Out of my hard skills, my top three would be Adobe After Effects, hand lettering, and writing. Out of my soft skills, my top three would be inquisitiveness, genuine enthusiasm for learning, and what my dad has told me is called “radical candor.”
I’ve used After Effects for several years now, probably close to 8 at this point. I started messing around with it when I was 12–13 and have continued to do so since. I’ve self-taught myself how to do a lot of things, and in the areas I got too confused YouTube tutorials were my best friend. Over the course of years, I became incredibly comfortable navigating it and creating videos within it, and I can easily produce a video of high quality with no difficulty.
Hand lettering is something I have been interested in since I was a kid, but I went through the effort of teaching myself calligraphy around the age of 14. I’ve always had decent penmanship but stylized lettering has always interested me. I’ve practiced for several years at this point, learning how and when to add emphasis to strokes to create the desired effect. At this point, hand lettering is something which is fluid and natural for me.
I have always excelled at writing, both in a formal, more matter-0f-fact form and in a creative, expressive way as well. Being autistic, the English language and the rules around it are intriguing to me so it’s something I deeply enjoy. Grammar conventions are something that comes easily to me, so editing or proofreading papers is a favor many of my friends have asked of me throughout my school years.
In terms of my soft skills, they can all be summed up pretty quickly: I’m a curious and matter-of-fact person. I’m not afraid to ask questions even if they’re “embarrassing,” because I want to be able to complete things with the best quality. Additionally, this furthers my love of learning. Knowledge is an important thing, and the process of learning and expanding what I know is something I love. In regards to “radical candor,” I have often been told my advice given during critiques in school is valuable and useful. My peers have told me that they really appreciate my critiques because I don’t censor my thoughts on things but I’m also not rude about it. I simply say things that need to be said because saying them helps everyone.
Out of hard skills I would like to improve during my time at SCCA, I would like to improve my understanding of layout design and typography. Out of soft skills, I would like to improve upon time management and communication.
I believe furthering my understanding of layout in design is crucial. Everything has a layout if it’s designed. Being able to be good (or even just better) at layout means all of my designs will be enhanced. I want to be able to make engaging, interesting, and functional pieces. Adding onto this, typography is crucial to how we receive all information. On top of this, I’m dyslexic and I see type in a different way than most people. Understanding typography will not only help me communicate more effectively within design, it will also help me create designs that adhere to standards while still being accessible to people like me who see the world differently.
Time management is needed for everything. How long to work on things, when you start a task and when it’s time to finish it — it all depends on time management. While it’s something I’m not bad at, there’s always room for improvement. Getting better at time management ultimately will alleviate stress and allow greater productivity. Communication ties into this as well. Communicating effectively, openly, and honestly is something everyone can improve upon their entire lives. There is never not a chance for someone to be a better communicator. Communication builds connections and empathy, and these things are essential to the human experience.
