Anniversary to myself

I miss Spain.

It was only a year ago that I was buying my first pair of hiking shoes at Bivouac , deciding what pair was the best bet to walk in if I were averaging 18-24 km a day of both flat and extreme hill terrain. Little did I know that I was going to step in a puddle of glass in a Barcelona club a week before the walk started, forcing me to walk in half a pair for another week.

 

Damaged foot to the left; Bivouac shoe to the right

Needless to say, one calf – still bigger to this day – became significantly larger than the other. Once I was able to comfortably fit my wrapped and damaged foot in my unworn shoe (they were already broken out from intensive training in Ann Arbor), I needed 600 mgs of Ibuprofen for that other unmuscular leg. - On that note: medicine is super cheap and readily available in Spain.

And after just another week, I was able to shake off any thoughts of pain, and thereafter, enjoy views like this…

Taking a moment to look back and visibly see the unbelievable path, outlined among the mountains of green, that I had just walked.

WOOD

Oh the discovery! London designer, Elisa Strozyk, has done wood good by taking textiles to a new level. At first catch and glance, a wooden carpet doesn't seem all that innovative, but at closer look, it's evident that the entirety of the carpet is made of hundreds of individually veneered wooden pieces. The carpet curves, curls, crawls, folds, and gathers at will.

http://www.elisastrozyk.de/seite/woodtex/woodencarpet.html

Next step (after steps find perfect job and find affordable nyc apartment): Purchase this baby - depending on whether my new apartment has wooden floors, tiling, or carpet. Too much wood is overkill.

Grad Life

Packing four years of college life into a Prius in less than 24 hours was crazy, to say the least. But after dumpster diving for free cardboard boxes, a trip to Salvation Army to donate boxes spilling Maize and Blue, several trips to the dumpster, a long day of Commencement events and after parties with 10,000 Michigan Graduates in the rain, and help from my parents and 6'4" brother with whatever remaining energy they had retained, it was done... almost.

1 of 3 donation boxes

 It would happen that I get a speeding ticket on my last Michigan to NYC push. I was admiring the "Caution: Falling Rocks" signs of Pennsylvania and passing the side of the crawling semi-truck next to me when I see a cop, already out of his car and literally 500 feet on the highway in front of me, waving to me. Hoping it was just a friendly wave, I pass... until I see his lights behind me.

I was meant to stay in Ann Arbor. I was meant to stay in college. I'm not supposed to graduate yet. I don't know anything, yet! ... I keep repeating. 

And then I checked my Financial Aid and Account status today, 2 weeks after the Commencement at the Big House. To add to my series of fortunate events, it turns out that I owe $59 to the University of Michigan, who's probably holding onto my diploma until I pay this. Of course, printing fees. Nothing is free: You would think that after the printers in the Architecture school "break" and deny your 50 requests and pleas to print one file, that you be free of charge. No. I should have learned after 4 years: If the printers don't print it the first time, they will not print it the second time. Nor the 50th time. They will, however, electronically print you a fine that threatens a hold on your diploma. 

So I will pay this fine today as I start my life as an addition to the unemployed post-graduate population, and restart blogging as my hometown friends are still finishing up school elsewhere 

Update: Sunday, May 6, 2012 01:06AM

You're welcome fellow degenerate Graduates

Best commencement speaker I could have asked for. We didn't get Obama again, but we definitely got an inspiring alumni that we could all relate to.

London

If I could describe London in 3 words or less, I would use the words expensive, popular, yet familiar - overall, it is just another tourist-attractive, subway/cab-dependent city as is my home NYC. When I explored the 5 block radius around my hotel in Picadilly, I hit all of "Broadway," "Times Square," and "Chinatown." Okay- maybe this was just Picadilly because I did not feel as if I were internationally abroad (besides the funny accents) until I visited Big Ben.

Funnier is how fast I picked up an English accent (I was there for 10 days).

Buen Camino

And we DID finish walking 500 miles.. plus the extra 90km to get to Finisterre, 'the end of the world.'

Medical Illustration- First time using a Wacom Tablet

Loads of fun on the Wacom Tablet. Definitely beat using a mouse or a touchpad.



Heart cut open.

Another Poster

Guns

Fun fun Finals Week

Ouch. The result of stumbling into a bush after a long night out.

CFC 3 Last Project!!

Inspired by this guy
http://chungdesigns.freehostia.com/drupal/04-28-09/yeondoo-jungs-wonderland-childrens-drawings-photos.htm


I took children's drawings, recreated the scenes, and photographed them.

CFC3- Nature

DONE with CFC! forever and ever.

