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August 10, 2015

SEG's

So when it came to what I could work on during work I usually told to stay away from the paneling jobs, as well as anything that said the word "SEG" I have no idea what that means. haha I think it is the type of material. So any on Tuesday R. rolls over and says " I bet you could have this one done 730 tonight if you wanted to stay late." So I thought well I have no life lets see what it is! Yeah it was 116 items long. But then I saw that it said SEG and I was like R! I can't do this one remember no SEG's for me! He looked at me and said, Well you are going to do this one. yay.... haha It really wasn't bad at all. I just had to take all the pictures into photoshop, make sure they were the correct size and image and flatten them and then save them again. Then once that was all done they already had a cut template set up so I just had to go insert the first 3 images then relink them all. Though I did finish it around 630 so take that. Except they were missing art for like 20 of the line items. haha So then a couple days later R goes oh hey we saved you a job. I thought what? Then I saw it. another one just the last SEG. So I spent all Thursday working on that one. :) I guess this Imagen company sends in like 5 or 6 jobs all together for the same type of thing so who knows maybe I will only be working on those jobs till I leave next week. Should be fun! Well that was pretty much last week. Onto this week!

August 2, 2015

Summer is Flying by

Well this was supposed to be another short work for me because I was going to be at a friends wedding on Thursday but then Friday morning they sent me a text saying I could come in if I wanted to. That was nice because I can always use more hours! This week wasn't too eventful. Busy some days and slow other days. I did get to design a few yard signs for Northridge high. Nothing to complicated though. It was also funny because I went to do a banner and I haven't done one in a while since there is a new kid and we let him to all the banners. So I was like I don't remember how to do this. Then I realized I did it was just too easy. haha I wish I was staying longer because they would teach me how to do more difficult things but since Im leaving in a couple weeks I just get to stick with the materials I already know. Oh well! I have also learned that I have become very OCD when it comes to using the content aware or clone tool in photoshop. So most files we just add a bit of bleed so when they are cut out you don't end up with white showing around the border. However sometimes you have to add a lot of bleed and the cut path will be into the bleed so you need to make sure it looks correct. So on Friday I was fixing some files that hadn't had the crop lines taken out and then next thing you know I am fixing all the other aspects of the clone tool that didn't go so well the first time. Like the fact that the photo by credit was duplicated. So I am not sure if this new OCD aspect is good or bad. haha But he at least I am getting some good practice! Well that was pretty much this last week, on to next week!

July 27, 2015

Another Week

Well another week. Nothing much new happened this last week. I am starting to be able to do things faster and faster. Its funny because I feel like I did the job wrong because I did it so fast but then after checking it 50 times I realize that I didn't do anything wrong I just actually knew what I was doing so it didn't take me as long as it used to. Thats always a good feeling! It was also a fun week because my other job (the tour of Utah) had me fix one of their designs and then fusion is going to print it. So when I get to work today It will probably be there waiting for me to do. Unless the new kid does it. If thats the case he is lucky because I already set it up for him. haha Though I had to laugh at the design I worked on because I swear the people trying to get me the artwork had no idea what they were doing. They were like heres a jpg, will you turn it into a vector? yeah no. Then they sent me the original illustrator file and man life was so much easier. So it was an interesting week working with both me jobs on design work. On to this week!

July 23, 2015

TIme is Flying By

Well I clearly rock at this whole blogging thing huh? Yeah no. So anyways, on to last week! It was a good week, It was the first week that I really didn't have to ask many questions. There were a couple but not like there has been. Only took 2 months. Too bad I only have a month left working there! Its also been interesting with the new kid working there. As he asks questions or they tell him things I either go "oh yes I knew that" or "crap definitely did not know that" haha But its nice to have a second chance to learn things! Its also been fun to see how much better I know the adobe programs. I mean I love shortcuts! and the Actions they have set up so you only have to push 1 button and bam the image is centered to the middle of the art board. I finally got started on getting my adobe programs set up to how I like them now that I am getting a better hang of what they can do. Well thats all for last week. Hopefully this weeks post will come tomorrow...

