I wrote this in my last post, and I will admit it was a hasty and false statement to make: "Bottom line. Keep your friends close, and don't ask God for something you can't handle. He might just do it."
What a bunch of nonsense. I don't believe that last part and I certainly don't regret coming out to Colorado. Now enough about that, moving on.
Life as a Design Student
By Buck Beymer
Being a design student is one of the hardest things I have ever tackled in my short twenty-one years. It’s a peculiar place to be, in mind and body. On one side of the coin, a student is almost in the place no eye sees; disregarded by most employers, and looked down upon by crappy instructors. We give a great amount of time and money to an institution, and yet we are not the customers. We are never right, and are in no way treated like a normal patron. It’s an investment nobody can guarantee, perhaps not even the person making the investment.
I’ve come to make an assumption that only by pure power of will and perseverance will I succeed. But what happens when I run out of gas? Motivation seems to drive a lot of what we do, and when that’s gone, it’s time to pick up the pieces or go home.
We’re taught by life, by school, by shallow friends, that to get where we want in life, we have to shoulder the weight solely by ourselves. Logic and wisdom tells me it’s not meant to be that way.
Our psychological foundations fight the very idea of being alone. Moving out to Denver at the age of 20, knowing nobody, was perceived by many people a brave thing to do. I expected it to be hard, but the reality was a slam to my face.
To be clear, I in no way support the idea of entitlement, free handouts, and believe that hard work and going through the fire make a person stronger. Everyone needs a respite some days though.
There is, of course, no other option for me but to pick up the pieces and soldier on. I do however have to identify the areas that have triggered this massive burnout, and seek to separate them from my daily life. In the case of academics, this can be a challenge. It’s not an easy task to go to an instructor and tell him that his assignments are leaching the joy out of my soul and stifling my creativity like an office cubicle in an accounting office.
The things we are trained to do are often elementally repetitive, boring, dry, extremely technical, and overall life-sucking. And yet those are the things I can’t avoid. My goal right now is to find an outlet, something to re-motivate me, and keep the wheels turning and homework burning until I can depart from this perpetual state of economic transience. That was a mouthful.
Being a student is a profession I think we need to rediscover the joy in. When I read the stories of brilliant designers who have gone before us, the picture painted is often one of joyous discovery. Hard work certainly went on in the background, but what the reader sees, is a person finding their life’s calling and succeeding at it. It’s that hard work and occasional misery we never see, that perhaps is what really shaped the artist. If only we had a perfect world, I think, but that would perhaps be a world devoid of art.
-Buckingham
This is perhaps a preamble to an article I want to write for a design magazine, tell me your thoughts!
(I apologize for the lack of art updates, I'll try to get something up before the apocalypse)
Thursday, February 2, 2012
Thursday, August 25, 2011
I was just pacing my apartment
A minute ago, rather furiously too I might add. I didn't even realize I had been pacing for a full minute or so, as I was brainstorming equally furiously.
I re-read some old journal entries and one page chronicled how bored I was in that particular point in my life. This was in the fall of 2010, when I was a sophomore at Oral Roberts University, studying graphic design. My actual words went something along the lines of: "I feel like I have nothing to be excited about in my life."
Of course I had some cool things going on, mainly my upcoming mission to Brazil (which was amazing of course), but I can only live one week at a time after all. I'm no stranger to being bored, of course, I always tell people I'm easily bored. Not to mention, Tulsa is an immensely, well, boring town. This was before I had decided that I was going to transfer to AiC and pursue what I really wanted to.
I look back and chuckle, because I feel that statements and thoughts like that over a period of time was almost like I was daring God to actually do something about it. And here I am, good job Buck.
Anyways, to get to the point of this post before I lose you, the reason I am awake at 4:50am when I have a 7:30am class is because I am excited. I longboard and recently my friend coerced me into learning to power-slide. I've wanted to learn how to for quite a while now of course, in my pursuit of pushing the sport, but to be honest I was mildly terrified of the prospect. Power-sliding is such an intense adaptation of the sport, it's almost as if you're defying the very construction and purpose of the longboard while doing it. And it's dangerous. I assumed I would get to it sometime next year-ish.
