Successful or not

OK, today was another medium day, with the volume of work I got done. Web design, was pretty horrible. For the sheer fact, that to operate Dreamweaver I need to concentrate, so I don't make a mistake writing up the CSS, and my mind was going 100 miles in the other direction, its an absolute headache.  Going to try and get Art And Design Context done tonight when I go home after work. So that means another 4 am bedtime.

I feel like I am working so hard at the moment, but because its spread over so many things, its hard to cover everything. I mean I am well chuffed that despite this years college failure, I am still able to pick up jobs on my own.  Its quite a confidence booster.

But with me beating myself up about college, it seems to neutralise itself out. I just have to stay positive, and try to get whats needed done. I'm trying not to panic, but that seems to be what I'm best at.

Picture Post

[caption id="attachment_50" align="alignnone" width="212" caption="Advert for Create not hate"][/caption]

Getting somewhere, a bit late though

Erm, I spent yesterday typing up reports for the photography unit at the college. It would have been ok, if I hadn't spent all weekend on them to have my tutor say that she couldn't access them because the website was palying up. Technology sucks. It wasn't working on Saturday, and now, its playing up again. Grrr.

I spent all day today doing my graded unit. Which ended up ok, the design idea was quite cool. But the presentation to two tutors was absolute fail. I mean, I just talked rubbish for about 10 mins. I did manage to come back with an answer pretty quick sharp, when I was questioned on one of my designs. One of them is a pair of lips with what looks like they are stitched shut. The tutor asked, that if this project is supposed to be giving kids a voice, shouldn't the stitches be coming away? I said that the image is supposed to be of the kid with no way to voice themselves, and its supposed to be distorted and arty. Which it was.

That was good thinking for being on the spot. I dunno. I still feel bad about this whole fail of a college year.

Its not actually that hard

After speaking to friends and my college mates, I had been told that it can be difficult to get a response from companies when looking for free samples. But I emailed, concentrating on the fact that I am starting a new business, and missed out the fact that I was a student. It seemed to have worked because I have two companies who have already got in contact to say they'll send me things.

That is pretty deccent, no one else in my class has got anything. But I think that that they don't bother about  students as they don't want to waste their time, with people who are not really bothered about graphics or art as a profession. And they will send it up free of charge. So quite pleased with myself.

Tips for getting what you want, say that you are a new business, and leave out the student stuff. Also saying that you will promote their company to anyone who requires it.  I suppose it can mean business to them, so its kind of like promotion for them.

Other than that, there has been no process at all today. My brain thought it would have more fun downloading music today. I'll try and do stuff when I go home

Wanted: Paper

I wasn't in college today. So I have been emailing companies for  paper samples. This is something, which as a graphic designer, I have been advised is essential so that I can have a bit more knowlege on the final product. Its because the paper something is printed on, always effects the look of the design. And  if the wrong paper is used, then it can ruin a design rather than make it better. 

I have also been drawing up a new logo design for my company, which will be updated everywhere. And I have got some ideas together for the Devil's Angel artwork. Which is good.

Made no progress on college work though. Which is great, got a free day time tomorrow, so will head in then. Tonight its website update time

Slow Progress

It feels like every thing I am doing at the moment is, two steps forward and one step back.  Which is not the way this is supposed to go.  I am getting there with everything, but I'm just not getting as far on as I would like. But saying that, I am so easily distracted its unbelievable.

Tonight, after work, I would ideally go home and get all my animation prep work done and dusted. But i know what I am like, and I will end up going home and watching a dvd, or playing the Xbox. I love DVDs and I my Xbox, but when I need to be concentrating on work, I have the habit of wondering off and doing my own thing.  Something irrelevent, and that I shouldn't be doing.

I do have this job that I am working on now, which should be getting done this weekend, sending the band information about my ideas by friday, and sort it over the weekend. That will make me really happy, as this is freelance stuff. And helps build me a portfolio. Something I really need to work on. Gonna work on my drawing skills too. I love drawing, and really wanna get back in the 'zone' and do a painting.

