There isn’t much to say about this. It is what it is.
February 27, 2011
Farm and Flourish Brochure
Project 2 is in full f*cking swing in this piece, and already I have lost my marbles. Anyone working on any kind of project somewhere can tell you that if you look as something too much, you start to hate it, and then you become completely unproductive. Im at that point now, and I think its time for me to step back for a day or 2.
If you remember, this is the Good Cause project and that I have dubbed Farm and Flourish. The concept of this project has changed so often, but I have finally settled on a theme. The organization aims to promote the simple activity of planting your own garden, big or small, in order to yield fresh vegetable produce. Considering the damage that food miles pose to our environment, growing some of our own vegetables is an activity that can give us fresh food without the high cost and negative long term effects. Plus, it gets you outdoors and in the dirt for a while. Anyone can take up this cause because even a small tomato plant on your stoop can be your very own way of farm heaven.
The comp is due this coming weekend and I’m ready to get this thing off my plate. It still needs some tweaking but I am happy with the results thus far.
February 23, 2011
"If I knew then, what I know now…."
“I wouldn’t have had my little accident”
Regret. The most annoying, nagging, mother-in-law-like emotion someone can feel. I would like to say that I am one of those people who are daring enough to tell a bold faced lie, proclaiming, “I don’t regret anything, ” But I’m not. Fuck those people- they are lying.
Everyone regrets something. Everyone has something that if they could do it over again, they would take the chance to do it differently, even if it is something small that would change the course of their life. I wish I would have traveled more. I wish I would have enjoyed my college years more, and maybe differently than I actually did ( not everything, just some things).I wouldn’t have let so many people scare me into thinking my plan wouldn’t work, to the point where I rebelled against them and THEN messed up just as they expected. I would have realized a little sooner that it is ok to make mistakes and not have been fearful of learning my right path by taking the wrong one.
If I could tell my ten year younger self something, it would be something like this.
Crystal,
You are a stubborn as a mule. And you are a dreamer. These two things should make for a great combination when reaching for your goals- don’t ever let anyone make you feel like you can’t accomplish something. Remember what is is you always loved and always wanted to be, and chase after it until you are breathless. Don’t let anyone derail you- not friends, family, boyfriends, or educators- no one. Things are not always going to be easy, so toughen up. Get a thick skin because thinks will suck, and quite often. Don’t fret, because those sucky things will pass. Don’t stay where you feel you don’t belong or aren’t wanted. Sometimes the best company is your own, and you don’t always need someone’s reassurance. You are your biggest critic, so be sure to act as your own cheerleader as well- a lot of people aren’t going to give you the satisfaction of a kind or encouraging word. Don’t become so bitter with those people that you BECOME just like them.
Don’t loose faith in people, and stop wanting to discover who they are. People who breeze into your life will breeze out as quickly as they came. The tried and true will be the same staples in your life no matter what. Disappointment is just apart of life, and you have to just suck it up. Remember that when one door closes, a window often opens in its place. Keep looking out that window until you are ready to climb out. Don’t be scared to take those chances.When you hit a roadblock, climb over it.
There is so much you will love about your life, but it won’t be achieved without some tears, sleepless nights, and fighting. Remember why you are in it. It won’t be all bad. In fact, the good will eventually outweigh it.
Self
February 17, 2011
My first feature article since God knows when! Subject: Thomas Canavan, who was also a participan
My first feature article since God knows when! Subject: Thomas Canavan, who was also a participant in the Illmatic Art Show.
Layout- A mock of Time Magazine.
I am simply too ashamed to show you the comp, so here is the final 🙂
February 7, 2011
Project # 2- Good Cause
Project number two has begun ( to hell with project one, even though it isn’t even finished). I’m particularly excited about this project because it will be ongoing and meaningful. We are to think of an idea for a good cause and develop it into a brochure. This is the first part of an ongoing effort to develop materials for the new cause. Our first step is to create a project statement (below) and draft our brochure.
