Minnesota summer at the cabin

We haven't had much of a summer here in London, so I've been looking at lovely photos of other people's summers.There's nothing like going up north to the cabin during the summer in Minnesota. These photos, taken by Allison Vallant, really capture what it's like to go to the cabin. Allison and I went to MCAD together and she's a very talented lady. She majored in photography surprise surprise :) Her blog and Flickr site are gorgeous. Make sure to take a look. You will love it.

http://www.flickr.com/photos/allisonthevaliant/5913749430/in/photostream

Add chttp://www.flickr.com/photos/allisonthevaliant/5913742500/in/photostreamaption

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http://www.flickr.com/photos/allisonthevaliant/5913190313/in/photostream

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MCAD makes into the list of 13 colleges that leave students in massive debt

According to the Huffington Post the average debt is 42,00.00 I wish that was the amount of debt that I was left with! MCAD was massively expensive and I paid for my own education, or am paying for it. Thankfully it was worth it. I just wish that they wouldn't ask for a contribution from me months after graduation....

Moving abroad

stinkin' pink, originally uploaded by simple moth (taking a break).

I never really wanted to live in another country. I was never against it, but it was never a dream of mine. I thought about living in another part of the States maybe Chicago or New York, but I was pretty happy with things in Minneapolis. Minneapolis is a great place to live. You can feel a bit landlocked at times, but I am definitely proud to be a Minnesotan gal.

To be honest I wasn't even all that keen to study abroad. In my major you spend your last semester either doing a full time internship or studying abroad. MCAD also has relationships with other colleges in the states and I really wanted to do a semester at Parsons. Parsons in New York City had a great program in design management. I went through the process of trying to make that happen and it turned out it was going to cost more than going to MCAD for the semester. I had earned a scholarship for my senior year and it couldn't be used at Parsons, but it could be used if I studied abroad at one of the colleges that we partnered with overseas.

Since my high school French isn't what it used to be, I decided that it would be good to go somewhere people spoke English. That gave me a few choices, London, Brighton or Ireland. The universities in Brighton and Ireland were fine arts based so that left London.

At the time MCAD was only sending graphic design students over to the London College of Communication, but I discovered that they had a relevant course to my major in Marketing and Advertising. I worked with MCAD to let me go and in the end another classmate of mine went along as well.

Now going back to when I said I didn't want to study abroad. In hindsight it's a really silly thing to say. I would definitely recommend it to everyone. At the time I thought that it might not be the best move since I wanted to stay in Minneapolis and try to make contacts to find a job after graduation. I had also traveled abroad before and it wasn't like I was 22 and going to be on my own for the first time. I was worried that it was going to be too expensive and it wasn't sensible. I am so glad I decided to go for it.

I can't tell you how happy I am that I decided to do it. You just learn so much about yourself and the world.

So it was decided that I would spent eight weeks studying in London. Before I got to London I did a little traveling in Ireland. Two other MCAD Vis students, Zoe Peterson and Katy Smith, were going to do a semester in Dublin. I hung around with them for a bit before heading over to London. Little did I know what was in store......

Good Times

What a surprise it was to see that my dear friend Elyse had posted up some fantastic photos of Taylor and me! These photos go way back to 1973! Just kidding, 2005 :)

Elyse got us in the old studio at MCAD to work on a project for photo. I think it was an obvious choice for her to ask us to be her models. She's like a way famous photographer now, this early work opened all kinds of doors for her!

Zebra People New Media Recruitment

Last week I went to meet up with Nick, from Zebra People. I was referred to this recruitment agency by a woman who I met through Julie Dirksen at MCAD. As I've mentioned before I like going with recruitment agencies that have been recommended. I asked Matthew how many recruitment agencies he thought were in London and he answered thousands upon thousands. 

I gave Nick and a call and set off to meet him last Monday. He had a job going that I could interview for the next day. I was pretty excited. I went over to meet him and have a chat about my skills. I haven't written a post about it yet, but I've decided look for a job that was similar to what I was doing at Popular Front. I've been looking for IA and user experience roles. There was a role at Grand Union, a successful interactive agency with a great client list. 

I would hope that my interview with Nick went ok. The role at Grand Union was a bit beyond my skills, but Nick mentioned that they also had a jr role that they were looking to fill. He thought it would be worth a go. 

