Back to classes after spring break, and is challenging. Although I don't have the course load, I still have a load of things doing within the courses I do have. Projects - a whole lot of projects! And not just making things, but managing and leading as well! These are the more creative classes, and I really do enjoy the challenges they pose.
I am reminded of how excited I was early on in my career. I'm amazed at how jaded I had become through time! Coming to school to get my degree was the perfect decision - it is rejuvenating my muse and reminding me what I love so much about Marketing and Communications. The act of creation.I really do wish I still had my old portfolio which contained some of my oldest works and projects. It even holds my "booklet resume" I designed and printed up while in Philly. All those pieces would serve to help me connect with my mojo and help get the creativity flowing again. Somewhere, I stopped looking at all my past works -- and that portfolio got lost. I do have some images of pieces and projects - but it just isn't the same as holding a menu or leafing through a magazine. I've learned how much all of that means to me - and what it does for my career. I will never lose track of what I produce again! Good and bad - every single project and work serve to keep me creative.
That is a lot of what is going on right now in my classes - portfolio building. Shooting pictures to find my niche, creating marketing pieces to exercise my skills, leading teams in marketing strategy and proposals, diving deeper into Photoshop and Illustrator, reacquainting with InDesign, familiarizing myself with PMS color breaks, and ultimately learning to trust the numbers (CMYK values) once again. I am also reworking my resumé, web portfolios, and this here blog. What works, what doesn't, and making sure there is consistency across all channels.
And that leads to a rebranding of myself - again. This is not easy - I've been using my name in some form for years: from LZ to LessZoa and now LesZoa and my name in Japanese. None of them really fit me anymore - not a one. I started sketching things again - I keep coming back to the bull and the monkey. I already use a bull's head for my SCA persona - perhaps I should utilize the monkey now. I'll sketch and think on this over the weekend (between photoshoots) and will narrow my choices by next week. Have to move quickly on it as I intend to use my new brand in a culminating project due in April.
No stress there. haha!
Well, that is everything in a nutshell right now. I should get some sleep before class...