The band I'm designing for are called Devil's Angel, and they are a Canadian metal band. I already have ideas in my head and if I can execute it well, all will be good. I hope. I will sketch ideas out tonight and try and post them.

 

I know, I say that I'll post all the time. But I will do it when I get home.

Running from a falling avalanche...of work

Have I said how much I hate this time of year?

Well, I do.  Its approaching the end of the college year, and stress levels are at a high. Saying that, I do have the habit of working myself into a panic, when ever I catch sight of a deadline. But, hey, I suppose thats something I have to get used to when I'm trying to get myself established in the Graphic Design industry.

One example of my panic, is my animation unit. I should be concentrating on finishing the actual final animation, but no. I decide that it'd be a good idea to restart my sketch book, because its not fluent enough and shows no flow of thought, or where I got my idea from. So rather than fill in the missing pieces, I start it all again, in a completly different sketch book. I guess some times my intellegence takes a leave of absence.

On  an extremely high note, I have been asked to design work for an American metal band, and they are going to pay me. I have to send concept drawings away to them by the weekend. Which is another thing I so when I least need to. I get freelance work, when I can't cope with college work on its own. I just need to learn how to cope with the level of work I seem to throw myself into.

I am hoping to do more  updating from home, or at least college, where I'll be able to get more examples of my work up on show. Which would be very nice. But, alas, I tend to update this whilst I work at my job, in call centre, which for the moment is the only thing bringing any cash into my life. But the issue is, at the climax of the college year, and when I am getting people approach me for work, is it really such a great thing that I work Monday to Friday evenings, as well as college during the day? I know I could really need the additional time to work on projects, but I can't survive with no money. I have bills to pay.

Just have to work harder at designing things, so that can, one day, be my soul profession. Hopefully

Stuttered, but still going

I didn't blog yesterday, for one reason and one reason only.  I was so demotivated I did minimal work, till I got home. And I was up till 3.30 am doing it.

Its not as good as it sounds, I mean its not me being keen, its me being lazy and distracted. Not good. But today was ok, spent 5 hours straight finishing The Crucible project. And it has to be said, I decided to start afresh, and it was the best idea ever. I am happy with it, rather than do the keyhole idea, I had already produced. But I decided to base the idea around a gabble, seeing as much of the play is based in the courtroom.

It got a lot of attention, as a lot of students (college and visiting school kids) said it was great. And all the tutors seemed to like it too. So I felt something I havn't felt for such a long time. I had pride. I was proud that people liked it. I'm proud that I can put it up at the end of year exhibition and be happy about it. And that pride, has given me such a buzz.

I want to just do more work, but alas the day(evening)  job is first.

And the ball keeps rolling

No classes today, but decided it would be a good idea to head into college and work, rather than stay at home and do nothing. I say nothing, but I'd just end up playing the X Box.

I worked on two of my projects today. I worked on a re-hash of my work for animation. This includes research on other drawing styles, like Anime, and basically exploring how animation is made. The reason I am doing this, is because as usual, I look at my work, and dismiss it as rubbish, which I think it is. So the only logical thing for me to do, logical in MY head, is to start again. Which would be great if I had a lot of free time, and didn't have as well as college.

I also did further developement on the Crucible project, where I experimented on the malet (gable) idea. Trying to get a better final product than the original one I came up with. Trying being the main word

On a roll?

This is the second day of me being super-inspired.

I had web design first, whih included me getting my web information together for Scott, who is designing my web site. And also learnt how to make a photo gallery in photoshop. I'll be honest, I never had a clue photoshop could do that.  So I can always say thats my one thing I've learnt today.  But I know I still have a hell of  a lot of hard work to do, if I want to meet my deadline. But I can believe it can be done.

Maybe.

Also had the McDonalds project today as well, which I also made some progress on.