The interview style in London is much different than in Mpls, as I have mentioned before. I really have to learn the competency style of answering the questions. Nick asked me how my efforts at Popular Front impacted their bottom line, how I increased profits. I was stopped dead in my tracks. I had no idea how to answer that question. Nick was helpful and gave me ideas of how I could answer that. Thank goodness. I just showed me that I had a lot to learn. I think that I am not talking about my experience in the right way. Which is frustrating. I used to think that I came across well in interviews, but I know that I am not doing well here. I've got to work on that.

Mentorship

At times our own light goes out and is rekindled by a spark from another person. Each of us has cause to think with deep gratitude of those who have lighted the flame within us.
Albert Schweitzer

I went to an event last night put on by the folks over at D&AD. They started putting on pub nights at the Slaughtered Lamb (what a great name for a pub). I went to the last event which was on the topic of how certain pieces made it into the design annual and why certain ones didn't. There were a lot of feisty graphic designers there and it was a very lively talk.

The talk last night was about mentorship in the graphic design industry. Now I am not a graphic designer by trade, but I thought it would be interesting to hear about their experiences in London. The format was an established designer would speak about how they got started in the industry and who they considered their mentors and then a "younger" designer that they have mentored would speak about their relationship and what the mentorship experience was like from their point of view. It was interesting to hear their stories.

Everyone agreed on the benefits of mentorship and how necessary it is in the field of graphic design. How beneficial it is for everyone really. What people found so valuable was the learning that both people got as a result of the relationship. That's really what it's all about, learning and teaching and supporting others.

Of course it lead me to thinking about mentors I've had in my life and who are the people that I admire. It also made me feel excited to think about the support that I can offer to others. Most importantly attending the talk helped put into perspective that life is a journey and there are so many paths through life. I sometimes forget that what I am doing at the moment is going to lead up to something else down the road. That all these little things are leading up to something.

When I think of mentorship I think back to a class that I had at MCAD called Futures. It was a great class taught by Kevin Byrne. Kevin Byrne is an amazing man, he cares about his students and treats them with so much respect. He is a thinker and a doer and I've never met anyone like him. KB, as we like to call him, is just magic. He's the kind of professor that you always hope you'll have at college. He pushes you and challenges you and you know he does it because he believes in you. A dedicated educator and a great guy.

During that Futures class we had a project to create a timeline of what we thought and what we wanted our lives to be. We were supposed to create a life timeline. The timeline could go back and include some major events from our past and ended at our deaths. We had to determine when we thought our time on earth would end. At first it sounded like a really cool project to me and I was excited about it. We had creative license to execute the project in whatever way we wanted. At first it seemed like fun.

Then once I sat down to work on it I had a really hard time. Before I came to MCAD my life was well...how do I put it? Well, I will say there was a lot of sadness and I had a pretty nontraditional upbringing. Going to MCAD was the first goal that I was ever able to set for myself and achieve.
When I thought about my timeline that brought me to MCAD it was filled with a lot of sadness. My mother was bi-polar manic depressive and growing up was unpredictable. She had a bad episode when I was 7 years old where she tried to hurt me and was sent away to a hospital. I went to live in a foster home for a few weeks while they sorted it out. I returned home to my dad and because he left early in the morning for work I started sleeping overnight at my best friends house two doors down. I would go over there after dinner and sleep there and go off to school with Cory and Nick.

To me, I feel like I've been on my own, taking care of myself since I was 7 years old. Eventually my mom came home and I didn't stay over night at Cory's anymore. Things were never normal. Although my parents loved me very much, they didn't know how to be parents. I was allowed to come and go as I pleased, they weren't very involved in what I was doing at school. I didn't have anyone telling me that I should be thinking about college. I had zero discipline and thankfully I did very well. I never fell in with a bad crowd, I didn't turn to drugs and alcohol. I was strong, but it was hard. I had to figure out a lot of things on my own and at the same time deal with my mom. I always felt like an outsider.

After high school I had no idea what I wanted to do. I wanted to go to MCAD and be an artist, but I didn't have any money. I was living in my own apartment after I turned 18. College was something that I wanted to do, but I wanted to be sure about what I wanted to get out of it. I was paying my own way and I wasn't interested in just fooling around at school. I got a job as a waitress and experienced life for a while.

Two days before I turned 19 my dad passed away from cancer. I was completely devastated and heartbroken. My dad, despite not being the greatest father, was a cool guy and I was really looking forward to getting to know him as a person. I wish we had gotten that chance before he passed away. His death hit me really hard.

