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Wednesday, August 11, 2010

My Personal Goal Sheet for a Graphic Design Career

Graphic Design MuseumImage via Wikipedia

by Teresa Carr
•Why do you like the graphic design field?
I chose graphic design as my field of study and for a future career because of my love for art and creativity. I like developing concepts of ideas to improve the way we live and how we think. I've always been doodling here and there through my lifetime. I think that I've always done something related to art and design. Besides the number of paintings I've practiced on, I've also did a few pieces for private individuals. Some of my memorable art experiences were doing design patterns for a co-worker of my mother who worked for a department sewing and alternation department. When I was a student in high school I took an art class. The school had a bicentennial celebration and everyone had a booth or station that offered a fun activity. I asked if I could set up a station to draw portraits and anything the participants wanted as a souvenir. It was a great experience and I enjoyed it very much.  
My first book cover
I've also did a variety of other artworks for others and have worked with different materials ranging from signage and household items. Only thing I wish I could have kept a record what all I had done. I moved to Los Angeles in 1991. My first job was through a staffing firm at the Los Angeles Department of Water and Power in the Services Department as a receptionist. I also worked a night job at Century Towers in Century City. After about a year I applied at Santa Monica College Graphic Design program in the Fall 1993. After graduating college in 1996 and moved to Nashville from Los Angeles I was connected with the author Sylvia Fleener to collaborate with her on the cover of her book, "The Omega Syndrome." Parts of the book were made into the TBN/Gener8Xion Entertainment production, "The Omega Code." More on the story can be found at Deception in the Church website (Who Wrote The Omega Code?). About two years later I signed with an agency and was assigned as a graphic artist to a Christian Publisher, R.H. Boyd, just outside Nashville, my first job in the field. Alot of interesting moments had happened with my time in Nashville. I will always remember the Creative Forum Group (that helped me to ease the transition from Los Angeles), The Woodmont Baptist Church, and the Sunshine Market off Thompson and Belmont. The most unique items that I have created were artworks on saw blades and metal garden objects like a butterfly. So it's easy for me to say that's why I love being in the graphic design field. What the graphic design field has done for me while I've attended IADT is to be a more refined and professional designer. The experience and skill that I've obtained in the past has helped considerably. Since then I returned home to West Virginia to take care of my disabled mom. Each year in June, the city of Charleston holds the Festivall where the city becomes a work of art. I was a volunteer and got a t-shirt to prove it. :) I love art festivals and gospel gatherings.
•What would you consider an acceptable job right out of school?
I never really envisioned what kind of acceptable job I would be looking for after I complete my schooling. Since I have one more year at IADT I think I will still have a little more time left to consider this. I've been doing some searches and researching different areas to where I can find my niche. My passion lies in illustration because I love to draw.
I found this page on how to get your first graphic design job and it pretty much explain what we've been discussing during the course of this class. The publication states to first examine yourself by your motivations, strengths, and weaknesses. The second is your work, nature, style, and variety. The third, is the job market and what types of businesses you will be presenting yourself and your work. A second publication I found is a good one on How to Get a Graphic Design Job After Art School this is a must read that can give you tips in to look forward to looking for employment and how corporate America works.
•Do you consider yourself a team player? Why or why not?
I would have to say yes and no to the team player gig. Yes, I can work with others at some levels of the design process. I would have to say no on some aspects of the game because I've always been a little shy and tend to work independently with less stress. With seasoned experience and tenacious can make you a confident and reliant team player. A successful team player is getting along with others. This means doing your part in be organized without creating friction, upsetting others, and causing others to turn from specific targets and goals. This means play nice and not make waves. The main focus on being a god team player is to immerse yourself into the project and most important know what roles each person is playing. The most important tool in team playing is communication always first listen and then talk, even getting into discussions. If you run into problems when someone is not holding up their side always do your job. There are many times that others just don't follow through and being a successful team player is to keep at it until the end. When there is a difference of opinion always negotiate. When your team is faced with adversity remember to always stay true to your group and be loyal.
•What do you consider your greatest weakness?             
Dealing with weaknesses has always been my Achilles heel. I look at weakness on a spiritual level and also a professional level as well. Jesus said in the Holy Scriptures in 2 Corinthians 12:9, "My grace is sufficient for thee: for my strength is made perfect in weakness" to paraphrase "My Power shows up best in weak people." So this comes down to what is my greatest weaknesses. I take this from my portfolio review and how the other person saw me. In my voice was detected a sense of tentativeness. I tend to want to be hesitant to what I want to say. It sounds like I am unsettled in thoughts and opinion and much doubtful if it is the right thing to say and how I say it. I think that this has affected me throughout my life as long as I can remember.
We all go through storms and trials through this life, and my way to overcome this is to come to realize that we are going to make mistakes even when we try hard not to. We're not all perfect by a long shot. So I think that it just something that I have to wake up and accept myself as a person who has weaknesses that needs to be dealt with. I choose to trust in the Lord to guide me to self-improvement. Don't be ashamed that these things that happen to you. Regardless of how embarrassing it is life goes on. You forgive and be forgiven by the Heavenly Father. Prayer is a powerful tool that works when you need help with all your weaknesses to make you a stronger and better person.
· Where do you see yourself a year after graduating?
It would be really hard for me to say what I will be doing or where I'll be in a year after graduation. What I do plan is be job hunting and hopefully working in the graphic design field probably doing freelance work and during the process of building a network with clients. The economy is at a low at this time (2010), and the future is questionable about the recovery on the economy. The Wall Street Journal ran a news article on the outlook of 2011: Tax Hikes and the 2011 Economic Collapse and what everyone needs to be prepared for. There seems to be no job creation at the moment and in order for an economy to survive is job creation.
In 2010, people could cash in on their IRA's, Keough, and 401K accounts. Instead of commenting on the state of the economy I'll cut to the heart of the matter. If I'm fortunate to find employment after graduate within a year I'm truly blessed and talented enough that some company will like my portfolio enough to be hired. The world we live in is changing and we need to adjust with those changes. As we move into more digital and technical jobs it would be best to say that graphic design would be promising career for the future both by standard and freelancing. Most of the growth will be on the Internet and in media. One designer said that he was hired 90% of the time online. I see that the future of graphic design jobs coming from the Internet as well. Since most jobs aren't advertised in the newspaper, they are found through the Internet. Looks like the Internet is a recession saver.
WORKS CITED
Cass, Jacob. How to Get Your First Graphic Design Job. Just Creative Design.com. Web. December 30, 2007. http://justcreativedesign.com/2007/12/30/how-to-get-your-first-job/
Laffer, Arthur. Tax Hike and the 2011 Economic Collapse. The Wall Street Journal. online.wsj.com. Web. June 6, 2010. http://online.wsj.com/article/NA_WSJ_PUB:SB10001424052748704113504575264513748386610.html
Long, Michael. How to Get a Graphic Design Job After Art School. ISnare.com. Web. http://www.isnare.com/?aid=78892&ca=Arts+and+Crafts
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