They say, “Practice makes perfect!” and I’m a big believer in that. This week, I faced something I dreaded the most…mounting. I don’t want to complain here—if anything, I am truly grateful—but the one thing I always got criticized for in class was my craftsmanship. Even if I were to design something that I found satisfying and pleasing to the eye, presenting the final product on a black board has always been a struggle for me. Perhaps it’s my impatience or lack of will to start something over, but I dread making books in class. The content might look fine, but the book itself might end up looking like it will fall apart.
On Monday, the minute I was told that I was going to mock up boards for presentation, I felt my heart race with anxiety:
They’re definitely pushing me out of my comfort zone here. The projects that I was assigned to cut, spray and mount aren’t mine to mess up or to re-do…things just got real. I’m not the type of person to back down on a challenge. Besides, I DID just enroll in an artist book -making class to improve on my craftsmanship skills…I just hope BatesMeron shows me grace if I screw things up…
After a couple of boards and flysheets, I found myself grow more confidence in my mounting skills, thank goodness! Attaching flysheets to each board was also a new thing for me. I wouldn’t say that my mounting is perfection now, or even close. However, I am truly thankful they are helping me with presentation prep, which is crucial in design. I hope I’ll be a mounting pro by the end of this internship!
Other than that, I am thrilled to say I’ve learned some new techniques and useful shortcuts on Illustrator and Photoshop from our art director, Melissa. I find this really helpful because it’s important to be quick and efficient especially with tight deadlines. I hope that one day my hands will move around the keyboard as fast as Melissa’s. One can dream, and one can practice and hope for the best!
Friends, I can say—once again—that it has been a successful week. ‘Til next time!
Your intern,
Josey
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