It all started with an idea...

Don't worry, this isn't another "How much do I love this show? Well let me tell you..." post. This book came in the mail for me yesterday (I'd preordered it back in January!) and calmly, I opened it and immediately went to the back page. There was a small afterword from Mike & Bryan, commending their fans about making it this far in a book they had put together solely for them. I was really touched by the fact that these two guys had created a universe that had affected so many people - young and old - and it had all started with a simple idea.

I love these kinds of books, where the animators just sit back and reorganize all of their thoughts and their work from the preconception to the final product in order to give their fans the creative process. I have a PIXAR book about A Bug's Life stashed away somewhere, too, and I'm definitely the type who'd disect every "behind the scenes" footage from an animated film DvD. It's like playfully fitting the pieces into a giant puzzle, discovering where the ideas for certain scenes came from and why animators decided to give characters a certain "look" rather than others.

It's hard to explain but I feel like the reason my enthusiasm for art school hasn't been completely present is because I know there will be bumps along the road. I know I still have a lot to learn, and that I'll have to work collaboratively with others (which isn't my strong suit all the time, and that at some point... I'm going to have to push myself really hard and not give up on that competitive, sometimes cruel world in the animation/entertainment industry. Ideas evolve, and that's the scary part. Sometimes the final product is so different from what you initially worked on, and it doesn't always feel like it's yours. But it's all part of the creative process, and that's what I continually learn from reading these books.

If anything, I need to take a breath, face the challenges, and realize that creativity needs to come with an open mind. I can do this.

=)

Art School advice!

Hello Sandra, I want to welcome you to our community of artists and designers at the Academy of Art University. This is a collection of tips and observations that I have accumulated over almost 8 years of being an advisor and from taking a number of studio classes, including fashion, drawing, painting and sculpture. I hope this information will help you make a smooth transition into graduate school. Art and design is hard work: I don't mean hard as in astrophysics, but it is the most time consuming thing I've ever done. Most students, who do not come from a studio intensive program, underestimate the time commitment factor because they crammed for their midterms and finals and got A's and B's in their undergraduate degree. In art school, you cannot complete projects last minute. This is something instructors recognize right away and there's no hiding it. If you only spend 5 hours on an assignment, it will not compare favorably next to your fellow student's work, which took 10 hours. Art and design takes commitment: Don't get frustrated if you are not at a level you want to be after the first semester. Remember that you are just at the beginning stage of the program! Getting great at your craft takes practice and patience. One of our directors compares it to training for the Olympics. If you do not practice often, you cannot win, regardless of how talented you are. Those who persevere will succeed. "I am doubtful of any talent, so whatever I choose to be, will be accomplished only by long study and work..." (Jackson Pollock) Don't consider a "C" a passing grade: The art and design world is completely different from anything else. When you go apply for a job as an accountant, you will not be asked to show your transcript. When you apply for a job as a designer, your portfolio is a direct reflection of your transcript. Remember your classmates are your peers and your competition. If you are producing "C" level work, then you are likely competing for the same job as "B" and "A" level students. Don't go into each class with the goal to just pass the class. Your goal should be to produce portfolio pieces. Don't overload on classes: You have a finite number of hours in your week. If you overload on classes, just by pure mathematics, you will have fewer hours to complete each assignment. Don't set yourself up to produce mediocre work that cannot be in your portfolio. Your goal for graduate school should be to build a strong portfolio, not to race through a program. Come in with an open mind: Remember why you decided to attend graduate school in the first place. You are looking for help in pushing your art and design in a new direction. If you want to produce the same level of work in graduate school that you are producing now, you don't need us. Your instructors are here to push you out of your comfort zone so you can grow. To share my own experience, my Anatomy instructor drove me to tears of frustration because he was breaking me out of some of my bad drawing habits. While painful at the time, in retrospect, I needed someone to tell me what I was doing wrong. Network: The best jobs are those that you hear about from your fellow students and your instructors. If you want to be tapped on the shoulder for an internship, demonstrate that you work well with others and that you're reliable. Network from day one! It takes courage to be an artist! It would have been easy to tell friends and family that you are going to law school or to medical school, but it was probably a struggle to tell loved ones that you are going to art school. So on that note, I commend you for your bravery in defining yourself as an artist and/or designer. You are coming into a community of passionate educators and fellow artists and designers. I wish you the best of luck in your journey! Warmest regards, Cindy Graduate Admissions Academy of Art University ....It's finally starting to hit me. ^_^

ACEN '10

I went to Anime Central this past weekend for the second time, and I finally cosplayed!!! Of course, I had to show my love for "Avatar: the last Airbender" by portraying one of the characters. =) All of us were trying to figure out creative, in-character poses for the photographing fans. Unfortunately we were missing one crucial character in our Avatar cast, so we did the best we could without her. =/

Aw, but it was still fun to be all nerdy for a good few hours. People asked me for pictures and hugs as if I were in Disneyworld or something... so fun, and it's great to show Avatar support. Yay!