July 12, 2015

Designing

Something that has been really interesting about this job is seeing the way different designers design their products. And when I say interesting I mean its more like "what the crap were you doing??" For example. Clipping masks. I'll be completely honest, before I started this job I had no idea what a clipping mask was. Now I do. But I am also beginning to think that most people don't. I mean I will get a design in and it will have 4, 5 or more clipping masks on the file. Not a problem right? Except when I release the clipping masks nothing happens. Basically I am pretty sure that the designers are putting on random clipping masks for the heck of it. Quite annoying actually. You see when I need to add bleed to a design there are a couple different ways to do so. One it to increase the vector image if its a solid block of color, or take it to photoshop and content aware it or clone the image. My favorite option is when the client has already included the bleed, or when they have the bleed but have created a clipping mask so they can see what the finished image will look like. This option is great because I just release the clipping mask and boom! More picture becomes available. This brings me back to the fake clipping masks. Nothing makes me more excited than to click "release clipping mask" (or delete the clipping mask) five hundred times just to discover that there isn't a hidden image for me to use. I am far from being a great designer but I am definitely going to be paying attention to how I organize my files from now on!

July 8, 2015

Busy two weeks

Well I totally spaced writing last week, but since I was gone part of this week on vacation I'll just combine the two weeks. Well last week was good. But I got whats called a variance. Well I actually got 2 variances. Yay! Not. So a variance is when you build a file wrong and then we have to reprint it. The first variance was just stupid and fooled all of us but the second I wanted to smack my self. the client sent in 3 images on 1 file and I choose the wrong image. I have no idea why I didn't call the account manager to verify which one it was but I didn't. ( the job said "tent #1" so I choose "tent #1"  seems logical right?) Well no the actual image was "tent #3" So even though the client approved the proof we sent them we still had to reprint it. The good news is now I wont do that again! I also got to do some banners for the Layton City 4th of July parade. That was fun because I knew that I would get to actually see them since I would be at the parade. (pictures below) though these were a bit more difficult because most of the time the client sends in the artwork they want but layton didn't. They were like "oh go find the declaration of Independence for us" or "find a font that looks like the declaration" or the best was the one they wanted to say "one if by land, two if by sea" They were like "we don't want the same font as the declaration. So find an appropriate font.". Well that narrows it down! haha But it was still fun. I also got very good at the clone tool in photo shop this last week. We had a lot of old photo's that were sent in that needed like 4 inches of bleed added so them so they could be blown up into banners. That is not an easy feat. The content aware tool helps but still sometimes the image doesn't look right so you have to go back and edit it with the clone tool. I also got to work on some items for the Utah Jazz. That was also fun. A bit of a pain because at first they didn't send in vector files, just jpg's and those weren't going to work. So finally we got those but then they also didn't give a lot of instruction for a banner we were creating for them so I had to go back and forth with the account manager a lot. The last thing that happened this week is a new kid started working there. One day when I walked in R. had me sit down and help him. Its always a test to see if you know what you are doing  when all of a sudden you have to teach someone else. I came really close to helping him correctly! I just forgot the last step. Next time, next time. Over all it was a good two weeks though. Lots of learning experiences!
(I just realized my pictures are on my camera so those will be put up once I load them on my computer)

June 25, 2015

Whoops

I just realized I never wrote last week! My bad. So the thing I have loved about this internship is all the things I am learning about adobe illustrator and photoshop. I had no idea how many shortcuts there were! I swear by the end of the summer I might not ever have to tough a mouse. haha Okay I probably will but I probably won't have to go up to the menu bar for a different tool or action. One thing I learned about is a way you can change the color of multiple objects. So for example we print black that is 60 40 40 100.  So when a client sends in an image that has black we have to go change it. and instead of selecting each outlined letter or shape we just click one, go up to select, same, fill color/stroke color and bam all the object that are the same color are selected and all you have to do is go choose the new color. Its great! I really wish I would have known about that tool earlier because it would have come in handy with some of my school projects. Well another post will be coming shortly because now this week is almost over!

June 14, 2015

All Grown Up

Well this week I was informed that I didn't have to put things on the prepress task list hold if I felt confident in them. Putting it on hold just meant that before it was sent out to be printed it was on hold so that R. could look at it and make sure that it was all done correctly. Now this is awesome because that means Im doing things right. Also not awesome because what if I screw something else up? Guess we will slowly transition into this whole not on hold thing. This week was good, I am getting better at putting bleed on things and learning how to create documents so that they can be paneled. Oh I almost forgot! That project from last week that I was working on? Yep it was still there Monday morning. So I had to finish it. Oh well it has now all be approved, printed and shipped! It was a bit of a slower week, less jobs coming in, though around 430 they always seem to come through to us and make a longer list for us to do. But at least that way we stay busy! I guess we shall see what this week brings us!
Oh I have meant to include some pictures of the things Ive worked on so here they are!