But what really has plagued me with insomnia yet again, is an idea I have whizzing around in my head for a pair of sliding gloves. It's a common piece of equipment for advanced riders who enjoy sliding. The construction is basically a work glove, with a polymer (usually) 'puck' velcroed onto the palm, and sometimes on the fingers. They allow the rider to get nice and intimate with the pavement and yet keep it all business. Anyways, gloves professionally manufactured cost anywhere from $35 to $80, and I'm a poor college student. I used a pair of work gloves I've had laying around in my closet for our sliding session the other night. They ripped on the third slide.
I've heard of people DIYing their own pair of gloves using anything from chunks of granite to slabs of cutting board. Being the industrial design major (not to mention a man) I of course set out to research how to make my own pair. My mistake was doing that tonight.
Instructables.com is quite the addicting website if you let it pull you in. So of course I spent the next hour and half (this was at midnight) looking at longboard related Instructables. What I found inflamed my brainstorming center so intensely that now I'm not just planning on making the gloves, but I eventually want to make my own longboard deck, press and all (the press gives it a concave profile). Anyways, I'm actually considering pursuing this glove project to the degree of making it my capstone project. I may recant that later.
To return to my beginning thesis, I would like to again expound upon something I'm really quite good at making. Mistakes. When I wrote that journal entry I had no idea what I was sacrificing in exchange for more 'excitement'. I've learned this past year (gosh, I can't believe it's been that long) that having true friends around you is worth it's weight in gold. My friends are like family to me.
I've been told by a couple people from ORU, when I was leaving, that just because I'm moving doesn't mean I will have a change in support structure. Well, yes, but I'm afraid it doesn't quite work that way. A phone call doesn't quite equate to a hearty sit-down.
Bottom line. Keep your friends close, and don't ask God for something you can't handle. He might just do it.
-Buck the Undead Dragon
I re-read some old journal entries and one page chronicled how bored I was in that particular point in my life. This was in the fall of 2010, when I was a sophomore at Oral Roberts University, studying graphic design. My actual words went something along the lines of: "I feel like I have nothing to be excited about in my life."
Of course I had some cool things going on, mainly my upcoming mission to Brazil (which was amazing of course), but I can only live one week at a time after all. I'm no stranger to being bored, of course, I always tell people I'm easily bored. Not to mention, Tulsa is an immensely, well, boring town. This was before I had decided that I was going to transfer to AiC and pursue what I really wanted to.
I look back and chuckle, because I feel that statements and thoughts like that over a period of time was almost like I was daring God to actually do something about it. And here I am, good job Buck.
Anyways, to get to the point of this post before I lose you, the reason I am awake at 4:50am when I have a 7:30am class is because I am excited. I longboard and recently my friend coerced me into learning to power-slide. I've wanted to learn how to for quite a while now of course, in my pursuit of pushing the sport, but to be honest I was mildly terrified of the prospect. Power-sliding is such an intense adaptation of the sport, it's almost as if you're defying the very construction and purpose of the longboard while doing it. And it's dangerous. I assumed I would get to it sometime next year-ish.
But what really has plagued me with insomnia yet again, is an idea I have whizzing around in my head for a pair of sliding gloves. It's a common piece of equipment for advanced riders who enjoy sliding. The construction is basically a work glove, with a polymer (usually) 'puck' velcroed onto the palm, and sometimes on the fingers. They allow the rider to get nice and intimate with the pavement and yet keep it all business. Anyways, gloves professionally manufactured cost anywhere from $35 to $80, and I'm a poor college student. I used a pair of work gloves I've had laying around in my closet for our sliding session the other night. They ripped on the third slide.
I've heard of people DIYing their own pair of gloves using anything from chunks of granite to slabs of cutting board. Being the industrial design major (not to mention a man) I of course set out to research how to make my own pair. My mistake was doing that tonight.
Instructables.com is quite the addicting website if you let it pull you in. So of course I spent the next hour and half (this was at midnight) looking at longboard related Instructables. What I found inflamed my brainstorming center so intensely that now I'm not just planning on making the gloves, but I eventually want to make my own longboard deck, press and all (the press gives it a concave profile). Anyways, I'm actually considering pursuing this glove project to the degree of making it my capstone project. I may recant that later.
To return to my beginning thesis, I would like to again expound upon something I'm really quite good at making. Mistakes. When I wrote that journal entry I had no idea what I was sacrificing in exchange for more 'excitement'. I've learned this past year (gosh, I can't believe it's been that long) that having true friends around you is worth it's weight in gold. My friends are like family to me.
