Art Director Personal Statement

Attending The Mississippi School of Arts is not only an opportunity, but a privilege. Working with a large network of alumni and former students that have similar passions in life, can keep me motivated to do art. Having a community of artist around will help me to stay productive and creative. Surrounding myself with other artist can lead to new ideas, constructive criticism, and a great camaraderie with classmates. I want to be able to attend workshops and lectures, meet with visiting artist, and participate in extracurricular activities that bring me in contact with other artist. By the time I graduate, I hope to have an the opportunity to meet with numerous individuals in the art and design world. These connections can help me lead to art

I do however, understand that with everything todays youth already tend to have on their plates, maybe learning something extra may seem unnecessary but where would they end up if technology fails us?

My undergraduate degree is from the University of Missouri-Columbia in graphic design. When I left the University in December of 2011, I had big aspirations to work in the field of graphic design and for a company I loved. I found a company I loved in The Scout Guide, located in Charlottesville, VA, but realized my heart was not in the work I was doing on a daily basis. I did not like having to sit in front of a computer all day long with little interaction between clients and myself. I also did not feel my work was truly making any sort of impact in the world and wanted a career that would fill be up with a sense of purpose each day. While in college I was an active coach for the Special Olympics in Columbia, and later while living in Virginia, I became an active volunteer in a number of animal nonprofits. I realized my true passion was in the nonprofit sector and working towards a common goal for the good or the organization.

If we examine our existence through a dichotomous lens of internal and external experiences, it is easier to understand the importance of graphic design. Everyone, to some extent, is trapped within themselves. There is me in here, and you in there—a separation exists. We find common ground in the external world where there are certain rules that most of us have agreed to play by. Graphic design functions as a catalyst for either strengthening or disintegrating these rules. It screams, “Continue! Begin! Stop!” The graphic designer must work through the external world, understand its rules, and journey through their internal world in search of a project’s solution. If the solution is successful,

So, to adapt is to live. Furthermore, they must have a professional attitude, and be empathetic toward others because this is whats going to either make you or break you in the graphic designer business. I also believe they must be business-savvy because your own personal preferences and beliefs come second to the business and user goals of a project. Moreover, they should be meticulous and have an eye for detail, which is decisive for consistent UI and UX design. But above all, they should always have patience to take the time to validate that their designs are first externally, and internally consistent with

The clock; an intricate work of art, where the gears and springs it somehow brings a world of time into life. Through the seconds, minutes, and hours counted, all revolving around a 24 hour scale making it seem so simple yet, the functionality behind it is more than what the eyes can see. The clock, a truly marvelous work of art, it is beautiful because the clock is always ticking on and on, in a sense time is always changing. Change a powerful word that had influenced the world throughout the centuries. Time has always correlated with change, as times continue on it’s course, change takes place. As time continues, changes does take place. An organization that pursues change would possibly be Artist for Humanity. “Engagement in the creative process is a power force for social change” AFH (Artist for Humanity) focuses on social change, and within the work area. Students are

I am now the president of our club and the manager of Wolverine Computer. Not only do I direct our shop's efforts to raise funding for our program and for student certification tests, but I also direct Wolverine Computer's training program. I organize opportunities for students to obtain hands-on, real-world practice in an environment that mimics the IT field realistically. Enabling students to receive work experience while still in high school is crucial to preparing students for a career in technology. In addition to certifications and direct work experience, the program also provides high school students opportunities to practice skills that are certainly needed in the technology field. This includes customer service, public interaction, and teamwork skills while allowing students to demonstrate a professional work ethic. The program and our SkillsUSA club have many facets that require great patience and skill to manage. Our SkillsUSA club has over 60 members and actively promotes IT and STEM at our school. Concurrently, students at Wolverine Computer have put in nearly 200 hours of community service in the fall 2016 semester. The proceeds from this community service have helped dozens of students become IT Fundamentals or A+ CompTIA certified and have given much-needed opportunities to students in La

During my high school career I did not get many opportunities to further my understanding of technology as my school was focusing more sports orientated. But this did not stop me from pursuing my hobbies as I later became a part the unofficial IT administration, working with the head of technology and networking for my school. My job was more of less setup and maintaining WiFi access points in the dormitories and the school or maintaining the computers for the library. On my off time also helped a number of my classmates build their own computers and keep them up-to-date.

However, tech-oriented industries still need people with liberal arts experience to create, develop, and sell their products. With new advances in computer technology, tech companies don’t need as many programmers. What they are focusing on now is making the product more visually appealing and user-friendly, both of which are tasks commonly allotted to people with a liberal arts background. Improving the communication capabilities and visual features of widely-used apps is more practical in today’s society than calculating the new highest prime number, though there is beauty in that as well. According to Forbes Magazine, only approximately thirty percent of Silicon Valley hirees actually get jobs in software engineering. The other seventy percent are involved in a myriad of roles ranging from sales to administration to software interface. Silicon Valley is not an exclusively tech industry; today, liberal arts are just as important a part of this innovative

The Baby Boomers: In today’s fast growing workforce, this generation is known to be hard workers as well as excellent teams players. They are loyal workers, exercise self-control and are self-willed due to the fact that quite a few of the early Boomers had to compete for schooling and jobs when they were teenagers. Because of this, they feel a sense of obligation to fit in and dedicate themselves to their position; usually relishing in the accomplishments of their job. Because of this sacrifice, most Boomers view their jobs with a sense of fulfilment that gives them a feeling of self-worth in light of that achievement. This generation was once leaders; however, now they are being led by the younger generation of workers (Phillips, 2016). The computer made its debut during this era. It was mainly found in the business world and in academia. As a matter of fact, many Boomers seemed to be more suspicious of computers and were resistant to this form of technology. Many however were not subjected to operating computers; And, simply avoided them as much as possible.

What is an art director? That’s a hard question to answer. In the movies, art directors are usually responsible for creating the “look and feel” of the film. In advertising and print work, art directors come up with “concepts,” the creative ideas that communicate with us on a gut level through devices like theme, metaphor, and symbolism. Some art directors do a little more than dream up these ideas and present them to clients, while some oversee almost all aspects of the design and production process.

In the fall of my junior year I began working with my Dean to form an accelerated Independent Study dedicated to the study of acting and the practice of performance techniques. I continued this Independent Study in my senior year. Since I am pursuing a career in acting, I wanted to devote myself to in depth character analysis, monologue study, and acting methods. I benefited greatly from the one-on-one interaction with my Dean as my director. Not only has she taught acting at MICDS, but she is a working actress. This unique experience allowed me to receive immediate feedback regarding my acting skills, performances, and practice the necessary skill of taking direction. I have not only grown as an actress, but have grown as an individual. I

Designers may develop their skills by completing courses at TAFE or university in design and / or manufacture. Other designers are self-taught and gain their skills through on-the-job training. Depending on the size of the company, designers may work alone or collaborate as a member of a team working towards a common design goal. To be successful, all designers must have an understanding of the market place in order to ensure their final products meet a consumer need or want.

It was a nice change to search a career based on my passion in Arts & Entertainment and find options with details that would assist me in career planning. I confirmed that for the most part a career in Arts & Entertainment has a lower average income rate than my current field. I am excited to find a balance between my current role and learning how to find opportunities that incorporate writing and the arts. I feel that my experience prepares me for any of the three roles I have researched. The responsibilities range from editing existing material for clients, publishers and producers. Planning projects, outlines and activities. Researching production topics, using archives and other informational resources. Preparing a training budget, evaluating instructor performance and

Many talented individuals are attracted to careers as designers. Those with little or no education, as