Internship – Final Week
My last week with CtP has been bittersweet.
I had to do more hours during these last few weeks in order to make time for school, since I did in fact have other work to catch up with.
I was asked to work with the company remotely, which I did not object to. Finding time at the end of the term is a bit tough, but I plan to help where I can until I decide to find a new position.
I was happy to finally meet my quota, where I was worried I would not, but in the same breath, I’m sad to leave my supervisors, two of the nicest people I have ever worked with.
I leave with a fair amount of work to show for my time, a good connection to the company, and a somewhat heavy heart. I genuinely had fun working at CtP. Peaceful, quiet, getting things done and working directly from the source instead of through middlemen. I hope to see CtP become more successful, and if possible I’d be more than willing to help on that front.
Internship – Week 9
This week, my other partner left CtP, meaning I am alone once again. It’s a bit unfortunate that it took this long to work by myself again, since I preferred it that way. But in wake of that, I was given an entirely new project to do.
There is a side project my supervisors are working on called Free the Textbooks, a movement aiming to make textbooks free for students, namely college students who spend an arm and leg for books they’d only be using once a term. I was tasked with revising the logo the company is using.
This was unexpected for me, yet I was excited to try something new, and something I had more creative freedom with, so to speak. Thankfully it wasn’t something that required multiple people to develop.
However, my time with CtP is almost up, and there’s still a lot of work left to do. My biggest fear is appearing incompetent to a group of people who seem to appreciate my helping them.
Internship – Week 8
I’ve honestly lost track of these posts, so I’ll try to summarize everything the best I can.
One of the people assisting me with my design left this week. That left me with one other person to help design dozens of banners. I didn’t really consider it a loss; other things take priority, so I understand.
The pace at the workplace hasn’t changed much. I work as I can, and I make sure I’m up to date with whatever resources my supervisors are using.
I find it kinda hard to believe that my time at CtP was ending. It felt like just yesterday that I started working here, and I can say that it was an enjoyable experience. Had I had less to do throughout the term, I would have been a lot more focused on the work; while this is something of a drawback, I can say I worked efficiently with the time and tools I was given.
App Review
With each passing day, creative minds turn to technology to design and inspire. There are many applications, not just on computers, but on mobile devices as well, that open up ways to interact, design, and grow as creators.
Unfortunately, I haven’t had the opportunity to use as many mobile apps as I would have liked during my life. But there are many I have used on computers. Ranging from visual art to sound, I have had my fair share of experience with various computer applications.
Being me, and being enamored with things like cartoons and video games and things in that realm of entertainment, I loved drawing. But developing things and finishing things was something that always escaped me, especially since I didn’t have the “professional tools” to really continue working on anything past sketches and more refined pencil drawings. After I finished high school, though, there was one program I’ve always dallied in. Paint Tool SAI, a program used by illustrators to draw digitally. It’s a very commonly used program in Japan, and its easy accessibility makes it a choice program for various American users as well.
The focus on this application is illustration capabilities. In contrast to various photo editing and digital design programs, SAI comes ready with tools and presets that mimic real media, like pens, brushes and markers. Customization of these tools is possible, from weights of lines to textures, to colors and shapes. This allows users to fine-tune the things they use.
The user interface is a bit intimidating at first, but everything is easy to pick up after a few minutes of exploration. Color wheels, layers, clear labels on tools and functions are all visible without immediate need for submenus or complicated navigation.
SAI is a fun, approachable tool to use for anyone who loves to illustrate. It’s a good tool to use to improve things like linework and coloring, and wonderful for developing everything from sketches to fully finished paintings, and everything in between.
With sound there are so many different programs people use in order to produce and interact with sound. Music, effects, the whole nine yards. Growing up I was never interested in sound as a profession, but I DID grow up loving video games and the music featured in them. I experimented a lot with GarageBand and MIDI sequences in high school, but when it came time to try at home, where I used Windows instead of Mac, there was one program I turned to: Mixcraft.
Mixcraft is Windows’ GarageBand, so to speak. It doesn’t have every single capability GarageBand has, but it comes with many instrument presets, premade sequences, multi-track capability, and various ways to alter sound, the way GarageBand does.
One of its biggest draws is support for user-made plugins, a feature shared by many other creation programs. Users outside of Mixcraft’s own development team can make their own instruments and effects to share with one another, allowing Mixcraft to grow as a tool.
