Eventually

May 11, 2009 ~ Sue ~ Leave a comment

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

May 10, 2009 ~ Sue ~ Leave a comment

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

May 7, 2009 ~ Sue ~ Leave a comment

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…

May 6, 2009 ~ Sue ~ Leave a comment

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?

May 5, 2009May 5, 2009 ~ Sue ~ Leave a comment

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!

May 4, 2009 ~ Sue ~ Leave a comment

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.