Is it just me, or is anyone else feeling the heat here at UW?
And I don’t mean high temperatures, those of which left campus long ago. Let’s face it Badgers, snow has entered the state and it’s not leaving without a fight.
Weather aside, school is definitely getting intense, and I sincerely hope you all are pushing through, having some success and figuring things out along the way.
Personally, I’m pretty drained. Being a chronic procrastinator is definitely not helping my sleep schedule with all the late nights of completing art and design projects along with struggling through my general requirements.
However, I’m ultimately enjoying the process and love the rewarding feeling of achieving the final outcome and seeing all my hard work come together into a cohesive whole.
Plus, learning about programs such as Adobe Photoshop and Illustrator is not only fun, but a super useful skill for me to have in my future design endeavors.
Just last week in Design Studies 120, my fellow students and I were told to hand-render two designs (one black and white, one color) for a motif—or pattern, for you non design folks.
I decided to use pineapples in my designs, to mourn the loss of summer, of course.
We scanned our respective four-by-four squares and repeated the design in two different ways on Photoshop as well as edited the overall image to create the final repeating pattern.
Although one of the more time-consuming assignments, it was by far my favorite project I have been given this semester.
It definitely made me even more excited to continue on with my education in design.
As the semester progresses, I realize more and more how learning about elements such as line, shape, value, color, etc. will eventually help me succeed in an interior design career.
Aside from the fact that I love everything Madison has to offer, I’ve noticed that design students are a bit of a minority.
I began to notice this just days upon arriving to my new home back in early September--what is now feeling like an eternity ago.
Everywhere I went, everyone I met seemed astounded to meet a student who wasn’t going into engineering, business or medicine.
However, they all were extremely interested in hearing about a program that isn’t the most traditional on campus.
As for the design students I have met and gotten to know, they are all extremely creative and passionate people who couldn’t be happier to be learning about what they love, much like myself.
Having a smaller community within a massive institution like UW-Madison is wonderful and creates a sense of security, which is nice in a mix of over 40,000 students.
While many prospective students fear the large size of a university like UW-Madison, finding your niche in your chosen school and program really does make campus feel a lot smaller and more comfortable.
Even though there will always be an infinite number of people to meet and friends to be made, it’s reassuring to see a familiar face while walking the halls of your most frequented buildings and libraries.
Basically, I could not be happier with my decision to learn and expand my creativity in UW’s School of Human Ecology.
Besides gaining valuable insights into a career I’ve always dreamed about, but never truly known, I’ve also been able learn how to stretch my personal creativity and talents.
I truly would recommend it to any student exploring the wide array of majors offered on campus, especially if they’re looking to have a little creative fun both inside and outside of the classroom.
