Last week was a great week as a writer. SCAD-Atlanta hosted novelist and Marvel Comics writer Gabby Rivera for a keynote presentation on pushing against adversity in the entertainment industry.
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Time has flown by as my time at SCAD draws to a close. Working on my craft consistently has paid off as I continue working on expressing my artistic self. All that work led to a much-needed break from this blog, but I’m back… for now.
I needed time to recharge with so many big events coming around the corner. Being creative while life continued to move forward was a struggle for me. I’ve found myself getting anxious as graduation and Out to Launch drew closer and closer every day. As I’ve mentioned before, being creative every day was draining me. Some of my planned activities had to be placed on hold as time and energy needed to be placed elsewhere. Gearing up for Out to Launch caused me to put my spec script on the backburner (for the moment, at least). I found myself uninspired to create a work that wasn’t original. Plus, giving myself a month to write it ALONE wasn’t my best idea. As hard as that decision was, I needed to ram up my output for the fair. I’ve worked on improving my portfolio, resume, etc. (BTW, this website as well) as I prepare for post-grad life. I’m looking forward to the pay off this work is going to earn me.
Even though screenwriting was on hold, writing continued on in other forms. I wrote my final (?) article for The Connector. I’m actually proud of this piece as it’s my first interview. It was nice interviewing an alum and finding out so much about a person making their mark on the animation industry. Be on the lookout for that soon.
I tried my best to participate in Black Artpril, but I only produced one piece (check out my Instagram). Much of my design and artwork was focused on Out to Launch. The new work on this site has been a reflection of that. With my physical portfolios on the way, Out to Launch will be my moment to shine. Hopefully, my journey will finally begin as a writer from this upcoming experience.
Putting my writer life on hold for my art life has been a nice break for me after finishing my thesis. But hopefully, post-graduate life will give me time to find a balance between writing and creating art.
I look forward to working on my craft to build the future I want.
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As the countdown to graduation begins, getting all my ducks in a row has been my mission. I have so many physical and mental deadlines that need to be met before June 1st. Being on my creative grind has been my focus as I prepare for post-grad life.
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In terms of writing, I’ve planned and plotted my new moves for entering my future career. With so many skill sets to draw from, I constantly found myself needing and wanting to create a screenplay that changes my life (if not now, definitely within the next year or so). Upcoming writing fellowship deadlines have pushed me to create a spec script worthy of a spot in a fellowship. The only hiccup has been actually writing it. I did give myself some mental time after my last quarter to give myself some breathing room. Four years of assignments, deadlines, and internships had left me a little bewildered by the whole grad school experience. Visiting family and regrouping were definitely what my mind needed. So far, the past two weeks have been a test of resilience as I prepared to write my first solo spec script. Having the strength and energy to write after long workdays has been a struggle for me. This along with writing for an already existing IP has been a challenge for my creative spirit. But after some time, I’ve finally begun writing the script. Hopefully, the month-long completion has allowed me to complete it by the May 1st due date.
Along with screenwriting, I’ve begun writing for The Connector again and thinking of potential pieces to write for some websites and blogs. Writing for The Connector will be the easier of the two as I cover SCAD’s GamingFest and conduct an interview (look out for those over the next few weeks). Writing a possible thinkpiece and publishing more on Medium will be challenging as I find time to write and revise. Medium has gained my attention as I continue to explore my options for publication. I’ve thought about submitting to a writing contest or two to find homes for some cherished pieces. I’ve even played around with a potential idea for NaNoWriMo (might lead to a full project by the end of the year). Writing for some digital publications has become a huge goal for me (the goal is to have two to three pieces published by year’s end). Having all these goals will definitely keep me busy for the next few months.
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Writing became my calling, but my heart laid with visual art and design. I spent the better part of the past few weeks working on character and background design for my portfolio. Expanding my visual portfolio has become a big deal for me in my quest to enter the animation industry. Designing for my original characters has allowed me to re-think previous work and create some new material. With Out 2 Launch around the corner, a fire has been lit under me to put my original ideas to paper (or screen). With some much creativity, I’m hoping to catch some eyeballs next month.
With all that said, I hope all the work pays off in the end. I can see the light (even though it flickers from time to time).
Continue to watch this space for more posts!
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As my graduate journey nears the end, I’ve found myself looking for more insight into the entertainment industry. See and hear what I learned at SCAD-Atlanta’s 2019 aTVFest.
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Being creative has its demands, sometimes, you need some inspiration. See what happened on my birthday trip to South Carolina did for me.
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Focusing on creativity has been a balancing act as of late as I juggled many balls in the air. Everyday life has become a little overwhelming as screenwriting took the forefront. This made for an interesting week of triumphs and struggles.
