The Quickest Update

Apparently working is just as time consuming as school....whaattt????? Seriously, time consuming in a whole different way. Plus, I have to squeeze my social life in every now and again (a must living in Madison).
Let's see....
1- My job is great. The people I work with are wonderful, and I'm totally spoiled. Our summer hours are superb and the dish that sits near my desk is always filled with M&Ms (what's not to love!?).
2- My roommates are fabulous and I couldn't have ended up in a better living situation. For moving into a random house, with random girls, in a city I hardly know, I have not a damn thing to complain about.
3- Two of my really close friends/former (and soon to be..again) roommates have also just moved down to Madison. C'mon...how has this all fallen into place so well!?
4- I have started taking sailing lessons, thanks to my aunts and uncles who bought me such a thoughtful gift for graduation. Windsurfing here I come!
5- Doing freelance work for a family members company
4- Designing a shirt for Made In The Now (madeinthenow.com) on Sunday...I might have a eensie weensie nervous breakdown. 

An update in pictures....

 ^^Went camping with some college friends^^. Photography, homemade ice cream, and getting yelled at for giggling too loud were the main highlights of this adventure.

 ^^Getting to go see my cousin, Eva, horseback ride^^. And getting some amazing picture opportunities at the same time.

 The cutest cat there ever was.

A trip to the Olbrich Gardens, here in Madison. A must see.

Maybe I was just more insightful as a student.....or maybe I just have way too many activities going on to keep a blog running smoothly. Either way, I'll take it.

More later.

A post for those who don't mind randomness...

Recently I've set out on an endeavor (man I love that word) to do at least two sessions of yoga a week for the next five weeks. With Brandgarten being located just across the hall from The Studio (<-- click that, the place is amazing), plus a great discount as a tenant of Machinery Row, there really is no reason NOT to get into it. While it was something that I always wanted to try, it wasn't until I took a free class that they offered that I truly took it seriously. After only taking a few classes I've already seen a difference. It's crazy to think that 9 years of dance didn't give me the flexibility that a handful of beginner's yoga sessions have. I actually bent forward and just touched my freaking toes last class....I don't think I've ever done that! Anyway this video is pretty inspiring (<-- click this guy too). I don't see myself doing handstands any time soon, but maybe one day :-).
Also, had a rip roaring good time a few weekends ago when I went home and ended up taking pictures of my friends beloved cat. Yes, I'm serious.

Change of subject:
I have some really talented friends, I mean REALLY talented. How lucky am I?!
My dear friend, Emily, just finished/added to a font project that she's been working on for quite some time now ---> Roller Chain Font (ps. stealing is mean). And, much like the rest of her work, it's pure genius. Everything she works on she puts her heart into and it truly shows. Take a look at the rest of her work, you won't be disappointed.

Until next time...

Portfolio Site

www.noralanger.com

There she is...the reason I took my web design class a second time, the reason I, as a freshman/sophomore, had many sleepless nights trying to re-size images and make links work, the reason I HATED web design in the first place. As a sophomore I knew I had to be able to design a website as a graphic designer, and if not design, than at least understand basic coding. Well, apparently, for me, two times is a charm because after taking my webdesign class over as a senior (not for credit, mind you) I can honestly say that it's not that bad. Retaking that class was one of the best choices I made to further my degree.
Now I can focus on designing things to make my portfolio site that much better!

Madison

So I've been in Madison for a solid 2 weeks now, and moving from Menomonie was rather hard. Not just emotionally but physically. Last summer I had been basically living in three places at once; Madison, Menomonie, and Green Bay. Needless to say I've accumulated what can only be called 'the biggest pile of shit'.  Not only has my shoe collection gotten completely out of control (I stand by each pair of shoes though, this is Wisconsin people, we need to be prepared for anything) but it seems like I have basically doubled everything that I own!

