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Lunchtime Lectures

This lecture series is intended to expose to art-related careers and the ways that art/design skills & knowledge can be applied to other fields of study and personal interests.  Attendance is expected. Those unable to attend must still complete the assignment. Select resources are provided below for your use. Art 2 SB entries must include: 1) Heading (name/title/date, etc.), 2) Notes, 3) Supporting image, 4) Summative reflection​. Art 3 students should take notes in their SB but complete the EXPERIENCE post online (review WS instructions for details)

Learn more about art careers

Alex Norman

4/20/2018

 
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Alex Norman graduated from Maggie Walker in 2016. She started in Art 2 as a freshman and stayed enrolled in art classes - including Art 5, Photography, and Art History - through her senior year. She is familiar with the stressors of Maggie Walker or any school that has high expectations - and the work-load and rewards that come with. It was her art classes that kept her from going back to her home school, from taking the easy way out, from missing out on the potential that she is now aware of. Art allowed her the opportunity to begin on a path that would guide her to where she is now: VCU School of the Arts, as a Craft and Materials Study major. Art would introduce her to an Eastern philosophy that would further and support her journey by helping her to navigate the purposes of the delicate balance of work and play that is life: WABI-SABI

Alex: "Wabi-sabi, as I’ve come to know it, is a Japanese aesthetic that is less of a style than it is an experience of finding beauty in the ordinary, the imperfect, and the broken; a process of accepting and even embracing the perceived “ugliness” and often uncomfortable emptiness inherent in our day to day lives. In the spring semester of my freshman year I ended up writing a fairly extensive research paper on wabi-sabi and explored the question: in what ways can the embrace of the wabi-sabi aesthetic in life and design contribute to human mental health and wellbeing?"
This is a helpful video, which explains the hard-to-explain the concept of "wabi-sabi" while also describing its connection to the Japanese tea ceremony (don't mimic the way the narrator mis-pronounces "wabi-sabi," however...)
Here's more information: Wabi-Sabi and Understanding Japan A philosophy and aesthetic as worldview
As hard as it is to explain wabi-sabi, it is equally difficult to express what was gained from Alex's lecture. My mind was blown, really. She is mature beyond her years and has a voice that can enthrall and entrance (she is also a singer whose original songs are as raw and powerful as all she spoke about). I hung on every word. I tried to take notes but the words on my page began to seem petty or at least inconsequential compared to the truths that Alex was speaking about. If you missed this lecture, I am truly sad for you - you missed something exceptional. I will document some of my take-aways below but, please know, they don't do her talk justice and may not make much sense if you weren't there.

I hope for all of you the ability to find what drives you, what grounds you, what keeps you happy and productive, and what separates you from the rest. I'd love to know that you found it through studying art - but if not, just find it. 

Some things I wrote down:
  • When you deal with craziness (like the day-to-day @ Maggie Walker), you can better appreciate the simple moments
  • Learning to "play" can cultivate compassion and can help one to be more resourceful
    • Look for "wabi-sabi" in everyday moments and things - like art made from what nature had discarded (and that people haven't learned to appreciate)
  • IT JUST HAPPENS but you have to be open to it/ready for it (whatever "it" may be for you)
  • You aren't expected to be perfect (at whatever you are learning) - you ARE expected to put put your heart into it 

Graphic design & Illustration @ RTD

9/21/2017

 
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  • Molly Cook O'Neal (MLWGS class of 2009) spoke about her role as a graphic designer for the Richmond Times Dispatch - but, more importantly perhaps,  she also spoke about her life and career journey since graduation from Maggie Walker 
  • Dwayne Carpenter spoke about his role as an illustrator

SAGE ADVICE GLEANED FROM THE TWO SPEAKERS*:
  1. "If you can draw, you can design" - Learn to draw - keep drawing - drawing helps you to brainstorm ideas quickly and to communicate those ideas with the client (btw, that's why Art 1 is a prerequisite for Topics in Digital Media classes).
  2. Advocate for what you want to do (Dwayne hired to design ads but wanted to do illustrations... now he does both, as well as marketing items like t-shirts, banners, and umbrellas!).
  3. Find YOUR right path - don't worry about what others are doing!!!
  4. Talk to people! Tell them what you do, what your skills are - you never know who needs what and how word of mouth can get you jobs that you didn't even know about.
  5. Be a perpetual student - never stop learning (BE CURIOUS) - this is how you grow. If you are not constantly learning and growing, then figure out why and fix that problem, pronto.
  6. Related to the above - BE VERSATILE - the more you can do, the more valuable you will be to a future employer.
  7. Don't be afraid of criticism (it helps you learn and grow!).
  8. Get involved in what you believe - this path will lead to a job that right for you.

*Please note that these words of wisdom go far beyond the realm of art...

SOMETHING TO BE CURIOUS ABOUT... What is the difference between ART and DESIGN? 

HELPFUL INFORMATION:
  • ​What is a graphic designer?​​

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