Motivation

A common sentiment has been creeping up among the Interior Design denizens, myself included.


"I'm not motivated"


Over winter break I was constantly excited about what lay ahead. I got a couple of paintings done, did some matting work and put down sketches or concept statements for a dozen other projects. Then the new semester hit and nothing seemed worthwhile. The two new design assignments handed down were rather bland in my opinion (heaven help me if an ID instructor reads this). I thrive on creative problem solving, and neither of the new assignments offered me a place to shine in that regard. But assuming I was the only one feeling this way, I kept my opinions to myself. Then someone else mentioned that they weren't feeing motivated, then someone else said it, then another person, and another person.

I'm a firm believer in grading curves. If a few people aren't performing well, its their fault. If the majority aren't doing well, maybe something is wrong with the institution. Of course, it would take a very (very very) brave soul to complain about lack of motivation to the instructors because one of two responses are expected.

• "You're just being lazy"
• "Its not my job to motivate you"

So its unlikely that the topic will even be breached with the powers that be.

Is cooperative motivation a viable solution? Do we need to be each others cheerleaders? I think its a great motivator to have someone offer words of encouragement, but unless its an instructor, I usually treat compliments from others as sycophantic ass kissing. Maybe thats just a personal problem I need to overcome. In any event, I'm not sure I have the type of personality to inspire motivation in others. I'm much more of a 'shoulder to cry on' kind of person, which is a necessary role to play, but not always the most helpful.

So it all boils down to self motivation. We all have days when we don't want to get out of bed, or when being a couch potato is the highest aspiration of the day. But god dammit, we're artists! We create. It is our passion, and we're good at it. If we cease to create, we destroy our identity. And that perhaps is the greatest long term motivating factor in my life.

Persistence until death.

This Weekend

This weekend started off with an experience which exemplifies why I hate dental/doctor appointments.
I had previously made my appointment for Friday at 11:00am to have a full exam.


Timeline:
10:20 I arrive at Western Dental
10:40 I finish filling out insurance paperwork
-HUGE ANNOYING GAP-
12:10 I'm taken into an X-Ray room, an hour and ten minutes late
-30 MINUTE GODDAMN GAP-
12:40 Nurse arrives, takes my X-Ray
12:55 Nurse leads me to scary dental exam chair
1:10 Dentist arrives to start the exam.


At this point I'm in so much pain, and so frustrated from the wait, that I tell the dentist that I don't want a full exam, I just want my wisdom teeth looked at so she can refer me to an oral surgeon. The dentist obliges, sets me up with the surgeon for March 4th - two days before my first ID project is due. Wonderful. She also prescribed me Amoxocillin and Vicodin. Oddly enough the vicodin has no effect on me. Doesn't kill any pain, hardly even makes me sleepy. An opiate immunity would be interesting - morphine won't work on me, but I'll never get hooked on heroin! So after three days of taking the medicine my teeth aren't in constant pain, so I can live out the next two weeks in relative normalcy.

Last night (Sunday) Jaimie, Aaron, Dana, Jackie and I went to Dizzy's and listened to a couple of Jazz sets. I went for extra credit in my History of Jazz class, but I liked it so much, I'll be going back a few more times this month.

Right now I'm under self sequestering in an ID classroom, getting some major work done on my two projects. Taking a break to write this up, and go get a beer, before I work until the wee hours.

Roses

This year I really don't have anyone to give flowers to, so I decided to give flowers to anyone that wanted one.








Over the past three weeks I drew out and rendered 40 of these flowers. I ended up giving away 2 at work, but the other 38 I just hung on a bulletin board in the art building for anyone who walks by to take.

A Burger Blast From The Past

Unbeknownst to me, a Portillos opened up near Disneyland.   This is a big deal!  Previously, Portillos was a Chicago-land only burger chain, with a few dozen spread around the city and 'burbs.  Being my favorite burger place EVER, I naturally had to go check out the one in Anaheim to see if it met up to my standards.

I was not disappointed!

After a bacon double cheeseburger, large cheesy fries, large strawberry shake, and a piece of chocolate cake, I left fat and happy.

SDSU Sculpture Class Installation

So the other day I was walking to class And I see this.






The freshman sculpture class had posed themselves and wrapped themselves in packing tape, creating hollow life sized sculptures. This in itself was pretty cool, but the installation of the jumping/falling guy was freaking sweet.





Here are all the ones they put up around the art building