Stardate: Spring 2011

This class was extremely fascinating as a whole. To try to describe what it is and what you can get out of it is incredibly hard, but I will try. I can at least explain what it is about through my eyes, and what I got out of it.

Seeing Sideways doesn't so much teach as it does help you learn. Throughout the course, as long as you are honest with yourself and have an open mind, you will or at least can learn what makes you think the way you do creatively (and possibly in general as well). It challenges you to step out of your comfort zone, to reconsider things you thought you knew about yourself, and how to take charge of your own destiny. Through this course you have the potential to change your outlook on how you think, why you do the things you do, gain a better understanding of what makes you tick and how to use that. What you actually GET out of this course is entirely up to you though. I am not sure if that explained it really, but its about as close as I an come.

I struggled with this class for awhile. I was honest with myself when assignments were given, but at first I had a hard time stepping outside of the "professional" boundaries. I always thought design that was to be seen by others professionally should look a certain way so I never went with my first thoughts on what to do with any assignment for while anyway. I may have come off as "been there, done that" but really I was constantly asking myself some of the same questions Beth poses to everyone throughout the projects. I always tried something new though and even went WAY out of my comfort zone for one assignment. I think it was out of a few other people's as well (not in the class though really). I probably didn't gain as much as I could have out of the class, but I DID learn that design doesn't have to be one way or another. It can be client based or ME based and if I want to make a website that has blood on it, well that's ok too cause it's who I am =D. I always knew and lived by the "I am not society normal but I love it" mentality but never applied it to my design work. After this course....I do and I feel a bit more free because of it.

Other things I have learned:

1. Some people will make impressing instructors (especially the popular ones) their priority for what project they do. - I do not do this and neither should you.
2. "Formal education will make you a living; self-education will make you a fortune." ~ Jim Rohn
3. Just because your project doesn't get picked for Beth's wall of fame does not mean it isn't good enough. 
4. Crickets covered in chocolate are not so bad but meal worm cookies are not very tasty.
5. Stop motion animation is awesome!
6. I am way more competitive than I thought and had to get over it and learn #2.
7. I have more willpower than I could ever have imagined, and I imagined I had a LOT.
8. “Sometimes the questions are complicated and the answers are simple.” ~ Dr. Seuss
9. I wasn't as "myself" as I wanted to or should have been when it came to "work" of any kind. (That has since been changed..a lot)

As far as future classes go, they are probably going to be instructor based. I don't think I can go into every class and have it be as free and open as this one was, but I can still be in charge of my own destiny. It's my journey (as Beth would say) so I get to choose my own adventure. Which means I will probably die a lot and have to go back a few pages every couple of choices, BUT eventually I will get there and if not, well at least it was a fun story.

Good Luck! Good-bye! And thanks for all the fish!