My mom had always been supportive of me going to MCAD, she believed in my talent. I made the decision that I was going to go. First I was going to go to the Minneapolis Community and Technical College so I could apply to MCAD as a transfer student. I hadn't taken my SAT or ACT exams in high school, so I thought it would be a good way to go. I also wanted to get into the swing of things, being back in school before MCAD.

Two weeks before school started my mom passed away, she had taken her own life. I won't go too much into it now, but it didn't come as a surprise. It's hard for me to even explain what that day felt like, it was six years ago. It was one of the worst days of my life. I knew how much my mom wanted me to go to school so I went. I won't lie and say it was easy, but I am glad that I went. I went to MCTC for about a year and a half. During that time things were a roller coaster. At times I did really well in my classes and was really happy to be there and then there were times when the sadness was unbearable.

Still having MCAD in my sights I decided to stop going to MCTC and go back to work for a while. I decided to go see a grief counselor so I could work out my feelings so that when I went to MCAD nothing was going to hold me back. It was one of the best decisions I ever made. I wanted to be at MCAD and experience it to it's fullest. I had to deal with the feelings of being an orphan before I went.

I was also scared to apply to MCAD for a long time. I thought I was scared that I wouldn't get in, but what I was really afraid of was what if I did get in and failed... As a back up I also applied to CVA and I was accepted at both. It really was a dream come true. It was the first time in my life that I could set a goal for myself. A time where I wasn't living in a survival mode and I could be proactive about my own life. It felt amazing and scary at the same time.

As much as I loved going to MCAD it was hard to not have my parents to share it with. I think I cried everyday for the first year. I just longed to tell them about what I was learning.

So, back to the project. So not only was it difficult because of my past I had never really thought about the kind of future I wanted for myself. I had gotten so used to making the best of things and reacting that I didn't know what I wanted. It was an awful feeling to not know what you want. I really struggled and I would go and see Kevin and I would just break down and sob. I would say that I got very good at burying my feelings and hurt so I could live my life, but Kevin would have a way of asking me a question or acknowledging that I had experienced some tough things and I would just break down. He was very kind.

I wanted him to see how hard the assignment was for me and excuse me from doing it, but he never did. He knew I could do it, even if it meant facing the pain. He knew it would be worth it. He worked with me to come up with an alternative assignment and I was grateful for his understanding and belief in me.

For me I never had the experience of seeing how little steps can build up into something. Logically I could understand it, but I couldn't get it. I had never said I want to achieve this and then worked for it. I had tried to before in my life, but something would always get in the way. As I get older and I can look back I understand. It's still a hard thing to grasp.

Going through that experience in Futures with Kevin Byrne changed my life. Him believing in me really was the most wonderful thing in the world to me. Going through the assignment, even though it brought to the surface all the pain I had been feeling from my entire life, was so incredible.

I thought about the Futures project as I walked back to the tube after the talk and thought about how far I had come in just two years. It made me realize that my life is a journey and that it's the little steps and experiences that are bringing me to something and it's ok if I don't know what that is yet. I know that the good choices I make everyday are adding up.

Didn't get that one.

"The people who can drive themselves further once the effort

gets difficult are the ones who will win."

 Just got off the phone with Aveda. I didn't get the internship. They gave me the feedback that I was over qualified and I was late. Both true. 

I feel terrible about being late. I had plenty of time to get there, but ended up going down the wrong street. I guess it doesn't really matter, if I am too qualified then they wouldn't have given it to me. I am disappointed. I really liked the guy who I interviewed with and was looking forward to working with him. On one hand if the internship wasn't going to be challenging than it's good that I am not doing it. I saw it as a good way into the company. I guess I should look at the positives.

Positives:

HR and my interviewer said I had a strong CV.

They had a chance to meet me. I am still very passionate about working for Aveda, hopefully I would be considered if something were to come up.

I know that I am too qualified for internships and work experiences.

The experience has moved me one step closer to finding a job that I will love doing.

I have to admit that I feel knocked back. I really wanted this internship. I choked up when I was talking to the woman from HR on the phone, but I am only human. 

I sent the HR person and the interviewer an email letting them know that I would still love to work for the company and that I would keep in touch. I did enjoy everyone that I met.

I wish I could say that I wasn't upset, but I am. I did learn from the experience. I was unsure of myself before regarding experience. I had been hearing that I should try to get some experience here. So I tried that, but it doesn't seem to be the right path. I have to got to rock the experience that I have and remember that I do have a lot. My major at MCAD is a lot different than most and I gained a lot of experience from the course and the internships that I have done.

I will move forward and focus on that.

