Let Me Be Brief.

We all take for granted art school. We are given projects that build our portfolios, and help round us into better artist, designers, and perhaps even people. But what we take for granted most are those briefs that our professors give us. We complain while we are there and we don’t realize that creative briefs that are just handed out for free is kind of a luxury.

When I got out of school I looked EVERYWHERE for creative briefs so I could practice doing a design that has someone else stipulations, desires, and needs. I had a really hard time…until I found Briefbox. A place where you, as a brand new, drowning-in-student-loans creative could go and get briefs for free. However, times have changed.

I want to start working on a broader range for my portfolio so where do I go first? Thats right Briefbox. Unfortunately they are not free anymore. As I am still drowning in debt, I can’t seem to afford paying for briefs.

So, I’m turning to any creatives reading this: Where do you go to get creative briefs for practice? OR are you purely a “I make what I want to make” type of creative?

Because I feel like I need to post more design here is one of the briefs I have completed from Briefbox.

Word Play

Have you ever had a sudden realization that makes you feel so many things at once that you just sit there? That was my day today. I was running around like crazy, not really something that I’ve been doing a lot because my job mostly consists of me sitting on a computer, and I finally get back to my desk. I get called from the other graphic designers to proof work so I get up and run back there. As I was sitting there talking to my people, two people that are creative minded like me something started unraveling in my brain…

I don’t design much anymore…WAIT, is this why I’m unhappy at work? Why don’t I? Because I have morphed into a supervisor: organizing, planning, ordering, delegating, covering my designers backs so that they have everything they need to do their jobs and DO IT WELL…. Okay, so my promotion to Creative Director put me in this position, it’s fine. WAIT, NO IT’S NOT. You desire to create. You WANT to sit there and make things and solve problems visually. THIS IS NOT OKAY. You are turning into a secretary, someone organizing things, answering phones and ordering office supplies. (Don’t get me wrong, Secretaries are VITAL to the business I work in and we wouldn’t get through a day without them) But this is not where my passion lies.

 

I WANT TO GET BETTER! I want to learn new techniques and stay on top of trends, I want to update my portfolio with great works of art. Yes, I have the ability to do this off work hours and trust me I am starting to do this. But wouldn’t it be amazing if this was a part of my everyday 9-5?

I’ll end with the great lyrics of Relient K’s “Be my Escape”

I’m stuck inside this rut that I fell into by mistake
I gotta get outta here

I Work at a Funeral Home

Do you know what the difference between interment, inurnment, and entombment are?

I do.

Do you know how many funeral homes are within a 20 mile radius of where you live?

I do.

Are you squeamish about bodies, and what happens to them after someone dies?

I am.

It’s pretty crazy and its so funny to me that my first full time job as a graphic designer is at a funeral home. Thats right, I am a graphic designer that works at a funeral home. Wait, I know your question…… What in the world do you do at a funeral home?

Memorial printing, advertising, brochures, social media all that kind of fun stuff.

But you know what else I do? I learn a ton about the funeral biz. It’s great because I loving learning things, did it have to be about death? Well, I guess it makes me interesting right?

 

It’s been a while.

Hello world!
Well at least hello to anyone who has access to the world wide web.

Not that my presence is widely known on the web but still I like to be polite.
I haven’t been sharing lately because I haven’t really been doing anything new. I’m still at the same job that I don’t like and I’m still just creating on my free time. Somethings I love and somethings…well I practice at least.

Lately I’ve been really into this who watercolor hand lettering thing. Who hasn’t it’s beautiful. (These are a couple of ones I’ve tried. I might need better watercolor, suggestions are super appreciated.)

I like watercolor but am not so confident to say that I am at all any good at it. 

See I’m just experimenting and I keep forgetting that there are different techniques other than just putting watercolor on paper. I wish I took a watercolor class. Seriously.

I can honestly say that my graphic design game is not on point. I just don’t know what to design. I have ideas….but that is all that they are. I guess that isn’t an excuse. I really love designing but what if professionally I’m just not good enough? That is the question I’ve been asking of myself a lot lately….I think it might be destroying me just a bit.

 

1 Kings 12 and 13

Sometimes it is just good to sit down and write/draw. Today I was reading 1 Kings 12 and 13 and decided that I should write down the story and what I thought was important. Here is what I got from it.

#1. Show mercy, compassion and love. The elders knew that giving the Israelites a break, or even a little rest would show them that the king actually cares about them. The Men just thought ruling with an iron fist would be better. But clearly it wasn’t. Also this brings up a good point..maybe you should listen to the people that have experience with giving advice and giving thought about a subject rather than your buddies or your own generation.

#2. Fear God, show him respect follow him and you don’t have to worry. Jeroboam was afraid that he would lose his people because the people would have to travel to Jerusalem to make offerings to God. So he decided to do what he thought was right (?) He built golden calves. (I was like really haven’t you guys learned? and then realized that although we may not have golden calves to worship today there are things in my life that I should probably learn from too)

#3. Don’t get mad at the messenger. The man of God that came was just telling King Jeroboam something he probably knew deep down in his heart. and yet he was going to have him arrested. Suddenly his arm shriveled up. can you even begin to imagine that?