[caption id="attachment_26" align="alignnone" width="212" caption="Leaf ideas for McDonalds"][/caption]

I know they are not finalized, but the idea is that it is supposed to be natural (hence the leaf). It is supposed to be aimed at getting a new range of customers through the door. It has to be said I am a vegetarian, and hate everything McDonalds stands for. So this, as I have said previously, is  quite a struggle for me, to try and be balanced in my representation of the mega-coproporation, as hard as that is.

Going to start attempting again, to animate my worm. So,  hopefully that doesn't go too bad. I don't really mind animation, so its just the matter of staying focused, whcih I seem to be doing quite well in today.

The only thing is, that I need to do as much work as possible in college, seeing as work kills any motivation I have. No suprize there, call centres do that to people

Eventually

I had web design class today, where I started Scott's website. It should have really been started a few weeks ago, but that didn't happen. Mostly because of my lack of motivation, but I have now done the index page. Which in itself is great, because all other pages of the website are almost the same as the index page, its kinda like the main template, just the contents change about.

Also I made steady progress in the project for 'Create Not Hate', where I felt I was actually doing some high quality work for a change. The main concept of the idea I am doing, is where there is a face, but the features have been scrubbed out. This is to show some form of censorship, which happens towards young people, as they are often not given a chance and just judged. Well, thats what is supposed to be translated through it. I did some high quality drawings, and experemented with some plasticine.

I am hoping to try and get some picture of my work up, which would be nice, if I ever update this at home, rather than being at college or work.

Laziness

I am getting too good at this wasting time business.
I mean I have a deadline tomorrow, and all I want to do is chat to people on various forums.
Saying that reading peoples fictions is not time efficient, you can never read just one chapter.

I the most motivated I got was when I starting planning my next tattoo. One track mind, and that track is going in the opposite direction from college work. I really need to do work, but its way too much effort.

Its like anything I suppose, you stop something and its hard to start it up again. So I'm still stuck in a rut, with this bastard of a mental block. I have listened to music all day, but nothing. Usually that gets me started on something creative. Well. It did, just not on work.

Mental Block

Today has been the least productive day in quite a while. I did nothing towards any course work. I just sat on the internet looking for gigs I can go to. Which would be great, if I was all up to date with everything, which I am not. Sometimes I think I am my own biggest hurdle, at times. I love college, and work, but what am I supposed to when I feel that every thing I churn out and is useless. I have been doing some soul searching reccently to try and find out what my problem is. But haven't come up with anything yet.

I mean writers get writers' block, so what do artistic people get? I suppose its just a mental block. But finding 'it' a name, doesn't stop it. Other than lying around feeling sorry for myself, I am gonna try and be motivated. But I have this feeling, that this isn't just a phase, and I am 'plateau-ing'. I seem to think I am getting out of an inspirational 'rut', but then I just fall into another one.

I'm good if I'm doing things souly for myself. As I only work when I want to. But, alas, that doesn't happen when you have 2 clients waiting and a growing mountain of college work. I mean, of all the times for my motivation to take a leave of absence, why on earth does it do it at the end of the year. Hand in dates next week, and I'm nowhere near completion.

I remember back in the day, when I thought that school was the hardest thing ever. Then I left school and entered the real world, a world where I attend college full time, have a 25 hour a week job and take on freelance work, and have no want to do any of it at the moment.

Actually, that rant reminds me, I need to contact the printers about getting more paper samples. Hopefully, they'll  get in touch this time.

Kind of, not...

Oh, I was so motivated the last few days. What happened?

No progress has been made today at all on anything (other than Guitar Hero). I have got ideas, I mean I did think about a banner for my graphics portfolio website Scott is making for me, from my plans. I'm doing it all DIY with hand drawn logos and such, which is very me. So I am thinking about what kind of work represents me, which is a hell of a lot better than what I have been doing lately.