MCAD I love you

I heard the mail come through the slot today and I ran from the living room to collect it. I am still waiting to hear back from one last graduate scheme that I applied for. Instead was a letter from MCAD asking me to donate money. Oh dear. What bad timing. I had just got done putting all my loans on deferment. My loans are pretty hefty, I am hovering around 65,000.00. It was well worth it. At least I know I am not the only one out there with huge MCAD loans. My husband gets a kick out of shocking people with how much I owe. University used to be free in England and even though they have to pay for it now, it isn't considered expensive. My student debt doesn't really get me down, because I believe in the education that I received at MCAD. It was money well spent. More accurately money well borrowed and spent.

I can't wait for the day when I can start contributing to MCAD, but it might be a few years. I hope they accept the check for 5.00 and know that I would give more if I had it. I have been lately getting emails from students who are interested in studying in London and I look forward to helping them. In that way I am giving back to MCAD. I feel good about helping fellow students from MCAD, especially the people studied with. I had an amazing experience as part of the BS:Visualization program. There were some amazing people and I am happy to say that we all seem to keep in touch.

photo credit Photograph ©Erin Nicole Johnson for the Minneapolis College of Art and Design

AMVBBDO

On all the applications they ask you to put down your A Levels and GSCE scores. I went to school in the States so I don't have any of those things to fill in. Since the AMVBBDO application was a friendly word document and not a rigid online form I decided to include the courses that I studied at college in leu of A Levels and GCSE scores that I didn't have. Why did I do this? Well I took some amazing classes and I think the BS Visualization curriculum is pretty unique. Here are the classes that I took during four wonderful years at MCAD.

• Account Planning
  
• Advertising Account Management
  
• Advertising Design 1
• Biological Systems
• Colour Forecasting and Trends
  
• Creative & Critical Thinking
• Cultural Anthropology
• Cultural Institutions
• Design Context
• Experience Gestalt
  
• Flash Workshop
  
• Foundation 2-D
• Foundation 3-D
• Futures
• Graphic Design 1
• HTML
  
• Internships-7
• Introduction to Film
  
• Inventions and Progress
• Marketing Concepts & Analysis
• Mashing Up the Internet
• Persuasion & Negotiation
  
• Presentation & Debate
• Project Tracking
  
• Product Design
  
• Organizing Data Providing Information
  
• Reading for Ideas
• Screen Printing
  
• Senior Project
• Study Abroad Semester London
• Typography
• Understanding Contexts for Internet Communication
• Visual Thinking
• Visualizing Physics
  
• Visualization Studio

In the application form I did put this into a nice neat table instead of long list. I could throw some code in here..maybe later. I enjoyed this application, the questions were straightforward and fun to answer. I talked about the Museum of Childhood Advert. Media channels that I couldn't live with out Print, Radio, Internet. A photo of something that makes me feel happy would have to be from my Las Vegas Elvis impersonator wedding. The business question was a bit of a stumper. To be honest I am not in the market to open my own business. Should I have gone with my gut and said I would love to just work for myself braiding hair on the beach in Mexico? Anything else we should know about you was answered by telling them I was briefly in a tap dance troupe in Minneapolis. The usual.

An interesting fact is that my Advertising Account Management class was taught by Glen Sherling former Senior Vice President - Director of Client Services of BBDO Minneapolis. The class was split up into two parts the first was with Glenn and we would have class at BBDO. That was really cool. For the second half we worked with Shawn Judge on presentation skills. Shawn Judge is an amazing speaker and storyteller. We worked with her for six weeks learning how to speak and give presentations.

I remember giving a speech in that class that went over like a lead balloon. The point of the presentation was to teach the audience something. I had just got done reading Dale Carnegie's "How to Stop Worrying and Start Living" and was going to share his three step method for eliminating worry. We were also supposed to define what kind of audience we would ideally be presenting to. My audience was ideally an incoming freshman class.

I gave the speech in a very dramatic style, imagine an evangelical preacher on speed and that was what I was going for. I must point out that although we got to say who the ideal audience was, in reality we were giving the speech in front of five other students. Ultimately they were the audience, something I neglected to address. There was one guy in the class who was from Germany, who told me afterwards how much he hated my speech and that I should never do that again. I will admit that perhaps the theatrics didn't go over so well, it was like I said a group of five other students so I didn't really need the clip on microphone. Lessons learned, eh? I also decided to chalk up the fact the German foreign exchange student didn't like the speech because he had no cultural context for that style of speaking. To be fair he didn't really even know what salsa was.. I digress..

image credit-Pony/flickr