You are currently browsing the monthly archive for October, 2008.
I think the automatic doors at Art Center don’t open for you when they sense that you’re a failure. For the first time ever at school, I had to practically force a door to swing open. It comes as no surprise as due to my failure at time management that I failed to turn in my mid-term project for Design 2.
Admittedly, I was smug in assuming that all would go well in the design and print. However, it never fails to take into consideration Murphy’s Law in scenarios like this. My printer broke. And although tragic, it is really no excuse. Let this be a lesson to myself, for the millionth time, to never do shit at the last minute. I felt like I not only let myself down, but also my instructor and classmates (who I know they themselves struggled to get this project out the door) as well.
I had the courage to personally tell my instructor, Jon, that I didn’t have the project done. At his suggestion, and in the confidence that this indeed would not happen again, I attended class anyway. My grade would be reduced because of the missed assignment. I told him that that was only fair. It was weird in that I felt my shame as well as the sincere honor of seeing my classmates’ beautiful creations. It was a weird, emotional day for me. I was silent during the crits. I felt I couldn’t measure up. The experience was terrifying.
Today wasn’t the end of the world; I still have until the final to make up this class. But I was terribly disappointed in myself. With all the people that love me and believe in me–I failed. I make no excuse.
It has been hard this term. I’m convinced that this is going to be one of my worst terms yet. Only because the workload is so much, and the stakes are so much higher. But just like my Mel Sant said to our class at the beginning of the term–when he attended school here, he knew that playtime was over, and if he ever wanted a future in this, he had to get good at it.
I couldn’t agree more.
So it’s about this time like last term that everything just kind of comes together. The problem is, its not quite as happening like I’d hoped. The one thing that has clicked is that I’m tired, I’m frustrated, and I’m procrastinating on these projects. It’s not that I don’t want to do them, its just I find it funnier to make up and excuse to do them. Does that sound weird?
I’ve been looking up old friends lately. The truth is that I just signed up on Facebook and that has been quite a distraction for me. I’ve always been a social guy, but this time its more like I’ve been seeing what others are up to, who’s single, and what kind of pictures everyone is posting nowadays. Basically, just getting up in everyone’s business. No point really, and mind you I feel like I have to stop. It’s just so interesting to get a glimpse into other people’s lives.
I went running today and saw a lot of Tiffany Blue and light bluish colors. I wonder if that’s the new color? I seriously thought that God was sending me some sort of sign. Weird.
The Art Center ID department (ID-Industrial Design: Transportation, Product Design, Environmental) had this cool exhibition of their mid-term projects on the student lawn today. Their projects consisted of making moving, working models that are based on wind-power. Pretty neat stuff! It’s important to note that like all Art Center kids, these guys probably stayed up all night to get these projects out the door. So with that said, I don’t think I did the dept. justice in being able to photograph all of these. I did manage to capture a couple though. Check it out:
Marcus Quach & his creation
Vinh Pho and his model; That’s Vin catching some ZZZs after yet another Art Center all-nighter
Couple more I got to see.
Yo! I wanna take the time to give a mad shout out to my Wacom tablet and all those who make these helpful things. I swear that I can’t use a mouse anymore, even for the most remedial things like surfing the net and word processing. Crazy huh? I don’t know how I functioned before this thing!
Today the ADV students were treated to a Business Dialogue series featuring Michael Prieve, Art Center Alum (with honors) and current CCO of Doremus & Co., Omnicom’s premier business communications agency. From his dialogue and info found on his website, Michael began his career at Weiden + Kennedy, where he also worked along with Jim Riswold. He explained that at the time of his hiring at W+K there were only about 20 people working there. While there he became the Creative Director for W+K Asia, W+K Europe, and W+K New York; responsible for the management of clients such as Jordan, ESPN, and Calvin Klein. He has also held the position of Executive Creative Director at FCB in San Francisco, working for Levi Strauss & Co. and Y&R in Irvine for Land Rover.
