fresh start
projects, things to come.
inspiration, from likely and unlikely sources.
drive, from the past.
movement, forward.
...
if there's one thing "breaks" do its get me motivated. this winter all i've really been able to accomplish is working at kinko's. while its technically been less hectic i've found it to be more nerve racking. kinkos makes me feel static, like i'm not moving anywhere, and i don't like that. looking towards the future i'm making plans to try and ensure that i do not repeat this.
trying to teach myself to not rely on commitment to get things done and to just be able to do them.
that always sounds alot better at 12:00 at night than 8:00 in the morning.
so yeah i'm just gonna lay it out here.
~ i want to get better at photoshop. i've been learning alot thanks to the internet, but i'm still not really where i'd like to be. that will come with time, practice, and hardwork though.
~ i want to learn more about web design and actually build a website. i say this every couple of months but the most i've yet to accomplish is a tutorial in dreamweaver. i really need to buckle down and start learning the software like i've been doing with photoshop.
~ i want to get back into filming and editing. no big projects though. keeping the ideas small and simple as past experience has shown me that people can be really unreliable when it comes to this stuff.
~ i want to get back into art in general. i'm doing some faux painting for my mom in one of the bathrooms (as her chirstmas present) and i want to do two canvas paintings for my room. i'd like to get a digital camera and start messing around with some photography (since i essentially have an entire printshop at my disposal), and i'd like to start going out to more art exhibits as well.
~ i want to volunteer more. maybe at vcu or maymont, but i just want to get out there. meet people, learn things, stay active.
while that's only five things its really going to be a big undertaking and i'm really gonna have to pace myself if i want to get any of it done. the cost of investing in computer programs and equiptment is really the last thing i have to worry about, as i've proved to myself in the past that if i want something bad enough i'll work for it. the biggest issue i have is with time. before i can even start on those things i have to make sure i've got enough time for school, work, the gym, and judo/ju-jitsu.
i've just got to keep a clear head and time these things out.
...
i had some really good experiences last semester that inspired me to continue working hard. while none of my classes were earth shaking i managed to pull off B's in all of them, including my horrible newswriting class. i was slightly unsure of myself towards the end of the semester because i felt like things were starting to fall apart. getting good grades though really showed me that as long as i work hard and give it my best i'll be fine.
with all the free time i've had over the break i've really clocked in some heavy hours on the internet. while there's a ton of crap on this thing with a little direction you can really get something worthwhile out of it. youtube is the god of video tutorials. seriously, if there's anything you want to know how to do type it into youtube. i've spent hours learning techniques in photoshop on that website alone. i've also come across some other sites that have more professional, higher quality stuff to, but alot of them require a fee. one site in particular www.lynda.com has just about any program you need to know on there.
recently though there's been some activity on the nine inch nails website that's caught my attention. there's a new dvd and cd coming out this year and that's got me really excited. an interview with trent reznor from kerrang! was posted a few days ago and one quote in particular grabbed my eye.
when asked about the new cd trent replied:
"My goal is that the music can be interpreted with the richest context. So what I'm immersed in is a way to achieve that. Now that albums have gone from 12 inches of real estate with artwork and a whole aesthetic, to CDs, which are ugly and disposable, to nowadays just being a file on a computer, it's led me to putting a lot of thought in to ways to present music that still makes it feel important and that has depth and purpose."
while i'm not gonna start a band (although that sounds like alot of fun) the message really got through to me that now more than ever and in the future the content of your product is really going to sell it and not just the way that it is marketed. sure there will always be the standard package; be it the clothes from target, the bubble gum pop singer, or the will smith summer blockbuster. what's really going to set people apart in the future though is going to be content.
...
i've reacquainted with someone from my past, who i honestly never expected to see or hear from again. its good to know that they're doing well and actually using what they learned in college to get a real job. they've also proven to be one of the few people from my past who actually wants to maintain a friendship now that we've come across each other again.
...
felt good to write a blog again. i 'm hoping to keep this thing going over the next year to keep up with everything that's happening. whenever i end up making a website i'll shift most of my activities there, but for the time being this will do.
inspiration, from likely and unlikely sources.
drive, from the past.
movement, forward.
