work was very dynamic, and her website that she showed us was also very developed and compelling. One point that she made that stuck out was that we must “learn how to talk about [our] work”. We have to provide the concept, intention, and credibility in order to finalize and support our creations through our words and overall attitude. Another idea that she expanded on was that once we go outside our “comfort zone”, we may find what we truly love to do (we never know until we try!).

Juliana 

Juliana’s expression of her development and change of interests through time really helped me put into perspective how this is not just a presentation of skills we already have, but an exploration and development among ourselves and the world of art. She expanded on how she used to take fashion portraits and that she increasingly was not truly satisfied by them. She expressed that she was frustrated with herself; but then she slowly figured that she could apply the same process to a number of different things. This approach allowed her to realize that she was not as lost as she felt, and that through this struggle, she was getting even closer to doing what would truly inspire her in the end.

Advice from Bill and Tuan (they made some really great points as well that I thought I should mention, and that I would like to remember!)

  • As a student, you set yourself apart just by being there
  • Keep an attention to detail
  • Have good manners
  • Hand-written notes and physical portfolios are as important as (and possibly even more important than) electronic presence
  • With experience (on computers, with materials, with programs) comes muscle-memory (a integral part of learning, improving, and mastering anything)

Out of all the advice given, I really took to heart Bill’s assurance that you should definitely go, and you should be yourself. “It’s okay to be quiet…if you’re shy, be shy! As long as you’re there.”

I notice that I inadvertently put a lot of pressure on myself in my head to be a certain way (more talkative and “outgoing”), because I am a relatively quiet person. We are all unique, have different perspectives and interests, and we all communicate and take in things in interestingly different ways. I tend to respect that idea towards other people, but for some reason every so often I lose this patience and understanding with myself. However, I’ve been realizing more recently that by being however I am (true to myself), I can take off that unnecessary worry and really marinate in, discover, and focus on what is truly important and exciting.

 

 

PART 2, Compelling Websites:

  • Threadless – Threadless is a website where designers and artists can submit designs for people to purchase (anyone can submit). They regularly have different themes for people to enter in, and the public votes on the designs that will be printed. The web design of the website is also very engaging, easy to navigate, and fun to look at. I have ordered many of my favorite clothes from this website, and I might enter in a design of my own one day!
  • 1000 Chrome Experiments -My roommate just introduced me to this innovative, entertaining, and interesting website! Launched in 2015 by Google, this site contains 1000 “unique web experiences” developed by coders overtime on their previous site, “Chrome Experiments”, which was launched in 2009. Once they had 1000 different creations, they created this website to further celebrate their innovation and creativity.
  • PicMonkey – I used to use this website frequently back in middle school when it was called “Picnik”. We didn’t have Photoshop or other programs on our computer, so I edited photographs using this website. You can adjust color, contrast, exposure, and many other things for free! You can also add stickers, frames, and other creative filters.
  • Cute Overload -Yes, this has been my go-to website for images and videos of adorable animals. However, past the overload of cuteness that this website usually supplies, it also has a great maintenance and personalities behind it.
  • I Look Like Barack Obama– I added this extra one on because I found it just the other day…and it’s hilarious! The web design and presentation of the site is not too sophisticated, but it fits perfectly with the material of the site. The presence of comedy the creator of the website has put throughout the organization of the pages and site is brilliant, and never fails to make me smile!