The fruits of my labor 🙂
The subject of sustainable agriculture and slow food has been a growing interest of mine. I was able to find a few local organizations that aim to educate people about sustainable agriculture and eating whole foods and they serve as great resources to the community. The purpose of my organization would be to work with local farms on a DC based non profit called Farm & Flourish. This organization would go to local middle schools to teach children about the subject of agriculture and help them differentiate between positive, sustainable methods from those that are damaging to the environment and have negative long term consequences. In order to make the connection between good food and good health, it would great to get them involved in the farming process (with produce, and perhaps even small animals), and allow them to grow food and then reap its benefits at the end of the season with cooking and nutrition lessons. It could be set up as a long term project or as a camp environment.
The program would be particularly helpful for children who live in an inner city area who don’t have access to grocery stores, farmers markets, or other sources of fresh produce. Children in this socioeconomic background are more than likely to live farther away from fresh food sources, and as a result their health often suffers the most. The organization can provide these children with transportation to a local farm outside of the urban area where they can be hands on in the farming process. There are organizations in the Baltimore area who have similar goals, but a program in the DC area that is this specific was not easily found.
The political bias has yet to be determined, but it would be safe to say that we would be big fans of Michelle Obama’s movement to get people eating healthy and in shape. The organization would be likely to ask people to push for legislation on school nutrition reform, as well.
February 1, 2011
Let’s be [REAL] about where we are going…
Times have changed, and along with it, so has the working world. I don’t have to quote a whole bunch of articles from every news source known that back up this fact. Jobs are scarce for the every day Joe and Jane, so we can imagine how hard it is to find work, let alone work you enjoy. The economy is tough, and if you are like me, you aren’t too keen on your job, but you are STUCK. You might be angry, frustrated, and confused about why you just dropped the equivalent of a year salary or more, on your education, and you aren’t getting a return on your investment. You aren’t lazy, you are deflated. You aren’t a slacker, but you may have had a door shut on you, and you are stuck in a house with no window of opportunity.
I can commiserate. I am in a position where there can often be great stability and pay, but at a cost. Countless times, people remind me to be happy I have a job ( I am!) and not to complain. But no one on this Earth can escape the nagging feeling they get when they KNOW they aren’t living up to their potential. How do you escape that? You can’t. You can accept it, or change it, but you can’t ESCAPE it. It is a feeling that sits in your lap with you all day while you work. I can’t stand that feeling! So it was time to GET REAL. I had to change.
I went through the obvious panic of thinking I don’t have any talents or special skills, but the thing is, they have to be cultivated. I had to go back and think what activities in my life I enjoyed doing? What did I get excited about? I knew I had to reinvest in my education in order to qualify myself, but GEEZ! Aren’t I too young for a career change? Apparently not. I have been contracting for the federal government since I was 19 years old…I’m now 27.
Eventually, I realized that over the past few years I had also started to get this wild attraction to graphics, words, and media. I look at Real Simple magazine the way men look at Playboy. I loved the way they could take a simple photo with some text and light a fire under my ass to love and adore the product or thought they were showcasing. What do you even call that? What do those people do?
Shit. THEY DESIGN. I can do that. I can design. I’m not the best, or the worst, but I’ve got tons of potential, and I can make it happen!
Then came the overwhelming feeling of how do I get there? I loved being an American Studies major at UMBC, and it really developed my writing. Still, I was ill equipped for a career that asked you to make things out of words and images. After searching high and low, I found my program at the University of Baltimore. I am going to get my M.A. in publications design and I am [im]patiently awaiting the day I can walk away from this cubicle for good after investing in myself. Realistically, I have to stay at this job until I finish, or make some severe changes to my life that require me to give up things I am locked into (car payment, rent, etc.), but I am on my way.
I have read countless success stories from people who have been miserable, bored, or dejected, who went after what they wanted and got it after busting their ass for their own happiness. I’m willing to put in the work.
Have you arrived at your career destination? If not, Where are YOU going?
iaintgottime 