To anyone that reads this blog I wanted to wish you all a Merry Christmas and a Happy New year. Right now I am officially on my three week vacation from school and I can relax finally. Each day for the past two months, I have had an hour and a half of overtime and school once I get out. With this vacation I can finally relax. One thing I use to relax is Photoshop and I have created a Christmas card for this Year. This was created for the online night club I work with in Second Life. Enjoy.
I have been remiss in posting to my blog and I do apologize. Currently my work schedule is Monday through Friday with an hour and a half of overtime mandatory per day. My work schedule has been hectic, but I am making overtime (time and a half). This is a good thing, but with this much overtime and work, it can really eat at your soul.
I am trying to not let this get to me though. For those of you that read this blog, I am now a part time student with the Arts Institute of Pittsburgh Online. This is a great school to get associates in graphic design. I have recently completed my second class and should be getting my grades shortly. Since I have come back to school, I have felt like I have more of a direction or purpose in my life. I can actually stop and think of what my goals will be (join the graphic design industry and promote my artwork). With the support that the school offers, this will be my best chance at locating a job in this field.
With my studies, I have found that I am thinking more of the future and what may lie ahead. 10 or 20 years down the line, will we still have books printed in paper. Will the current developments with the Internet slowly cross over into print media? I found a great article on the Popular Science website dealing with the future of magazines. Please see the following video:
With recent developments in E-Ink and E-Readers (see the Kindel and the Nook) & how technology has been leaping forward, who can say how our books in the future may look or read? Since I will be a graphic designer, I need to think ahead and try to plan for the future. What will it be. What will we See. Who can say.
As of November the 12th I have passed my first class “Strategies for Online Living”. I have had to put some art projects on hold while taking my first class, but I have to say I love it. I will admit that I now have a direction in my life. Originally I started taking graphic design classes at my local college, but after I was told I didn’t qualify for financial aid I quit. I do not like admitting it, but I was scared of taking loans to go to school.
I owe my new drive for learning from my sister from New Zealand. If it was not for her giving the idea to go to an online school, I never would have gone back. I am happy to say this was the right choice. I have recently completed my first portfolio and will have it listed on my website soon. I know it has been a month since I got to post on my website, but I am ready to post more. See you all soon.
I can not tell you how much it means to finally be going back to school. Back in 2005 when I had to give it up (financial reasons), i always felt bad that it was something I was not able to finish. But now I’m back in school that will change.
Our first nights assignment is to write a Bio about our selves. To be counted as class participation, you have to respond to another students postings as well. There are definitely a variety of students in class that’s for sure.
Last night, I had a friend ask me why i was logged into second life instead of doing my home work. For me ever since high school I have never been able to focus properly unless there is something running in the background or noise like music. I know my first assignments going to be given a good grade. I can feel it. Now to rack my brain and be able to answer questions coherently again
When I first graduated High School I was still in the state of mind that everything could be solved by computers. This was in the hay day of Yahoo back in the ancient megabit era of 1996 (Yes that means I’m 31 now). I really didn’t have an idea of what I wanted to do, so after a consultation with a counselor at my local college after many years I got an associates in Information Management Technology in 2001.
This was shortly after the majority of these types of jobs went to India. You can imagine my disposition at the time. Shortly a few years after I started doing my own artwork (Pencils and Paper) a friend of mine was taking classes in Graphical design at the same college. Through her I discovered what more you can do with artwork & there was a thing as a Graphic Design field. With a little more research, I found out that you could do magazine,Internet , & many other types of advertisement. Oh sure I’ve seen advertisements, and have even kept really neat looking ones, but had no idea you could even make money on your work. Soon I began taking classes and learning more about Photoshop, typography, artistic styles, linear & radial artwork, etc. Frankly it was the best classes ever taken. It was all great until one day I got a call from financial Aid.
“We are sorry but due to the previous classes you took for your first major, you have reached the financial aid cap for the state of Texas and no longer qualify for financial aid” – paraphrased from best of memory.
I knew I could take loans, but my financial situation at the time, I didn’t think I could do it. And the Idea of debt scared the daylights out of me. Since that day in 2005, I always regretted not finishing those classes. One of my best friends, who I consider a blood sister ( Love ya Tracy) gave me the idea of looking for an online college to finish my Associates in Graphic Design. Well after a few months of trying I’ve found one I really like. It took so long because when you type online college and graphic design in Google, you get a lot of shady sites.
The school I found and choose is The Arts Institute Online Pittsburgh Division. From my talking to their representative and researching their online website, I’ve found this school would be a great choice for me. I can still work full time and take the classes part time. Now you may be asking, how will you afford this. I hate to admit it but I’m going to take the student loans. Yes I know I’m paying my current debt off still, but I think this might be my last chance at a change in life. I love art so much and want to do Graphic Design even more. How will it go? Who knows. But Its a start.
I have had so much fun working advertisements for Eros Fashion and my friend Keth Mommsen. For those of you that do not know, Eros Fashion and Keth are one of the primary owners of Urbanity (Josi is the 2nd Owner).
With working this image for Fall, it really didn’t hit me that this year is almost over. Another 365 days done and gone out the window. Fall is one of my favorite times of the year as a photographer. The plants are going to sleep and the best colors exist. Be it red, yellow, gold, or the way the sun hits the buildings in my town, its Fall. A time for changes and the earth to relax. We all have had our own personal hells and highs. For me this year has been one of change. Going to a counselor to help with my depression, getting to go on walks once the weather cooperates, and working on advertisements.
Its always been my dream to finish school and try to get into print media. Why print media do you ask when it might be a dying art form. Its the path and steps to creation of something that may or may not catch a persons eye. Its a permanence once its printed. It can never be uncreated, it may also inspire someone to by the product as well. But it may also inspire them to see what was done to create the add. Yes I know i put a lot into my words, but that is also just my personality.
During this years Second Life Rely for Life Campaign I created a series of ten images to sell for various art auctions. These were sold to raise funds for the relay. The original images were mounted in a film strip style and will not be resold in second life again.
When i was wandering around second life, the insperation I found for this set at a sim called Japan Dream. For those of you that are not versed in second life, A Sim is a area created in the game space by a user to represent a particular idea or space they want to show. This Sim was created to represent a 1950’s Japan sea side town. The creator of this sim clubkenjin Loon definatly put time and dedication into the creation of this enviroment. This shows an example of what second life can be about. How art can come from the simpelist things.
I had the most doing this set. Going around this area, seeing all of the cultural images of the time made me smile. Reminded me why I wanted to become an artist. Please be sure to visit and check out this sim. I have provided the Land Mark at the beginning of this post.
During the set up of this site I have been looking for various ways to have a portfolio of my work. I have found that the website deviantart now offers a quick and easy way to create your own portfolio.
In doing this, I have found that I can create a Portfolio that keeps my identity private, and I can also create a professional portfolio with my contact information.
For now please click on the following link, or the link to the upper right of the screen: Ishtars Kiss Portfolio
Its rare that something out on the Internet can impress me if it is not a web-comic or another persons art. But the other day I ran into a YouTube Video called World Builder. The way its presented reminds me of Second Life (The main drive that keeps me guessing what my art will do next).
Yes I know this video has been compared to Second Life way to many times, so I wont bring up the usual comparisons. The One thing that really impressed me, is how the main protagonist/builder takes all the time and effort to build a memory for his Comatose Love. To do something like that really shows the greatness of humanity and the living spirit. The creator of this video (Bruce Briant) shows his real love for art and the human spirit through what he has created.
