Weird things at design school

If any of you don't know I study graphic design at university and having gone through a few years of design school  I've learnt that a lot of weird things happen. Now along with the beautiful art that flows out of the students a lot of other stuff does too! 

• First years spend over 8 hours in their first few weeks drawing potatoes. 
• Potatoes in pencil, potatoes in pen, potatoes in chalk and potatoes dressed as Lady Gaga. 
• By the time you graduate you will have spent at least 50 hours of your life feeling up/deciding on/cursing at stock. Yes I do mean paper. 50 hours cursing at the weight of your paper. 
• It's normal to go to class with a laptop bag, a normal bag, and folders of various sizes. Plus boxes and bags of other rubbish.
• None of the tutors know how to use a computer. Okay maybe 3 do and that's it. They're designers and they don't know how to use powerpoint.
• You will own at least 10 of the same expensive pen in different weights. 
• You will use said pens to do everything but draw and then ruin them and then curse at them and yourself and your life and your bank account.
• Speaking of bank accounts, it's normal to spend hundreds a year on stationary. Seriously if you love stationary become a design student you'll never regret buying more because your tutor will tell you to buy more. 
• The first week before a new year you see the first years around town. You can tell because they're all battling with their new A1 folders. It's hilarious. 
• Sleep happens anywhere. 
• You will critique any design anywhere. Always. It's going to happen. 
• You will spend hours criticising the space between letters, if you didn't realise this was a thing, this is a thing. Kerning and leading are your best friends. 
• You always want to nap. Always. 
• But you never have time to nap after the first year so take those naps when you can first years! Design school takes over every moment of your awake life. 

This is only a few things but allow me to ramble on about how I feel like all I've been doing is uni work all day every day. Currently I have a mobile app and a book being created so it's very time consuming (oh and an essay but who cares about that). I'm also now sick due to this so have scrambled into bed whenever available to eat oranges and do more work. Such fun... 

A Year Of Firsts

I came across this idea on a few blogs I've been reading recently and I thought it was a great idea, last year I achieved quite a few things for the first thing so I thought I would make a list of a few things I wanted to do this year!

Attend a blogging event

For the last few weeks I've been involved in the NZ Bloggers chats and the NZ Brunch Club Facebook page. Being able to chat to loads of bloggers from my country has allowed me to start advertising my blog more and reading lots of other blogs. The brunch club holds an event once a month and I was too scared to attend the February event but hopefully this year I will get over my fear of new people and join one of these events!

Do a zoo encounter

I want to go into the meerkat enclosure at my local zoo so much! I'm hoping for tickets for my birthday so fingers crossed. 

Learn how to use my camera properly 

I constantly tell myself to do this but there's just so much involved that I just put it on hold. I know how to basically use the manual setting but I want to be able to take much better quality photos and learn how to use camera raw. 

Leave more time for art

Over the summer I thought it would get so much time for practicing and improving my 'arty' skills but as it turned out I practiced my 'watching a series a day' skills instead. With uni starting in two weeks I want to hopefully have some time throughout the year to do non uni design and art that I enjoy. Maybe design my own font or design some prints to sell. 

Turn 21

Simple enough, it'll happen I just have to do it in the right way! 

Gain 100 Bloglovin followers

Since joining the blogging groups and chats this has been improving so hello you new followers it's nice to have you around! I'm  not in this for the followers but everyone secretly wants as many as possible and if I can manage 100 by the end of the year that'll be amazing! 

Get an A+ overall grade 

I've gotten quite a few great grades but I have yet to achieve an A+ in an overall grade. An overall grade being an average grade of the paper I've gotten into the habit of getting a really good grade in one assessment and an average one in the other leaving me with a above average overall grade. I just wanna get higher than my highest overall grade of A - its a competitive part of me.

Cook more 

Brad and I have a unsaid deal where I do most of the cleaning and washing in the house and he does most of the cooking with me being sous chef however I'd like to take some of the days off of him.

Get happier with my blog

I've been running Sofilly x since April 2013 however I've not really been happy with it really until now. I've been on and off blogging through the course and lately I've gotten the consistency going enough to be happy posting my links to Twitter hopefully by the end of the year I'll be happy posting my links to everywhere and anyone.

Save some money

Due to some unforseen problems last year I had to use a lot of my savings on extra rent and bills etc so I'd love to save some of that back up again. 

Spend it on the good things

I also want to spend some of that saved cash on myself and others and splurge a bit. Not exessively but chocolate, a night out, a nice present or two wont harm anyone. 

I totally recommend sitting down and thinking about this for yourselves, they're almost like mini new year resolutions or goals.