It is done.

The papers are all written. A series of lightbulb boxes with my graphics on them have been printed, neatly assembled, and are packed away safely for my final presentation. I’ve brought home my final pieces of fused and blown glass, which are now scattered around my basement for decoration.

I’m signed out of my dorm room. My stuff is all boxed up in the garage. My key has been turned over. I’m now, sitting at home, in my post-semester disheveled bedroom, next to a curled up dozing dog named Lady, and I’m here to tell you goodbye.

That’s right, in just a little more than a month, I’m hopping a plane to Australia, where I will be living with a friend and studying at one of the worlds foremost art schools.

I’ve got so much left to do before I go, I don’t think it’s really hit me that I’m actually leaving yet. I remember last time it wasn’t until the night before when I was finishing up packing that it actually hit me that I was gonna get on plane and actually go. I’m, at the moment, alternating between excitement, fear, and stress of how much has to be done before I can actually go.

Charlyne Yi, a musician, comedian, and film writer wrote in one of her songs “You can’t resurrect a day gone by.”

Days become weeks, weeks become months, and the months mount into years, and before you know it, you’re 50 and you haven’t ever left your hometown. My mother keeps telling me “Now’s the time. While you’re young. You can never do it when you’re older.”

Well, this is one chance I won’t be passing up. I’m going to Australia, to see what I can see. I’m going to learn about a dozen different cultures and study Australian and European style design.

And to that end, I must say to you all a wistful, and very fond farewell. I will not be blogging, it seems, while I’m in Australia. I will miss telling you all how everything is happening around me, but never fear! I hope to return as a blogger when I get back to the states for the spring semester of next year.

Thank you all for reading and noting me throughout the years. It’s been a tremendous honor to share my life at the Mount with you.

Have a great summer everyone!

Hey everyone!

Well, finals are gearing up, but it looks like the all of the wondering about whether or not I’m going to Australia seems to be gearing down. The paperwork was a pain, running from office to office in my school desperately trying to find someone willing to put their name on a piece of paper was great loads of fun! But looks like that’s all done with.

I’ve been accepted to IES Abroad, I’ve turned in all the extra paperwork, about to get started on my visa, and I’ve been approved for my loans. Looks like I’m officially going.

The prospect of going down there kind of scares me, I won’t lie. I have to go down, and very soon after getting there I need to arrange to get a job. Then I’m gonna need to juggle a job in a strange country with my school work, and learning to get from my apartment to school by myself using the trains and busses. It’s gonna be really hard. But I think it’s something I need to do.

I’m glad I visited before I made an official decision on the trip. Sydney is an awesome place. It’s full of many cultures, a ton of different languages, different sights, different foods. But Sydney is also a very very big place. I’m worried a guy like me from a tiny place like Anderson outside of a smaller city like Cincinnati… I might be a little overwhelmed.

But thankfully, I met lots of friends on my visit to Australia. I think I can depend on them to show me the ropes, and show me how to get around. And to show me to the local sushi bar! (yum yum!)

The very sad thing is that I will not be blogging for you all next semester. The Mount decided not to have me blog while I am in Australia. I’ll miss telling you guys about all the things I’m doing and showing you what I’m working on, but I hope to resume blogging when I return, and tell you more about everything that’s going on at the Mount.

Hope to talk to you all soon! Finals are calling I have to go!

Bye!

Hey Everyone!

I’m in Dayton, working on party favors for my friend Lydia’s wedding, and I need a break! So I thought I’d write you all a blog. (We’re making these little booklets for the wedding, they take so long!)

Anyway, since finals are haunting me, I think you get to hear more about them! We get to do finals at the end of every semester. The finals at the end of the first semester, before Christmas time, are the exact same as finals at the end of the year. Our classes only last one semester.

Finals can vary a ton from class to class. I, for instance, am a Graphic Design major and a Photography Minor. I won’t have a sit down exam in any classes like that. In subjects like photography, 2-d Design, or Drawing, your final will usually be a final project, and not a sit down exam. That sounds a lot nicer when I say it like that, but sometimes those final projects can be a killer. They still count for just as much but they fill up 3-4 weeks with a ton of work that you gotta get perfect if you want that A.

Now your more academic courses, like History, Sociology, or Math subjects, frequently those have a sit down exam. Big test covering the entire course. Same thing you’re used to from high school.

Aaaaand your third option, which some people hate, and I love. In some more discussion-oriented courses, like Philosophy, Art Criticism, Literature… those you’ll frequently not have a sit down exam, but rather a big final paper. I don’t mind papers at all so I love that, but some people really have trouble with that. Preference I guess!

Anyway, I gotta make a ton more of these little books before tomorrow! See you all soon!

Hey Everyone!

Sooooo… I got a sorta funny story to tell! Emphasis on sorta funny, because it actually was a very lucky thing that I didn’t get hurt!

So, I blow glass on Tuesday nights. That’s when my Intermediate Glass Blowing course is, and we were all in there pretty early blowing glass because we all have finals due. Actually during class is the best time to blow really complicated pieces because you have the rest of the class there. You can have up to 4 people all working on the same piece of glass.

