Monday, March 3

It's March, finally, and the weather outside is relatively pleasant. I even heard birds singing and the crows were all still asleep as I walked to work this morning. All that snow on the ground is gonna be melting away all day today. It was pretty while it lasted, but I think I prefer the warm weather.

This weekend seemed like a breeze compared to the past weeks of CMD. We've had the product design project culminating, and every week was a challenge. I got it done. It wasn't stunning, but it's better designed than anything I could have done before the project, and I have until final reviews to make is as stunning as possible. I'll have to go in for office hours. Our new project was assigned last week. We have to make a magazine with a whole bunch of parameters to adhere to such as the style of the magazine, the age range for the audience and the topics of the articles. This is a bit different than other projects where we've had more "freedom" to choose our subject, but I've found that's much more challenging. It's not that we don't have a gazillion decisions still left up to us... but there's a couple more rules to follow.

I spent this weekend getting some rest (amazingly) and calmly making my way through work. I had a very productive brainstorming session (helped out by my boyfriend and my mom's feedback over the phone) and now I have a solid direction for my research. This week we need two design briefs, three name options, taglines, a content list and six covers for our new publication. I think I can do that. (Oh come on, I know I can do that.) Last semester or even at the beginning of this one that would have seemed like much more work. I can see myself gaining more confidence and becoming more efficient with every project. It's wonderful.

The other CMD project is coming along. I like the place where I'm at in its process. I have the basic framework constructed and now I'm just tweaking it here and there. It needs a LOT of tweaking, but it's easier to tweak than to create. It's a project that deals with images and creative typography flowing together. All my comrads have been on an Easter egg search for good imagery and sources. It's exciting. I've learned how to navigate the library as a designer, and of all the nooks and crannies on this campus where you can print 24 large B&W images late at night (for cheap!). That's part of the fun of being a CMD major. We keep on discovering little secrets and ways to go about our work to make life easier, and, even cooler, when we find them we share them with the rest of the gang.

Other than all that, I've studied for my Art History midterm (The History of Art Deco and Industrial Design). That's tomorrow. I also trimmed six plates I made for my wheel throwing class (only destroying one of them) and stretched a HUGE canvas for my painting class. Thank goodness my writing class is cancelled today for student meetings with the teacher.

I also had a visit from my best friend at home. I took her to the student improv comedy group's performance, and then out to the tea house with the gang. Both of us were pooped by then (her from traveling and me from my week) so we went home early and talked. I had a great brunch with my roommate on Saturday, and I took a walk in the cemetary on Sunday morning (not as creepy as it souds, it was gorgeous with the sun and the snow). Dinner with the gang that night. I also got a good number of delicious naps squeezed in. Huzzah sleep!

Only four more crazy days until spring break. I go home, hang out with my cats, bake cookies with my mom... and get a head start on my CMD for the next half of the semester.