One of the things that I have a hard time wrapping my head around is perspective. Like, logically I get it and all the principles, but my hand and eyes never agree. So, one of my goals for my MFA is to work on my weaknesses and for my first semester I choose this class. Let me be clear, this class was the most challenging class I have done for a long time. I spent, no joke, four to five days out of the week on this one class. I had many, many different drafts and trash ideas. And don’t get me started on plotting light and shadows. At the end of the day, this was also the class I am most proud of. I am so glad that I pushed myself in an area that I struggle with the most. What do you guys think?
MFA
Clothed Figure Drawing
*Please note that there are NUDE drawings here. You have been warned.*
As the title of the class says, this course was all about the human figure and clothing. The first few weeks were the standard figure drawing class. Nude models and all. We also had to keep a sketch book going with on site sketching of people out and about. It was a little bit more difficult due to COVID, but I still did it. I hope you guys can see the improvements that I was able to achieve this semester. Things can only go up from here!
Entry 16: Time to Hit the Books
Howdy Crew!
Are you surprised? Is your Captain learning to time manage life better? Who know, ’cause I don’t. HAHAHAHA… Anyways, how are you doing? It might sound like I am a broken record, but I want you know someone out there cares and wants to see you thrive in life. I also ask to remind you to ask yourself that. You have to take care of your mind, body and soul. And I hope you following along in my journey is a stepping stone in your self-care routine. Personally, I have been listening to lectures and watching docu-series on Medieval times. I have no idea why I fell into this rabbit hole, but it has helped me to stay grounded and feel as though I am being productive. It is just the little things that you can do that helps you survive and better yourself. Don’t give up yet. I’ve got your back, always.
Speaking being productive, I have some news to share with you all. As many of you know, I have been struggling on getting a job in my field of choice. I want to be a full time illustrator. The trouble I am having is either jobs are too far away and I am not ready to move yet, or that they don’t think I have enough professional experience in the field. And that is a blow to the ego and mental health. So I started to research graduate school. If no one can take me seriously because on paper I’m not “good enough” to take a risk on, then I am going to have to get another piece of paper that proves I am good enough.
My original plan wasn’t to be going back to school for like another 10 years. But sometimes life throws you a curve ball and you just have to go with it. For this, I am kind of thankful for the pandemic. It has made me slow down and smell the roses, so to speak. I am thankful for the chance to reevaluate my life. I have no idea when I am going to be able to go back to work, or even if my position is going to be held due to the pandemic. I am the low man on the totem pole, so if there is going to be cuts I’m in the firing line. Plus with the threat of the second wave just around the corner and new reports saying that the coming fall and winter there could be even more trouble with the other yearly disease and cold and such. It doesn’t seem like we will be going back to normal anytime soon. Who knows when I’ll be apart of our working society again. Instead of being all doom and gloom, I guess there is no time like the present to go back to school.
Starting in September of 2020, I’ll be officially starting my MFA in Illustration at Academy of Art University in San Francisco, California. Like I said earlier, I am not ready to move out yet, but AAU has a really comprehensive online program that I am excited for. For a Master’s of Fine Arts degree, I have to complete another 4 years of schooling. There is no half-assing for this girl. Plus AAU just seemed to be the best place for someone like me. They are a small privately owned school, so there is more one-on-one opportunity with instructors. Their whole philosophy is to train their students for a successful artistic career. It is like a trade school just for artists. I don’t have to worry about non-degree courses taking up time and space in my schooling. I always excelled at my classes that were in my degree, but something had to give in for me to have any outside life and that was my non-degree classes. Not saying that I threw away money for courses by failing, but I just didn’t try hard and got by. Now I am enrolled in a school that is just art for artists.
If I can pass on a lesson to juniors and seniors of high school is this: if you have no idea what you want to do with your life, go to a school that has many different majors and fields of study and try everything you can to figure yourself out; if you know what you want to do with your life don’t go to a school that has a million and one majors and degrees, it is going to burn you out before you graduate. Please keep researching and find a school that is just for your skills. Like go to AAU if you want to be an artist or go to a school devoted to engineering if you want to go into robotics or go to a medical school to be a nurse or doctor. Reach for the stars. And trust me as a student that is first generation college goer and now graduate school goer, and that comes from low income, single mom with 2 siblings, there is help out there for you. Ask the school’s financial aid office for all the scholarships and grants that they offer and apply, plus ask your high school counselor about all the scholarships and grants that you can qualify for, and search online. Trust me, there is a scholarship out there just for being left handed, you’ll be surprised what you’ll be able to find. If you are going to be going into debt for your schooling, make damn sure you’ll be able to walk away with pride and a clear path for your career. This is YOUR life, don’t settle for anything.
Well, you guys know that I have arguably the worst time management skills. So that is going to be one of my goals for this summer. I need to nail down my daily life. I need to make it predicable. I need to stick with it like super glue. Apparently, planners don’t do anything for me. So, I am going to have to research other strategies for time management and how to organize my life. If you guys have any tips or tricks you use, please let me know. At this point I am willing to try everything. I foresee no sleep, lots of caffeine, and craziness. Help.
You guys are now caught up with my news worthy events. I am super excited to start school this fall. There are going to be some bumps in the road that I am going to have to figure out how to navigate them. Lucky for you, you guys get to come on this adventure and enjoy the chaos that is soon to come. I hope you are prepared for battle well. Please like, share, follow, and subscribe to all of my social media accounts to have the best seats in the house. In the next post, Quarantine Challenge Project #13 is on its way! Just a warning, I am kind of obsessed with this children’s story. Like you have no idea. And you can’t tell me I didn’t warn you!
Until Next Time,
Captain Suzanna🌙
⭐For those of you who want to see more about my new school: https://www.academyart.edu/academics/illustration/ ⭐
S.E. Illustrator 