June 7, 2015

Black and Yellow

Well this week was good! I actually got to work a few more hours because one of the girls was out of town so I got to go in on Friday. So far I have only been working small jobs, things that have 1-5 line items, But this week there was a job that had 49 line items and R. was like work on this one. So I figured I would work on a couple of the items and he would work on the other items. That was Monday. I was still working on it on Friday. Between learning to work with new materials, having to change the black to the black we print, learning to work with how they had designed their art and needing new artwork sent back it was seriously an adventure. However it was something that by the end of the week I was glad I had done. It really tested my skills and helped cement processes into my mind. I am also starting to work with the printers more, if they have questions on my jobs they come to me instead of going straight to R. Which is great, and terrifying. I am always terrified I am going to screw up a job but then again I guess its all in the learning process! Now hopefully I don't have to work that same job again tomorrow!
(oh and the whole time I was working on the job I kept thinking some of the designs looked familiar and so at the end of the week I googled the company. Yep. It was "Canvas" the very same canvas that all my college classes run through. Can't ever get away from Canvas apparently!)

May 30, 2015

Short week!

Well with the holiday on Monday it was a short week, which was nice and sad at the same time. I dread going to work every day but once I am there I love it! Im starting to get the hang of things now. Some things still completely loose me but its coming. Some of the adventures this week included working more with the "account managers" more. Basically they are the inbetween man. The take the orders from the clients and then put them into the system where we get them. Then if we have any problems with the art or job we contact the account managers and they talk to the clients. The first couple weeks the other guys would talk to the account managers for me but this week I got to. Its always nerve racking to talk to someone about something you don't completely understand but by the end of the week it was becoming more natural. That and I just gave up on caring that I had no idea what I was talking about haha I also learned how to panel a job. Basically some of the designs sent in need to be printed large scale. Very large scale. Like 50+ feet. Of course the printers and the materials are always big enough to print large scale so we have to panel or split the pieces into small sections. It slightly confusing because you have to know how big the material is as well as make sure you leave some overlap space and other things like that. I think I'll stick with the smaller pieces. Too bad the guys I work with will never let that fly. They like to push me so thats good. Well I guess we shall see what adventures next week brings!

May 27, 2015

Busy Week

Well last week was another adventure! I started to work on the designs by myself, that was scary. But my coworker said that the more I practice and try to figure it out the more I will learn, and I agree. The others were always there to help me but they let me flounder around for a bit before they would jump in. It was a really interesting week, I got to work more with the clients which was fun. and frustrating. I did a banner for Woods Cross high and they had me use an older piece that they had sent in but they wanted changes made to it. So began me making the changes, then sending it back to be proofed by them, then coming back to me with more changes and so on. Finally we reached what they wanted but I learned a lot on how to gear a piece to the client. It was also a crazy week because it was really busy with memorial day coming up. Which meant overtime! Got to love deadlines. But it was fun. And that pretty much sums up the week!

May 17, 2015

New Job, New Adventures

Its always fun starting a new job. New people to meet, new things to learn, oh wait thats fun? Now I will say I like the meeting new people part but learning new things? Well thats always nerve racking. So this summer I am doing an internship at a place called Fusion Imaging. Basically they take logos, or other designs and print them. Most of the time large scale. I was really excited to start there because I thought hey is graphic design! Finally Ill know the programs and be somewhat aware of what I am doing. Yeah no. Silly me. So I finished my first week. It was crazy. I will be working in the prepress shop there and even though I have no idea what I am doing I think it will be a lot of fun. What I do know is that we take the designs done by companies and in a sense, rework them. We have to take the designs and resize them, add bleed, add whats called cut lines and dots (Used in the printing and cutting of the pieces) and do whatever else is needed so they can be printed correctly. I've learned a lot about photoshop and illustrator in the week I have been there though. By the end of the summer I will probably know every shortcut there is. Seriously. So far I have mostly just watched the others but I have worked on some banners and such. Its been fun learning how to make bleeds with the content aware feature on photoshop or how to flatten an image for printing or that I can create what are called actions (basically they include a list of edits that are all completed simply by pressing one button. Saves a lot of time. Trust me). I am sure I will learn even more this coming week, especially as the other guys send me off to do work on my own. Yikes. But hey like any new job, the more you learn the easier it all becomes.

