Direction?

My life feels like there is no direction right now. Isn't that sad? I honestly feel like screaming in frustration sometimes. I feel like I'm waiting for something big to happen and it is never going to come. I never imagined post-college to be this emotionally difficult. Transitioning from college life with its big expectations to having a degree that 90% of the time seems absolutely worthless has been extremely challenging. Personally, I am so used to being crazy busy and on the go that this whole waiting game, job search is just unbearable at times. I would give anything to be busy 24/7 doing something worthwhile than sitting at home doing nothing. I try my best to job search every day but I'm coming up with nothing. Can't find jobs in my area. Can't even find jobs that I'm remotely qualified for. Its actually quite depressing at times. I feel like I don't have control over my life right now, and living at home again is doing a number on my patience skills. I just wish something good would happen soon.

I did get the opportunity to help out with a new gallery that is going to be opening here in Columbia but its really not what I expected it to be. Plus its not even opening until the end of July so I haven't even been asked to do anything yet. I keep applying for other jobs (mostly retail) in hopes of finding something that will bring me in some money so I can get out from under my parents again. However, I'm terrified of getting into another career field because it really isn't what I want to do. But what choice do I have right now? I have bills, expenses, and student loans approaching. I need to find something soon. I'm just scared that if I do something else for a while that when I actually do get into design again that employers are going to ignore me because I didn't get a design job right out of college. Its not my fault the economy sucks and 2009 grads have no good job prospects. I feel incredibly guilty because I know I'm not trying as hard as some of my fellow graduates, but no one is finding a job, trying hard or not. Is it wrong of me to try and enjoy my life and have trouble finding a job than spending all day every day job hunting and becoming more depressed about the job outlook? I already feel like I'm failing at being an adult right now.

Trying to stay optimistic is difficult these days. I don't like whining about my problems either. I just need to stay calm and remember that I am at least trying to do something with my life. As long as I have goals and the drive to reach them then I can accomplish them. I know everyone else out there is having trouble too and I definitely feel for you. Just try to stay positive. We'll make it through this somehow. 

Check this stuff out!

So I have been spending a lot of my free time surfing the internet checking out design related things. I thought I would share some of my findings.

First the websites...

1. Wedblog

Well, ignore that its a blog about wedding things. It really have some awesome letterpress work and even some nifty ideas for handmade party favors and whatnot. Eye-candy if anything else.

2. Right Brain Terrain

Interesting site. I stumbled upon their poster designs and found their manifesto to be very interesting. Its worth a read.

3. Lotus Haus

Very pretty design blog. Lots of pretty pictures and project ideas.

4. Designer Sobriety

Pretty sure that I got this off of my professor (Gary Rozanc)'s blog. I think the design tips are interesting. I especially like how they emphasize giving back to the new generation of designers. I need someone to take a chance on me!

And here's a few pretty things that I wish I could afford. I shall just have to admire them from afar for now...

Sea bags

These bags are made out of recycled sails. How awesome is that? I really like stuff that has a history. Not like I need any more tote bags though... :)

Timbuk2

Okay, these bags just kick ass. They are like lifelong companions to their owners. I had never heard of them but apparently they have a very dedicated following. Apparently they are extremely durable too. Check out their blog too. People have been submitting biographies of their bags to the company for some sort of contest. They are definitely worth a read too.

Well, that's all for now. I'm planning on making some handmade thank-you cards to send out since I just graduated from college and I need to spread the love. I'll post more about them when I get them finished. I think that will be my project this weekend.

DIY anticipation time!

So I was browsing around Design*Sponge's DIY section (thanks, Michelle) and got really excited about all of the potential crafty project that I want to try. This should help me work on my hand-skills. I wish I had had more time to do projects like these in college. Yay for having some form of free time again...at least for the time being.

Glass jar picture frames

Hemp lamp shades

Recycle drawers into a bookshelf

Tin candle

Magnetic message board

Gold leaf rocks

Wallpaper topped TV trays

Tea shelf

I'm feeling the design itch now! Get excited :)

Apologies for the MIA status.

So I kind of disappeared for a while from this place. So much has happen this past month I'm not even sure where to start. Let's see...

There was the blissful end to Capstone, which came down to our senior portfolio show:

Then a little VisCom after hours celebration...

Then there was GRADUATION!

The Viscomradery together one last time (plus Jimmy).

Oh, and our awesome grad hat decoration idea. Our personal tribute to Rusty Nelson and his nine finger typing skills :)

Now I'm just in the process of moving back home and transitioning from college life to the real world. It has been very emotional and overwhelming to say the least. I have faith that I will learn much in the next few months and hopefully find my niche to cultivate my skills on a more professional level.

So far I have applied for two jobs.

1. JC Penney. A good chunk of my job experience has been in retail (four years alone at JCP) so I figure that it might not hurt to get a higher up position with this company to see where it can take me. Regardless of design, it can at least help me expand upon my leadership and communication skills.

