I’ve hit a bit of a lull at work while I’m in between issues and instead of getting a jump start on reprints or databases (smart), I’ve instead spent most of my time diddling around on the internet (dumb). My defense in this is that I’ve spent the majority of my time pouring over design blogs. Today, I spent the better part of the afternoon on my new favorite design blog, Foreward, which specializes in the design of book covers. It’s the kind of website that often makes me think, "Damn, now why didn’t I design that?"
One of my favorite parts of my job is designing the covers for the guides, but as I explained to The Redhead this afternoon, I don’t think I am particularly good at it. Then again, I am under a certain amount of constraint when it comes to what I am allowed to do. I mean, there’s only so much I can do to make a copy machine look exciting and capture your attention. And I’m often bound by the photographs given to me by whichever vendor we’re featuring on the cover. It’s an exciting issue if I have more than one photograph to choose from featuring different camera angles of the machines. In any event, a lot of the time I really don’t feel like I am a designer. And to be truthful, I guess I’m not.
My problem probably stems from the fact that while in college I did as much as possible – radio station, newspaper, magazine, etc. that I never really developed a strong focus on any one thing. And while I believe that I’ve made the right choice in going into publishing because it’s the field that I enjoy the most, I don’t think that I necessarily am the best that I could possibly be at it. Often times I feel like I am making it up as I go along. I especially felt that way when I first began this job and I had to convert our publication from Pagemaker to Quark. Never in my life had I used Pagemaker (for obvious reasons, if you're familiar with design programs), and I don’t think I had ever made my own stylesheets or masterpages in Quark before – our templates for Woodcrest were premade by our printer. In college, not once did I take a single design class. The only class I took that even related to this was a class in Adobe Illustrator, which I promptly forgot everything I learned after taking it because for the longest time I didn’t use it. For Photoshop and Quark, and most of my design work for Woodcrest, Loquitur, Library Place, and now at Publishing Company I’ve relied on my good old faithful school of Learn By Doing.
I say this all by way of explaining that going to graduate school and figuring this all out is very important to me. Even though Columbia NEVER GOT BACK TO ME, BITCHES, I am thrilled about going to Rosemont and making myself better at what I do. I’m itching to get into discussions about typography and gutter widths (yeah, I know, I’m a nerd).
So you can imagine my surprise when Kelly came home two days ago and announced to me that her boss thought that me going to Rosemont was a waste of time and money. Kelly’s boss, for the record, happens to be the dean of continuing education at a local college. At first I thought that he was going to say that Rosemont wasn’t a good enough school for me to attend or something.
"He says that it’s pointless. He says if you want to write then you should just write. That you don’t need a degree to do it."
I explained to her that it wasn’t just writing --- which is certainly part of it seeing as my writing really lacks discipline and style right now --- it’s also design and business and the whole industry of publishing. It’s a chance to get myself some focus and confidence.
Which leads me to another issue: Rosemont has programs in book publishing, magazine publishing, and digital design. Typically, in my lack of focus way , I want to do all three tracks. But as the woman in the admissions office explained to me they "don’t really do that." I sort of have to pick one and go with it. I have to learn more about all three tracks before I decide, but right now I’m torn between magazine and digital design.
I guess I am opening the questions to you, my readers. What do you think I should do? Would I be better at digital design or magazine publishing? Do you think me going to grad school is just a waste of time and money? Should I continue on my Learn by Doing curriculum (no matter what your answer, I’m still going, I'm just interested in your opinions and thoughts on the matter)? And what about writing? You obviously read me or you followed me from Diary-X so you've been reading me for awhile. Am I better than average at it? Or just slightly amusing for my dorky stories? Should I take a couple of writing intensive classes or give up the ghost?
One of my favorite parts of my job is designing the covers for the guides, but as I explained to The Redhead this afternoon, I don’t think I am particularly good at it. Then again, I am under a certain amount of constraint when it comes to what I am allowed to do. I mean, there’s only so much I can do to make a copy machine look exciting and capture your attention. And I’m often bound by the photographs given to me by whichever vendor we’re featuring on the cover. It’s an exciting issue if I have more than one photograph to choose from featuring different camera angles of the machines. In any event, a lot of the time I really don’t feel like I am a designer. And to be truthful, I guess I’m not.
My problem probably stems from the fact that while in college I did as much as possible – radio station, newspaper, magazine, etc. that I never really developed a strong focus on any one thing. And while I believe that I’ve made the right choice in going into publishing because it’s the field that I enjoy the most, I don’t think that I necessarily am the best that I could possibly be at it. Often times I feel like I am making it up as I go along. I especially felt that way when I first began this job and I had to convert our publication from Pagemaker to Quark. Never in my life had I used Pagemaker (for obvious reasons, if you're familiar with design programs), and I don’t think I had ever made my own stylesheets or masterpages in Quark before – our templates for Woodcrest were premade by our printer. In college, not once did I take a single design class. The only class I took that even related to this was a class in Adobe Illustrator, which I promptly forgot everything I learned after taking it because for the longest time I didn’t use it. For Photoshop and Quark, and most of my design work for Woodcrest, Loquitur, Library Place, and now at Publishing Company I’ve relied on my good old faithful school of Learn By Doing.
