Weaknesses—uncovered

For my Graphic Design 3 class I had to make something in InDesign that incorporated my weakness.
Layout.
Phooey. So this is the result: a tri-fold brochure. For someone who also dislikes feet, this piece is challenging. I have no idea how it came across—but I suddenly had a heading (that I didn't use...) and the brochure was in process!
Feedback? Please?
I am not too thrilled with the current heading (center left), but I didn't get any comments on it (good/bad) during the critique and didn't even think about it... hmmm

Hands Off

I've been feeing some pressure this week. Not just from academic sources, but from other areas in life. Let's face it, I am at a really exciting time in my life—lots of things are changing, and I am really thrilled about everything that is happening! But at the same time, I am feeling some pressure to perform and decide. I have to pick which country I am going to visit next year (required to graduate from Arborshire), and there are so many options! And not every option is available for every term that it is offered! I've always wanted to go to Italy, but now that it is time to decide, I'm second guessing myself and trying to 'be sure' that I pick the best option for me.

I also have a big midterm coming up for Graphic Design 3. This one will give me a clue as to how well I will do in this class as a whole. While I am trying my best, I am still not excelling in the way that I fear I should be. I know this is a hard class to pass through, and I am not sure how my academic scholarship will hold up against a low grade, let alone my pride. And as my classmates begin to discover what they are going to do when they graduate, or at least what they want to pursue, I am growing frustrated as my own lens grows more faint. I will have a job when I leave here, even if I work in a drug store again, get a job at the bank, or work my other odd jobs. But... of course, I would rather do something with art!

Though I've had a strange sense of peace about it. I am
rarely
never calm when it comes to what the future holds. I am constantly trying to get my goofy little ducks to line up all in a row. And I would really rather they be in order of hight—is that too much to ask? But while I am still thinking about it quite a bit, the fact that God is in control has constantly calmed me down! When has He failed me before? I have never been left alone, and even when my large list of plans was pulled out from under me—I found an even better set lying right underneath. A year ago, I would never have expected to be in the place that I am now. And I would even have been afraid to move forward, despite the fact that so many great things have happened—but I am so happy where I am at now!

God provides. And I am so thankful! How many times have I worried about not having enough money, and then I turned around only to discover that I had more odd jobs than hours! And yet I doubt, how silly. My hands are off the wheel—and not only that, I think I'll take a nap in the back seat. I trust the driver, and I'm not very good at this 'control' thing anyway.

Yes, a lot of things are changing. But they are exciting things, and wonderful things, and will surely lead to things that I am not brave enough to hear yet. In five years I could be living in a different country, or starting a home business, working for a company, living on my own, or even married. Who knows? "'Not I' said the fox". And I don't' know either. But I am excited to find out :)

Precious Moments

Many of you have heard of Miranda Cole—the precious baby who was born after the death of her mother in a horrid car accident. Despite the very weak brain waves, those who knew the family spread the word and thousands of people were playing, Miranda was kept alive for 3 short days. She passed away after the life support was removed this evening.
The story absolutely broke my heart. As much as I wanted this precious child to live, she is now with her mommy and her creator. She is so much happier now, and God has a plan regardless of how we feel.
If you could now lift up her father and family in prayer. Chad, who is mourning the loss of both beloved wife and daughter, needs to feel God's love more than ever. A hard road stands before him and his family. I cannot (and have no desire to) even begin to fathom the pain that they are feeling right now.
But what a legacy—Miranda has made more of an impact for Christ in 3 days than many (including myself) have made in their entire lives. Despite the newly empty tissue box, the confusion and the hiccups that have incorporated various parts of my day, I can't wait to hear what God has done, and will do, through this event. Darling Miranda, beloved child of God, you have completed your mission here—enjoy Mommy and Jesus.
For more background, check out Chad's blog, though I warn you—tissues are required. But praise God for the faith that Chad and his family has—that they are able to trust in Him while still admitting their doubts and working through them.

I guess we really can't guarantee what will happen tonight or tomorrow. Family plans once full of hope seem dashed beyond repair. No, I don't understand—but that doesn't mean that I won't place my faith in Christ still. Despite this event (as well as others that have surrounded it in my life), in Christ alone, my hope is found. He is my light, my strength, my song... the corner stone... the solid ground... the light of the world...

I love you, oh Lord, my strength
psalm 18:18

Humming Choir Logo

My latest project :)
Pure play.
Well... that's how it started anyway.
I had so much fun with this piece and, thankfully, my critiques really liked it too! I got only good reviews on this project.
It's a logo design for a classical children's choir. I started off with the top hummingbird image. My roommate and I were playing around with Origami for a while and it's kinda stuck with me! Adding the sheet music design just became the icing on the cake—and though it won't work for all forms of publication (thus the variations), it adds something unexpected—something that hasn't been done before.
I really battled with the typography. I wasn't sure if I should go with something to mimic the origami folds, or if I should go with something more readable and sophisticated. I finally ended up with my favorite sans-serif font (don't ask why, but I like it and use it all the time), with a little modification to create a visual hum. And despite the battle, I think it turned out really well!
Anyway, I'm tickled with how it turned out—hopefully my other future critics will like it as much as my classmates and instructor did tonight!

Open Mic Night

This is the first project for my Graphic Design 3 class this semester. We were not given any guidelines, just told to create a project in InDesign. Not the ideal situation—while fun, it was far too broad a playing field for me to feel very comfortable. This is what I came up with—a poster design for the Open Mic Night that is going to be on campus later this month.

I really struggle in InDesign as a whole. Layout is not my strength, and even with this piece I had to try many entirely different situations before coming up with this one. It just doesn't come naturally to me, though I hope it gets better as time goes on. Feedback welcome as always—I'm sure the critique tomorrow evening will be rather brutal, and I plan on reporting after that.