2. The other one is a design internship position in Kansas City. It might not be the most ideal position but an internship is an internship. At the very least I can learn what it is like to be working in a professional design position. Plus it pays enough for me to live in KC which is my number one desire right now.

My design goals for the immediate future (somewhat idealized):

1. Post a blog entry every day. - Hopefully this will force me to continue to flex my creativity muscles.

2. Apply to 2-3 internships/jobs per week (minimum).

3. Do something design related that doesn't involve a computer once a week. - I'm hoping to expand my hand-skill craft and even find design inspiration beyond the limitations of the computer.

4. Go out and enjoy life because I'm young and free right now!

Well, I hope that was enough of an update. I've taken a week off to relax and celebrate graduating. Now it is time to tap into my design passion again and get on this job hunt process. I know my fellow viscommies are all worried about the job market right now. Stay patient. Stay positive. Stay hopeful. Everything will be okay in the end, guys.

Creativity update.

So, Spring Break is almost over. I haven't quite accomplished all that I ambitiously set out to do over the course of this week. I did, however, get a MUCH needed mental break from Capstone. This class is just very tedious and makes me incredibly unmotivated when it comes to the lackluster designs that I have to create for it. After having attended a couple portfolio reviews I have discovered that I really just need to follow my instincts and create stuff the way that I want to create them. My grade will just have to suffer because of the overall misdirection that I am receiving from the course.

It is an unfortunate situation that my fellow classmates and I have had to deal with, but we must look on the brighter side of things. The design world is not such a pleasant place as we'd all like to imagine it to be. We will undoubtably have difficult clients and design work to complete, and we will simply have to get the job done somehow. I'm choosing to try to look at our current educational situation as such a learning experience. I don't, however, want to lose my passion for design in the end. I need to focus on figuring out what I want to do after graduation and start preparing for it (self-initiated projects, reworking old projects the way that I had originally wanted to do them, etc.).

So what have I been working on lately? I have reworked my fictional company logo a bit.

Original design:

Reworked design:

I've also been hard at work on my Annual Report for the same company. I'm happier with it, but still not satisfied. I'm trying very hard to break out of my "clean design" comfort zone and create something a little more fun and funky since that is kind of the tone of my company.

I'm really struggling with staying motivated. I wish I felt more confident about entering the design world, but right now I cannot help but feel hesitant. I feel like the educational experience that I am receiving is very inadequate, and it does make me scared that I will be entering the job market completely unprepared. I'm learning to just breathe and take one day at a time though. I try to remember that every opinion I hear is different from the next, and somewhere out there I will find my niche.

I'm definitely not ready to get back to business, but I really need to get focused again. I think this mental break will definitely help. I just hate how burnt out I've been feeling up to this point. I'm hoping that this break will offset that feeling for a while.

Kansas City Portfolio Review

So, I literally just got back from going to the AIGA portfolio day in Kansas City, MO. It was a very fun, informative trip. I found it much more useful than the one in St Louis, not that that one wasn't helpful. I feel like I just got more technical, in depth feedback this time around. I especially got some useful feedback on my current Capstone project which I was definitely seeking. I thought I'd jot down some of the feedback I received so that I can look back on it.

Things to personally consider post-review:

Logo design. Play around with placement of letterform within circle shape. Mirror 'n' with 'u' alterations. Try other, more appetizing colors. Try making the 'dot' on the 'i' more rounded.

Annual Report. Play with placement of logo. Back cover should have logo, location, contact information. Need more range of color in color scheme. Incorporate the logo into more of the design, maybe with the imagery (back cover?). Be more playful with the typography (headlines, testimonials, page numbers/section). Be creative with the photography (circle shapes, orientation)

Postcards. Need to make each one more cohesive with the rest and especially with the packaging. Be more playful with the typography. Expand the color palette.

Web. Work on sophistication/refinement of the imagery and graphic elements. Needs better navigation. Almost a bit too simple.

In General. Create a broader range of styles. Try something more funky/hip and try something a bit more masculine (automobiles?). Don't be afraid to be playful or try something different. Get more creative with typography. Work on your own self-initiated projects.

Side note: I really enjoyed being reviewed by Paul Davies, a branding designer in KC. He gave me very useful feedback on my logo and annual report. He definitely made me feel a lot better about my Capstone class

Copywriting is not really my calling.

So I'm currently sitting at home (on my new mac *whee*) and working on layout spreads for my Capstone annual report. I'm finding that I was not meant to write copy. Or rather, I do not enjoy writing it. It really isn't my calling. I honestly feel like I would be much further along on this project if it was already made up and ready for me to use. Just another pitfall to our Capstone class. I am just a stickler for organization, a trait I find to be very useful. I suppose the silver lining is that we're being forced to do something we might not commonly be expected to do a real world job. Just getting a little taste of everything, I suppose.

In other news, I'm also currently getting prepared for the KC Portfolio Day this next Saturday. I still need to rearrange my portfolio from the STL Student Conference. Keeping adding to that endless To-Do List.

On a very unrelated note, I really love watching Doctor Who when I'm doing design work.