Welcome

To all of you who decided to click the link to this blog, I bid you welcome. This is a brand new blog as I am starting a brand new chapter in my life. Yes, I have had plenty of successful blogs before, but with a change in the times, comes new anecdotes to share. Yes, I am starting a fresh blog with the purpose of sharing experiences in this chapter of my life. But with every beginning comes a story behind it, so shall we proceed?

I am a graphic designer, and I have been working professionally in this field for a little over 6 years, however I have been working with design ever since I was 17. Now... my first actual experience in the design world was at the age of 13 at a small screen printing shop in the town of Ponce, Puerto Rico… where I made $2.50 an hour. Yes, I would wake up every morning at around 6 and hop on public transportation and take the ride 20 miles away to go to work with my brother, who was the administrator of the place. Those were good times…

Let’s fast forward a bit. Now, I work as a Graphic Designer for the Nashville Convention & Visitors Corporation in Nashville, TN. I have been here for almost 4 years and I obtained this job shortly after graduating from the Nossi College of Art. Let’s see… I graduated in April 2010, and had employment with the NCVC in September of the same year. I also work as a Freelance Graphic Designer for Hi5 Creative, another Nashville based design entity. And last but not least, I am also an Instructor at my former college, The Nossi College of Art, where I teach Adobe Illustrator.

Out of these three jobs I would have to say that the one I was most passionate about obtaining in my early years as a designer was the opportunity to teach. So let me share a bit of the recent history of how I got to where I am today…

I remember voicing my interest and desires to become a teacher early in my 2nd semester while in college, and I recall my instructor pulled me aside and told me to ‘switch colleges ASAP’ because I was in the wrong college to pursue my dream in teaching… I thought that was rather odd because I really liked where I was; being that the classes were intimate, the student groups were small and I felt there was more potential for individual help when needed. Plus, I had a new child in my life and the college I was currently at was close to home for me and I did not want to have to expand my commute.

So I stayed put and gave it my all. I studied, I collaborated with classmates, I sought help when I needed it from my instructors and I kept my head down in concentration to do what I had to do to be the best I could be. I can assure you that it was not a walk in the park because life has it’s challenges and we have to adapt. So for my four year tenure at the college I did the best I could, and my classmates referred to me as 'the overachiever'. That was pretty funny, but I was determined to be the best I could be, not to outshine anyone else, but to satisfy myself and my abilities.

And with that I achieved a few accolades..to include two Most Creative Awards, the Perseverance Award, the Talent Discovery Award and Best in Show in 2010. I also received a Silvery Addy in Non-Traditional Advertising.

I had my first 'Spotlight' in the newsletter EDGE from Nossi when I achieved my Associates Degree.

Two years later I graduated Magna Cum Laude in April 2010 with my Bachelors Degree, and I had my Alumni Spotlight...

My classes were educational of course, but that can only happen with two things… an instructor that teaches you what you need to know and an open mind in the student who really has the desire to learn. Pretty simple, right?

Of course it is… and that is what brings me to my 'pondering point'...

Why is it that there are not more successful graduates working in the field? Especially if they were studying their chosen career path, taking advantage of the financial aid and spending their days inside classrooms in order to achieve their dream of working in this field?

It’s all about the desire and the inspiration…

The student has the desire to achieve something… so they enroll in college for it.
The instructor offers their knowledge, thus bringing about the inspiration… to maintain the students interest in their chosen field. In my opinion, that is how it should work.

Now, I can spend countless hours typing away and sharing views or whatever about how some situations can cause  either the desire or the inspiration to get lost. But I won’t, and I will summarize it with one sentence…

"Everyone lives their own life and is responsible for the choices they make."

If I am not mistaken, no one has twisted a students arm and told them that they will study a certain career path. And I know for a fact that no one is going to study what they have no interest in. And with that being said, I know that individuals who have been given the opportunity to teach will not be spending their time keeping their students down and not showing them how to achieve success. It is, obviously, a team effort… played by two individuals.

So, with that being said...What is my role to play in this 'team effort'? Plain and simple.

I want to see my students succeed, and I want to be instrumental in their success by sharing my experiences and knowledge. But that can only happen if the student has the desire to learn. That will help me become the best instructor I can be, by inspiring them and keeping their desires for success alive.

Sounds like a win-win situation to me.


So, let’s get this party started, shall we?

Thanks for stopping by.