My first task, when I got back to Green Bay was to sort through everything, and I mean everything. There was no box left untouched, no folder left un-opened, and no notebook page left un-turned. And while I managed to also go through each and every one of my shirts, I still managed to have an absurd amount of shit! Maybe it's because I'm emotionally attached, maybe it's because "it still fits and one day I might need to wear it" (right, because my "wanna join our three-some" handmade golf team t-shirt is destined to be worn one of these days even though I haven't touched it in a solid 4 years), whatever it is, I know it's not because I'm uber trendy. My reason for having so many clothes/shoes could probably be the same reason I have an addiction to pens. Yes, that's right. An addiction to pens.  The first step is admitting you have a problem.

Luckily I have friends that love me anyway, so much so that they came to visit me here in Madison.

Happy would be an understatement :-)

Graduation & Senior Show

Senior Show now seems like a blur to me. The few hours that we all stood at our "booths" literally flew by, and then it was time to clean up, pack everything into cars, and get ready for commencement the next morning. I talked to so many people that my throat hurt, and smiled SO much that my cheeks were sore by the end of the night.

I was talking about afterwords how when I was a freshman I remember looking through the senior shows thinking, "OMG I'm going to do something so like fun and cutesy..." Gross. Don't.

The most important things I learned were:
1.  Leave time for errors, because it's GOING to happen.
2.  Design something you give a damn about; so that when you are standing there explaining your shit you can back it up, with facts, personal consideration, and passion.
3.  Find some friends in Senior Show who also give a damn. Without the girls that I was consistently sitting in the senior show room with I probably would have lost my marbles. (of course that might happen once anyway, but at least then you have people to talk to; sorry mom and dad....you just don't get it ;-))

To see the extension of the show click HERE. And be sure to hit the "appreciate button" on the bottom.

Now that graduation is done and over with, I have spent my time reading, learning the basics of knitting, and packing/repacking my stuff for my move to Madison!

T-Minus 3 Days. EEEEK!

Operation 'set up for senior show' is underway. My goal is to have everything set up by Thursday, so that when Thursday evening rolls around I can "relax", "unwind" and TRY not to think. This past week has been spent on web design, more web design and then designing some fun labels for medicine bottles. Did I need to do them? No. Did I want to do them? Yes, but at times not so much. I'm glad that I did though... it gave me a much needed break from designing stuff that was particularly wrapped up in my senior show brand manual restrictions. Being able to take a break and just design whatever the hell wanted, however the hell I wanted was a great outlet without getting so wrapped up in something un-design related (at times I would have much rather watched Glee or read one of Chelsea Handler's books, but once I start those there is no turning back). Because I don't have the bottles assembled yet, all I can share with you are the labels themselves.

3 days till senior show.

AND our website is up, so be sure to check that out! http://www.con10ders.com/

Some serious work went into this site and its a great reminder of the talent that lies within this school.

{Alone With My} Thoughts

People should warn you, growing up, that it sucks to sit around and think. It's overwhelming, time consuming, and exhausting. Instead, just do. Easy, right? Meh. Lately I've been "alone with my thoughts" and when I say "alone" I mean totally surrounded by people who have been in my art and design classes for the past 4.5 years. (Wow, it's been 4.5 years since I've been out of high school?? Like I said, don't think about it.) I have just over one week till my show goes up, and then, ridiculously, comes down 4 hours later. Alllllll this sleeplessness, stress, anxiety, for 4 hours of appreciation (at least I hope it's appreciated). So while I have a shit ton to do, I instead sit here thinking about it all, and now, write it all down. Good idea right?! (Oh, no biggie, I just won't sleep tonight; that's been my solution all semester.)
In my pit of 'thoughts' I decided, "SHIT, I need some way to display my tins! A display on top of my display, that is, to display more things!" So, my attempt at playing architect/wood worker failed when I thought about all the things I personally could hand build (all 2 things). Instead, I have my wonderful father, who's woodworking I will always brag about (no pressure, Dad), to make me a tin display AND a box for my monitor! Might not be quite as fun as building a solar system, but I'm not 8 any more (although my woodworking skills are probably at the same level).
1 week, 2 days, 17 hours, and 57 minutes until senior show. http://www.con10ders.com/