So we were all doing just that, and I was helping my friend Sam make a shape called a cone. A cone is hard because it comes to a narrow point on the rod and that makes it hard to control (wish I could draw you guys a picture! Would be so much easier to explain! Anyway I’ll try my best!). One of the easier ways to do that is to put a foot on the end called a cookie foot. You literally make a puddle of hot glass on a steel table. Then you stick the point of your cone into the puddle and you have a little stand for the glass to stand on.

Well I was making one of those for Sam, and I dropped the cookie foot on the table, cut it off the rod, and I was working on flattening it when I unknowingly touched the hot rod of class to my pants.

Yeah, my pants caught on fire.

We’re all supposed to wear cotton in the glass studio for that reason. One of the other students politely informed me that my trousers were aflame, and I quickly put myself out. I didn’t get hurt thankfully! But my pants do have  giant burn hole in the left leg. Wish I had a picture to show you!

Moral of the story, practice safe glass. Don’t set yourself on fire!

Alrighty, finals fast approach so I have to get back to work! See you all soon!

Hey everyone!

This school year is getting pretty crazy. It’s getting to be pretty tough to do all my homework and still get all the paperwork for my Australia trip together. But somehow, with the little time we have left, I’m managing to put in a decent amount of work for my finals.

Anyway, since we’ve moved onto our final project, I’m happy to say the Art and Design poster project is OVER. Not to say I didn’t really enjoy it. I did! I think poster design might be one of my favorite facets of design. I look forward to doing another one. But I probably got to see what a big budget project in a professional design company might be like. We were all essentially working on our very final design for the poster like 3 weeks out of the due date. We had some serious time to nit-pick and question teeny-tiny details. Felt like we were working on it forever!

Well, I happy to say, after it’s all done, I tied for third place in the contest. I tied with my classmate Kurt, who’s an amazing designer and does some really knock-out work, so I’m really pleased to be considered on par with him. Our classmate Patty finished second, and I really loved her design idea. Like, I’d hang that in my room. It was pretty awesome.

The winner wasn’t from our class, but she had an awesome type-based design. I’m actually happy to see someone design only with type and make a splash, because I love type!

Anyway, finals are marching right up, so I better get back to it! See you all soon!

Hey everyone!

Well life is starting to gear up! Just about a month left in the semester, and we’re starting to get ready for finals. I’ve already been assigned my final paper in Ethics, My two final papers in Glassblowing and Fused and Formed Glass have been assigned and are due in just a few weeks here. (10 pages each! Whew!) I have to start planning out my final projects in Glass. We’ve already been assigned our final projects in my design class.

Amidst all that, however… I did get a bit of good news!

IES sent me my acceptance letter. I’ve been accepted into the program for the University of New South Wales. I’m going to Australia!

It was a ton of work getting my application together, but I’m so relieved that that part is done. But the work is far from over. I’ve gotta get LOANS together now. Like seriously, if you think the application was a headache…

I’m having to apply for my own loans through a company called Wells Fargo. None of the Mount’s financial aid will follow me overseas, and because my application wasn’t due until April, the Mount also doesn’t offer me any travel grants or scholarships. And believe you me, this trip is gonna be EXPENSIVE. The plane ticket alone might be as much as $3000.

Anyway, with finals and numbers to plug into my calculator, I can’t stop for too long! Back to it!

Have a good week and Happy Easter!

Hey everyone!

Just wanted to share the good news! I got an email back frommy IES Abroad advisor. My application is complete! They have received all the parts of my application and the application process is done!

Now comes the hardest part of the whole thing: waiting. I gotta just sit back and wait for them to process my application and see if Iget accepted. There’s plenty more to do after that happens, but for now, I justhave to sit, and wait.

Now, you guys have heard me talking a lot about the company IES Abroad. IES Abroad is a not-for-profit company that will make it easier foryou to talk to other schools in other countries. It’s an awesome program andthey’ve been very professional in their interactions with me. I’ve beenimpressed so far! But, the one downside, if I had to pick one, is that theydon’t have an official affiliation with the Mount.

To be fair, I should let you know, there’s an organization exactly like that, except it IS affiliated with the Mount! The college has an official relationship with a company called AIFS, or the American Institute for Foreign Study. I don’t too much about these guys except for the fact that the closest school they have near Sydney is Macquarie University. Now I’ve been to Macquarie Pass, and it is a gorgeous part of the world, but the University there doesn’t even have an art program. They’re more of a technical school.

Also, I specifically chose the University of New South Walesbecause: #1 it’s an amazing art school, but perhaps more important it’s very near a friend of mine that’s letting me stay with him and split rent! An apartment, even a student apartment, in Sydney is EXPENSIVE. Like I looked into a student apartment and the cheapest way would be to share with like 5 or 6 strangers in a big communal dorm type deal, and that was going to be $350… AWEEK. That’s right $350 a week. That’s just a bit steep for me, for that price I could get some of the biggest apartments in Cincinnati!

