I am making a post.

I had a long talk with Bonnie today about life as we know it, which is weird and sometimes wonderful, but also very very confusing. Bonnie and I are very similar people in different circumstances. Sometimes I wonder how we would cope in each others' situation. It'd probably be pretty much the same. We are that similar.

Bonnie thinks I should go to Wayne and study graphic design, which is a thought I've been bandying about in my head for a few months after being frustrated with myself for lack of commitment/motivation in my English major. I love books, I love reading, but maybe reading analytically, looking into things at great detail, is above my head. Maybe I'm doomed to be a pleasure reader. I've always been interested in design & typography but have never delved into it academically. I haven't even taken a drawing class since high school; even those were the basic mandatory art classes required by school administration. I futz around in Photoshop and never show anyone the fruits of my labor. I recently got Creative Suite which both terrifies and excites me to no end. I have things to play with! And for once in my life I'm feeling pretty creative; needing to make things, do things, alter things, transform things is an intermittent need I have, but lately it's been more constant. So I'm trying to challenge myself to do that. Sketch, paint, design, letter, sculpt, felt, knit, crochet, bead, collage, build, construct, interpret, re-imagine: these are a few of my favourite things. I used to keep an inspiration book of things I saw/heard/read that impressed me; hopefully I ca do some such thing online here for quick and easy reference. It's do-able. I see people do it all the time.

I'd recently brought up the whole idea of art school/graphic design to my loving and supportive glass-artist-aunt, but with more of a "I'm thinking about getting a second BA in graphic design when I'm done with my BA in English" slant. Her response was "why don't you just switch over to design completely? Or continue the major in English but add a minor in design?" which was eerily similar to what Bonnie suggested today. The fact that both of them said essentially the same thing means a lot to me:

1. My aunt has tried to nurture and foster my interest in art since I was wee, and is the proud owner of many a thing I've created, from terrible terrible pottery done when I was taking classes at Pewabic Pottery at age 10, to some sketches I very much like and am secretly and not-so-secretly quite proud of. She has always wanted me to look into art school (even once going so far as to try to get me a secretarial position in her department at CCS so that I would qualify for reduced-rate tuition, but the girl who was to be leaving the position ended up staying. Jerk.) but I've never really felt that I had the talent. Sudden surges in the needing-to-create sector of my brain and being lead me to think otherwise. And what better time than now?

2. Bonnie is pretty well versed in design and typography (love!) and I value her opinion greatly as a friend and contemporary. She has seen my paltry "portfolio" and told me that I do have talent and can and will make it work: she's trying to dispel my worries. I like that in a friend. I love that in a friend. She says anything I don't know (specifically relating to design programs) I can learn. I'm a quick study, at the very least, and I like playing around and trying new things on my own.

Overall I'm pretty sure I can do this, or should at least look into it. Bonnie gave me the name of an advisor to talk with at Wayne, to suss out if it'd be a good fit. If it's not a great fit maybe it'll stretch; OU is definitely not a good fit for me right now.

I will never be as awesomely creative and insanely good at design like so many of the amazing designers I've met and gotten to know better recently (and you should know who all are, I could name names though if you want the ego-boost), but it's worth a shot. Can't hurt. Probably won't hurt. Much.

Art school: I want to go to there.