Archive for the ‘My Life’ Category
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My College Decision
I’ve had two schools on my dream list for quite a while. One is the School of Visual Arts (SVA) in New York City, and the other is the Academy of Art University (AAU) in San Francisco. Those of you that have been following my posts regarding my college decisions know how much I want to go to both of these schools, and how genuinely torn between them I’ve been.
First I was leaning toward SVA for several months, and then I started to lean toward AAU, then I went back to leaning toward SVA, and then I started to lean toward AAU again. I’ve got a lot of people that have been lobbying me in both directions (family, friends, and even some of my clients), which naturally did nothing to help me make up my mind.
I knew that either way, I’d be happy since they were both such good schools in every way imaginable, from reputation and prestige to location and housing accomodations. And since they both had “rolling admissions” systems, I had more time to wait and think than usual.
Many months passed, over the course of which I’ve gotten to visit both schools and invesitage them to my heart’s content. So basically, since I’ve been accepted, I just need to choose!
Finally, with my mother’s help, I’ve come up with my college plan that will make everybody happy, especially me. To make a long story short, I’ve decided to spend one year at AAU and three years at SVA. I mentioned this plan in the last college decision status post, and so now that I’ve thought it over, I’ve decided that it really is the ideal way to go, and here’s why.
I was very impressed by both of their four-year Graphic Design programs. At the end of the day though, I felt that SVA’s was a little bit better, but the admissions officer told me that the director of the Graphic Design program didn’t actually like the first year of his program but the president of the college wasn’t letting him modify it, and so people were being told to sign up for Advertising for their first year and then switch at the start of their second year. By going to AAU one year, I get to avoid that issue and still have all four of my years actually be in Graphic Design.
One of the other benefits of doing it this way is that in the future when I’m getting a job and stuff, I’ll be able to take advantages of the awesome services and connections that both of these schools offer. Because they both separately have so much eminince in the industry, they both have unique arrangements with different high profile studios and employers; I’ll be able to enjoy both of their special job placement offerings and services.
Another is that I’ll get to experience both cities. Both New York City and San Francisco are unquestinably major art and design hubs, so I already knew that there was a very good chance that my career would eventually lead me to live in either city. With the path I’m going to take, I will have had a chance to live in both of them before having to pick a job and tie myself to either.
I also think it’s worth mentioning that I’ll get to enjoy a couple things that I’ve always wanted to do that I’d never get to do if I just went to SVA since AAU is a bit bigger. In particular, I’ll finally get to be on a swim team. Now, before you roll your eyes at me, I totally agree that something like that really shouldn’t affect this decision, and it didn’t. But if I said it wasn’t in the back of my mind, I’d be lying. I missed out on a lot of things in high school because of my medical situation, and being able to do some of them — like being on a swim team — for just one year makes me very happy.
After I’ve received my bachelor’s degree, I’d like to continue as a graduate student and get my master’s. Both AAU and SVA have graduate programs, but that’s another decision for another time. It’s just nice to have this one made, and it’s a relief to be “committing” to it publicly by posting it, too. Thank you to everybody who expressed interest!
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You Will Be Missed, Mr. Olivera
I’ve just heard that one of my favorite teachers, Mr. Olivera, passed away today because of terminal liver cancer. I felt close to him, and wish I had a decent picture of him to hang on my wall and keep in my wallet. He was an outstanding human being of the sort that all men should model themselves after.
I will always be grateful to him not just for how he genuinely cared about my health and how he stood up for me and went out of his way to help me. God, there isn’t anything about him not to miss. When my cynicism was at an all time high, there he was! The world had seemed to be filled with nothing but worthless, cold-hearted, moronic masses, but Mr. Olivera was warm, intelligent, honest, altruistic, and genuine. I mean, when the rest of the world was busy with all of its bullshit and its dick-waving contests, here was a man who actually teared up and hugged me when I told him that my medical treatment really seemed to be working. He really cared, you know?
Mr. Olivera was respectful toward others, and held himself with both humility and dignity. He was a kind man with an enormous heart that he wouldn’t hesitate to share, and he actually stood up for people when he saw injustices. He was open and friendly to the point of being jovial with everybody who’d give him five minutes to win them over, but usually he wouldn’t need nearly long. Anybody who did not grow a little after meeting him is simply not capable of growth. His life was a teaching, an example of being a great human being, and we could all benefit by meditating on him in that context. The world benefited greatly from his presence, and everybody who had the chance to meet him or be his student should recognize it as one of their most treasurable and immeasurable blessings.
It is impossible to think of him without picturing him grinning widely and opening his mouth wide to give his big, friendly, signature laugh. I like that image of him, so I’ll close on that. Rest in peace, Mr. Olivera.
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8 More Drawings
I got an email back from SVA, and it sounds like like they just want eight more observation drawings. I think I can pump out some more work, but seriously, competitive art schools are more exhausting to get into then I thought. I bet all you people attending regular schools merely had to send in your grades, SATs, an essay, and a silly little form with a check. Hmmph!
