Getting Reacquainted with Photoshop

When I was a freshman in high school (which is an astounding 7 years ago) I took a digital photography class that required us to acquire pretty astute Photoshop skills. At the time, 14 year old me didn't realize what an asset knowing how to navigate Photoshop is, so naturally my brain dumped almost all knowledge I gained during that rigorous course. I will say, I am familiar with the software, and am not as confused as a first time user, but it is very frustrating knowing that almost 10 years ago I was whipping out graphics and art pieces like it was my job. Now that I'm graduating in May and trying to make a name for myself in the extremely broad media industry, it is definitely vital that I get my Photoshop skills back up to date.

Reading the article Understanding Layer Masks in Photoshop presented itself as a challenge for me, considering I am a visual learner. With that being said, it is much easier for me to learn how to do something either via trial and error, or a tutorial video in which they are actually demonstrating the process. I think this article will benefit me in the long run if I get stuck using layer masks and need clarity on a specific part of the process.

I am really excited to get back into Photoshop. Not only is it a skill that many employers in my field find attractive, but being able to alter my own photos, make my own graphics, and manifest my creative thoughts into physical products is something that I have been wanting to do for a while, but have been hesitant to dip my feet back into. I'm glad that this class will not only push me creatively, but help me sharpen old skills that will help not only in my searching for a job, but in my future career itself.

Protesters v. the Police

I decided to get a little political with my first mini project. With all of the protests and violence going on in our country, I felt it necessary to creatively depict how I am feeling about all of the madness. In my project, I put photo of various protests and demonstrations with maximum saturation behind a black and white photo of police with protective shields. These protests include a Black Lives Matter March, the Women's March (held the day after President Trump's inauguration), a couple Trump protests, and a Dakota Access Pipeline protest. To me, this describes how the war going on between the police and the protesters is presented in the media. While it is clear that not all police officers disagree with or think protesting is abhorrent, the way the media has portrayed them makes it seem as if every police officer is evil and has the motive to harm civilians. Protesters are generally viewed in a negative light as well, being classified as aggressive and violent, which isn't the case either. The majority of protesters have very strong opinions that are backed up by research and unadulterated passion. The majority of police officers have the right motives and do their job to the fullest, protecting the people day in and day out. At the end of the day, this juxtaposition employs the idea that while both the goals of protesters and police are misunderstood and that this is how most people generally view the butting of heads between the two entities.

Blah Blah Blogging

Our assigned reading for Tuesday's class highlighted the benefits of blogging. This reading really spoke to me because beginning in high school, I have taken various courses that have required me to maintain a blog. Whether it be for creative purposes, reading responses, or personal reflections, I can technically say that I have been an amateur blogger for years. However, it wasn't until our class discussion about the reading that emphasized the positive outcomes blogging can have on a writer that I realized how beneficial blogging can be. Obviously I have been aware of the fact that blogging exercises writing skills and the process behind being able to organize your thoughts in a meaningful way, but I never considered that putting genuine effort into each of these blogs that I have been required to create could potentially shape me as a writer.

With that being said, I am excited to take this blog seriously and rather than classifying it as an assignment that I have to do weekly, approaching it as a piece of writing. Considering this blog a piece of art will not only allow me to look back on it with a sense of pride, but also keep in my repertoire of talents and experiences that I can take with me as a young writer. Rather than being wary about composing a blog post every week, I will take it as an opportunity to sharpen my writing skills and reflect on my thoughts and how I can relay them best to my web audience.

Image Importance

Welcome! I'm Alexa and this blog will feature my inner thoughts, insight into my creations, and overall experiences throughout my time in Multimedia Authoring. I am really excited to better my multimedia and graphic design skills throughout the semester.

While I do have a little bit of experience using various Adobe Creative Cloud programs, I definitely need to sharpen my skills in order to be able to use them professionally. As a graduating News and Media Studies major and Film, TV, and Digital Media minor, the skills this class promises could not come at a better time. By the end of the semester, I hope to not only be confident in my multimedia literacy, but to have a strong portfolio that I can present to potential employers in the future.

During the first class, we were asked to google "abstract." Even though I saw a lot of really cool images that intrigued me, it took me a while to settle on an image that I really felt spoke to me. Throughout that process, I learned that while I am impressed with a lot of creative images that I see, an image needs to have an element of uniqueness or have a deeper meaning in order for me to really connect to it. With that being said, I selected an abstract portrait that I not only felt had a strong visual draw, but an emotional one as well.