...
if there's one thing "breaks" do its get me motivated. this winter all i've really been able to accomplish is working at kinko's. while its technically been less hectic i've found it to be more nerve racking. kinkos makes me feel static, like i'm not moving anywhere, and i don't like that. looking towards the future i'm making plans to try and ensure that i do not repeat this.
trying to teach myself to not rely on commitment to get things done and to just be able to do them.
that always sounds alot better at 12:00 at night than 8:00 in the morning.
so yeah i'm just gonna lay it out here.
~ i want to get better at photoshop. i've been learning alot thanks to the internet, but i'm still not really where i'd like to be. that will come with time, practice, and hardwork though.
~ i want to learn more about web design and actually build a website. i say this every couple of months but the most i've yet to accomplish is a tutorial in dreamweaver. i really need to buckle down and start learning the software like i've been doing with photoshop.
~ i want to get back into filming and editing. no big projects though. keeping the ideas small and simple as past experience has shown me that people can be really unreliable when it comes to this stuff.
~ i want to get back into art in general. i'm doing some faux painting for my mom in one of the bathrooms (as her chirstmas present) and i want to do two canvas paintings for my room. i'd like to get a digital camera and start messing around with some photography (since i essentially have an entire printshop at my disposal), and i'd like to start going out to more art exhibits as well.
~ i want to volunteer more. maybe at vcu or maymont, but i just want to get out there. meet people, learn things, stay active.
while that's only five things its really going to be a big undertaking and i'm really gonna have to pace myself if i want to get any of it done. the cost of investing in computer programs and equiptment is really the last thing i have to worry about, as i've proved to myself in the past that if i want something bad enough i'll work for it. the biggest issue i have is with time. before i can even start on those things i have to make sure i've got enough time for school, work, the gym, and judo/ju-jitsu.
i've just got to keep a clear head and time these things out.
...
i had some really good experiences last semester that inspired me to continue working hard. while none of my classes were earth shaking i managed to pull off B's in all of them, including my horrible newswriting class. i was slightly unsure of myself towards the end of the semester because i felt like things were starting to fall apart. getting good grades though really showed me that as long as i work hard and give it my best i'll be fine.
with all the free time i've had over the break i've really clocked in some heavy hours on the internet. while there's a ton of crap on this thing with a little direction you can really get something worthwhile out of it. youtube is the god of video tutorials. seriously, if there's anything you want to know how to do type it into youtube. i've spent hours learning techniques in photoshop on that website alone. i've also come across some other sites that have more professional, higher quality stuff to, but alot of them require a fee. one site in particular www.lynda.com has just about any program you need to know on there.
recently though there's been some activity on the nine inch nails website that's caught my attention. there's a new dvd and cd coming out this year and that's got me really excited. an interview with trent reznor from kerrang! was posted a few days ago and one quote in particular grabbed my eye.
when asked about the new cd trent replied:
"My goal is that the music can be interpreted with the richest context. So what I'm immersed in is a way to achieve that. Now that albums have gone from 12 inches of real estate with artwork and a whole aesthetic, to CDs, which are ugly and disposable, to nowadays just being a file on a computer, it's led me to putting a lot of thought in to ways to present music that still makes it feel important and that has depth and purpose."
while i'm not gonna start a band (although that sounds like alot of fun) the message really got through to me that now more than ever and in the future the content of your product is really going to sell it and not just the way that it is marketed. sure there will always be the standard package; be it the clothes from target, the bubble gum pop singer, or the will smith summer blockbuster. what's really going to set people apart in the future though is going to be content.
...
i've reacquainted with someone from my past, who i honestly never expected to see or hear from again. its good to know that they're doing well and actually using what they learned in college to get a real job. they've also proven to be one of the few people from my past who actually wants to maintain a friendship now that we've come across each other again.
...
felt good to write a blog again. i 'm hoping to keep this thing going over the next year to keep up with everything that's happening. whenever i end up making a website i'll shift most of my activities there, but for the time being this will do.