My second project was inspired by a modest mouse video

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Qi7KDOAj4Xo


except mine was a painting about sealing.
The outcome.

creepy

ADP3- Fall 2009

Last ADP class.. and the only one I enjoyed.



Folding all my clothes was the worst part.

Check this out

Chris Jordan Photography: very relevant to my environmental/sustainability class (Art & Design Perspectives). Inspiration for the Oil/Water Posters below

Here's a preview

Wood

Lathe Piece


Non-Representational Sculpture

Favorite Youtube video

In TMP3, one of the first projects we got was to pick our favorite Youtube video. At the time, around October 2009, I couldn't choose just one video.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WM1fAkV805s

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RTnxJdxhU7o

The first videos really funny and second is more serious.

Freshman Year Part Two

Second Semester:
I cared more about this semester. Except I got introduced to the series CFC. I don't do conceptual thinking. It's not my thing.


Wood: I had the same teacher as I had had in TMP1, on purpose. I absolutely love her. And even though she's the one of the harshest graders I've ever had as a teacher, I've learned the most from her classes. We had four major projects: a non-representational sculpture, a lathe piece, the furniture project, and a final. The furniture and final projects were projects that I hated in the end. I worked on the furniture one the most, and dished out a TON of money on the very expensive cherry wood that I bought. But the result was a disaster and I think I threw it away (although I extremely regret it). I bullshitted the final project since we were given the shortest amount of time EVER.
I LOVE my non-representational sculpture, and I enjoy my lathe piece. I want to make the lathe piece into something functional in the future. I will photograph both and post later.


TMP2: This was a 2-D based class. I really enjoyed this class, and I think starting to like graphic design/ poster making because of this class. I definitely became better at Adobe Illustrator too.

Typography: I explored typography for the first time.

Poster based on one of the seven deadly sins: Mine was on Sloth.


Lyrics- Visual Equivalence: I took Radiohead's "Paranoid Android" and composed the lyrics on paper based on what the words meant and how they were sung.



CFC1: I posted about a project I had done in this class earlier. This is a class called Concept, Form, and Context. Enough said.

Freshman Year- Semester 1

Semester 1
I was so unmotivated, lazy, and dumb. My priorities were mixed up and I severely underestimated college. I regret this semester SO BAD.


Drawing: I loved that class. Most of the stuff that came out of that class is art that I'd keep. I have to take pictures of those drawings.


TMP1: I actually learned A LOT from this class. I got to explore different materials for the first time, and I learned how to sketch plans before executing them. We worked with cardboard, acrylic glass, wood, metal, fabric, and light. I have to take pictures of those too- will post them as soon as I get to school.


Digital: learned a lot. Used photoshop, illustrator, flash, Google sketch-up, for the first time.

We had to combine two movie posters. Left: Finding Nemo. Right: The Ring. Center: the Combination.

Nervous Fish: First time using Illustrator. I made Veronica first, then Paranoid Patrick, and went crazy with Grumpy Gary.

Font Monster: Playing with fonts.

Union Logos: hahaha. Look carefully at the eyes.


Fairytale Book Cover: Whistera, princess of dawn, turns evil at night. But watch out, this book costs $280,000.


And then my other classes that semester were Calculus 2, (Okay, noone told me it was the most failed class at the University of Michigan until it was too late.),
and ADP1, which I took NOTHING from. Hated that class. It was mutual. I got a D- which I didn't think was possible (Isn't a D- the same thing as an F?)

Ah

I'm cold. I'm at home in NY and still awake. I have a fucked up sleeping pattern thanks to the past semester. SO happy it's over.
But now I cannot stop thinking about next semester: the difficulty of my new classes, sophomore review, applying to the Architecture school, Variety, and I NEED A JOB.

Most of all, I'm freaking out because I haven't been documenting my work in the Art School so far. Meanwhile, Sophomore review is creeping up and I reaaaally don't want to procrastinate on this one. So I'm going to make an early New Years Resolution list:

1. Keep up a Blog (mainly for school)
2. Get a Job
3. Make Art for myself- art that I would appreciate (I don't think I've made any yet- sad.)
4. Sleep
5. Plan a trip/vacation to anywhere for myself during Spring Break.
6. Stop procrastinating (this seems to make my list every year)


And I'm going to start resolution #1 starting now.

Drawing 1

Drawing 1 with Endi Poskovic was my first class of college.
We explored 1-point perspective drawing, figure drawing, still life, and other different forms.


Nude Model close-up of face.



Nude Model


3-panel drawing of (from left) Self Portrait, Architectural Space, Portrait of Classmate

All drawings were done with Vine and Charcoal.