I kicked off my break a little early with a trip to the Eiteljorg Museum with my sister and niece and nephew.  The kids had a wonderful time and so did I.  It is such fun to introduce children to new experiences!  I think I get more out of it than they as I relive the newness through their eyes and fresh minds.

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Sat. night we had a girls night out at my favorite restaurant, The Eagles Nest. We consumed a delectable repast (roast duck for me!)  We watched the sunset upon the city and enjoyed the pleasure of the harmonious blending of live piano, laughter, and pleasant conversation.

NOTE:  We ended this quarter with a very unusual Harvest Moon that comes around once in a rare 20+ years.  I kept running outside to see it’s beauty (and to see if I could photograph it.)  I even stayed up until 11:09 just to see the moon riding high with  Jupiter nestled close by in the deep folds of the night like a diamond on black velvet.  It was stunning.

So, just what DID I learn this quarter?  As I made this list, I began to wonder why can’t learning be fun, easy, and painless?  This quarter wasn’t as bad as the previous 4, but it had some tough moments!  Here are my insights in random order:

• If you are not in the zone, then don’t bother coding.
• CSS can be a beautiful thing…or it can be really, really ugly.
• Adobe Flash is clugy, difficult, and scary because it can crash without warning.  But it is pretty and when it works, and it is fun.
• Pain and coding are synonymous… get used to it.
• I get some sort of twisted thrill out of clean code, properly commented, doing what it is supposed to do.
• I can read code now!  Wow!  I mean, that is really, really wonderful and I am sure it will come in useful. Somewhere. I think. But I am not going to worry about that right now.
• Hanging with the programmers and computer geeks (sorry Brad… not trying to put you in a box!) is really fun… you get the opportunity to learn about all sorts of new technologies and are introduced to breathtaking sites that they discover in their travels around the internet! I am definately going to miss that as I slide into the graphic design world next quarter.  😦 sad.
• Breathtaking sites… they are beautiful yet intimidating to a novice designer/programmer.
• Coding has an intriguing aspect, but I really am an artist / designer – that is my thrill and I missed it this quarter since I was constrained to design only what I could then turn around and code.
• Taking 2 ground and 2 online classes is smart.  I am doing it again next quarter.

Additions by Charlotte:

• If your roomie is doing her coding finals, it is a good time to take a vacation.
• Earbuds are great investments.
• Finals: get ready for the 3 “ings”:  crying, sighing, denying

My brother, Charles, brought his family up from TN for a week and we had some fun together.  It gave me a nice break, with family time on the farm one day and canoeing with the family another.  This month I also went to the zoo with Charlotte and later with Lainey.  Below are some of my favorite picks highlighting the month of August.

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“There came a time when the risk to remain tight in the bud was more painful than the risk it took to blossom.” (Anais Nin)

After much consternation, meetings with teachers, and discussions with friends, I finally changed my major to Graphic Design.  Once that decision was made this week, I have been at peace about my studies.

My web teachers keep saying how good a web design degree is… making it sound like the holy grail of any career decision.  However, my resume is strong, and business topics are easy.  Coding, while there is much to learn, is linear, predictable, and not a challenge.  It was a comfort zone choice at the time – a known entity and a safe bet.  Interactive media was to be the additive challenge. 

It is often hard to let go of what is known to step out into the unknown.  Graphic Design is a big risk for me career wise, yet it pulls on something deep within where I live.  I have never worked in the graphic arena.   It uses soft skills as well as technical.  There is nothing linear about it.  It is creative, which can be unpredictable and elusive.  And both sides of the brain will be engaged in a way I have not experienced before on a business level. 

This move scares me, it thrills me, it challenges and excites me.  I have doubts that I can do it and specters of the fear of failure that sometimes haunt me.  It is new territory that will push my limits, challenge me to always be better, frustrate me and maybe even make me cry at times.  There may never be that point of satisfaction that I get with technical writing knowing I met all the rules, the page is precise, the code clean, and the project was the best.  Yet I know, deep down, I will grow and expand and be more than I have been before. 

I am ready for it.  I feel excited and alive as never before!  The time is right and the time is now to do something positive with the precious creative gift granted to me by Divine design.

Admiral Farragut’s bold charge keeps coming to mind:

“Damn the torpedos!  Full speed ahead!“

I find it so exciting when old art, thought to be lost, is found!  It makes it even more poignant when it is an artist I admire.

A man paid $45 at a garage sale for what has turned out to be 65 Ansel Adams’ long lost negatives!  That man is set for life, but even better, the gift of  our country’s beauty as seen through the eyes of a great artist has been given back to the world.  What a thrill!

There comes a point in nearly every student’s college career where they want to quit or they start questioning their decision on their degree program.  At the end of last quarter and through break I was so burnt out.  I was so “there”!

Now, 2 weeks into the new quarter I am settling in and the quarter is very manageable.  Burnout has subsided.  However, I am seriously considering whether Web Design is the right choice.  That is my new “there”… and I am sooooo there!

It is very frustrating, because my soul feels very right brain (creative), yet my left brain argues against it (and I am skilled enough with the left brain tasks that it is a strong argument.)

Try this creativity test from The Art Institute

I am a “cusp” child and I cusp even on these tests.  I was born on the cusp of Scorpio/Sagittarus, I was born on the cusp of baby boomers/Generation X.  On both of these I lean forward to the second option.  On the brain tests, if there is any leaning, it is to the creative right brain.

I am one mixed up, yet very versatile and complex gal… sometimes it is loads of fun, but at other times it is a real pain!  Trying to decide on my next career path, that is a pain.