I was thoroughly impressed with the body of work that Michael had amassed over his career. I wish he had more time though as he only had only 5 minutes for questions. Below are couple of examples of his work, but for more info and to see the rest of his incredible body of work, check out his website at: http://www.michaelprieve.com
By far I’m up again late, trying to revise my compositions in Art Direction 2 and finalize a direction for my mid-term project. Just seems like these all-nighters are never-ending and really taking a toll on my physical and psychological state. I didn’t expect my second term to be like this. Yes, I was prepared as far was what everyone else told me about it, but never could’ve imagined it being this demanding. I would seriously settle for “C”s if only I could make it out of this alive! But onward I push as I complete assignment after assignment after assignment. It’s like a big square rock that I’m pushing up a hill. And it’s only second term! I have six more to go. Geez…
That’s right, an hour! That’s how long you’ll find this rather informative, 1977 interview of the “Pope” — David Ogilvy. For now, forget all the Mad Men episodes of fiction and step into the real.
For many of you who don’t know, David Ogilvy was a legendary advertising executive who founded Ogilvy & Mather and today is by far and wide and many considered the “Father of Modern Advertising.” This feeble description doesn’t do this man justice, so google him for yourself if you want more info. This measly hour doesn’t do him justice either. But, I found it on youtube and was surprised to find out that the ENTIRE interview was posted. And I thought you could only post 10min segments at a time! Anyway, enough of my trap, here’s the goods…
I’ve been meaning to look up this Qwest ad for any signs of CG. There has to be right?
I’ve procrastinated a bit to get this done, but I’ve finally completed my personal schedule for this term. On the agenda: Working out, Eat/Rest, Class, Work, Sleep, and Work. Oh, I know I said that twice, but besides sleep, work takes up most of my time. The only day that I’ve left open for me is Sunday, (yes, I’m even working on Saturdays) which of course will be reserved for “me” time, mass, family, leisure (or pronounced “leh-zhure” as Barry would say) and sex (if I’m so lucky!). Either way, its good for me to put things down like this instead of wondering what the hell is going on with my personal schedule. I did this last term and don’t know why I didn’t do it immediately this term.
I can’t tell if I’m doing well in class or not. Just seems like right now I have that “getting by” attitude. I still feel like I’m trying to wrap my head around things in each class. I hope I figure it out soon, just like my “it just kinda clicked holmes” moment from last term. By mid-terms I should have a better idea of where I stand.
Unfortunately, I’m having the baddest of attitudes right now and my work is suffering. I’m having a little problem letting go of my conservatism. Through this process of going to class everyday and learning just a little more of emersing myself in my own creative train, I’ve learned that I’m quite conservative when it comes to my attitude and perspecitve. Koji calls it “typical” or “square” and I’m beggining to see his point. Granted, life itself has somehow “scared” me into this corner of thinking within boundaries. Yes, I blame my own cynical views on things as the catalyst towards my conservatism. And why not? I have a lot to worry about besides grades. I just wish it didn’t show so much sometimes.
Pasadena, Calif., October 9, 2008 – The Board of Trustees of Art Center College of Design announced today the appointment of Dr. Frank L. Ellsworth as Interim President of the College. Dr. Ellsworth’s appointment is effective immediately and will extend through the ongoing search for a permanent president, which is anticipated by the end of 2009.
In a career spanning over forty years, Dr. Ellsworth brings a broad range of experience in higher education, the arts, fundraising, nonprofit management, and governance. During his academic career he served as President of Pitzer College, as the youngest president in the history of The Claremont Colleges; President of the Independent Colleges of Southern California; and most recently, President of The Japan Society in New York City. He has combined teaching and administration at these and a diverse number of academic institutions, including Columbia University, Sarah Lawrence College, Pennsylvania State University, and The University of Chicago, where he served as Assistant Dean in the Law School.
Active in cultural and community affairs, Dr. Ellsworth currently serves on several boards, including Give2Asia, The Paul Taylor Dance Foundation, Global Partners Institute, and the American Friends, National Portrait Gallery (London).
Dr. Ellsworth received his A.B. cum laude from Adelbert College, Case Western University; his M.Ed. from Pennsylvania State University and his M.A. from Columbia University; and his Ph.D. from the University of Chicago. He has also received two honorary Doctor of Law degrees from Pepperdine University and Southwestern University School of Law.
In making the announcement, John Puerner, Chairman of The Board of Trustees said, “On behalf of the Board of Trustees, we are very pleased to have Frank join us as Interim President and provide ongoing momentum for Art Center during this transition period. We are confident that Frank’s diverse background combined with his deep knowledge of higher education will be very valuable as we continue to move the College’s agenda forward. We look forward to his contributions and leadership.”
