A Step in the Journey

This spring i received just under $600 for my tax refund. The only thing i've bought with it was a $165 Sector 9 longboard, and a $40 pair of Roxy canvas shoes from PacSun. I was planning on saving the rest, but there is one last major purchase I am going to make. Something that could be super beneficial, and may make my career path a little bit clearer.

I am currently a student at my local community college studying graphic design, something that I love and adore. For my full time job, I want to go into the production side of graphic design. I want to do printing. I love designing and creating, but I recently realized how much I hate doing commercial design. I hate doing logos, letterheads, and packaging. I want to create ART.

I thought I'd be learning about printing a lot more. In the program description it said we'd be taught a decent amount about different types of printing, which is incredibly false. There is only one course for printing and it is the one that I am currently taking, which is a lecture class. No hands on learning whatsoever. What we are learning about is mainly commercial printing. Printing things like weekly ads, company brochures, etc on large production printers. Nothing about the other types of printing. The artistic, and expressive printmaking styles.

Now, you may be wondering why I didn't just go to an art school to study printmaking. It's because of money. I just don't have enough. And when I was a senior in high school a couple of years back, I still didn't know what I wanted to do with my life, except that it needed to be creative. I started graphic design at a community college because either it would be a great idea and exactly what I wanted to do, or the cheapest mistake I'd make in my education. Compared to the tuition of an art school, this is pocket change.

I've been doing research and I am going to try and get a printmaking internship for this summer. I have a place picked out that does a summer course, I just need to go through a slightly extensive application process. But I know I can do it. I will finish my graphic design program because I'm terrible at quitting things.

Until then, I have figured out what will be the last substantial purchase with my tax refund this spring. I do custom framing at Michael's Arts and Crafts (another handy skill to know) and for the past couple of months I have been looking at buying a Speedball starter screen printing kit. I have finally decided to buy it. It comes with everything you need to start out, supposedly, and I think it's time to take the chance. I am going to put painting and drawing to the side for a while. Just start drawing up designs and trying out some printing instead. For all I know this could be my calling, and I wont know until I try it. Hence the image in the beginning. I will be taking pictures of everything I make, and the processes and challenges along the way for you guys to follow. I'm hoping for the best! Wish me luck :]

Check out my art tab at the top if you are at all interested in my paintings and drawings that I have already made. Thank you for looking if you do!