Top three hard skills:
Procreate- I’ve been practicing with procreate for 4 years now and know the program well. I’ve done both illustration and animation within it. It’s a tool I use whenever I want to sketch out an idea I have. My instagram @cutoffart is full of examples of my procreate work which speaks to my experience and confidence working with the program. Below is an example of my work:
Adobe Illustrator- I’ve been learning Illustrator in my free time since it entered my head to apply at SSCA. After taking a few of Jason’s classes I would say I have an intermediate knowledge of the program. I certainly think I’ve been given the tools to begin creating basic vector art in a commercial scenario. By the end of this program I expect to be able to efficiently create complex vector art and have a competitive advantage in the field.
Ableton Live- I’ve been learning Ableton Live for over two years in my free time. I have consistently worked on projects and watched tutorials in those two years. While Ableton is a vast and powerful program, I have learned enough to make a song, soundscape, sound effects, or record basic vocal audio. I foresee this skill coming in handy on any video or interactive projects I need to work on and look forward to fusing sound design with graphic design
Top three soft skills:
Amicability- I believe I am a people person. I am able to get along with most types of people and have had enough experience in the work place to be able to deal with those I don’t get along with. I’m generally able to joke and bond with my peers and enjoy doing group activities outside of work. I think this makes me an easy person to work with. I don’t demand much and let things roll off my back. If I do have issues with someone I try to address them interpersonally and set boundaries.
Thinking outside the box- I think one of my advantages is my creativity. I’m able to come up with ideas and think outside the box. I have no trouble coming up with copy during my projects and I’m happy to sit and spit ball ideas for half an hour. While some of my peers struggle to come up with ideas, it’s an area I think I excel in
Work experience- I know this one is a little eye rolly, but I think a strong advantage I have over some of my younger peers is my work experience. I’ve worked bad jobs, I’ve worked boring jobs, I’ve saved my money, I’ve dealt with bad bosses. All in all I have a better understanding of my worth and dignity in a work place. I know what it means to work with people for years at a time. I know what it means to show up, even when you don’t feel like it. Being able to take these hard learned thing and apply them to something more productive than a job at Kroger is probably my greatest boon of all.
Hard skill to work on:
Indesign- For someone who is so intersted in print and magazines, you’d think I’d be a little more thrilled about learning InDesign, but lord does it test me. Who programmed this stuff? Why hasn’t adobe fixed its messes yet? I digress. I need to learn InDesign so I can open up a potential path towards publishing, it’s also just a good program to know for your own personal projects. I’m working on it!
Soft skill to work on:
Decision making- my if it isn’t the bane of my existence. Ambivalence and indecision are my core evil personality traits. It’s what made me take so long to go the this program, it’s what made me work bad jobs for so long. Making a decision can be a struggle, but I’m already on my way to correcting myself. Just being in this program, quitting my job, these are hard decisions I made. Wish me luck as I continue to work on it. My future hinges on it