February 7, 2015

My Life is a Joke

     So back on the mish I used to tell all my companions that "my life is a joke" Now most usually responded with "not its not, don't say that." Well unfortunately I always seemed to prove them wrong... Really I should just record my life because I would be a youtube hit by now if I did. So once again today I realized why my life is such a joke. So heres the story. Its been beautiful non-utah like weather for February. Trust me I'm thrilled. So I decided this past week that it was time to get back in shape. You see I am terrifyingly out of shape so I better do something about it while I can. So I went on a nice walk/jog the other day so I decided I would go again today and soak up some sun. So when I went to go I realized all my roommates were out of town and I didn't want to bring my keys so I figured I would just put a spare key outside that I could use when I got back from my jog. (side note- Luckily in the joke of my life, God has a plan and sometimes likes to give me hints) So before I left I had the feeling to unlock the back door in case something happened to the spare key. So I did so and headed out the front door after locking it. Then I went to put the spare key where I used to keep it. This is where the problem came in. Where I live has some structural issues, meaning the ground is settling and so there are cracks throughout my house, like the floor. But I didn't notice that there was a nice crack where I used to keep the spare key. A crack that happened to be the exact width of a key. So I put the key up there and then heard a slight clink. Crap. So I looked back and realized the key had slid into the house. Literally. Now not inside, just inside the stucco. Goodbye key.
nice little crack just for a key to slide into... dont ask about the iron that is sitting there...


Goodbye getting back inside. All I could think was seriously all I wanted to do was go for a run! But now lets not forget that I left the back door unlocked. Except there was one minor problem with that. I forgot that my neighbors don't live next door anymore. (we used to go through their house and grab a chair to hop the wall to get into our yard) And well no one lives there currently so that was out. And of course my other neighbors weren't home. So new plan. I was going to have to climb the far wall. Great I just have to figure out how to climb a smooth wall thats basically as tall as me. Yay....

I found a rock I could stand on to boost me up a bit. Really it had to have been a show watching me try to climb up this.

Lets ignore the fact that I didn't get ready this morning



Luckily I watch The Prince of Persia earlier today and was in a Parkour type of mood. Unfortunately as mentioned above I am seriously out of shape. So after about 6 tries of getting up on the wall I finally did. But then came the real show. You see the walls separating each unit are about oh say 6 inches wide, enough space to balance beam it. However the center one which I needed to go down is curved. Yeah Im not that talented.

This is the view from my back yard to the part of the wall I hopped up on. 


So I scooted my little tush all the way down it. halfway through I just lost it laughing because I am sure I looked hilarious. I was torn between thinking if any of the back neighbors were home if they were dying laughing or calling the cops. haha So eventually I made is back to my place, hopped off the wall and walked through our back door. Well needless to say by this point I was exhausted and bruised and there was no way I was going on my jog. So I gave up and cleaned some more. Maybe we will try this whole exercise thing again next week. When I have roommates home. So folks this is why my life is a joke. Because really how often does a crack in the wall swallow up your spare key?
Yep thats right.
MY life is a joke.
Good thing I have a sense of humor. ;)

February 3, 2015

The Obsession is Real

So once upon a time I grew up in Utah. Thats still where I am at in fact. Utah's been great to me, don't get me wrong but there was always one thing growing up that I didn't like. (Well besides the snow) And that would be the dry air. Now when it comes to your skin and lips in the dry air you just put on lotion and chapstick right? Well I was always too lazy. Trust me it wasn't that I did't have any lotion, believe me Bath and Body Works is one of my favorite stops. But I never could finish a thing of lotion, let alone a chapstick. So now lets fast forward the story to when I went to Cali. Can you say humidity? Sure there isn't much but man I never even had the thought of lotion or chapstick! But then I came home. I have basically shriveled up into a prune. And now I am obsessed, with lotion, chapstick, all of it. Seriously, I can't go more than like 5 minutes without putting lotion on my hands, last weekend I put my lotion and chapstick in a different pocket in my bag and I couldn't remember where I put it and I almost went crazy. Okay not really but that was a long day without my chapstick. haha. I know I am totally crazy.
This is right next to my bed. 

This is my backpack
But If you think this is nothing, you should see my pockets, my car, my purses my bathroom pretty much everywhere you turn you will find my chapstick or lotion. So everyone I might actually finish a lotion one of these days, I guess we can thank my mission for finally getting me obsessed with chapstick and lotion. So folks the obsession is real. Or at least until I adjust back to Utah and get lazy again :)

Also stayed tuned, in a few days when I load the pictures from my camera I will give you all an update of last weekend where I spent my time at SLC FanX also known as Comic Con. Yes I am a nerd. No I don't care. 

