Experimenting with Textures

I am always looking for new textures to add to my collection, and recently my aunt showed me some especially cool ones. They may not look like much by themselves, but they can make ordinary photographs look much more interesting and beautiful. I've tested out a few of these amazing textures some of my pictures....

Before:
After:

Week One...

I have been officially in college for one week now - so far, so good! Last Spring I agonized over "the college decision" for what seemed like an eternity, but once I finally made up my mind and sent in my deposit, I never thought about it again. I know that Meredith is exactly where I'm supposed to be, and I know that I am going to love it here. The past week everyone has been adjusting their schedules, dropping and adding, so classes are just starting to pick up now that everyone is "settled." It's not excruciating, but enough to keep me busy.

When I first signed up for classes, some days I only had two classes, and so I thought I would have some free time in my schedule. Ha. I am now discovering all of the hidden little details of being a music major - like weekly student recitals and piano rep/studio classes, which you are required to attend but don't get credit for. And then, of course, you must attend at least 10 music performances throughout the semester and write reports on them, and find at least 15 hours a week to practice. Major requirements like this keep popping up everywhere, and by the end of the week I'm sure I will discover something new to add to this list. Fun, fun, fun.

My favorite class so far might be art; I'm taking drawing. Yesterday was our first "real" class and we mainly just tested out our new art supplies. It was a lot of fun, and somewhat messy. As soon as I looked down and realized that both my hands were entirely covered in the blackest charcoal, my nose began itching. I didn't have a mirror, but I'm sure my face was a complete mess by the end of class because I kept catching glimpses of little smirks from my classmates as I walked to the sink to clean up.

All in all, I love Meredith and it has been a wonderful first week. Oh, and I also learned a song about a gondola in ear training. Random, I know - you kind of had to be there. Or, should I say, "You just have to experience it!" They say that about nearly everything at Meredith. :)

I am a Person

I am a real person.

Although this may seem like a somewhat obvious statement, I am still in the process of understanding its full implications. Silly though it may be, since turning eighteen a couple months ago, I have been struck with a new realization of who I am as a person, as an individual. You might call it a sort of identity crisis, or quest.

It is strange to transition from being mainly associated with a family to establishing yourself as an individual person, an adult. Someone who’s reputation, who’s character, is no longer determined by the actions of their parents, but by their own individual decisions.

It's intimidating, it's scary. It's freeing, exciting, exhilarating. Here I am, a real person, able to make real decisions and to do real things. It feels as if the world is watching, beckoning me to enter but still holding it's breath, peeking around corners and peering up from a newspaper, trying to catch a glimpse and see if I will fly or fail. I, too, am holding my breath - scoping out my surroundings, anxious but ready - ready to take the plunge.

Quality Time with Photoshop

About two months ago I got a Nikon D90 camera as a graduation gift from my parents, and I still am trying to figure out how to use it. I've taken some photos with it, but I have yet to discover the functions of a lot of the fancy-schmancy buttons and things. Yesterday my sister, our friend and I decided to get together and take some pictures. It turned out to be a very fun morning trekking around in the woods, playing in creeks and climbing in tree houses. I also got to experiment more with the new camera! I thought I'd share a sampling of the shots we got.

Since school and my graphic design class ended in May, I haven't really done much design stuff, so I was exceedingly glad to have some pictures to work on. While I was on my Photoshop spree, I made a little banner for the top of the blog, too. I only wish the picture was a little longer, because it wouldn't quite fill out to the edges of the page and so I had to fill the extra space in with brownish coloring and swirls. But overall it's okay I suppose; I am especially fond of the quill pen.