Sorry, friend. You know who you are.
There’s a fine line between critiquing, criticizing, and insulting. Constantly being in a school and work environment where design is discussed and dissected, I think it’s fair to say that I’ve become a bit calloused when participating in the dialogue of design. To me, it’s about improving the work, helping it reach its potential. I like to think that my peers come to me for my opinion because I’m honest in my assessment about their work.
I’m what some may call picky (for lack of better words, although I imagine my friends can think of better adjectives for me) when it comes to grammar and design. In a strange sort of way I relish the title. Is it a gift to spot a typographical error? Should I take joy in finding flaws? Am I hurting them by staying quiet? My ego thinks so. But I should be honest with myself when I see the opportunity to blurt out my opinion, especially when it’s not invited.
And yet I can remember times when I’ve produced a piece and wished someone would have pointed out a mistake or misjudgment in the work before I declared it complete. But there’s a right way and wrong way of giving feedback.
- Right way: privately, sincerely, and with the ol’ sandwich method (compliment, criticism, compliment).
- Wrong way: publicly, dismissive, and followed by (choose of the following: sneers, insults, punches, scissor kicks, leg drops, or anything else that could potentially leave a scar).
I usually show my drafts to a handful of people whose opinions I respect when it comes to these matters. And they’ve been a big help. But I realize that if someone outside of my inner circle has something critical to say about the piece, it’s much easier to brush it off or take offense. So I think I’ve learned a lesson…
Nobody wants to hear your lousy opinion. And if they do, they’ll ask for it.
Financial freedom is one of my goals for the summer, and by that I mean getting rid of all my debts. Mind you, I don’t have much but there’s enough to make me uneasy. I was a mere $200 from paying off my credit cards and then I had to pay for a root canal and a filling which put me back another few hundred bucks.
I’m also slowly paying back a hospital bill for my minor shoulder injury a few months back. MRIs are not cheap, so avoid any muscular damage at all costs. In fact, if you’re going to spend any kind of money consider investing in a large bubble to live in. That way you’ll avoid most injuries and you’ll be the most popular kid on the block. Oh, and you can race hamsters who roam in plastic bubbles and brag that you beat that guy fair and square.
I like to think that once I’m done paying off that credit card I’ll shred it to tiny specs and then never put anything on credit ever again. And then when I’m all grown up and ready to buy a new house or car I’ll be able to pay with a suitcase full of money attached to some bodyguard’s wrist. Strangers like that sort of thing.
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. ;]
Still trying to get back in the groove of things after my Denver trip. Nothing feels quite the same, really. I’ve been going to sleep much later and struggling to wake up in the mornings, even when I blast post-hardcore music for my alarm clock.
Halloween Horror Nights was pretty cool. For some reason I didn’t expect to stand in 95-minute lines for mediocre haunted houses. That part was a bummer. Hanging out with my classmates was a plus, though.
The Helvetica screening was amazing. Hats off to Gary Hustwit for such a powerful and simple documentary. All the designers in the theater swooned with love for it.
I totally missed all the performances I mentioned in my last entry. Actually, I attempted to see Musiq Soulchild with my brother, but when we arrived we were told the show was canceled. I wish the venue website would have mentioned something. So instead of moping around in pity as we were beginning to do, Tony and I decided to visit the Seminole Hard Rock Hotel and Casino. I went up to a slot machine, played $5 and won $15 more. We used the money to buy some burgers, shakes, and chili cheese fries. Not too bad of an evening after all.
I’m glad tomorrow is Friday. I need to rest and work some more. Deadlines are approaching.
Today was the second day of school and thus my first time seeing my Tuesday/Thursday classes. The day didn’t last long due to a terrible toothache I encountered in the middle of the day. The throbbing pain began to slowly develop after I ate lunch with a classmate and professor. Soon thereafter it became an unbearable force on my entire skull that would come in waves of 5 minutes at a time. I have 3 classes on Thursdays, but I only managed to survive 2 of them today. Before I left the campus I made sure to tell my last professor my situation. She totally understood and said it would be fine to leave before her class. She’s too awesome.
My drive home was terrible. The blaring heat caused me to break out in sweats and my pulsing tooth continued to cause me much grief. I felt as if I was going completely mad. My head swerved and my eyes nearly rolled into the back of my head as I drove through I-95. There were blessed moments of complete numbness, but they were short lived. I whimpered into my home and took 800mg of ibuprofen. I laid on the bed and waited for another moment of numbness to finally get myself into a blissful sleep. Somehow it worked. I woke up pain-free and found that dinner was already prepared. I haven’t felt the pain come back since I awoke from my nap.
Tomorrow morning I have an appointment with my dentist in which I hope to receive a pulpotomy. It will be much cheaper than a root canal. I’ll wait ‘till I get back to Colombia for that procedure. I ain’t exactly made of money. Between braces and car accidents and martial arts injuries and MRIs, I’m starting to get a serious dent in my wallet. After all this, I’m going to consider living in a bubble.
It’s been a crazy few days for me. Things are breaking all around me. Two weeks ago my car’s compressor died. Last Monday my iPod stopped working. Two days later I got a call from my brother telling me my home computer was fried due to a lightning strike nearby.
I responded to the car thing by borrowing Tony’s ride until my dad was able to replace the compressor. The other 2 possessions are still dead. A small inconvenience, but no biggie. Lately I’ve become a bit more stoic about the things I own. I’ll be losing one more thing in two days: a tooth. The dentist will be yanking one of my lower front teeth to create some space now that I have braces. I just hope I don’t end up sounding like those people who whistle while they says words starting in the letter S, like Dan Rather or Beaver from Winnie The Pooh.
Anyways… here’s a collection of faces I drew while at the doctor’s office.
