I’ll be presenting this large scale illustration to my class today for a critique, among other political pieces. I wanted you all to get a glimpse of it first.
Monthly Archive for January, 2008
Everyone who personally knows me or who has visited this website for the past few months knows that I will vote for Dr. Ron Paul tomorrow in the Florida primary. It’s hard to miss the giant graphic on the right side of my page or the bumper sticker on my car or the signs that I post on my windshield when I park. A few of my friends have teased me, other’s have politely nodded, and other have even honestly engaged with me in the discussion about Dr. Paul’s message of personal liberty, sound money, and a humble foreign policy. All of these discussions have brought a great joy to me because what matters is that these topics are addressed.
For the past 2 weeks I’ve been canvassing my neighborhood, talking to my neighbors about the primary and who they would vote for. You know what the most surprising thing is? More than ninety percent (90%) of the people I asked had no idea who they were voting for. Mind you, these were registered Republicans! In a way, I can understand the confusion among them when the only info presented to them by the media is a mishmash of approval ratings, spin rooms, attack ads, and rhetoric about “front runners” without ever really addressing the issues.
And so I present the video above to the YouTube generation. I think it beautifully paints a picture of who Dr. Paul is and the message he’s sharing to those of us who are disenfranchised by both the politicians in Washington and the politicians in the Media. I have been so encouraged by this message that I have started considering a possible career in politics so I can help bring a positive change to our country, as many other young inspired Americans are doing right now.
And so I urge you to think about and research who you will be voting for tomorrow. By this time next year we will have a new president. It’s up to us voters to wisely think about the kind of person we want to entrust our country to. I will be proudly voting for the Champion of the Constitution.
Last week I submitted a standee design for the film Shoot Down, a documentary about the 1996 shoot down of the Brothers To The Rescue planes by the Cuban government. The film is getting quite a bit of media attention here in Miami and is premiering in selected theaters nationally. Click the thumbnail below to see the full design.
“The distance between the U.S. and Cuba is greater than 90 miles.”
It’s been a rough few days. I’m overwhelmed with the tasks at hand. In particular, I’m trying to figure out what kind of work to submit for my Bachelor of Fine Arts (BFA) show in April. I’ve been going back and forth with doing hand-painted pieces, digital works, illustrated social commentaries, and all other possible solutions. I feel boxed in and it’s terrible.
I’ve made a list called Things to Worry About which highlights all the deadlines and obligations haunting me right now. It’s actually quite therapeutic for me to face all these demons in a single text file. Now the strategy calls for addressing each one. I’m attempting to find a place for each task in my calendar so I can eventually get rid of them. Next thing I need to do is turn down every other offer* that comes my way. I’ve committed to too many things now and it’s finally come back bite me in the foot. Well no more, I say! I’ll be politely declining invitations to work on projects until I can get things under control again. Just thinking about it makes me more anxious. I’d better go to sleep before this monitor feels the wrath of my jab. Good night.
*If you want to buy me lunch, that’s cool. I’ll try not to turn that down. ;]
This Miami weather is interesting. One day it’s boiling hot and then all of a sudden it’s a cold Tuesday. It’s fun seeing all these Floridians outside with their jackets and thick sweaters. We’ve been waiting all year (fifteen days) to take these coats out of our closets.
Latest update:
- Steady amount of homework so far. Manageable.
- I’ve been watching the Republican debates like a football fan, yelling and cheering at the T.V. with a foam finger and a beer hat.
- Working on an energy drink design for my packaging class. It’s gonna be a good one.
- Working on a movie standee for an upcoming local film. There’s a short deadline for this one but I think I’m moving in the right direction so far.
- Went back to the gym after a long hiatus. Problem is, I ate too much before I went. Barely made it through the workout.
- Despite the sad-looking cartoon above, I’m feeling quite well.
- This week my good friend Rey flies out to Kentucky. I’m planning on seeing him before he goes.
- Olga, a friend who graduated last semester, dropped by the class and said hello today. Made me feel good, ya know?
That’s it for now. Maybe next time I’ll have something exciting for ya.
Every Friday night, I attend a philosophy discussion hosted by my pastor and his wife. Our latest course of study consists of weekly readings of The American Century and usually two dvd lectures from different professors in the Teaching Company catalog. In the past we’ve gone through the history of Christianity, history of America, and history of the 20th century, focusing particularly on where different schools of thought have emerged and dominated modern thinking.
As of last week, we were discussing the emergence of psychoanalysis at the beginning of the 20th Century. After reading about the work of Sigmund Freud and Carl Jung I was inspired to draw the above sketch. What started off as a professional relationship soon became a bitter rivalry. I wonder who would’ve won in a mixed martial arts fight. My money would have been on Jung because there’s a lot more face to grab on Freud, him having a beard and all. I can also imagine Jung in a press conference after the fight saying something like, “Maybe Freud was right, I’m the biggest, baddest, mother****** of them all.”
History deserves a lot more outrageous quotes like that. Students would definitely pay a lot closer attention.
Today marks the beginning of the end for my undergraduate school career. Come December, I will have finished all my classes and received a bachelor’s degree in fine art – graphic design. In the meantime I am taking the following classes this semester:
- History of Graphic Design – an in-depth examination of graphic design’s origins, evolution, and impact over time. I’m extremely excited about this class.
- Senior Project – this is where I will finalize my portfolio and prepare for my BFA show at the end of the semester.
- Technology & Process – it’s a fancy name for a packaging class. I’ll be developing brands and packaging for a number of products and fictional companies. I’ve had a similar class in the past. Time-consuming but fun.
- Ideas & Styles – graphic design projects in the realm of print. In the past we have designed swatch books, posters, album covers and so on. I wonder what’s in store for us this time around.
So far I’ve only attended the History of Graphic Design class and it was excellent. There are a total of 4 students in the class, including myself, which makes it more like a graduate seminar. Professor Georgette Ballance, formerly of the prestigious Cornell University, is a sweetheart and very knowledgeable. And it doesn’t hurt the she edited a book on the subject. All in all I think this is going to be a great semester. I have to make sure I schedule myself well as I work on my projects. It would be nice to work on projects without the element of procrastination. As self-motivated as I am, it’s time I recruited an external control to hold me accountable on these projects.
On a similar note, I’ve already started thinking about graduate school. It’s a bittersweet subject for me, because I hate the idea of having more homework in the future, but I’ve fallen in love with a particular school. I somehow stumbled upon a video of St. John’s College and was mesmerized about 20 seconds into it. Imagine a school with no textbooks. Instead, the curriculum surrounds around the Great Books of the Western World. I’m going to look further into the school and make a decision about when I will visit.