Dr. Ellsworth said, “The reputation of the faculty of Art Center College of Design is long standing and outstanding. The graduates reflect admirably on this small, vibrant College and their influence permeates the lives of people throughout the world. I am honored to be able to play a role.”
Don’t want to say exactly which SNL parody this is because it just might ruin the humor. This was ingenious and caught me off guard. See the jump as word press won’t let me post for some reason.
No relation to Clarke Griswold of the infamous “Vacation” movies, but by the note throwing in his speech and the plugs of humor in his lecture, you’d probably think different. No no, it’s RISWOLD, and this past Thursday the Ad Dept of Art Center was treated to a true legend in the industry (and for you sneaker heads out there, you could probably appreciate this guy)–Jim Riswold.
Jim is known in the ad world for his work at Wieden + Kennedy, the Portland-based, Worldwide Ad Agency responsible for Nike’s timeless “Just Do It” mantra. Jim’s claim to fame at WK lies within such legendary spots of the Bo Jackson “Bo Knows…”, Charles Barkey “Not a Role Model”, and Tiger Woods “I’m Tiger Woods” campaigns.
But as far as Jim’s celebrity (or at least to me!) within the ad world is his work on Michael Jordan’s “Mars ‘Is It The Shoes?!” Blackmon” and “Space Jam” spots.
Nowadays, Jim spends his time in the art world dealing with photography and such topics as Hitler, Napolean, Chairman Mao, and Marie Antoinette. He freelances from time to time, but these days taking it easy due to his fight with leukemia. One this day, he graciously entertained us with his “How hitler Changed My Life” lecture as well as a few tidbits here and there about the ad industry and his experiences in it. I feel very fortunate and honored to have seen this man.
“So what did you do today Ray?” Ummm…origami. That’s right party people, I learned about origami today and made a piano, flower, a butterfly, a flying crane, and a kangaroo. Fun times!!! It definitely lighted up the mood around our D2 crits. Nice break from the norm ya know? Usually, I’m all uptight because I’m concentrating so much on getting the composition right.
Admittedly, I think I suck compared to the rest of the class which is filled with the variety of Graphic and Illustration majors. I’m the only Ad major in the class, which I find funny. It makes me unique, but I think I’m too ADD compared the others and their intricate creations I see on the weekly. Granted, this class is part of their profession, so yea they’re all gonna kick my ass in the assignments.
But like Nils told me last term, “Don’t be afraid to have people better than you in the class. They only make you better.” I keep that in mind everyday, and you know what…I do find my own designs getting pushed further, which I appreciate and find awesome.
Anyway, here we all are having some fun times with folding colored paper!
No you are not looking at a car show. This is the sculpture garden of the school used as an impromptu parking lot during the Fall term. The regular parking lot is not under construction or anything, it’s just FULL, so the school opens up the sculpture garden in order to accommodate more cars.
Yes, granted the school is doing their best of accommodating the influx of students. But this SUCKS BIG BALLS! I’m paying for an upwards tuition of $100,000–which is NOT CHEAP! You’d think that the least they could do is have a decent parking spot available. Whack.
So I took a field trip recently to experiment with some shots for Design 2. I wanted to incorporate the images of nightlife and music within my mid-term composition piece. Sorry to say that I don’t think I’m going to do that anymore. I thought this would be a cake walk; how wrong I was! The first thing to remember when shooting at the dark is this: YOU NEED LIGHT! As paradox as that sounds, it’s true. If there is too much light, the color gets blown out. So you need a flash with an adjustable angle to “bounce” the light off the wall. The only problem is that the flash is in the range of $300-$500. I can’t afford that right now. Perhaps I’ll wait until my birthday or Xmas to ask from my DBS Secret Santa.
Anyway, here are a few shots from that night. These compositions are amateur, and got WAAAAAAY blurry from the lack of decent light. This was my first time out experimenting with the genre of subject matter. The first shot is probably my favorite, poetic.
Saw this on a friend’s Facebook page. I thought it was hilarious. Don’t know if it will post as I just previewed it and didn’t see it. Here’s the link so you can make the jump: http://www.collegehumor.com/video:1831503
