Anthony Hernandez

If for whatever reason the video is not working here is a link! https://drive.google.com/file/d/111UrMOo6rzm2JzFlUiaA2Np71JkofthH/view?usp=sharing

As I go through this week, I’m reminded to pause and appreciate those magical moments in nature that spark my imagination. These moments have a way of adding depth to the story I have to tell, a story that only I can truly express. Recently, one such moment has inspired my creative process and has me thinking about designing something that makes therapy look cool, fun, and relatable to everyone.

When I visit my hometown and see my mom dealing with her own mental health issues, it stirs something within me. It’s like a burst of colors and shapes that come alive in my mind, urging me to create designs that challenge the way therapy is perceived. I want to break down the walls and make it more accessible, something people can connect with and embrace.

The natural world around me plays a big role in shaping my ideas. Its beauty, the vibrant hues, and the sounds of birds singing or leaves rustling all inspire me. I want to capture those elements in my designs, to make them visually captivating and inviting. By doing so, I hope to shift the way people think about therapy, making it something that feels natural and appealing.

In my art, I aim to convey the message that therapy is nothing to be ashamed of. It’s a journey of self-discovery and growth, one that can bring about positive change. My designs become a way to bridge that gap between the therapeutic process and the public, to help people see the beauty and potential within it.

This assignment reminds me to take a moment and appreciate how the natural world influences my creativity. It’s like a language that speaks to me, fueling my imagination. By tapping into that creativity, I can create something meaningful and impactful. I want to challenge perceptions and make a difference, using my art to open up conversations about mental well-being and therapy.

So, in the coming days, I’ll continue to embrace those moments in nature that spark my imagination. I’ll let the colors, shapes, and sounds guide me as I create designs that make therapy look cool, fun, and relatable. And who knows, maybe through my art, I can help change the way people see therapy and inspire them to seek the help they need.

DISCLAIMER: The above response was my attempt at getting ChatGPT to generate a response that matches more of my writing style. The response is true and accurate but written by AI. After providing it with sample text of my own it went left so this is my attempt to fix that. If for some reason that is not allowed please let me know I am more than ready to just write my own response but I have been making myself practice using AI more and more

For this weeks blog assignment we were tasked to create a moodboard for Petcube’s product Bites 2. It is a camera for pet owners to monitor and speak to their pets and also feed them treats. I went with a simple black and white base with concrete textures, modern interiors and images, and adding an inflated texture. The idea is the text will be a pop of color and texture to get it to stand out. Almost the exact opposite of the backgrounds, creating a feeling that those with modern homes can have this product and not clash with anythig around them because of the style of the product, while the fun text resembles the fun pets they have.

This week we were tasked with doing research on the pluses and minuses of working under Contract/Agency work. One of the main differences is the agency handles alot of the dirty work for you. As a freelancer you are essentially on your own, if someone treats you unfairly or pays unfairly and you wish to take legal action that is 100 percent on you. If you want health insurance or any other benefits that is also on you and tends to cost more as an individual than paying through your employer.

I think I would rather be contracted under an agency, especially early on in my career. Build up a reputation and make relationships, then perhaps freelance on the side. I am not one who enjoys the business side of things so if someone can handle that for me at least until I have an understanding of how to do all of that.

Job Links:

https://boards.greenhouse.io/pokemoncareers/jobs/5555296003

https://www.linkedin.com/jobs/view/senior-product-designer-contract-to-hire-at-sleeper-3567804263/

https://seattle-wa.geebo.com/jobs-online/view/id/1282104255-contract-designer-/

SORRY FOR TURNING IN LATE I COMPLETELY MISSED THIS ASSIGNMENT IN SLACK :(…. anywayyyyyyy. For this weeks blog assignment we were tasked with uploading 5 images that felt inspirational to us and fell into a texture or shape category.

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For this weeks blog assignment we were tasked with creating an alternate jersey for the Hockey Affiliate of the Seattle Kraken, better known as the Coachella Valley Firebirds. The jersey is supposed to promote the Coachella Valley Festival of Arts and Music. That festival is renowned for being a glimmer of bright colorful musicians, art, and people in the middle of the desert. So for my design I took that idea and ran with it, giving the body of the jersey a desert tan while changing the colors of the logo to a vibrant pink for the lights that come on at night, and the bright blue of the Coachella sky. With a mural at the bottom of the jersey of the famous ferris wheel and balloon structures of the festival.

I also decided the mockup given was much too blurry and was able to find a free one on Behance and decided to use that. I also found a font similar to Coachellas famous font, and used that for the “Firebirds” type both on the front of the jersey and the inside collar.

Who are you?