I've been told by a couple people from ORU, when I was leaving, that just because I'm moving doesn't mean I will have a change in support structure. Well, yes, but I'm afraid it doesn't quite work that way. A phone call doesn't quite equate to a hearty sit-down.
Bottom line. Keep your friends close, and don't ask God for something you can't handle. He might just do it.
-Buck the Undead Dragon
Thursday, May 26, 2011
More Visual Pandering
I happen to be halfway creative from time to time. Lately I've been doing a fair amount of sketching, Digital and otherwise, and I have to be honest with you; I am having a blast with it! It's one of the few things I get to do in school that isn't tedious. Here is some of what I'm talking about.
I love this one, it's actually not even finished. I'm planning to market it as a climbing gear backpack. The assignment was to create a soft good, and thats something I never expected to enjoy, but I rather like it.
The drawing in the lower right corner was the original drawing, and it's shamelessly goofy. But thankfully I realized it was a piss-poor drawing and drew another.
Ok this isn't an exceptional drawing by any means (sci-fi assignment) but I would like to draw your attention to the tracks. Those are some good looking tracks right? I think so.
And this was my first digital sketch; it's what got me hooked.
Perhaps this next drawing is my favorite to date.
Sketching is addicting.
Hey while you're at it, check out my photobucket. Most of my old photoshop work is on there so it's like a time machine into my creative life!
I love this one, it's actually not even finished. I'm planning to market it as a climbing gear backpack. The assignment was to create a soft good, and thats something I never expected to enjoy, but I rather like it.
The drawing in the lower right corner was the original drawing, and it's shamelessly goofy. But thankfully I realized it was a piss-poor drawing and drew another.
Ok this isn't an exceptional drawing by any means (sci-fi assignment) but I would like to draw your attention to the tracks. Those are some good looking tracks right? I think so.
And this was my first digital sketch; it's what got me hooked.
Perhaps this next drawing is my favorite to date.
Sketching is addicting.
Hey while you're at it, check out my photobucket. Most of my old photoshop work is on there so it's like a time machine into my creative life!
Friday, January 7, 2011
Tonight I was thinking about
A girl I had a crush on for a rather long time. It was a slow smoldering interest, and I never pursued it for reasons both in and beyond my control (although I still nurtured some hope). I know her heart, as we spent some time together in close proximity, so I know her potential. However her actions and lifestyle today don't reflect a life on fire for God (but then the same could probably said about me) that I saw in her.
I have always wondered why she chooses this lifestyle. There's a myriad of social perks to be sure. Perhaps the idea of changing the way she takes on the world is too daunting a task, on account of the friends she may lose. Others still may say she is even running away from God.
But I think it's a little more simple than that. Be aware this is purely speculation. I think she is simply living the way she wants to. The fact is God's plans for her just aren't at the forefront of her plan. I know this because I catch myself walking down this path time and time again.
My generation has been implanted with a desire to follow in our parents footsteps (an impossibility due to the immense social and economic changes wrought from generation to generation), and settle down, find love, make a career for ourselves, and live the easy life. The baby boomers by-and-large lived that out. Our country saw a relative period of economic leisure during the 90's, in which time I grew up. I believe that decade is a large reason why the aforementioned influence is prevalent in my mindset.
This post isn't about that girl that I knew who eluded me for so long. I certainly will never criticize anyone in writing without due cause. It's about worldviews, and deep seeded desires. We all have them. And in the end we will be asked to surrender them completely.
God asks us to give up our lives and follow him. The extremity of that request is still shocking to me, but my heart longs to do just that. At an Ignite conference I helped organize at ORU, Matthew Barnett said "We must die to our dreams of success."
Those words struck true with me and still do. God's plans are so much bigger than anything we can cook up on our own, let alone achieve. Certainly I'm not advocating that we crush anyone's dreams, some of them may surely be planted by God. What I'm getting to, is that God is in complete control, and His plans will come to pass. Do you understand what I'm saying? The almighty sovereign God will make sure our lives carry out to His will. That excites me, as I hope it does you, because I've received some hints that His plans for me are Huge-well beyond my wildest dreams.
To close please take anything I write with a grain of salt, I'm no theologian and I haven't researched any of my statements in great length. This is for the most part just off the top of my head. I hope you enjoyed it nonetheless.
-Buck Beymer, Happy New Year!
I have always wondered why she chooses this lifestyle. There's a myriad of social perks to be sure. Perhaps the idea of changing the way she takes on the world is too daunting a task, on account of the friends she may lose. Others still may say she is even running away from God.
