For my graphic design II class we were required to go out and experience something new to us in Austin. I chose going to a ramen restaurant and eating “traditional” ramen for the first time. Before going to Michi Ramen my only familiarity with Ramen involved a dorm room and a microwave. My second experience was going to get a piercing. While I have several piercings, I have never gotten pierced in Austin, so this too was a new experience. The placement of my piercing was also something different for me. After our experiences we were asked to write out instructions for our experience so someone else could have the same experience as we did. Our instructions were supposed to evoke a specific emotion, not only through the experience, but also through the writing. The emotions we could choose from were wonder, joy, delight, solitude, and surprise. I initially thought that the writing would be the easiest part of the project, but it turned out to be the most challenging aspect. After several drafts of overly narrative and specific instructions, I managed to come up with clear, more concise directions.

I chose to create buttons as mementos for the ramen experience and a temporary tattoo for the piercing experience. The concept behind the ramen buttons is that you choose your ramen and then the additional three buttons are possible toppings. The restaurant has eight varieties of ramen and over fifteen toppings, so I chose my favorite of each. I chose to create a pin cushion inspired temporary tattoo for my piercing experience because when I was younger I was often warned that if I kept getting so many piercings that I would look like a pin cushion. I was also inspired by the Tim Burton poem, Pin Cushion Queen, which resonated with me on a deep level.

I drew both of my mementos by hand which is something I am very happy that I was able to do. I am always looking for more ways to combine my artistic skills into my graphic design.