Being the end of the quarter, exhaustion began to set in. I found myself having to deal with outside issues while trying to express myself creatively. Going to work and school seemed to drain me of whatever energy I had for my writing and visual work. But I did find time to create in some capacity. I worked on my screenplay trying to flesh out the third act. Due to some other event, I had to create and edit the act in a matter of two days. The pressure made me push myself as a writer while trying to create a cohesive work for Independent Study. I tested ut some scenarios that may or may not work, but I needed to get all the ideas and stories out of my head onto the page. I still didn’t get to the place I wanted since I need to rework the ending to fit the overall story more. I felt like I failed myself in not completing the task ahead. I later thought about my break time is a great time to work on and finesse the third act even more. This, along with revising and editing my first and second acts, has become the main focus of my Winter break.
It was definitely a struggle to work on my screenplay as physical and mental tiredness began to set in. I didn’t realize how overwhelmed and exhausted I was until I began writing an article and my screenplay. Usually, I could shake this feeling off, but my mind and body couldn’t overcome it. I may appear robotic sometimes to the outside world, but my humanity shows through at times like this. I struggled to meet my mental goals causing my anxiety to skyrocket to the point of shutting down mentally and emotionally. It’s my way of preserving my sanity (might not be the best way but it works for now). My creative output helped me through this period. Hopefully, things will be better as my school break is just around the corner.
As I focused on my screenplay, last week’s Independent Study session served as a turning point by getting some much-needed feedback from my professor. It helped my process as I still waited for feedback from various readers (at this point, I hope to hear from them before the next quarter). Listening to the students speak on their portfolios and presentation was a great exercise in giving feedback as an educator. Once again, a presentation of mine incited a lively conversation on ethics in advertising. My visual work took a back seat to my writing but picked back up later on (check out my Instagram for more on that). Freelance work has been in my rearview as I focused on other work. Even though I thought about doing Nanowrimo, I found my time economized by other needs and wants. The two screenplays I started on are definitely getting tackled over the break. As the quarter winds down, I finally assembled my committee for my thesis next quarter (Yay! I’m almost at the finish line). My thesis journey has become more of a reality.
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For writers, having a full workload is seen as a gift and a curse. On one hand, doing what you love can be rewarding artistically (and sometimes, monetarily). On the other hand, it can be a little overwhelming and mentally-taxing when everything is a little off-kilter. For me, this dichotomy played itself out in some many ways.
The past week has been a trial of will and passion as I was stretched thin by my need to be preoccupied. My screenplay has begun to take on a new direction as I aim for a potential series on TV or streaming than a theatrical release. I decided to take what I have in my first act and expand it. As I had discussed with my professor, the first act needed more room to breathe so I could develop the characters even more. The characterization and dialogue needed to be developed more. Initially, I tried cramming to much action in the first act with very little development for my characters to connect with the audience. Equaling the playing field for the leads was a mission that seems to be going well as I did get a chance to flesh out my four leads. Adding scenes and expanding some supporting ones allowed me to give the environment and lead characters more context. For the first time, I felt my thesis is becoming what I actually wanted. The new take allowed me to do more world building and set up for the future series. As I moved into my second act, I knew moving on would help me to correct and reshape my first act.
The past few days have been a little chaotic. Covering SCAD AnimationFest was both exciting and daunting as I went from event to event for an upcoming article. Independent study was a little rough as all aspects of my life competed for my attention. I did my second exercise as a teaching assistant which led to some fun ideas and awkward moments. I did client work that I actually got paid for. The visual work was scaled back this week while work and school took over my life. So far, my thesis journey has been battle for my time and passion.
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Animation inspires me in so many ways. This week’s video focuses on my time at SCAD AnimationFest. Enjoy the new vlog!
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Inspiration and motivation became the foundation of many creative’s careers. As a multi-faceted individual, my creativity became a cycle of work inspiring and motivating each other – both written and visual. My storytelling began with this cycle and hopefully continues as I pursue a multi-faceted career.
This week, I allowed myself to go back and forth on my writing journey. I went between my two loves – fiction and screenwriting. The two genres fed each other as I wrote like a speed demon to finish them. My fiction writing mixed technicality and fully-realized stories and characters while my screenplay maintained the format and structure with a story-like appeal. I wanted to my work to display as much as personality and imagination when people are finally able to see it. I’ve loved my work influencing each other and in turn influencing my progression as a writer. Since finishing my first act, I’ve been on fire with my writing.
I kept up the same creative hopping from last week as I switched between screenwriting, fiction writing, and visual output. I fleshed out my children’s series a little more and started a fiction piece. I finished my visual piece from last week while moving on to the next project. My presence on social media and online continued to grow as this blog and my work continued to gain attention.
As my summer draws to a close, I look forward to unveiling my progress to my professors. I still have some loose ends to tie up before the quarter starts, but my thesis journey is taking a new turn. For the first time in a while, I’m not afraid of what’s around the corner.
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