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Sorry to the outside world… this post is REALLY late. Spent the week getting the lab rolling and lots of work offline as we fixed the problems inthe lab.

There’s good news and bad news. Bad news is that beginning today, all lab policies are in effect. I have the signed discipline agreements in place, we all know the rules, and you can easily go back and check on anything you missed or have questions about. Maybe I should reiterate a few things

• If you’re off task, you owe me 30 minutes (games, shopping, joke sites, Streaming media, etc…)
• No gum or food in the lab (water is OK, but please leave the cap on when you’re not actively drinking)
• NO PHONES OR ELECTRONIC DEVICES.  If I see it, I take it and it goes to the office.

ALSO- REMEMBER THAT YOU MUST SAVE IN THE “T” DRIVE OR YOUR WORK WILL BE LOST!!! That’s a critical step.

Good news is the lab is ready, and we start getting creative and exploring today. No more boring/discombobulated classes. I take full responsibility for all of that.

This week, You should be starting on the Comm Tech 1 page and beginning your assignments. We already did Project 1.01 on paper, and you should have started Project 1.02 last class. From now on, you’ll need to just come in to class, read the blog updates, and then get to work cranking out the projects.

Today in class, Please have your work from the last couple weeks ready. There’s a list below of what you should have. There’s no excuse not to have all of this ready by now. I will not accept these projects late- they are not art projects where you may need more time for design and reiteration, these were just straight-up “do this” kind of assignments. There seemed to be a lot of wasted time in the last few weeks. We were so busy rolling out the lab and working around you that I didn’t even bother enforcing policies. Probably a mistake, but then again, I never had my lab catch on fire. I was caught off guard.

So over last week, I talked a lot about finding yourself, growing up, deciding where you want to be, and making a difference… And we mentioned that we needed to find ourselves- discover where we ARE-  before we can start mapping out the directions to where we want to be.

So this week, I want to help you guys figure out where you are. Hopefully last week, you found yourself on the  Enneagram Easy Summary and found a description that really spoke to you. After that, you should have looked even deeper at THIS PAGE to find out a little more about that type. Make sure that the description sounds a LOT like you. It won’t be perfect- but there should be a lot of similarities between those descriptions and how you feel and act. Remember, this is not to hold you down or lock you in to anything… this is just about being self aware- knowing what makes you tick.

So now you have a basic kind of core motivation that you feel (success, relationship, perfection, happiness, etc..) and that the same thing that makes you so awesome in some aspects can also come out sideways and make you less than awesome. So just come to accept your limitations and embrace your weaknesses and your strengths… it’s all you. But many of you are trying so hard to fit in somewhere that you haven’t looked really hard at where you actually fit. We all try so hard to be our IMAGE instead of who we ARE. And I can tell you right now, that NEVER works. You’re always working against who you really are. Take some time and look inside. Figure out who you are… because if you don’t- and you hide who you really are for your whole life… it’s like you never existed- you don’t even count. At best, you’ll just be a poor imitation of someone else for the rest of your life. And that is a miserable experience to have to live. And at the same time, nobody gets the pleasure of knowing you.

We’ve all heard the little saying “Sticks and stones may break your bones but words can never hurt you.” That’s Complete and Utter Bullcrap. Words can destroy people… Bruises heal fast- broken bones get a cast and you’re fine in a month or two… But your emotions? Your heart? No way to bandage, cast, or assist it’s healing. You have to just wait- WITHOUT ANY MORE NEW DAMAGE- for it to heal. Problem is, since you can’t bandange or cast it- you can’t really protect it from other people’s little verbal stones and darts they throw. You have to have a shield. And that shield is simply the truth. The truth of who you are, EXACTLY WHO YOU ARE. No pretending you don’t have faults or being embarassed about your strengths… it’s accepting it all- just as you are. And realize that it’s all connected.