Ooorrr staying with my friend, I can live there for much,much cheaper! And take a semester in one of the worlds greatest art schools at that.

Well, I gotta get back to homework! I’ll talk to you guys soooon!

Well guys, I’ve finished my sophomore review! This past Saturday, I brought in my portfolio and I got to have it looked over by all the folks at the Graphic Design department. I do have to say, it was much shorter than I would have liked (they didn’t even get to look at my glass stuff!) and one of our oldest and most experienced professors didn’t make it, but I still think it went well! I haven’t gotten my comments back yet, but I hope I will!

Aaaaand, I HAD planned to write most of this blog telling you guys how excited I was that I finally completed and mailed off my application for my Australia trip! I got my form signed and got an official transcript from the registrar’s office and I mailed them in! So for now, I just have to wait and see if I’m accepted into the program! I can’t do anything else to work for my trip until then.

Bad news is I got an email back from IES saying they received my transcript, and the email also said they’d send an email like that for every piece of my application they receive. Well, my Authorization form from the school was in that same envelope, and they haven’t sent me an email saying they have it! I’m worried it got misplaced somewhere, so I have to get a hold of them tomorrow, and see if they can find my piece of paper! I sent them an email and I’m probably also going to call tomorrow and find out what’s up.

It’s getting kinda scary and down to the wire, so I hope I can get everything sorted out soon!

I’ll leave you guys with a picture I took when I was over in Australia! This picture is from Taronga Zoo, which is Sydney’s zoo, and it’s right across the harbor from downtown Sydney. They have an open air amphitheater where they gave a terrific bird show, and just behind the amphitheater, this is what you can see!

See you guys soon!

This could be one of busiest weeks of my life!

I’ve been working on a Art and Design poster for quite a few weeks now, and the project is finally looking like it’s about to finish up. Our final poster and all our files are due in two days! I got that much time to clean up my files and finish my process book.

Another huge thing that’s been taking up a lot of my time is Sophomore Review. In the Graphic Design department, before you’re allowed official admittance to the program you have to pass an official portfolio review during your sophomore year. Because of scheduling and credit-hour conflicts, I’m up for review this year even though I’m a Junior.

I have a different perspective on the review now that I’m a junior and not a sophomore. The department has recommended we bring two pieces of finished work for each studio class we have finished. For a sophomore, that’s probably around 5 or 6 classes. I’m a Junior, and I’ve taken something like 14 studio classes!

2-d Design, 3-d Design, Drawing 1, Drawing 2, Visual Semantics, Digital Design, Information Graphics, Identity Design, Photography 1, Photography 2, Introduction to Hot Glass, Fused and Formed Glass, Intermediate Glassblowing! I mean, that’s a ton of art!

I remember when all my classmates were doing their review, they were very concerned with making sure everything was matted and printed correctly. Now that I’ve a year more experience… I know how to present my work well, my problem is finding all of it!

If you’re an art major of any kind, MAKE SURE! If you finish any piece of art, even if you HATE it, it gets filed someplace safe so that if anyone professional or academic wants to see it, you can say you still have it. In the process of moving my art studio last year, I lost all of my 3-d work. Some of it was damaged or destroyed and a lot of it just got lost, all because I didn’t store my work very well. I’ve learned my lesson and I’m in the process of making a more permanent storage solution for my artwork!

Anyway, I think I’ve put together an impressive display of my work for my review on Saturday.  Wish me luck!

I gotta get back to this poster! Have a great week!

Hey all!

Wow, it’s been awhile…normally I try to post every week, but I’ve been off my schedule for a bit, but there is an excellent reason why!

For those of you who might not have read my earlier blogs, I traveled during Christmas break to Australia, to visit a University I hoped to study at starting in July. It turns out I like the university a whole lot, and I’ve been trying to arrange to study abroad ever since.

Well, it’s getting down to the wire! My application is due in about two weeks, and I’m trying to get all the odds and ends together! I’ve already arranged for the loans, and I’ve put in my online application. Next, I need to get my study abroad advisor to sign off on the trip, then send the company an official transcript.

I’m very close to making this happen, I think!

Spring break was a load of really difficult work towards this trip. I’m going through a company called IES Abroad (www.iesabroad.org) and I’ve spent ALLLLLLL week sending them emails, as well as the financial aid department at my school, my registrar, my study abroad advisor, and my academic advisor for my major as well as my advisor for my minor! WHEW! All those people have to say that the trip is okay and that the classes I’m taking are acceptable, or else it won’t work. Without them, my loans might not get certified, or worse, when I come back I might not get credit for the classes I worked so hard on over in Australia!

This trip is probably going to be the hardest thing I’ve ever done, and also one of the riskiest. I’m going to have to take out more than 15,000 dollars in loans to cover the trip, and still on top of that, I’m hoping to get a job over there while I study, to help pay my share of rent the place I’ll be staying.

It’s all kind of scary, but exciting at the same time! I’ll certainly let you guys know if and when things start coming together!

Wish me luck!