yeah, yeah, Shepard Fairey

I'm in art school. It's practically required for me to take awkward self portraits in front of art.

He's a plagiarizing jerk. He's a bonafide genius. The point is, he came to Cincinnati and made it that much more awesome. Not only did he improve some already beautiful buildings, but he got the city excited and proud. That's an artist I can stand behind.

I went on an adventure to find all the buildings that Shepard Fairey pasted his propaganda. I love the closeup shots that people have been posting, but it's just as or more interesting to see the artwork in its context.

Check it out!





My favorite aspect about the whole trip were a series of white helium balloons that actually tied in with a different show at the CAC by Shilpa Gupta. They were tied flying close by several of the Fairey pieces. Beautiful, with a message I can really stand behind.

Midterms!

I'm halfway through winter quarter. Instead of exams, students in my program put together a series of drawings to illustrate their design. It's definitely a halfway point, and I have a long way to go in my thoughts and ideas. I thought you might like to see what I've come up with so far.

The amorphous shapes in the middle of each floor represent the "nook" spaces developed for different groups of people. I think they're going to change, probably a lot.

Let me know what you think and if you have any ideas for improving my work!

Daddy's Girl

It's a crazy busy day in a crazy busy set of days as I rush around preparing for my midterm presentation. College "midterms" usually include several tests and some papers for most students, but in design it's different. I present my entire set of ideas surrounding my senior project to a panel of critiquers, who then grill me for an hour, giving feedback on what I've done so far. To put it mildly, there's a lot of work and not much sleep ahead for me this weekend, but I'm excited about my ideas and take comfort in the fact that if I take my time, I will turn out an excellent project.

But anyway... today is the 11th anniversary of my father's death. He died of liver cancer on Feburary 5th, 1999, after living far longer than any doctor expected him to. He fought incredibly hard in order to be with my sister and I for as long as possible, and I'm grateful for that.

Eleven years is a long time. Yes, I am sad, but mostly I work hard to remember, good and bad, the man was Darrel Kessler. It's kind of awesome that I end up in design. He initially started a college career in architecture at Ball State University, but dropped out after a year because it wasn't exactly his bag. He went on to become an EMT, meet my mom, and eventually go to chiropractic college.

He worked incredibly hard and was a fierce learner. Even after he graduated from Logan College of Chiropractic, he still returned to St. Louis on weekends to complete continuing education credits in order to stay on top of the field. He was also really into technology, and I know that if he was around today, his mind would be totally blown from all the advances we've made (and he would be on every social network known to man!)

Keeping this in mind, I know I am a Daddy's girl. I'm finishing what he started with the whole architecture thing (and my sister, ironically enough, is attending Ball State!) I know he would be proud of me with the things I've accomplished thus far, and excited and okay with the choices I've made in my life. I keep the spirit of my dad in mind, especially today of all days.

So don't be super sad for me. It's been a hard thing to go through, but I'm stronger, my family is stronger, and I know he would be cheering me on 100%. (and if you're looking for a tearjerker, check my post from last year. Don't say I didn't warn you...)

Diary of a DAAP Kid: money in the bank, bank.

money well spent.

So I'm kind of in between jobs right now. A few things here, a few things there, but I'm in school, not a working full time co-op job with full time pay. On top of that, school's expensive. And time consuming. Most college students spend their money right off the bat in the beginning of the quarter purchasing textbooks. Not only do I purchase textbooks for my elective classes (Hellooo "Sustainable Urban Development Reader, 2nd edition") but I also have to purchase art supplies and cover the cost of printing ($12 a linear foot for plots, anyone!?) periodically during the quarter. These costs are less predictable and can easily skyrocket, depending on my project and how many supplies I have to start with. Basically, being a design student in DAAP is expensive!

I'm okay with spending money that I need to, but my supply is dwindling. I've taken a look at the books, and I've really got to be careful about what I'm spending my money on, or get a more consistently paying job (with super flexible hours, that I don't have to spend too much time with... yeah...) I've picked the latter, and am attempting to curtail my weekend spending.

This weekend I gave myself a limit of $20. Seems like no big deal, but it goes quickly!! I basically blew my cash all on Friday night - and that was okay. Let's get the breakdown.

Wine tasting with studio gals at Ludlow Beer and Wine: $5
Cafe de Wheels chicken sandwich and sweet potato fries: $8.50
Crappy overly hoppy beer at Grammar's + tip: $5

so in less than 6 hours, I had spent $18.50 out of $20.00. Don't get me wrong, it was amazing (as was the Final Friday gallery walk with free food and beer that went with it!!!) However, it stifled the rest of my weekend. So Saturday night I stayed in with my roomies and made a delicious meal with ingredients I already had on hand. Free movie, free meal. A pretty great Saturday.

I'm thrifty and tenacious, so I don't imagine I'll have a hard time staying within whatever budget I set for myself. The point is being more thoughtful with my credit cards so that I don't blow through money... so, if I have food at home, I need to eat it and make it, not get take out. Thinking before purchasing. It's a good goal.