To be fair though, I guess I would have had all the drawings I needed if we had studied fine art techniques as part of CNMA’s curriculum, like they said we would. Hmmph…
Even though it’s sounding like they’re going to accept me once I give them more drawings, I’m liking the idea of doing the first year at AAU the more I think about it. But on the other hand, I haven’t forgotten how much I loved New York City either, so I’m going to go ahead and do the drawings.
Oh, and by the way, my parents threw me a curveball with the whole college decision thing. They’re very supportive, but they’ve made it clear that they’d rather I went to San Francisco. The other day, my mother told me that if I choose to go to SVA, I won’t be able to live in the New Residence building, the new Freshmen-only dorm building next door to where my classes would be. That means I’d probably be staying in the George Washington building, which isn’t quite as nice or convenient. Tricky tricky, right?
Anyway, if anybody wants to hang out and sketch with me, then let me know since drawing with friends around is better than drawing alone. I’d probably get the drawings done faster too, since I seem to be a really slow sketcher when I’m left by myself, which isn’t good for endurance. I’ll try to do one per day because I want to get this all in and hear a final verdict soon, especially since it’s already the middle of April and I want to know what my plans will be!
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College Decision Status
As you might already know, I was accepted into the Academy of Art University in San Francisco already, but I’m still waiting to hear back from the School of Visual Arts in New York City.
You see, they asked to see some more of my hand-drawn observation and reference work, which is a little bit intimidating since I know that my drawing is my weak point. I wish I could just give them more of my digital art, because that’s the stuff that I get commissioned for and win awards for, dammit! How about I get into the graphic design program based on the merits of my graphic design work, or into the advertising program based on my advertising work? Oy!
Anyway, I suppose it’s natural to get a little nervous at this point. It’s a prestigious school, and other people who can certainly draw quite a bit better than I can are applying there too, after all. I have a lot of confidence in my digital art, but like I said, I’m starting to feel a little bit intimidated by the SVA admissions process after all. The guy that interviewed me seemed to like me a lot even though he needed to see a few more drawings, but will he remember me?
I talked to my mother about how I’m starting to doubt myself a little, and she reassured me and asked me some good questions that got me thinking. Since I’m having such a hard time deciding between my two dream schools but was leaning toward SVA for a long time, what if I did my first year at AAU and then took advantage of all their accreditations to transfer? This is sounding like a better and better idea every time I think about it.
I’d get to experience San Francisco for a year, meet more people, and take advantage of all the things that AAU has for everybody who ever went attended their classes. AAU also has some philosophy classes and the like that I’d enjoy, which was something that I’d have to do without if I just go to SVA. Basically, I’d get to enjoy all the things that have kept AAU competitive with SVA in my mind, and then after a year, I’d transfer over and I’d get to enjoy all the things that kept SVA competitive with AAU.
Not to mention the fact that the SVA admissions guy recommended that graphic design students start out in their advertising program and transfer into their graphic design their second year “because the graphic design program’s chairman feels like it prepares them better, but the president of the college won’t let him change his program’s first year.”
It’s a pretty appealing plan. If SVA accepts me, then I can just tell them to sign me up for Fall 2009 and basically rest easy knowing that my transfer is effectively already approved (unless I fall in love with AAU and decide not to transfer). If SVA does not accept me, then I simply reapply next year.
This is not the definite plan yet, but it’s a new option that I hadn’t really thought about. So now, the decision is between AAU, SVA, and AAU+SVA. More to think about for me!
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Get Married To Cruise, Part 2
To say the least, I’ve gotten a lot of different reactions about how I’m going to get married (and divorced!) just to go on a cruise. Some of you smirked approvingly and called me a genius, others tried to delicately tell me how concerned they were, and a few came to me laughing and insisting that this must be an April Fools joke based on the timing.
The fact of the matter though is that everybody wants to beat the system. You can’t do better than everybody else unless you do things different from everybody else, and this means facing your inhibitions and grabbing each opportunity by the horns without worrying what the rest of the herd thinks. It takes brains to see the better path, but it takes guts to walk it.
Blah, blah, blah.
With that being said, if you were one of the people that came to me and declared that this was just a merry little prank, then… you already know that you were absolutely right about this being an exercise in bullshit, heh. Thanks for not spoiling it for everybody else, and hopefully you enjoyed being in on it after we talked! I’m just sad that we weren’t able have the fake “marriage party” at Speckles Park today, because that would been the perfect way to top it off and let the bag out of the cat, as the great Sir Bill Lemei would say.
The rest of you can feel free start leaving comments and stuff about how you, like, totally knew all along and, like, that’s why at the beginning of the conversation you, like, typed lulz or something once or twice. Happy April Fools Day, everybody!
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