Semester 1 Reflection

When looking back on the first semester of my junior year, I can see that my quality of work varied with each project. When it was a more open or broad project (such as the "6 Words" project or the "Micrography" project), I noticed that my quality of work was better in comparison to other projects we did. I used the principles and elements of design more effectively in the projects where I let my ideas flow to the screen. The requirements of the assignments were generally fulfilled (although there were a few exceptions) and I followed most of the given guidelines, using the correct resolution and size for the projects where it was specified. I do believe my ideas need a little bit more refinement when it comes to more focused topics, however, as it was harder to come up with an effective composition for those projects.

For most of the projects, I only came up with one or two ideas in my head before I begin to work towards creating them. I don't necessarily believe that I look for "easy solutions," but nevertheless I should spend more time compiling ideas before I start. The effort that I put into projects also varies throughout the first semester: I put in more effort on the projects that I was interested in working on, such as the Micrography and Silhouette projects, and less on the projects that I wasn't as interested in doing. I don't believe that I avoid difficult design decisions, as sometimes I undertake those ideas and try to do the "harder yet better" option. I have yet to give up on a project entirely, but I need to improve on putting in more effort into ALL projects, not just the ones that I prefer to work on. I do sometimes take risks (from a technical standpoint) while doing these projects: when I want to accomplish something that requires me to learn something new on Photoshop, I will usually go through with it anyways. I generally have a positive attitude towards most of my own art, and I am always willing to take constructive criticism from others.

I don't think my participation in class is insufficient. I'm usually on time to class, and I dedicate most if not all of the time in class to working on Photoshop in some way or another (even when I finish my assignment.) I don't really waste time while I'm here to work on homework for another class or text on my phone or anything like that. 

Out of the many aspects that I should work on the most in terms of improvement for the next semester, I believe that I should conceptualize more ideas and better ideas. In the last semester, I usually only brainstormed for ideas for a very small amount of time until I found one or two ideas that fit for the project. I also plan to improve my Photoshop skills so I can execute these ideas more effectively than last semester. I do have an outline of my style as an artist, however, I do need to strengthen that part of my work as well.