Filed under: School, life... | Tags: creativity, design, drafting, learning, wood shop
The semester has officially ended!!! I jammed my finals into a day and a half and ran as fast as I could out of Provo–because I could. Missed the storm, listened to Toby Keith in the car (gag… but Jack Johnson, Social D, and Donavon made up for it a thousandfold), ate about 24,095,835 Cheez-its, saw enough cows to last me a lifetime, made a random trip to the Bellagio fountains, and joyfully watched the snow disappear and the temperature increase as I moved westward. Road trips are awesome.
Coming out of it, I realize that contrary to previous postings, I actually have learned a lot in the academic portion of my life these past four months. Of course there were a few classes that felt like nothing (Adolescent Development–it’s not about the hormones, but oh, wait… it is. Put the problem children at the front of the class; That religion class that was really just a 1-hour nap, twice a week… sorry 
; Print publishing–squelching creativity, with an ugly textbook that bashed Helvetica, and hey, the teacher isn’t looking, I think I’ll blog… I just don’t even know…), but there were a few classes that taught me some good lessons. To avoid a ridiculously long post, I’ll split it up. The first lesson learned is patience.
Of all my classes, I think wood shop taught me the most. The most important thing I learned is patience. Taking on a new creative medium and expecting instantaneous mastery is a silly thing. But it’s what I did. It’s what took the class from an experience involving a little blood and sweat, to include the crowning glory of tears. I was perhaps a little frustrated. I tried my best to not make the same mistakes twice… and almost all mess ups were brushed off as “silly girl,” rather than “you idiot.” Triumph there… but it was a rocky road. I made it through, and what do I have to show for it? I can use all the tools in the shop correctly and safely without feeling like a total chicken, I can square a board, I can make furniture that doesn’t look like crap or fall apart, I can identify tools, I can identify woods, I can make curly fries on the lathe. Four months ago none of this was the case.
I think one of the coolest things I got my head around was the issues I had with thinking in 3d. It was difficult going from 2d vector to 3d wood. I resisted enthusiastically, to the point that I did all of my drafting in Illustrator when I could have done it in a more intuitive program. I busted my brains by using only a front view to cut my wood… because design comes from rough sketches, why can’t tables?? And then one day it all clicked and I did it the right way with all the correct projections, and it made things go smoothly. I think my professor knew what he was doing when he made those assignments. You can’t approach woodworking with a graphic design attitude. It doesn’t work. Ingenuity is not fueled by doing whatever I feel like, combined with sleep deprivation and a well-stocked iTunes library in the shop. That’s a recipe for brilliance in design, but a recipe for disaster and a few missing fingers in the shop.
Photos to come…
[RACHEL]
Filed under: School, design | Tags: comunications, creativity, element of design, graphic design, gym class, pyramids, shape
In 8th grade we had to make human pyramids. 4 guys, 4 girls, and a crappy gym mat that didn’t do much if you fell. But we loved it. Every day we’d get together and study diagrams, then strategize and recreate.
We’d usually plan out the formations, arranging each other by size, rather than strength… because who really wants to know that a 4′11″ girl can outlast a 5′8″ guy if ever in a “who can hold up the bottom of the pyramid better and longer” contest, anyways? By default, I was always the at the top of the formation, even though I was strong enough to be in the middle, or on the bottom.
One day near the end of the unit, we tried out a complicated arrangement. We were all pretty excited about it. I climbed up to my usual perch on top, and just after I’d completed my typical cute pose, Jose, a scrawny guy in the middle, fell out of formation like a greased Jenga block… and we all went flying. Pretty sweet… I sprained my ankle. Love those gym mats.
We usually think of shapes in a very basic way. A triangle is a shape. So are squares and circles. It is important though, to approach a project with an open and creative mind. In design, all components are shapes themselves, and work together to make other shapes as well. This block of text is roughly a rectangle. Each letter, in addition, bears its own shape.
Salt Lake Temple- http://cameronmoll.bigcartel.com/
Every component has its own place in a design to make a harmonious shape that communicates effectively.
Salt Lake Temple- http://cameronmoll.bigcartel.com/
When shape is not taken into consideration, your design runs the risk of appearing disorderly, out of balance, or creating some awkward form that wasn’t a part of your intended message. All of those things are pretty bad, especially if they sneak by approval and on to print. This is hugely disastrous and embarrassing (though funny to the outsider eye) if the scenario falls into the last category mentioned. How are you gonna explain that portfolio piece? Shape is in your control. Manipulate it thoughtfully.
Just take a step back and look at the design as a network of shapes. It might save you some trouble, or help your piece to be hotter and more effective then you previously imagined.
8 people can work together to make human forms into a bigger picture. Every person has their place in the structure. Jose just had the wrong one. Dog piles are not good design…
[RACHEL]
Filed under: School, design, life... | Tags: design, experience, faith, learning, life...
Today I discovered Kyle Steed’s blog while checking my RSS feeds. I don’t even remember who referenced him. It’s a wonderful design blog that also spans the subjects of faith and life. He recently wrote a list of things he’s learned about life, design, and faith, so far; and invited others to do so.
Here’s what I’ve learned so far:
- Take it easy. No one cares if I skip the makeup in the morning as much as I do.
- Learning is a better thing to do than regretting.
- Don’t date clients.
- Treasure your body and your health. It’s not always going to be easy living.
- Sleep is good.
- Helvetica is sexy.
- Giving up hurts more than any amount of insanity the trial would put me through.
- I shouted for joy at the prospect of coming to this earth.
- God loves me and you every day. He looks out for the individual.
- Use mornings and evenings wisely, it sets the tone for the day. Start and finish it off with Christ in mind.
- I’ve gotta suck it up and listen to client feedback.
- Carne asada is the breakfast of champions.
- Knowledge is power… knowledge is happiness. Thomas Jefferson said this. I agree.
I could keep going, but I think I’ll leave it here for now. Most of this came into relaization in the last year. I have grown so much as a person, a designer, and a child of God in this time.
[RACHEL]
Filed under: School, food, life... | Tags: cooking, learning, School, wood shop
Hello, World.
My name is Rachel and I’m addicted to school. At one point I was a somewhat consistent blogger. Life is fantastic and busy. Fantastically busy. Yeah.
It’s been a while since I posted about wood shop, and I haven’t finished telling you about my dear friends. So, here goes…
The Jointer
Used this plenty of times… and still afraid of falling into into its merciless teeth.
That class is still a beast. But, it’s almost over. That is both scary and comforting to me, as I look forward to spending my evenings with human friends (not these fun machines); and my project is still a pile of wood… not a table. But, on the plus side, that class is quite the work out, which is nice considering my crippled conditions. That’s a story for another time, though.
Last night I cooked dinner for the first time in a week and a half. I must have blown a culinary gasket in that amount of time because what did I eat? A half-pound of mushrooms sauteed with onions and garlic, in a lovely balsamic reduction. A half-pound of mushrooms. In one sitting. I am a serious cooker, but not so much a serious eater, so I was quite lethargic after dinner, and I was full up until bedtime.
The semester is almost over, and looking back, I think I’ve learned more when it comes to life, than academically. Strange, since I’m totally a student… but oh well. Now that it’s pretty much all said and done, I value all of my experiences. It just took a little bit of perspective and patience.
[RACHEL]
