university

I’ll Be Real With You (in June)/What Have I Been Working On?

Hi.

How are you?

How are things?

Oh, I’m fine. Tired. Been up to a lot is all.

So, I took Typography I and Adaptation by Design at the University of Baltimore this Spring. My final projects took a lot out of me, but the overall creative elements were amazing and reinvigorating, to an extent.  I mean, I’m absolutely burned out on design, but I still love it.

For Typography, I was instructed to create a cookbook layout for a family recipe along with a cover for the book it would be in. There were a lot of elements to this that were difficult to keep straight, but I somehow managed. I ended up finishing with a nice layout of Broccoli Casserole. One thing I discovered in this process was that I’m not very good at photography, or, really, not very good at food photography. Nature? I’m ok. People? Yeah, I go that. Food? Nope. In the end, I had to purchase a stock photo of something that looked an awful lot like broccoli casserole because it was not only the nicest (not) broccoli casserole of the few broccoli casseroles but also went along well with the layout.

For my Adaptation course, I took the movie Battleship, and adapted it into a card game with tokens featuring the red and white pegs we all know and love. The movie was weird, but this was fun for me to do. I based the card size off Pokemon, and the basic layout on the now out of print, Star Wars Customizable Card Game. Suggested game play mechanics are similar to the original board game but with Star Wars elements mixed in. In total, using screenshots from the movie, I designed/adapted 81 cards, some character, some effect, and some ships. Although it wasn’t necessary, I spent over two days printing and cutting out the cards to give to my professor. Before that was a lot of guess-and-checking of general layout for printing. It was a headache, but ultimately was well worth the added effort. I like doing stuff like that. I’m a weird workaholic, but I enjoy myself. I promise. Also, did you know there’s a whole school of thought on Adaptation Studies? I swear I’m not making this up. It was really interesting!

Other things I’m working on: A Memoir Collection about sports I used to play (it’s on hiatus right now, but I’m getting back to it) and a potential fantasy genre book(? [a real departure for me, to say the least]). I blame my brother-in-law for this for introducing me and getting me hooked on the King Killer Chronicles.

Now, some honesty.

Going back to school is a hassle. You know, in a good way. Picking up new skills and sharpening the ones that you have is always going to be good and advantageous for you, but the work that you will have to put in, the parts of life you will have to sacrifice i.e. sleep, relationships, your weekends, etc. can be a fairly big negative in terms of going back or starting in the first place. There are other areas too that make it difficult, depending on your situation. I know that, for me, working full time and taking on two graduate level design classes was rough.  On top of that, I was doing other stressful stuff that hasn’t helped my mental or emotion health. I’ve been working on that though.

I have only told a handful of people what I’m about to tell you now. Really, I was hoping to have already finished it before telling anyone else, but I’ve decided that, in this blog, I’d come clean and be real with you all.  I’ve been looking into BUYING A HOUSE. 

AAAAAAHHHH!!! OHMYGOD! OHMYGOD! OHMYGOD!

*DEEP BREATH*

*Ahem* Sorry…

As I was saying, I’ve done a lot of the work to get grants and whatnot, but have yet to come up with finding the right place with not too many issues. Hey, my current budget is finite, to say the least. It’s been hectic on top of everything else. But that’s life.

My whole thing about taking on a lot is perseverance is key. Pushing your way through life is what it takes sometimes. BUT it’s important to try to enjoy it. Some of the design stuff, for instance, was great because it meant I could flex my creative muscles. Sure, I was reading some questionable stuff on x-heights, ascenders, and franchises but I was also doing things that I found enjoyable in the midst of all this effort.

And it paid off. Once I find this new home and get moved in, I’ll have one more thing to enjoy. Notice the confidence in that sentence. I’ll get it done, eventually. What I’m trying to say is that, especially for creative types, you’re going to have to do things you don’t like or are uninteresting to get by, it’s virtually inevitable, but that shouldn’t stop you and you shouldn’t let it stop you from finding enjoyment in life.

