All things scruffy, all the time

About Scruffy

The alchoholic, petrified, purple feline alter ego of Jenn Embree; writer, artist, designer, and internet junkie.

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I've got the page
numbers done.
Steven Wright

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Design

Cha-cha-cha-changes!!

We all go through changes, whether we want to or not, or admit them or not. I’d like to think I like the person that I have become more than the person I use to be, though the person I am now wishes she had some of the stuff the person I use to be took for granted.

I had my first visit to my Alma Matersince graduating two years ago, and it was an enlightening experience. I only managed to catch up with two of my former professors, but it just so happened that they were two of my favorites. Of course I had the fear that they wouldn’t remember me after two years, but apparently my insesent comment making, and excessive over due essays made an impression. One of the professors I spoke with was the one I mentioned in my last post, Dr. Wills, who’s first question was to ask if I was back doing my honours in English, which, if you knew my GPA, you’d probably wonder at. I suppose we aren’t always aware of the impressions we make, and the fact that someone I respect so much thinks I’m capable makes me not so ashamed of some of the half assed work I put in towards the end of my degree (read: I had a major burn out in third year and should have taken some time off, but in stead just didn’t hand in several major essays…somehow still passed…).

I don’t think I’d ever go back and do my honours, though maybe someday if I have extra money and free time (Ha!) I would consider auditing some courses since the class room atmosphere was really my favorite part. However, the comment did get me to thinking about the education that I would like to get, as in my forgotten design addiction.  I’m still paying for my BA, and will continue paying for the next six years, so going back to school full time is essentially out of the question. Not to mention the fact that by the time I have enough money to go back and do the minimum two years it would take to get the accreditation I want I’d be in my thirties, makes me leery of devoting all my time and energy towards that goal.

Yet going back to MTA, drinking tea and eating a nice club at Mels, getting some fancy cup-a-joe at Bridge Street, hanging out at used book stores, just soaking up the atmosphere of learning and academia made me crave it again. I know this sounds corny, and I don’t usually go for that, but the feeling was acute and has remained with me for longer than a simple twinge of nostalgia ordinarily would. The result is a drive to make changes, to get things done that I haven’t felt in a long time. It’s easy to sit at your dead-end job, and your three hour commute and think, “If I stick at this for a while, it’ll get easier to do the things I want.” Now, I think, “Screw this, I’m going to get things done now.” There are ways to get certified and skilled that do not involve university, and considering that most of my current design skills are self taught this might even be the way to go.

I think my main hope is that by combining adobe certification with a BA in English, SOME publishing company will want me. Honestly, its gotta mean something. And if not, than….well, this website will probably look pretty friggin’ cool by the time I’m done, and I’ll have more reason to like the current me over the old one who had no idea what she wanted.

To all my argosy peeps

You know what I’m talking about.

h4x3d.com | online portfolio of julian klewes

h4x3d.com | online portfolio of julian klewes

Some freaking nice free wordpress themes, some of which I’ll be using.  Definately worth a look, even if it’s just to inspire your own stuff.

Make My Logo Bigger Cream

Make My Logo Bigger Cream

All these years, I’ve been doing it wrong. Now, thanks to these helpful products, I’ll be able to become the successful designer I’ve always wanted to be.

resurgere – stocktafic

From resurgere's resurgere on deviantART

While wasting time on deviantART you can find a lot of crap. Like the largest collection of ridiculously fantasized yaoi this side of the Pacific (but without the fun of the nudity) along with an equally large collection of angsty art photography that invokes (for me anyways) all the drama of a high school theatrical production. However, as the die-hards know, it’s worth wadding through the dung to find the sweet mulch underneath, and resurgere is just that. A gathering of photographers offering various collections of stock photos, it is a gorgeous resource that just begs to be used. They have everything from macaber, micro, textures, their delightful Borkr collection (not for the faint of heart as far as photomanips are concerned), and more. Frankly, if you can’t find something in their gallery that catches your fancy, than I’m done trying. Of course, make sure you know the rules before you start playing with their photos.

Subtraction: This Way to the Web, Print Designers!

Subtraction: This Way to the Web, Print Designers!

A nice, succinct discussion on how web design differs from print, focusing more on the ideology behind the two “design mediums” rather than just the practical differences.

The prerequisite for doing something meaningful with any of these skills — HTML, CSS, Flash or whatever — is first embracing the medium as something different from print. Indeed, there’s no point in learning these skills unless as a print designer you’ve made a prior shift in your understanding of how design works in digital media. Specifically, come to grips with the fact that, on the Web, design is not a method for implementing narrative, as it is in print, but rather it’s a method for making behaviors possible.

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Now playing: Yasuharu Takanashi – God’s Will
via FoxyTunes