But I think it's a little more simple than that. Be aware this is purely speculation. I think she is simply living the way she wants to. The fact is God's plans for her just aren't at the forefront of her plan. I know this because I catch myself walking down this path time and time again.
My generation has been implanted with a desire to follow in our parents footsteps (an impossibility due to the immense social and economic changes wrought from generation to generation), and settle down, find love, make a career for ourselves, and live the easy life. The baby boomers by-and-large lived that out. Our country saw a relative period of economic leisure during the 90's, in which time I grew up. I believe that decade is a large reason why the aforementioned influence is prevalent in my mindset.
This post isn't about that girl that I knew who eluded me for so long. I certainly will never criticize anyone in writing without due cause. It's about worldviews, and deep seeded desires. We all have them. And in the end we will be asked to surrender them completely.
God asks us to give up our lives and follow him. The extremity of that request is still shocking to me, but my heart longs to do just that. At an Ignite conference I helped organize at ORU, Matthew Barnett said "We must die to our dreams of success."
Those words struck true with me and still do. God's plans are so much bigger than anything we can cook up on our own, let alone achieve. Certainly I'm not advocating that we crush anyone's dreams, some of them may surely be planted by God. What I'm getting to, is that God is in complete control, and His plans will come to pass. Do you understand what I'm saying? The almighty sovereign God will make sure our lives carry out to His will. That excites me, as I hope it does you, because I've received some hints that His plans for me are Huge-well beyond my wildest dreams.
To close please take anything I write with a grain of salt, I'm no theologian and I haven't researched any of my statements in great length. This is for the most part just off the top of my head. I hope you enjoyed it nonetheless.
-Buck Beymer, Happy New Year!
Wednesday, December 15, 2010
Tuesday, December 14, 2010
Bsquared Design
It's about time to put some artwork on here as I've been meaning to for a while. I FINALLY finished my finals, and barring another near meltdown as I experienced this afternoon, I should be good to go after Thursday. All of these were done in the past two quarters.
retro video game illustration, I've become vaguely interested with emulating retro designs lately for some reason.
this is just silly
A fish tie - that's just really silly
And I'm rather pleased with this one. texture credits go to Anna Coffman, she takes amazing texture photos!
the onesie credit goes to Cole Proffitt
So obviously not all of these are meant to be portfolio material, but hopefully some of you enjoy them for what they are as I do. Happy Holidays!
retro video game illustration, I've become vaguely interested with emulating retro designs lately for some reason.
this is just silly
A fish tie - that's just really silly
And I'm rather pleased with this one. texture credits go to Anna Coffman, she takes amazing texture photos!
the onesie credit goes to Cole Proffitt
So obviously not all of these are meant to be portfolio material, but hopefully some of you enjoy them for what they are as I do. Happy Holidays!
Sunday, December 12, 2010
Today I was wondering
Why the Battle we fight is such a hard one; specifically why is it so hard to lead a focused and balanced spiritual life as well as juggling everyday tasks. I'm in the throes of finals now and it's nigh impossible to keep on point with schoolwork. Then it dawned on me that we fight a two front battle. We're distracted from our spiritual life so often because our livelihood is clamoring for attention.
But the kicker is as we neglect our spiritual life to attack the counterpart, we find ourselves struggling even more. Oh, how powerless we are without His grace. I recognize (for those theologically minded who can find loopholes in my argument) of course that the two are inexorable weaving in and out of each other. The purpose of this note is merely to temporarily separate the two as white and yolk to point out the differences in a unified body.
Take Hitler's war, on one front was the Brits and Yanks, and at the backdoor Russia was slowly pounding it's way in. The World war is considered as a whole in our days, but I would bet Hitler didn't see it so singularly. Just something to think on.
-Buck Beymer
But the kicker is as we neglect our spiritual life to attack the counterpart, we find ourselves struggling even more. Oh, how powerless we are without His grace. I recognize (for those theologically minded who can find loopholes in my argument) of course that the two are inexorable weaving in and out of each other. The purpose of this note is merely to temporarily separate the two as white and yolk to point out the differences in a unified body.
Take Hitler's war, on one front was the Brits and Yanks, and at the backdoor Russia was slowly pounding it's way in. The World war is considered as a whole in our days, but I would bet Hitler didn't see it so singularly. Just something to think on.
-Buck Beymer
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)