I mean I have to face my Crucible project tomorrow, which I have decided I hate. You can pinpoint at exactly which point in the project I lost interest, because it all goes very bland and boring. I mean,  I have never produced a piece of work which is 100% digital, usually its arty and messy, with it being finished on the computer. But alas, me, in my panicing state, rushed everything, and ended up with a very boring keyhole idea. Which is something, but it communicates nothing. Rather than advertising a play about witches, it looks like something for 'Through the Keyhole'.

But thats what happens when you need to get ideas, with zero motivation.

Found my mojo?

I am currently using the colleges' iMacs, which can work even less than the pcs. For a media and graphics department to have 8 year old computers, which struggle to run Windows, and render the things unworkable. Which is the biggest hurdle in this college, that and the fact it couldn't inspire the most creative person to do work. You would think that putting lots of creative people together, would inspire people more, but that only works if those people are working to begin with. Its kind of like following the leader, one person gets distracted, and one by one every other member follows them.

Not the best state of mind, for a whole class to be, especially at this time of the year.

Saying that I have done a lot of work for a project where I have to redesign the McDonalds logo. It is something that is a lot harder than it sounds.  Try and think about McDonalds without the famous 'golden arches' . It is hard, as because its such a popular brand, and to change its so the most famous part is not included, is hard.  But I have been doing a lot of sketches, to try and re-motivate myself, which is actually working.  Well it is I suppose, I have to have all the developement finished by next week, which is a headache. A major headache. Just have to try and keep motivated, I suppose, which is a lot harder that what you'd think. If you are not in the correct mindset, you find that you can't create anything worthwhile.

At the moment I am doing animation, for a project for E4. It is just a 20 second animation created on flash. The animation includes lots of little worms who travel along the ground up to join other worms to make the E4 logo. It sounded good in my head. I really feel for anyone who animates as a job, its really hard. And I'm using Flash, and that cuts a lot of corners.

But hey, at least I seem to be moving forward, which is better than nothing

Hey there!

Hey. I'm Sue, and this is my new blog set up to document my life as a trainee graphic designer.

I am currently at Dunfermline's Carnegie College, doing an HNC in Visual Communication.I am trying to start up my own business, and have been told that this site can be a good showcase, and way to document what I do.

I do already have a livejournal account, but it is a very private account, which I have had since I was 17, I am now 25.  So don't really want to subject people to my teenage whining, about how hard my life was. When in reality, I was just being a grumpy teenager.

I am going to attempt to document what I do on a daily basis, with posts also appearing on my myspace http://myspace.com/rgraphics . So check it out, although its not much too look at. 

I'll start off with today at college I suppose. I had web design today, which to be fair, I am not doing too well at. The idea is that each member is to design a portfolio website for another member of the class. In theory it sounds easy, but because I have been doing other course work, I have completely forgotten how to set up a new website. Super fail, on my behalf.

The other project I was working on, is a design for 'Create Not Hate', a company who aim to stop violance amongst youths, and get them to be creative. They do this by getting people who work in the creative industries, to create projects and mentor the youngsters. I am really enjoying it just now, because its one of the projects I feel I am really getting somewhere.  Which is also great.

Also got feedback on how I'm doing in the project for the Crucible, which is a play by Arthur Miller based on the Salem Witch Trials. This is one project I started off really inspired by, but as time has gone on, I find myself less and less motivated too do it. Well, I was told today, that the work I came up with, is basically really bad, and flat, and not very me. I am a very messy person, and I usually try to encapsulate that in any work I do. I just seem to have taken way to much work, and am actually finding it hard to keep up with all I want to do.

You see, I want to reap the benefits of my work, and also have fun with friends. But I just can't seem to get the balance right. I just end up making a complete mess of things.

But at least my tutor has faith in me, and she is wanting me to continue with graphics, and do a 2 year HND, which would benefit me in the long run. And it helps seeing that I don't think I'll be able to get much freelance work, thanks to the current economic climate. I mean people will take any free work I do, but not pay for a semi-professional.