this week I am hauling butt on a new project (see below) and also redoing my websites. I still have a buncha work to do on the project, but I did a real purge and reorganization of my homepage and revived an old domain just to host some past art projects. In working on it I realized I’d forgotten or put aside a lot of work I was proud of, and also put a lot of work that I wasn’t proud of front and center with long explanations of why it was important work. but why!
there’s literally 1 million blog posts and tweets telling you how and why to present your work online, and a lot of it is about putting the burden on you as a creator to sell your value to employers. a recent former employer, shortly before my departure from the company, wrote one such blog post about what is important to him in a design portfolio. I can say with confidence, he doesn’t really know anything about design! but because he is in a position of power, with the ability to grant jobs to eager designers, I am sure there are many designers reading that Medium post and trying to jump through those hoops. that doesn’t mean it’s good advice on how to build and share a career that you are proud of!
this time around, I set all that aside, and just focused on what I wanted to share. as soon as I framed updating my portfolio & website as “what are some cool things I want to share with people?” and not “how should I best present my skills in order to get money?” it was suddenly so easy and freeing. maybe not useful for finding a job, but at least not as filled with burden and dread as a portfolio cleanup usually feels!!!!
I’m sure a lot of you will be cleaning up your portfolios over the next month or so, or otherwise trying to put a positive spin on how you spent 2020. I hope you have a little space to celebrate the things you are actually proud of, even if that’s just surviving a really shitty year.
resource roundup!
computer cuter is a clickable web-space by superstar Amy Wibowo where you can try out some fonts and text editor themes while also getting the scoop on some super cybertwee gear for your studio setup! check it out!
before and after pseudo elements are some of the best CSS trickery you can take advantage of! seriously! I don’t recommend futzing with pseudo elements for anything that has an impact on accessibility, but you can do some super cute things with them. check out this lil rundown to get you started.
Microsoft Developer has a new 7-part beginners video series on getting started in Unity with C#. bookmark this one to get yourself making something cool this cold, cold, winter.
github cheatsheet! github cheatsheet! I am trying to get a head start on new years resolutions by being good about using git consistently and correctly in my new projects, which was especially reinforced this week by realizing that I lost a big chunk of an old project due to a sloppy rebase. RIP. it’s always good to have something like this in your bookmarks so that you don’t play yourself like I did.
open calls!
the Learning to Teach Creative Technologies Remotely Virtual UnSymposium has an open call for speakers with presentations on teaching remote or hybrid classes or hosting online events. if you’ve been making it work this year with your educational programs in spite of the pandemic, this is for you! learn more and submit here.
Die Gute Fabrik in Copenhagen has an open call for a paid, remote Writing & Narrative Design Internship. learn more and apply by December 7.
Meedan, a global technology not-for-profit, is seeking diverse candidates for a senior frontend developer position. if you’re interested, you can learn more here.
applications are open until December 7 for Collide, a 3-month residency for artists interested in interacting with fundamental research and the CERN community in Geneva and Barcelona. learn more here.
applications are due December 16 for Data & Society’s 2021 fellowship. this cohort will focus on the role of race in the theory, practice, and study of data-centric technologies. learn more here.
education opportunities!
registration is open for a three-day online workshop in January introducing the basics of coding through creating visual media, presented by Anderson Ranch Arts Center and taught by Ari Melenciano. learn more and register here.
📅 upcoming events!
Fri, Dec 4! 3:00PM UTC-5! as part of the the Feminist+ series, Whit Pow, assistant professor of Queer and Trans Media Studies at NYU, will present an exploration of some of the key early trans figures of video game design and coding. learn more and catch the stream here!
Sat, Dec 5! 1:00PM UTC-5! EdgeCut Performance Series has partnered with New York Live Arts to present the second of three showcases exploring our complex relationship to the digital and how “liveness” is defined during this current moment. learn more and get tix here!
Sun, Dec 6! 11:00AM UTC-8! Gray Area will be hosting a free workshop on using graphic journalism and virtual and augmented reality in reporting. if you’re interested in using sequential and immersive media to tell compelling, complex stories, this is for you! learn more here.
also Sat, Dec 5! 2:00PM UTC-5! the Algorithmic Sound Series will continue with a masterclass with RJ Clark on action based sequencing with Max for Live and Ableton. you can learn more and register here.
Weds, Dec 9! 5:00PM UTC-8! shameless self promotion alert! next week, Gray Area will launch an online showcase for work from the Artist Incubator and Creative Code Immersive programs, including a new project from urs truly! having just seen some of the works-in-progress this week from my classmates, this will be worth checking out! learn more and RSVP here. ok back to hustling on my project!!!
just for lulz!
even if u don’t have HBO Max u can enjoy this SimCity dystopia John Wilson short film for free:
*~housekeeping~*
if you have anything in the works that you are excited about (an event, a workshop, a new project), please send me all the details. if you wanna share links or chat, there is now a Discord server that you can use here.