I am Anthony Hernandez, a queer latinx man who values friendship, alone time, forgiveness, and compassion. I have dealth with mental health issues my whole life and value my experiences in that regard and love to help others dealing with mental health as much as I can.

What is it that you want to do?

I want to be happy. My definition of happy is being surrounded by genuine people that make me feel loved and respected, while also enjoying a career that affords me some luxuries such as traveling, a nice home, and the ability to never stress about bilis. I want to make a positive difference in the lives of those who come around me, without forcing anything. Just being myself and letting my energy do the work.

Why?

I want that because I feel like that is an obtainable goal without driving myself crazy or burning out. The question was phrased in a way that I wanted to give a realistic answer, my dreams are different and astronomical but those may or may not be realistic.

Where do you want to go?

I want to go somewhere that very few of my family has ever been. That is going to a place where I am comfortable with every aspect in my life, mental health, job, friends, income, etc.

What would you want to say?

I would want to say all the right things, but I know that is not going to happen. Early on in life I was obsessed with being perfect and it manifested as an adult in awful ways. It lead me to work with an OCD specialist and it has improved my quality of life significantly. Because I know saying all the right things is impossible I would truly want to say my best. Always putting my best foot forward verbally and taking responsibility whenever that does not happen.

For this week’s blog assignment we are being tasked with creating our own video idea similar to Cut. Cut has hundreds of videos that are essentially social experiments with a wide variety of people. Some restrictions for our video are, no alcohol, and no insulting any group of people.

My idea is to have a student guess a group of other students major. Whether thats guessing inside of the program, being a visual media student or a design student, but since we are all already in new media together that might be too easy. So gathering other students from SCC and guessing what they are majoring in based on appearance alone.

I think their would be some interesting responses because everyone has bias’s they use on a daily basis and this would bring those to light for them. Might also bring out some hilarious responses as to why they think someone is in a specific program.

In this week’s blog assignment we were tasked to visit a metaverse experience and take some notes on it. I went to the Cuervo Discovery Garden. It was essentially a meta verse where you tend to an agave field, you water the plants and get rid of the sage. It was interesting because you got to actually create an avatar instead of just having a robot looking thing. The rendering of the world was also pretty advanced for what I have seen in other meta verses. 

Some things that worked well was , as previously stated, was the rendering, customization, and movement. Some things that could have been fixed was the selection function, because you are using your mouse to move the camera it makes it difficult to select things at first, it becomes slightly easier but not enough. 

This is not something I see myself becoming interested in in the future, perhaps I will be eating my own words, but I have a short attention span for things on a screen of this nature. For example I can only play video games for so long before needing to change the game and or do something completely different.

I think the potential for advertisement is definitely there, but for a very specific demographic. People like me at this very moment are never going to be on the meta-verse voluntarily. 

I do however believe this will work as a great entertainment tool, mainly because things like it have already existed and are relatively popular. This is the first of its kind that is available on the browser without having to download software so it has a leg up in that realm.

In this week’s blog assignment we are asked to reflect on a past project that I did not meet the mark on. Whether that is because of my own expectations or the expectations of the other entity.

My story is not about one project as much as it is one specific job. I took a dramatically low paying, in house graphic design job for a museum in the greater seattle area. I took the job out of pure excitement and because a personal connection within the staff at the museum got me the opportunity to get this job and did not want to pass it up.

My first real graphic design job in my eyes, and it went down in flames. My first task was to create merchandise for the museum to sell in their gift shop, a few examples of the specific items requested were an engraved glass cup, stickers, and possibly a shirt. This job was also before I began this program, that is very important. I began work on all three of these items at the same time, while also working 6 days a week, and working on my portfolio for this program. So needless to say my energy to be creative was quite drained. I also was drastically unaware of how to communicate with an actual company and the rules around there properties. I immediatley began making a design that essentially redesigned their current logo because I disliked their current logo, which was not requested nor a good idea. I also, due to lack of free time, was not spending alot of time on these projects. This led to the person who hired me to reach out and ask for things multiple times, with me not having anything to give in return. 

Eventually I had to make the decision that parting ways was the best for both parties. Thankfully i did that because it gave me more time to work on my portfolio and who knows, if i had stayed my portfolio might have never happened and I would not be in this program.

The biggest takeaway’s I got from this experience is to one, never ever take a job that pays as little as that one did. Not only because it hurts me directly but it also brings down the price for other designers indirectly. Second is to not overload my plate, I have been doing that for the last few years and it cuaght up to me finally at that point and i now know tjat is not sustainable. My third and final takeaway is to do everything differently, I now have so much more knowledge thanks to this program and will be much more successful at my next job,