I first took interest in Graphic Design when I was 16. I would design pieces for a game club in which I was an active member. From there I started using Adobe Photoshop. Back when Adobe Photoshop version 6 was the new thing. Transitioning from Windows Paint to Adobe Photoshop was very difficult; I did pick up all of the basics though, such as resize and saving in different file types. I then started looking into Art Schools that offered a major in either Graphic or Web Design, possibly even animation.
In the Fall of 2002, I went to a college fair that my community park was hosting, and sure enough the Art Institutes had a booth showcasing some of their student artwork. Everything that I looked at that night motivated me toward my goal of wanting to be educated in Graphic Design.
After graduating high school, my family was going through a financial crisis. It was a very hard time for me. I really wanted to attend the Art Institute to major in Graphic Design, but I lacked the proper financial resources. After a year of working to save up as much as I could to at least get my foot in, I finally applied to the Art Institutes. It was the Fall of 2005 and I had taken a year off of schooling. I was a little nervous that I wouldn't be able to keep up with the amount of work that this major would require.
After the first couple of quarters I caught onto the flow of things. After that point it was really just about bringing something new to the table. I learned all of the programs that were required to be able to execute a design the right way.
After my second quarter at the Art Institute, I was hired as a Graphic Designer at a small LED lighting company. I was to be their in-house Graphic Designer, but after about 2 months, my boss slowly transitioned me into the Web Design department. We desperately needed to update the Web Site with new products and services that were constantly being added. I took it on without hesitation because I really enjoyed working with something new. The idea of HTML was not new to me at that time. I previously created a little amateur web site for my brother's rock band. But it wasn't as hard as I thought it would be in it's entirety.
It is now 2008 and I am totally enjoying everything that I do. I find that I have the most fun creating artwork in a new style of design than I am originally used to. I am very grateful for my education and will definitely benefit from it for the rest of my life. I am planning on going back to the Art Institutes for a degree in Web Design and Interactive Media.
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