We started looking at the truth of who you are with the personality test things and finding your place in the enneagramm. Some people can’t find a good fit in there- so here’s the next step:

Tell Me who you are. I want you to write down 50 things about you that are good. Yep- Fifty. And they all have to be different. Put your name at the top of the paper and give me 50 things that are good about you. We’ll call this the “Big 50.” This is not what you’re good at doing- you are not what you do… you are simply what you are. Some of your list will be things you are good at doing (football, playing guitar, etc..) but think deeper- about the things that are good about you because it’s the kind of person you are (Examples: I’m Generous. I’m a good listener. I’m honest to people. I’m a good friend.)

I want this on it’s own sheet of paper.

This Week’s “Do-it’s”:

1. Big 50

So this year, we’re focusing on The Design Process, Character, and designing toward a Cause. Today you need to pick Character and Causes.

 How about this year you start really looking forward and stop just living life as it’s handed to you. Try expanding. Try not giving up so fast. Try finding what makes you tick. Try finding your own inner muse. Maybe read something that makes you think once a day (heck, start with just one a week).  Look for daily inspiration in your own creativity.

And as we mentioned in class , we’re going to find our passion. By the end of the week, you need to find a character trait ( extra sources: 1,  2 )and an organization you believe in (extra sources: 1). A lot of your projects for the rest of the year will be focused on these two issues. I want to integrate what’s important to YOU in theis class. Remember, it’s not just about design, and it’s certainly not about me in here… it’s all about YOU. What makes you special? Why are you here? What are you gonna do to make the world better because you’re in it- both for yourself and for the world in general.

Next class we’ll look into a little more about finding out who you really are. Sometimes it’s hard to see. Let’s take a look at who you are and what makes you tick. Explore your strengths and and weaknesses. as it’s been said by the greatest minds, we must know ourselves to be wise, that the unexamined life is not worth living (Socrates).

Everyone wants to be treated with respect and dignity, but many of us don’t even give ourselves that same respect and dignity we want from others. Get to know yourself. Find out who you are, what you stand for, and where you want to go in life.. As we mentioned in class… if you aim for nothing, you’ll hit it every time. And if you want to start on a journey, you gotta know both where you are and where you’re going to plan out the directions to get there.

It’s going to be a good year for those of you that want to be better people- but this class is no place for the lazy, the quitters, and the losers. Choose today to be a winner, or find another class- You only lose when you quit.

8/19- UPDATE
Logo Project- Decide what you think would be a dream job for you. Then imagine you have your own business doing what you would love to do more than anything else. (Dream big! Imagine you get to be successful at ANYTHING you want!) What would you do?

Now create a logo for your business (Examples of great logos are everywhere.) But the logo MUST BE BASED on your initials. There are no other specifications beyond that. Get creative, understand the problem, think outside of the box.

8/20- UPDATE:

 OK… Here’s what you should have for me now:

• Logo with your initials
• Character Trait you want to focus on this year
• Cause you want to think about this year

Today- I want you to take the two following Personality tests. They take a little time, but only a little. ANSWER THESE SERIOUSLY AND DO NOT WORK WITH A PARTNER WHEN ANSWERING- It will mess up your ability to answer honestly and taking a serious look at yourself.

Personality Test Online Site  AND SECOND personality test .

After you’re done, read the explanation of the type it says you are. See if it fits or not. (Sometimes these don’t work so well). After that- read all the other descriptions of the types (just read the first paragraph or two before it says “Possible Origins” and the “Finding Yourself” section) from Enneagram Easy Summary( All taken from THIS PAGE).   See if there is another one that you think better fits who you ARE (NOT who you want to be). The tests are not perfect- they tend to put a lot of people as 7′s or 8′s when they’re not.

Once you find which you think you are (it should kind of “ring true” or feel like it’s is a really good description of you), read the whole description from THIS PAGE. Note that the same type of person has a “Flawed” and “Well-Adjusted” way of living with their core motivator. It’s not bad to be one thing or the other… they’re all just different. And there’s a good way and a not-so-good way to work out your way of looking at the world. Breaking the bad habits take time… so the faster you start, the better off you’ll be.

Get done early??? Check out the Abduzeedo Daily Inspiration. Discuss it with the people around you. What images do you like? Why??? Just saying “Because it’s cool” won’t help you much- how does it make you feel? and then WHY.  What does it make you think about? and then WHY.  What conflict or message is in the image? The first step in being able to express yourself is to start to look at excellent examples of other people’s expression and seeing what you connect with- SPECIFIC things you connect with.

