Checking In, Checking Out

Hello everyone. I'm checking in here on my New Years resolutions and other goings-on. The New Year started off a little slow and stressful with some car issues and a few tiffs along the way. But boy has the pace picked up and I feel pretty much on top of the world right now. I've been gallivanting around - traveling, doing Irish dance, taking a design class, and spending a lot of quality time with my fantastic friends and family (e.g., La Push). And I received some amazing news just a few days ago... but more about that later once I'm a little closer to a decision about my future endeavors.

I'm currently in the fourth week of an Elements of Design class at the School of Visual Concepts. I love it so far - much more than the drawing class I took. We are studying the fundamentals and theories behind design and do practice exercises each class that help us consider elements of design like balance, proportion, space, value, and contrast. I love how focused I get when working in class or on homework assignments - a focus that allows me to relax, be productive, and still let my mind swirl around with hundreds of non-stressful, random musings. I will consider scanning in some of my work and posting here in my blog.

This next weekend I will be off to cross-country skier paradise and playground in the Methow Valley of Eastern Washington. No TV, computers, and no cell phone reception. Which means blissful days of skiing in sunshine and cozy nights of reading, eating delicious food, and relaxing by the fire. Soon after I return I will be on my way to Portland for the Northwest Council for Computer Education Conference. I will have a little time to sight see in Portland - any recommendations? Powell's is definitely already on my list.

I haven't been quite as diligent about exercising and eating healthy as I would like - but I'm working on it. For those of you who manage to exercise regularly, how do you keep to a routine? For me, pub quiz on a Wednesday night or dinner with friends always seems to take precedent over exercise and I just don't know how to remedy that.

Anywho, no posts will be coming for at least a few days. When I return I am considering following suit with a blog I follow (My So-Called Life) and starting alphabet blogging. Stay tuned!

The Coolest Photomerge Ever

So you returning Seattle Swift readers have probably already seen some of my photomerge photos. Well the one below is the ultimate photomerge.

David Bergman merged 220 images of President Obama's January 20, 2009, inaugural address, creating a 1,474 megapixel image. I've included a screen shot below - but it's worth viewing in full at http://gigapan.org/viewGigapan.php?id=15374.

You can zoom in to incredible detail. A coworker and I even found Denzel Washington standing among the crowd (he's in the front section standing in an aisle in a blue cap). You can practically read the sheet music of the musicians. Onlookers stand in the windows of the Rayburn building across the Capital. And the expression on Bush's face is priceless.

What an incredible photo (merge) to capture the event. And let me know if you find Oprah somewhere in the crowd!

Intro to Drawing

At Santa Clara, I focused most of my intellectual and creative efforts on English and history, since I loved the professors and classes so much. Now that I am out of the undergraduate grind, I've been exploring different creative avenues, like graphic design (though I still have a tremendous amount to learn). Wanting to branch out a bit, use my brain, and get away from the computer - I decided to enroll in an Introduction to Drawing class with North Seattle Community College. When I was younger, my Prismacolor colored pencil set was one of my favorite toys - I spent hours drawing elaborate landscapes and people. So I am very excited to get creative again, though I can't promise sharing any drawings here on my blog!

Seattle Swift

The logo I developed for Swift Asset Management, Inc. - inspired by an original design sketch from one of my aunties.

Sun-Dried Brick...

What is Adobe?

Adobe Photoshop has a feature called "photomerge" (in File>Automate) in which Photoshop will automatically merge selected photos into a panoramic photo. I was on my way to a NW Girls Coalition meeting at Alki Beach, and wanting to try the photomerge feature, snapped a series of photos of Downtown Seattle. See below for some photomerge fun.

On a side note, I met some really interesting and talented women at the NW Girls Coalition Summer Membership Mixer (which I attended for work). One woman worked for a group called Powerful Voices that helps middle and high school girls in the public school and juvenile justice system by leading career training classes and offering numerous girl-focused activities. Another woman (a 2002 Holy Names graduate) works for YWCA Girls First, in which young women meet with freshmen girls after school from selected King County high schools to talk about social justice, racism, sexism, and other issues affecting their communities. Girls First also offers a number of field trips and leadership activities for the participating high school girls. It was a rewarding experience to talk with so many hardworking women dedicated to improving education and quality of life for girls in the Northwest.

Dreaming of Volvos

One of my latest interests is designing vector images using Adobe Illustrator. I traced a photograph of a 1980s Volvo 242 that a friend then used for his shop's (Ballard Tire on Leary Way in Seattle) new business card. The card looks great and is very unique. I have since updated the Volvo I traced for him, changing the color to my own favorite color. It was exciting to draw the Volvo in Illustrator and see it come together and actually look like something real. I learned a lot as I went, and ended up redoing the wheels (my favorite part, and the most complicated).

I have also been working on translating my aunt's original Swift Asset Management, Inc. (that manages Swift assets, like Marvin Road Water Company) logo into a vector image. Thank you for the artistic inspiration, Karen! I'll post soon with the final version of the logo.

I would love more opportunities to create logos, images, etc. in Illustrator - so let me know if you need or want something and I can attempt to create it. I am also learning to build Web sites; requests are welcome.

First Blog Ever

I have begun my first-ever blog! I am interested in Web communications and design, so a blog seemed like the perfect place to start.

I intend to use this space to share my activities, experiences, photos, stories, and love of the Northwest with my family, friends, colleagues, and whoever else is interested. I'm an English major graduate now in need of a medium for writing. Hopefully you'll check back often to see what's new in the life of a 20-something Seattleite!