Rache Writes

I am bad about procrastinating and leaving the most stressful things on my to-do list for last, instead choosing to knock off the fun items I need to do. This especially starts to hurt me in classes when midterms hit. So, I'm planning on trying to work ahead at least a week before classes pick up. I also want to do some extra credit at the beginning of each week. Ideally, I'd like to finish this class early, but if I work ahead and need that time later at least I'll still be on track rather than behind. I read The Myth of Too Busy by Tim Grahl and Time Management Tips Just For Creatives by Amanda Oliver. For The Myth of Too Busy, I thought overall the message of prioritization was helpful. However, the author had an anti-social-media theme throughout the article, which wouldn't work for my life since my job is to run social media accounts. The Creative Time Management article was much more my speed. The tip about managing your energy as much as your time is somethin...

I'm fairly familiar with blogging and creating graphics, so I'm excited to spend my time experimenting with the other technology tools used in the class. I'm especially interested in using Twine to potentially create a branching story for my semester-long project. I'm more comfortable with having all of my classes in one place on Canvas, but it's understandable why this course material needs to be stored and implemented elsewhere to be most effective. (Hopefully me by the end of the semester. Source . )

After looking at the overview of the class, I'm excited to get started! I like the mix-and-match approach to our coursework, which is new for me. I think I'll have the most fun with the storytelling assignments or the semester-long project–but it'll be hard to know for sure until we begin. I'm really glad there are so many extra credit opportunities for if I get behind or if I don't have an interest in an assignment. I already go down Wikipedia trails in my free time, so I anticipate having fun with that option. (Source: cheezburger )

Although I didn’t know this approach by name, I’m familiar with the growth mindset. I went to a competitive high school and was a straight-A student. I worked hard for those grades, but I was taking shortcuts along the way that prevented effective learning just to ensure I got the grade I needed. However, my younger sister has special needs and was diagnosed with an immune disorder when she entered high school. One year, she missed over 100 days of school as a result. In response, her teachers and my parents began using the growth mindset: encouraging the process over the outcome. Before, she was struggling to keep her grades when faced with this situation to the point where she no longer wanted to learn. After incorporating this approach , my sister felt more capable and was happier. Seeing this unfold convinced me to use elements of the growth mindset in my own life, and doing so has allowed me to care more about how I'm developing as a person and less about my GPA. It's been...

Hello! I am a junior Advertising major with a minor in Religious Studies. Still feels weird to type "junior"–it's hard to believe I'm halfway done! I began OU as an International Studies major with a focus on China, but I lacked some crucial things for my career path: I hate politics and I'm very bad at Mandarin. Although China still holds a special place in my heart , I decided to pivot into graphic design. I took a crash course in Adobe Creative Suite at the beginning of last year and loved every second of it. Soon, some friends started asking me to do commission work for them. One thing led to another, and I learned I liked illustrating more than graphic design and strategy. Even though I'm still studying Advertising in the hope of getting a decent job when I graduate, I currently work as a freelance illustrator and want to continue doing so into the foreseeable future. (Left: personal illustration of hammerhead sharks.  Right: personal illustrat...

LSD in a Yellow Submarine The title immediately makes it clear that this story will revolve around the Beatles in some fashion. Although I enjoyed the story itself–especially the creative structure revolving around recreational drugs– it was the design that drew me to the page. I thought the background for the site and the images used set the tone for the storybook really well. The Beatles have so many visual components tied in with their art that it only made sense to include it here as well. I also appreciated the author’s notes included throughout the story that informed the audience of the story’s referential elements. I would love to associate the design of the page itself with the story as strongly as this student did. (Image information: LSD in a Yellow Submarine storybook homepage) The Other Side This is the storybook I enjoyed reading the most. The introduction is provocative yet informative. The stories themselves are a creative take on existing s...

Chengdu, China. This summer, I had the opportunity to visit China through one of OU's Journey programs. I took three semesters of Mandarin so I figured I should visit somewhere I could actually utilize what I had studied. We visited five cities throughout the trip, including Chengdu. Chengdu is known as the city of pandas; it is home to the world's most famous giant panda research base. It's a common joke in China that the people of Chengdu are like pandas because their lifestyles are more laid-back and relaxed than the daily pace in typical megacities. (Personal photo of two panda cubs at the Chengdu Research Base of  Giant Panda Breeding; photo from June 2019)