As a class assignment, the student s were to create their life plan with three options per year. The time slot or age slots were: now, 1 year, 2 year, 3 year, 5 year, 10 year, 15 year and 20 year plans…yikes! I am one of those kids that never planed. I never have. When I was little, I thought it was so strange that my friends were all planning their weddings, naming their kids and planning everything since we were 10! Crazy. But I came to realize that I WAS the weirdo, not them, because apparently, this is extremely common. I get the idea of the assignment and the overall idea of setting goals. good. great. But what fun is that? A “self-directed” life plan means that YOU are in the driver’s seat. You choose what goals you want to work on and how to achieve them. You call the shots and set the pace. Is it a necessity to write them down? Despite my feelings, towards preplanning, I did the assignment. Giving three life ‘options.’ It was however, very fun and interesting hearing what the other students’ life plan was. My favorite of my three…. Me owning a hot dog stand on the beach!
!Senior Show! April 16, 2009
Showing works from 22 seniors! With its largest graduating class yet, UTC presents the annual Senior Thesis Exhibition held at The Cress Gallery of Art. The exhibition is broken up into two shows. The first show opens March 31 and will be open until April 9, 2009 with a reception on Tuesday March 31 from 5:30pm to 7:00pm. Each graduating senior will present work from their specific studio concentration while being encouraged to break into interdisciplinary barriers and push conventional artistic boundaries. Matt Greenwell, Head of the UTC Department of Art, said “This show is a personal response to the student’s work over the past four years. The work is highly individual and tends to break traditional boundaries, which are not framed by media category. Of all the shows our department hosts, this one is my favorite. It is a testament of the quality of the student‘s work and the quality of the faculty.”
…and breaking boundaries we did!
no more tickets please April 16, 2009
I have a friend whose apartment is downtown in an area that holds no parking spots for its tenants. She just got charges with a $500 dollar fine for parking at her home. It seems that the City has roving vehicles scanning license plates, searching for cars with three or more unpaid tickets. If you have that many, you get a boot. To clarify, it’s not that a meter maid gives you a ticket and then finds out that you have unpaid tickets. This is a van (or two) with a camera that drives around photographing license plates, then looking them up to see if they have unpaid tickets. Even if you are not in violation right at that moment, if there are three or more unpaid tickets, they may boot you. If you get a boot, you can call in with a credit card number and they will give you a PIN number. You punch that number into the keypad on the boot and it unlocks. Then, you have to return it or face more fines. If you leave the boot on for more than 48 hours, they tow your car. They’re really cracking down this time, so make sure your record is clear.
Art and Fear… April 16, 2009
“The truth is that the piece of art which seems so profoundly right in its finished state may earlier have been only inches or seconds away from total collapse. Art is like beginning a sentence before you know its ending. The risks are obvious; you may never get to the end of the sentence at all – or having gotten there, you may not have said anything. This is probably not a good idea in public speaking, but it’s an excellent idea in making art.”
This book is a good read. It has all the major elements. Stories. Excitement. Insight. Truth.
Why do I believe Art and Fear is such a good book? Because it gets straight to the issues that matter so much and hinder our development as artists, such as why you’re not creating, why so many people give up art, the gap between the potential of a canvas and what you produce, the belief that talent is essential.
I did some research on the authors. David Bayles and Ted Orland, are two lifelong friends who have been artists, as well as other things, for most of their lives (actually, they describe themselves as “working artists”). They have drawn their observations from personal experience. They say in the introduction: “Making art is a common and intimately human activity, filled with the perils (and rewards) that accompany any worthwhile effort. The difficulties art makers face are not remote and heroic, but universal and familiar. … This book is about what it feels like to sit in your studio … trying to do the work you need to do.”
My favorite quote…”Most artists don’t daydream about making great art — they daydream about having made great art.”
Also…check out their photography!
TasteBuds!!! April 16, 2009
local |ˈlōkəl|
adjective
belonging or relating to a particular area or neighborhood
This is the idea… Eat Local Foods.
By doing so, you will help your local community by creating a sustainable food network. It also helps to provide the community with a healthy lifestyle because the food is fresher. AND it is greener because your food isn’t traveling far distances while riding in gas-guzzling, air-polluting vehicle.
For this initiative, the Buy Fresh, Buy Local of Chattanooga, Leadership of Chattanooga and UTC students developed a guide that assists consumers who want this delicious fresh food, and pairs them with restaurants, farms and markets who have the local food. Yum! This initiative is about to take off and soon EVERYONE will want to be on board. Please join us to celebrate the community coming to together and making Chattanooga a better place. The press conference starts at 11:00 AM and is at Crabtree Farms – 1000 East 30th St, Chattanooga, TN.
Helps the local economy.
It’s a tough act, presenting your art April 16, 2009
I recently gave a presentation on my Graphic Design Senior Thesis, and boy, was I nervous. Everything fell into place as it always does, but I feel like I should help prepare others. It is tough talking about your work, having people critique your work, and trying to explain yourself, the motivation and the actual art itself.
Giving a presentation is all about sharing your knowledge and enthusiasm – unless you don’t know much and don’t care. Then it is all about looking as if you do. So the first thing you need to think about in a presentation is presentation. Look and feel good. The more comfortable you are, the more confident you will be….and don’t drink too much caffeine, you don’t want to shake so much that you can’t hold up anything or coordinate with your hands.