This week’s “Do It’s”:

I get a lot of questions from students about what kind of computer I recommend. First, I recommend one you can afford- Shop around and watch out for botique names (Alienware, etc…). You often pay a lot for the logo on the case. Look for smaller companies that have been around a while or build your own if you know how.

But this summer, I talked to some of the development team for CS5 Production Premium, and this is what they recommended as a really great build that won’t completely break the bank (But E-machines will never have a model like this, if you know what I mean… This is NOT a bargain PC setup).

• CPU:quadcore chip (i7)
• RAM: 8 gb ram minimum
• GPU: Geforce gtx 475 (for pixel bender and other support)  COMING OUT SOON! Replaces Geforce 285 in my old list
• SOUND: Off-motherboard is always best, but not critical unless recording high end surround sound editing. (Creative E-Mu, Turtle Beach cards,  and M-audio mentioned as good affordable choices.)
• Motherboard: One that supports all the above
• PSU: MOST OFTEN OVERLOOKED PART OF YOUR KIT- AND ONE OF THE MOST IMPORTANT!!! DO the research to make sure you have what you need and get a GOOD, NAME BRAND PSU. (Antec, PC Power and Cooling, Sparkle, Enermax, Coolermaster) (More info)

WOOOHOOOO!!!! It’s over!!!

So here’s your final exam:

Write me 2 paragraphs. One with 3 things you like most about the class, and the other with 3 things you would change if you were the TEACHER and wanted the class to be the best it can be (producing the best artists with the highest skills).

Have that, and your certiport contest entry entered HERE, and you’ll be in GREAT shape… 60% of your grade will be this essay, and the other 40% will be the Certiport entry (which is pass or fail- You do it and upload it, 100%).

See you guys in the lab! Another year down, gang!!!

FOR THOSE OF YOU WITH A HAIL MARY EFFORT- HERE is where you can download Photoshop CS5 trial.

It’s SO close to being over. Another school year. Another year closer to graduation. Another year closer to real jobs and taxes and all that boring grown up stuff.

So what’s this year meant to you? What have you done this year to make yourself a better, stronger person? What have you done this year to make the world a little better for yourself and the people around you? How did you contribute to life this year?

Sometimes we forget to ask these questions. Some are to immature to care about even asking them (no matter how old they are- there are immature “adults” as well). And if you haven’t done anything worthy of writing about, why not? It’s not too late to fix it. It’s not too late to take responsibility for yourself. It’s not too late to make a difference.

This week, I want you to take the time to make a poster about how you’ve changed the world this year to make it better. (No ideas on how to start? This should help).Don’t be detailed- be general. Encourage generosity or service. Encourage excellence. Encourage perseverance. Don’t specifically talk about how you helped raise funds for a charity- share the hope that the charity represents (curing cancer, SADD, children’s hospital, hospice, etc). Don’t talk about how you gave blood… talk about how giving blood saves lives.

You’re not a child anymore. In 3 years at most, you will be an adult and active part of society. You want to be treated fairly and have good things happen to you- but it’s give and take… If there’s no give- then you have no right to take. You want to be treated fairly- then give your fair share back.

Next week, we’ll be putting the portfolios together for finals and so you have all your work from this year. If you want your files, back them up- these computers will be gone next year, along with all your files.

DO A GOOD THING NOW… One of our students, Marqueshia Stallworth, is in a contest to be student of the month… All you have to do is click here, scroll down, and vote! Easy to do, and you can store up a little doing good today with just a couple clicks of the mouse. You can vote once a day from home… even share out the link to friends and family maybe so they can vote once a day?

 This week’s challenges: Here’s a new one inspired by this. The more I do, the faster they go- and I’m learning a new trick every day. I’m TOTALLY not taking any more flack about how you guys don’t have enough time or how hard it is. Granted, I have more experience- but I’m just following instructions. If I can do it in 1 hour, you can do it in 10. The more you do, the more you re-use tricks and learn different ways to do it. I used the levels trick instead of bringing into illy.