Getting Back on The Path

Burnout is a bad and good thing. It's bad as you end up feeling horrible and unable to do anything, especially with struggling to try and get back on track. However, it is good as it let's you realize what your limits are and even begin seeing your path differently. In my case, though, it took me a bit of time to get things together, I am now finally beginning to get a grip of what I want to do, what my limits are, and what I need to work on to get there. I am still figuring out a schedule that will work for me, but I am getting there. I also learned that social media networking and marketing might not be my calling just yet.

I went to a business expo which has helped me realize how much of the businesses of the main city I was looking to work at already has good services for graphic design(even meeting one business and thinking of sending my resume to). However, I also happen to live in the boondocks between a city and two towns, all three recovering from the downturn and will need more graphic design services as more businesses are beginning to pop up. However, as I looked around the expo and during my burnout, I realized my specialty of vector images and logos is not as needed in this area than the editorial designs for brochures and other things. Luckily, I have some experience with such designs, but I need to begin working on it more. But, I found a small publishing house that I might see if I can join. One thing I love to do is illustrations. I am always doodling(even back when taking art classes with taking notes) and drawing. One of my personal project goals is to make a children's book I thought of during my last semesters in college, but having a hard time getting story and images to match up since I always done both separately with writing stories for a hobby and doing art for my career choice. Hence, with reading up on Chris Oatley's blog, I have decided on a smaller project of making comics to get into how to figure out how to get story and images to work together.

I also been following School of Visual Storytelling, especially since this year they began doing free webinars to teach the basics which the refreshers for me have been a big help. I joined their March Thurd Thursday contest which my entry is the image at the beginning of this blog post. I was not eligible for the prize and I did not get into the top ten... But, I still feel accomplished. I did this illustration after my burnout with trying to figure out social media and it is my first big leap to getting back on the track I want. I showed this illustration to the illustrator that was there with the booth at the expo and lifted my spirits with hearing her comments on it since I did not see a lot of people vote for my illustration. I am a homebody. I actually HATE driving and try to avoid it unless I want to go somewhere or have to go somewhere.  However, if I am going to improve as an artist, I got to begin reaching out to others around me, not just online, and finding out what's out there for me... Though, the upside of living on several acres, half to two-thirds covered in forest, makes it easy to do landscape painting without leaving from one's home and access to the main bayou is nearby and I might do some paintings on the river once the weather has equals out.

Welcome and Hello!

Hi, there. Thank you for visiting my new blog/portfolio site. I'm still setting things up, but seeing I already gotten some page views, I decided to at least do my first blog post. The name's Mandy and I am a recent college grad who is a new freelance graphic designer and artist. The reason I separate graphic designer and artist is because I know for sure I am a graphic designer, mainly skilled in logo design and vector images. The artist part... Not so much.

I said due to I am still finding out what I want to do as an artist. I am currently at that part of life as an artist where I am rethinking how I do things and trying to figure out which direction in the many offered within the broad field. I am still a graphic designer, but it's mainly the only "sure" part as an artist I know, but the rest I am trying to figure out. However, it is not exactly good to do with trying to change your freelancing tactics with learning new methods of marketing and networking... Hence earlier this week I experienced social media burnout as I illustrated below.

Not very fun, especially since I am not a big person on social media to begin with. Hence, I decided to do a new Google account(deleted my old one due to having no information for recovery form) and begin using my Google account to keep most of my social media in one place instead of constantly going all around the place on the net. I am also going to close down my old portfolio site and keep it here on this blog, though I might make a more formal one later for business purposes once I get my freelancer grove going as I am still working that as well.

Now, the purpose of this blog is actually for helping both myself and viewers reading this blog. It's to help me finally get some direction as an artist and such while sharing my adventures(or is is misadventures?) as I finally become the artist I want to be. I will also share knowledge I know and learn along the way on this blog to pass along what might be helpful to other artists or even just a normal person. I am not an expert, but so were(and are) many who are also at that same point where I am now at. I know I am not exactly a good teaching, but if someone can learn from my mistakes and eureka moments I expose here, then that's good enough for me. Now, let's get started on this journey... Once I figure out how to work Blogger and other Google services...