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How I graduated from college after failing the first time

Many people could not even think of getting a college education or that could just be me. I had chosen that I wanted to go to art school and get an associates degree in graphic design. Then first time around I had got to the end and I ended up getting burnt out.

What caused me to get burned out was I had tried to do too many things without focusing on whats most important. I’ll admit that I was not as confident as a designer as I am now. The class that I had failed was portfolio class by a letter grade. I am glad that I did not pass the class.

Because the time that I took off to immerse myself every single day in design doing tutorials, learning about design, learning about other types of design, looking at the world around me in every detail changed my mindset and approach to design. When you get out of your comfort zone you will do more then you thought you could.

A person that really help me to stop playing with college and thinking of it as a game is Eric Thomas. He’s one of the many people that inspired me to set goals and to not give up. I used to think that I would just get a job and live a regular life but I realized that I’m capable of more then that and so are you. It all depends on what type of life you want to live and if you believe you can do it.

Some tips to graduate college and stay focused

  1. Realize why you are there
  2. College is not a game
  3. You are going to have loans to pay back
  4. You are setting an example for others in your family to follow
  5. Stop hanging around your loser friends and get new ones
  6. Cut out things you were doing before you got to college
  7. Focus on what is important
  8. Quit making excuses
  9. Partying? graduating college is more important and there will always be parties going on

 

Robert Greene on Mastery

 

I recently finished Robert Greene’s book mastery and 33 strategies of war. Mastery is one that will give you a great explanation of what it truly takes to become a master of your craft. If you have heard about or read malcom gladwell’s outliers mastery will actually teach you how to become a master.

Benefits of taking criticism constructively

In whatever profession you have chosen for your life you will have people who want to tell you how to do certain things. Then you will also have people critiquing your performance. If you are a designer like me you will have set through a critique about your work and have gotten some great feedback and other times not so much.

There are some designers who take critique’s personally if someone does not love everything they have done. A couple of the many valuable things I learned while presenting is to always be prepared for the response if a client or professor does not like your work. While they are saying what they do not like telling them what you did and why you did it will not really do much in changing their point of view.

I’m not saying that is not possible for them to change after you explain why you did such and such, just say thank you for the help. The more you defend yourself it is as if it will only make you appear weaker then you actually are. Also it could be that they just did not understand what you came up with.

If you get off of your high horse thinking you are better then you actually are and take criticism constructively, and use it to improve your work it will benefit you tremendously. Because those who have less of an ego will last longer then someone who does.

M.C. Escher Documentary

I had heard about M.C. Escher in class a couple of times but never really knew too much about him. This documentary shows how dedicated and infatuated an artist can get with their work and exclude everyone else. One of the many parts that amazed me is when he spent a whole year coming up with his own style of illustration or division something along those lines.