I say this all by way of explaining that going to graduate school and figuring this all out is very important to me. Even though Columbia NEVER GOT BACK TO ME, BITCHES, I am thrilled about going to Rosemont and making myself better at what I do. I’m itching to get into discussions about typography and gutter widths (yeah, I know, I’m a nerd).
So you can imagine my surprise when Kelly came home two days ago and announced to me that her boss thought that me going to Rosemont was a waste of time and money. Kelly’s boss, for the record, happens to be the dean of continuing education at a local college. At first I thought that he was going to say that Rosemont wasn’t a good enough school for me to attend or something.
"He says that it’s pointless. He says if you want to write then you should just write. That you don’t need a degree to do it."
I explained to her that it wasn’t just writing --- which is certainly part of it seeing as my writing really lacks discipline and style right now --- it’s also design and business and the whole industry of publishing. It’s a chance to get myself some focus and confidence.
Which leads me to another issue: Rosemont has programs in book publishing, magazine publishing, and digital design. Typically, in my lack of focus way , I want to do all three tracks. But as the woman in the admissions office explained to me they "don’t really do that." I sort of have to pick one and go with it. I have to learn more about all three tracks before I decide, but right now I’m torn between magazine and digital design.
I guess I am opening the questions to you, my readers. What do you think I should do? Would I be better at digital design or magazine publishing? Do you think me going to grad school is just a waste of time and money? Should I continue on my Learn by Doing curriculum (no matter what your answer, I’m still going, I'm just interested in your opinions and thoughts on the matter)? And what about writing? You obviously read me or you followed me from Diary-X so you've been reading me for awhile. Am I better than average at it? Or just slightly amusing for my dorky stories? Should I take a couple of writing intensive classes or give up the ghost?
7 Comments:
Magazine publishing is the most versatile -- what you learn there will translate to any other kind of writing. It won't translate to design, of course.
That decision I can't help you with.
Whichever you choose, if you feel you need extra learning in the other field, you could always take a few CEd classes to fill in the "blanks" in your experience.
Okay, Katie,
Here comes the brutal honesty train:
No. 1--I think magazine publishing would be the most interesting by far. There is only so much (creatively) you can do with a book. Unless you want to read manuscripts and the like (which you might), I'd go for the fun and interesting layouts. I think it would suit you.
No. 2--No, you don't need a degree to write, but there is much more to it than that. Connections, fellow writers, inspiration. Yeah, it might be a cop-out to spend $20,000 for that, but a Master's makes a handy barganing chip no matter where it is from.
No. 3--Brutal honesty. You need to give up this self-doubt. You need to be super-confident. If Kelly can make you rethink your entire gameplan with one sentence, how can you expect to recieve one of the hundreds of rejection letters that are bound to come in this industry? Disappointments come and go, but the worst is never giving things a chance.
So, in sum, what do you want to do? Do you feel strongly about Rosemont and publishing? Is it something you want to do or something you feel you should do? Only you can answer that question. We can either commiserate or offer our undying support (I have both in abundance).
Renee's right about the whole self-doubt thing. The fun part about a blog is that it allows people to write the way they feel, because it has no restrictions. This is like Kate: In the Raw, writing wise. And if you look back on what you write, you'll find? An abundance of wit, some well-placed sarcasm, and just plain good readin'. At the end of the day, isn't that the most important part?
OK, Renee, I've joined urbis. Now the only problem is that I don't have anything to post. It's been ages since I wrote anything that was non-blog.
And Steph? You should totally join. The have a whole section on poetry. Just sayin'.
We should start a nerdy writing group. Get four or five of us together once a month or so to share what we have or give each other prompts and nerdy shit like that. Or do it online even.
One more--even though you don't have anything written, the best way to get inspiration is to read the other stuff people have. Then you get to think, "Hell, I can do this better." And then you can leave comments and store up credits for when you do post something.
It’s an eternal question.
I’m convinced that there’s no reason for me to further my education. One can’t get an MA in improv, and that’s what I want to write about. Still, I know it would do me well. It’s really a personal thing. I’m going ahead an adding an education dynamic to my, uh, education. Yeah. Someone call Zurek and tell him I could end up an English teacher. . . if you want to give him a coronary.
The more you write, the better you’ll be, right? The same is true about designing stuff. The way humans work, you get better and stuff when being forced to do what you don’t want to do sometimes. Lots of artists don’t want to paint portraits. Writers don’t want to analyze someone else’s crap, blah, blah. You get my point.
You’re obviously an awesome writer and entertainer. A poet with a great eye, who gives just enough pen access to her heart.
So, my dear, I say, “fuck ‘em.”
You could still end up with a job you hate (doubtful), so do what you want as long as life (or the student loan man) gives that opportunity.
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