January 19, 2015

San Jose California- Time to Reflect


Well is has now been 1 month since I got home from serving my 18th month LDS mission in San Jose California. I have had a some time to reflect on what I saw and learned in those 18 months and so I decided to write about a few of those things before I move on to "reality".  So for those of you who don't know what I spent the last 18 months doing here is a quick recap. I accepted a call to serve as a missionary for the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints in San Jose California. While there I would be separated from the world, I wouldn't have access to social media, my family, my friends, tv or any of the modern day technology except a mission cell phone. I would be able to communicate with family only on Mondays through email for 1 hr. Rough life right? But the point of this would to be able to devote my time entirely to helping those around me learn more about my beliefs and also to help the community through service, basically to focus on everyone but myself. However I discovered that while I forgot about myself I also was about to learn more about who I could become. During these 18 months I was able to see peoples lives change and it was an amazing experience. In this post I want to talk about some of the people I got to meet and the things I learn from them. So lets get going!

President Watkins, his wife Rebecca and me shortly
before they finished their mission and returned home.
First, missions have whats called a "Mission President" This is a man that is called to lead the mission for 3 years. He gives up everything and often times takes his whole family away from their home to live in a new place. Now thats what you call a sacrifice. I was lucky enough to have 2 amazing Mission presidents. The first of which was Lincoln Watkins. President Watkins is an amazing and caring man. He worked on Wall Street as an investment trader for his career and was very successful. From him I was able to learn a lot. (unfortunately how to invest was not on that list, but maybe one day) He had a very strong belief in being professional. In San Jose you work among some very wealthy people, so being professional was key if you were to be taken seriously. I learned not only how to dress, but how to act and how to think professionally. However even with all of his professionalism he also taught us how to love and respect one another. My second mission president was Glen Mella. President Mella came in to the mission when I had about 6 months left. I was fortunate enough to work closely with him as I served on a leadership council the last 3 months of my mission. His example impacted me greatly as well. He taught me how to also be professional but also to have confidence in myself and how to be a true leader. He taught me that leaders are often not the wisest or the smartest, but those that need to learn something and therefore we can't put ourselves above those we lead. He also taught me how to have patience and love those around me. My time with President Mella was short, but in that time I learned a great deal.
President Mella, his wife Elizabeth and me shortly before my
parents picked me up










Another opportunity I had was to work with many different cultures. Being called to California I figured life wouldn't be much different than Utah but I had the chance to witness more cultures and learn from them. One such culture was that of the middle east. I was able to teach a man from Jordan named Nael. He and his family had lived in Jordan and Afghanistan and had to flee for their lives because of the persecution of the government. While teaching him I was able to try different middle eastern food but also learn the true meaning of freedom and the right of free speech. I was also able to meet many others, another lady was Diane. She was from Rwanda and we were teaching her English. She had also fled to America amongst the genocide that was happening in Rwanda. She had to leave her 3 children behind, something I couldn't imagine doing. I learn so much from her, she was in a new country where she barely spoke the language and yet she had such a positive attitude. She knew she would speak English one day and then she could get a job so that she could bring her kids over to America as well. The determination she had inspired me greatly. Nael and Diane were just a couple of the amazing people I got to meet as there were many others from India, China, and even Cameroon.

Diane! Shes from Rwanda and her positive
attidute is amazing!
Nael along with one of my companions Sister Neff.

























The last aspect of my mission that I wanted to reflect on was the service aspect. My mission was a pilot mission for a program called Just Serve. (Justserve.org) With this program we would spend 10 to 14 hrs a week volunteering in the community. We would do anything from picking up trash on the streets to feeding the homeless to gardening. Whatever we could find that would help we did. I loved doing service. I came to find a real love for helping those around me. The joy I saw in others as they we helped filled me with joy.  I also loved getting to know different people in the community and how they also enjoyed serving those around them.



My companion and one of the Elders moping the floor, we helped
at another senior center by helping serve them lunch, we then
would clean up the kitchen afterwards.



Michele, she worked at the community Senior Center and
I along with other missionaries were able to gain a
good relationship with her and even helped her move!
















In the end I have discovered that as I forgot myself I was able to learn about other and therefore learn how to be a better me. The people I met, the service I preformed changed me little by little. The mission was the most amazing thing I have ever done. I wish I could explain fully all the things I learned but I just can't. I'm also sad its over, but I am glad that that I can still take the things I have learned and put them to use in my daily life now.  So its been a month since I returned home, now heres to many more months of putting my new found skills to use!