With Mixcraft I was able to drag and drop MIDI files the way I could in GarageBand way back when. Editing capabilities for MIDIs in particular are very extensive: notes can be edited and even rewritten; instruments can be changed, and effects can be applied to make an arrangement your very own.
Mixcraft is fun to use, fun for experimentation and inexpensive sound production. It could be used as a gateway to more intricate (and expensive) software, or it could be used to make more out of a music and sound hobby.
Both programs are, in fact, paid programs, which could be a considerable drawback for some. SAI goes for about $50, while Mixcraft goes for $90 for the regular version, and $170 for the Pro version. These are one-time-only payments; any updates may not require additional payment, so expenses aren’t too high. The fact is, while not as professional as programs made by companies by Adobe or Sony, these programs are far more advanced than entry level programs, and with dedication and application, can be used to jump start a career in creativity.
Internship – Week 7
As it would seem, things here aren’t as organized as they could be, which is to be expected when multiple people with multiple priorities don’t keep up with what needs to get done.
I spent this week working with one of my supervisors to organize the work me and my coworkers needed to get done. CtP covers a lot of different causes, ranging from health and hygiene, to education, to social issues, to safety for men and women alike. As such, there are a lot of banners that need to be designed. While I and my fellow interns DID know this, uncertainty arose regarding the material we would be using to finish the designs.
Having that resolved means these last few weeks will be dedicated to continuing designing the collateral this company needs. I’ve been assigned designs for additional content on CtP’s website as well.
Assignments due for my other classes only add to the amount of organization I’ve had to do with my workload. I hope I get good results for my efforts.
Internship – Week 6
Work continues to move along smoothly. Nothing incredibly exciting has happened so far.
I realize that I’ve already hit the halfway mark here at CtP. I can say with honesty that I have enjoyed working with the individuals I met here, especially my supervisors. Sadly as a startup company, things aren’t as busy as established agencies, but being able to supply my services and meet requirements, in a place where it doesn’t seem to have been done previously, is satisfying.
For a short time, my priorities were shifted from banner design to certificate design. While the design itself wasn’t incredibly intricate, it was nice to deviate for a short time, to break the monotony of my workload.
As my time at CtP reaches its end, I can say that I am satisfied with what I was able to contribute. Just need to get a few more things done before my time is up.
Internship – Week 5
Well, fortunately for me, working alongside someone to get things done at Changing the Present hasn’t been too much of a hassle. There have been minor setbacks but nothing enough to keep everyone off track.
This week, however, I learned that I’d have yet another person assisting me. I’ve suddenly been put in charge of a small group of interns, all designing collateral for this company.
I normally don’t assume leadership roles in anything as I find I’m not as competent a leader as I’d like to be. But there’s some fun in having that kind of responsibility, of being seen as someone who knows his work and can teach others.
Luckily the work isn’t incredibly difficult to teach. I’m eager to see how this arrangement works out; it keeps the internship fun and fresh.
Internship – Week 4
Prior to this week, aside from working closely with my supervisors in regard to my design, I worked alone. This was intentional: I was to be the only person working on the web bonkers. This week, however, I was informed that I would be showing another intern my process so that they would help me.
I was adverse to this in the beginning. I was content with being the only person doing this work, because as a result I would be the sole person responsible for the work, which would only help strengthen the relationship I have with my supervisors. Having to now show another person how to do what I’ve nearly perfected (and with different software, no less) feels like a chore.
But I took up the internship with more of a willingness to help and mess to receive help myself, which means I will do what I must to assist everyone in the business. In turn, I hope to help Changing the Present’s clients and eventually people around the world.
Internship – Week 3
My anxiety has subsided somewhat, and my process has become easier. I’m still on good terms with both of my supervisors, both of whom have nothing but good opinions of me.
I’ve been enjoying my time here so far. It’s quiet and calm. Working with my supervisors is never a difficult task; my goal was to work alongside these people to ascertain everything gets done to their standards. I consider myself a real team member, so much so that it feels as if I’ve worked with them longer than three weeks.
I did get sick this week however, which threw a wrench in my routine. I missed my scheduled Thursday, but I made it a point to show up the day after. The more I can provide this business before I meet my quota, the better off we all will be in the end.
