Online Classroom Rant-Sesh

I've mentioned that I'm working towards my Bachelor's in Graphic Design with the Art Institute of Pittsburgh Online Division (AIPOD), and that takes up a major part of my time between Julian's bedtime and my bedtime. I spend a huge amount of time working on assignments and commenting on discussion posts- even while I'm at work (sshhh...). I don't think conventional schooling is not for me for lots of reasons, but online school definitely gives me a run for my money. I would give anything to be able to sit in a room with other students, raise my hand to answer a question, participate in a live, meaningful discussion and leave feeling like I'm a tiny bit smarter than when I came. It's frustrating to keep up on deadlines, especially when they fall on a Friday and Monday for assignments and Sunday and Wednesday for commenting on my peers' work.

I wish I could say "end rant" and say that I'm grateful that our technological advancements allow me to even be able to call a web address my classroom. BUT there's more.

My problem with those deadlines and the shortness of my classes is this: how do they expect me to produce quality, portfolio-ready pieces of art when I have about 3 days in between assignments? And another life before and after "school"! To anyone seeking a review of AIPOD, my official opinion is that it's great if you already know how to do a lot of the things you're seeking your degree in, and you have the ability to teach yourself what you need to know. It's not for you if you need more guidance and serious honing of your skills. I consider myself to be a somewhat skilled designer for being a beginner, and the work that other students are producing often make me wonder if someone is playing a joke on me.

Ok, that was mean.

Now I sound like this egotistical bitch that thinks she's some artist sent from God to reform all the untalented artists. No. But I do wish a "professor" would be a little stricter with their criticism and say something other than "you're going in the right direction, but...".

I wish there were good art schools for me to go to in my area, and that I actually had the time/ability to go to a tangible school with real, serious people. I just wonder how much value my hard work will pay off once I have my degree from AIPOD and am trying to get my first job as a designer.

So, what started out as a post titled "Lately" and was going to be a little update on some things and some vague feelings about some things in my life just turned into a rant about school. I'll probably do that post later today.

At least I have some pictures of what I'm working on right now in my Typography class! I can't wait until the class is over and I can tweak the piece to be something worthwhile for my portfolio. I'm hating all of the restrictions and rigidness of these assignments. I just want to create beautiful things that reflect my style and the direction of my work!

Currently // 01

The idea for this entry comes from Danielle over at Sometimes Sweet, a blog that I discovered this past week that I love! My favorite part about finding a new blog is browsing through their content and “catching up” on their life. I have so many favorite blogs now that it’s hard to get everyone straight, but there’s usually a characteristic or two that I remember about each one, whether I remember the blogger’s name or not!
So, these are a few things that I’m currently doing!



Watching: New Girl, and I am obsessed. I finished all of the episodes on Netflix so now I’m going to see where else I can get episodes from. Maybe Family Video? It’s one of those shows that I could sit and watch 10 episodes of in a row and not even be sick of. Jess is one of those people that makes you want to be more like her.

Eating: Dom and I went to Moes for lunch today! It’s my favorite place and the burritos are $5.55 on Mondays and his mom took Julian this afternoon, so it was just us- it doesn’t get much better than that!

Excited about: A few things. One, I’m about to go pick up some super cute invitations that I did over the weekend for a coworker’s grandson’s birthday party. Little Gregory is turning 2 in October and his mom is planning a birthday party at a local pumpkin patch, so I made them pumpkin themed! I’ll probably post pictures on Instagram as soon as I get them, and may be adding them to my Etsy shop! I’m also excited about my weekend plans with my best friend Morgan. She recently transferred to the University of Buffalo and it’s their homecoming football game on Saturday, so I’m making the 2(ish) hour drive to Buffalo Saturday morning to spend about a day with her! I’m excited to be living the college life for 24 hours!

Wanting: An apartment we looked at (by we I mean my sister and I) last Wednesday. It’s so perfect for Dom, Julian and I! We still haven’t heard back from the guy that’s renting it out, so I’m nervous that he found someone and just isn’t going to call everyone who didn’t get it. He sounded like there were lots of interested people, which I can believe because its absolutely gorgeous. It’s ok if we don’t get it, though. We should probably save more before we start actually looking anyways.

Looking forward to: Fall and cooler weather. We had a taste of it last week and this weekend, and I’m so excited for pants and at least 3-quarter length sleeves, flats, and cute hoodies for Julian. We’re supposed to hit 90 in the next few days and I’m honestly praying that it’s the end of this “can’t-make-up-my-mind” summer we’re having in terms of weather. And I’m sick of Dom thinking we still need to run the air conditioner in our room at night. I’ll admit, I like to sleep… uh… au natural… at night occasionally, but that can’t work if its freezing in there!

Loving: The age that my Juli is at. He’s “saying” so many new things, walking all over, making new discoveries and learning new things every day. He’s so sweet and silly, and he always brightens my day! I thought I loved the 10 month age, when he was starting to get some personality, but I really love this age! It’s bittersweet because every time he does something new it reminds me that he’s getting closer to not being a baby anymore and becoming a toddler right before my eyes.

Thinking about: The brand new sewing machine that hasn’t been touched since my grandma bought it for me about a month ago! I’m itching to try it but haven’t had the time to sit down and start a project. I have too many things vying for my attention right now! So far my want for slimming down my hobbies isn’t working, and I still have lots of things on my plate. I’d love to create some more block printing tutorials and get some real hand made projects done, but that’s just not in the cards I guess. Once the boy goes to sleep the only things I feel like doing are sitting on the couch, munching on some puffcorn, and maybeee banging out some homework.

Those are just some of the things that are swirling inside of my head right now, but I encourage you to think of the things that are currently thinking about. I love this exercise because it makes you take a second to really be conscious about what’s going on in your life!