Have a real nice presentation. If it is so beautiful, the audience will not even notice you shaking from all the caffeine. I recently read a book called Slide:ology. It is a splendid book on the art of designing great presentations. Read it!
It is a good idea to start by finding out what topic you are supposed to address, how much time you have, and who will be listening. Knowing your audience is the key to keeping them happy.
Sometimes this means giving them a few laughs, but be careful. I tried this. I wanted to be funny, so my presentation was based on me smiling and trying to be funny. That is the key: Trying to be funny. Be prepared when no one laughs.
Do maintain eye contact with your audience.
Above all, rehearse your presentation as much as possible, ideally in front of a friend who won’t giggle.
*** Most of all… CARE! care about what you are talking about and everything will go well! ***
steps to a splindid portfolio April 16, 2009
I got these from youthedesigner.com
1. Choosing a Portfolio Case
The style of the case and the size of the case will play a role in what will be inside.
2. Your Portfolio’s Background Paper
The background paper in your case should be a neutral color, most likely a white or light grey and should be used throughout your entire portfolio. Try to avoid switching background colors because it can be shocking to the view and throw of the flow of your portfolio.
3. Consistency
Like your paper usage, the work and placement of your work should be consistent as well. If you center all your designs on each page make sure they are center everywhere. Try to keep spacing even around the sides as well. Showing errors in consistency your portfolio will reflect what your design work could be like.
4. Including the Right Designs
You should spend a lot of time choosing the right work for your portfolio. Your work should be current and you should tailor the type of work in your portfolio to the job you are applying for.
5. Strong Start
When the viewer opens your portfolio you want to “wow” them, but the key is to keep them “wowed” throughout the entire presentation. Pick one of your strongest pieces for the opening page, which is usually a single page and not a spread. Its better to keep your resume and any other paper work in the back or in a separate folder.
6. Strong Finish
Ending strong is just as important as starting strong, if not more important, because you want to leave a good visual memory in the mind of the viewer. Your portfolio should get stronger as it goes on, not weaker!
7. Placement of Work
Your work should be trimmed neatly with no rough edges and placed firmly on each page.
8. Labeling Your Work
More often than not, interviewers will ask you to leave a portfolio at the office for future viewing so labeling your work with a title and very brief description can help refresh their memory if they begin looking through your portfolio again. Labels can also serve as notes for you while you talk about your work. Keep the labels consistent; in the same place, size and fonts.
9. Talking About Your Work
It is very important to be able to speak about each piece in your portfolio for at least a few minutes each. Know who it was for, what the project details were, what you did, what the concept was, what style you used, why and so on!
10. Practice Makes Perfect
The more your practice the better your presentation will be! Just remember not to ramble on for too long on about each project.
11. Networking
Networking is an essential aspect of any career, and the more designers and art directors you know the better.
12. Maintaining and Updating your Portfolio
Keeping you portfolio current is important because you could unexpectedly get fired, or your dream job might pop up out of no where!
http://www.youthedesigner.com/2008/06/30/12-steps-to-a-super-graphic-design-portfolio/
Cindy Li is the coolest April 16, 2009
On Thursday, April 9 Cindy Li came to Chattanooga to present “Design Your Future: Networking without the ‘Ick’ & Creating Opportunity,” a series of workshops on the importance of a multi-platform approach to design and promotion. She also came to speak to my Professional Practices class and THEN even spent the energy to look over the senior portfolios and share her wisdom. Wow! She is so energetic and has an overall very happy and warm spirit….sounds hippie, I know, but it’s true! She gives off a friendly and inviting conversation that is very approachable. UTC students LOVE her. Before her visit to UTC, I did some research and found out that we have some things in common….We both had a pet turtle. Actually I had many pet turtles. My dad would rescue them from a dog’s mouth, patch up their shell and then we would nurse them to health and set them free. We kept the babies as pets until they got big….ok ok ok, back to Cindy Li’s coolness. She has creates awesome word combinations that are stellar. I will have to get back to you on my favorites. She is insightful, happy and so very talented! Thank You Cindy Li for sharing your wisdom with us!
this is crazy! March 20, 2009
As we walk through the forest and view the trees, we remember they were once tiny seeds. Nearly all hardwood seeds are the same. They have an outer cover for protection, food and water inside to use for the first surge into growth, a part that has an affinity for water that will seek out the soil and become roots and a part with an affinity for light that will seek the sun and become leaves and branches. Nature gives all seeds another characteristic. An acorn will always grow into an oak tree and a pine seed will always grow into a pine tree. But how does a road sign grow on a tree? Poor little tree. The road must have been abandoned for a long time. I just want to know how or why the tree grew around the object.
love the vintage look March 20, 2009
Oh how I love the vintage! Like many others I find myself captivated with vintage advertising. There have been so many articles, blog posts and websites dedicated to the subject and I just can’t seem to get enough.
Specifically, it is the advertising of the 50’s and 60’s that is most aesthetically pleasing to me. It seems every ad in that era was either a beautifully shot photograph or a stunning Rockwellian painting. Not to mention the incredible attention given to layout and typography. Simple and lovely. I love the vintage looks of old cigarette, car, and food ads. The use of color and illustration always keeps me curious about the product. One of my favorites is this old ice cream ad from Alemagna ice cream sandwiches. Just look at the little guy on the wrapper and tell me that you don’t want to eat this delicious treat.