Don’t give up being creative!

It might mean that you have to dig out times to do the things you want, but for your own sake keep doing!!

It’s easier said than done, I know. Don’t be discouraged by cliché phrases. It might not seem like it, but it’s worth it. I mean, if you’re going to want your life to be lived a certain way, then live it. Where there’s a will there’s a way, am I right?

Don’t answer that. I know I am.

Ok, I’m done. I promise.

 

Thank YOU for reading this. If you have any topics you’d like me to cover, have any questions or comments, then feel free to let me know.

 

Yours,

Nathan

Back to School: February 2018

Admittedly, this almost didn’t happen due to financial concerns, a student worker at an office who gave me wrong information, and my own stress and anxiety levels, which I’m always working on improving. Needless to say, I decided to go through with it.

I once told someone, and many other people, upon graduating an MFA program, I would NOT be returning to school ever again. Well, I’m doing it.

It almost seems foolish to do so, but with my tuition remission from work and my lack of traction in my career, it’s anything but. It happened not too long ago that I sat with my former boss, who is technically my current boss only she’s out of office for over a year due to a project, and she told me that I should pursue some more education. After all, it’s virtually free. Virtually being the key word. There are still fees to pay. And not all schools fee same. Found that out the hard way!

Several months passed by and I received an email from my dad about a Graduate Certificate Program that might interest me.

It did.

I applied. I got in.

For some reason I was surprised. I saw the email with my name on it, welcoming me  back to the university that I said would be the last place I’d attend after the last time I attended it. And the sudden rush of this good news probably intensified my reaction. I was overjoyed. I shared the news with everyone I thought might care. I posted it on social media in case I had missed anyone. That way I also wouldn’t have to contact everyone in my friends list individually.

That’s my secret. Oh no! I’m lazy!

I’ve already mentioned why, practicality-wise, I should go back to school, but why did I want to? It’s simple on multiple points:

1. Structure

  • Post-graduate school, life lost something I didn’t realize it never had, but school did – structure. I missed it. Things seemed chaotic. I didn’t know what to work on or if I should. Although I prefer the freedom of choice, I definitely enjoy a structured schedule where I probably won’t get surprised.

2. Direction

  • There are ways that you know you should go in life, but no certainties. In school, you know what you need to do and how to do it. If you have any questions, you can ask.

3. People

  • This is not to say that I don’t spend time with people, a sentiment my parents and other people might not believe. I do. I really do. I try to spend time with like minded individuals when I can. In school, I am assured this. I can also meet MORE people who may be like me or have similar interests. I might also meet people who are completely different than me, ultimately causing me to grow as a person! The thing about life is the older you get, the more difficult it can become to make (and keep) friends and etc. This is kind of like a work around of that. Granted, difficult does not mean impossible.

4.  Learning

  • I get a chance to learn more about something that interests me, and do so in a way that  I couldn’t on my own. I also don’t want to learn on my own. At least, I don’t ALWAYS want to learn that way.

5.  Because I want to and I can!

  • There are a number of difficulties in simply getting into higher education, whether it’s political opposition or financial struggles, but if you can and you want to, then you shouldn’t think twice about it. Do it! Do it.
  • Also, I wanted five things here. Or ten, but no more or less than those numbers. Anything else feels wrong.

Yes, I may have had to go against a crusade of misinformation, threatening to leave the program a few times, calling everyone who should know something. I may have seriously considered giving up, which isn’t bad, but doesn’t seem to be the right thing either. Thing is, I have plenty of reasons to do this. I don’t think I need any, but I do have them.

I have benefits through my job that allow me to do this. I am fortunate that I can, and I will take full advantage of it as long as I am able. I’m actually interested in what I’m going to be studying and learning. I also think this is a prime example of people learning and changing over time. I mean, I was DONE with education. I did not want to go back, but here I am. And I couldn’t be more excited!

I hope that everyone out there can find something big and important to further themselves too.

All the best,

Nathan