#4. When God tells you something. Listen to him. Even if some random man comes up to you and tells you God told him something different. To me, at first, it seemed like it was wrong that the man got punished for the old prophet lying to him. But quickly I remembered “Trust God, not man.” It’s hard to think that God would look down and say “Hey I told you NOT to eat on the path and I know that this guy lied to you but I TOLD YOU NOT TO so now you will be punished.” but at the same we all have to remember people are liars. I know you are all probably good people but we all have lied and that makes us liars. God doesn’t. Plain and simple. Trust in him. ONLY him.

I really like writing notes and I love looking at other peoples.

I Miss This

Dear readers,
I have realized that I am really sucking at posting lately. I tried really hard to force myself to write everyday but that was literally just making me feel terrible when I realized I hadn’t post anything in the last couple of days. You see I was reading a book Show Your Work by Austin Kleon and it says to get your work out there you need to post as often as you can and to show people what you have been working on….well since I hadnt really been workig on anything I didnt really know what to write about. And I was seriously feeling so useless and very much like a failure. Turns out that is what happens when you have a love of something and you aren’t pursuing it like you should be. But luckily my time at least at the moment has been focused on reaching out and finding a graphic design job. I also decided to make an idea I had about 4 years ago a reality. So it will either be super cool or super lame but I’ll probably love it anyways.

My little poster (I don’t know what else to call it at the moment) is about the idea of the unseen world. But in the way a kid maybe would believe it. Here is one of my characters, She’s based off a girl that I know that is basically, to me, the epitome of childhood and having fun.

And then on the other hand you have this creature and he isn’t completely developed yet and not as ugly as he’s gonna be hopefully.

That is one of the projects that I have been working on…just a little bit of something I want to do rather than something that I should be doing. My little monster guy is something I’m just a little proud of considering that he’s a sketch that I started while on lunch from my job (I don’t really know why or how that makes him special to me….it just does. I think there is a possibility that I have the sketch on here somewhere….Yup here it is. This one is actually the second sketch. Awwwwww isn’t he just the cutest and somewhat no. I imagine him being super smelly for some reason and kind of like the mucus guy from those commercials but somehow more gross.  

The other one I have been working on hasn’t been so unlike me. It started out when I was in college, I went to a wedding and the minister was talking about how we invite people to weddings so that we have witnesses so that if one of the people get out of line in their marriages all (or some) of the witnesses can say, “I was there, I witnessed your vows and I know what you both promised watch other. Now, knock it off.” So I had always just wanted to do an invitation where instead of it saying the same ole stuff it asked the person to witness the marriage of two people So this is what I can up with. 

Remember that this is not even (in my opinion) close to being done. But I’m trying some new things out. 

I’m a fan of the colors and I’m working on some effects I guess. I’m excited about these. I really really am.

All right so t has been a frozen tundra outside and even right now as I type the snow is falling. It’s really cold and I have not had time or been able to go and take pictures like I’d like in a while but here are some that I have taken. By the way did I mention that I have a niece now a days. Her name is Emma she’s probably the cutest kid in the world but who knows I could be just a little bias.

See. She’s super cute right? I think so. No, no, no, I know so.

So there’s an update and I really really like to write and talk and be open about my passion so I’m hoping to be able to do that again. Real soon.

-Jenn Jenn

p.s. If you ever need a design or photography let me know email me visit my Facebook page.  I would love to work with you.

Day 1- Just draw something.

Today was just about putting something down on paper and all that I could think about was leaves, branches, and patterns. It definitely is a sketch and a minimal one at that. Another thing I learned today is that I need to spend way more time than 10 mins on a sketch. Otherwise I won’t get better.  So This is day 1 I like to believe that going through this will help me better to sketch, think creatively and to just spend time everyday to work at getting better.

Wow, I haven’t typed, wrote, thought, in a while. So I have decided to change that. I need to be able to get out of my little comfort space and to draw a lot more than I do. I saw a chart of how some famous artist spent their days. Now I’m not saying that I want to have fame or anything. But I want to be as creative as I can because I feel the best creating things. You can find the chart here. Any ways I have chosen for at least the next 31 days I am going to do an art journal and will be posting them here everyday. If I fail I’ll be so mad at myself like you can’t believe. I haven’t decided if I was going to use a lined journal or not. But the first post will be tonight. Stay Tuned.

Take Note

Ever since I was in middle school I have had a love for letters, I would draw them, trace them and find different fonts and admire how people came up with them. In college I realized that typography was probably my favorite class and that giving a word a different meaning by using designs is challenging but fun. Seeing others use typography is inspiring. Although just because I really like it doesn’t mean I am super good at it but I’m working on it. Anyways I also really like taking notes. Wether in class, while reading, or at church. Here are some of my notes from sermons at my church.
 
I also have some from college but I could find my note book. By the way does anyone know of a brand that sells a journal sized non-lined spiral bound book because I have been looking and can’t find them. I have a lot of fun taking notes and you know they aren’t grand or anything but I remember better when I have to think about it longer and I just really get a lot more out of doing it this way than just taking regular notes.

I have also been working on hand lettering stuff. Here are two I’ve done and are working on….remember they aren’t as good as I’d really like them to be but I’m trying to get better and the only way to get better is practice, right?

This Moment

At this very moment I feel defeated. I feel as though I will never reach my goal of being a graphic designer and that absolutely crushes me right now. I want to curl up in a little ball and cry for hours because there is a voice in my head telling me that I will never be good enough. Laughing at me, this very moment.

But you know what, it will pass. I will get up and send more resumes, I will hear back from barely any. But I will move on and keep trying. Beyond this instant I will forget all about this and continue on.
After all, its only a moment.