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K, so I'm REALLY starting to hate this lack of sleep I get for working so long on my homework some evenings. Sure, it's a summer semester, yeah, it might only be ten weeks long, and, of course, I expected to be bombarded with homework. But does it have to really suck so much? The photography and typography classes have been giving me homework that easily relates to the material and is actually fun to do at times, but both the Grid Systems and the Digital Grid Systems are kind of becoming a a trial.

Granted, they were a trial to begin with, but my energy and willingness toward them is gradually flat-lining as the days press on. And it's only been five weeks. I'm halfway through and I completed one of the midterms this week (I'm pretty sure I'll be doing another one tomorrow). I think I passed it with flying colors, but I've become very used to that feeling of accomplishment that is swiftly crushed by red marks and long-winded notes by the next class, so...yeah, no high hopes here.

Odd how artwork and 'craft' as they so fervently mention have a grading system. And why is it that, when I break the grid or make something deliberately out of place, I get marked down? I always assumed that my work was supposed to be 'innovative' or 'challenge the norm'. Yet, here I am, being scolded for not conforming to the basics.

Isn't that what the basics are for? Being basics??? They're only little guidelines, not unbreakable rules. I'm supposed to break them! >.< I've actually chatted about this briefly with other students in my classes and they have the same questions, it seems. They're also confused as to why their incredibly innovative poster design just has to have more grid in it.

So...em...What the ********? I make the grid incredibly obvious in a recent design, with symmetry and everything, and I get a whole new gold nugget about breaking it up because it just wasn't as interesting. Sure, it was visually plain, but when the person next to me has a very well-made design with beautifully active text, they're told to tone it down. Obviously, there's some sort of medium these teachers want and none of us have figured it out yet...

But I think I'm close. Granted, the general process has always been that odd level of complicated, where you can actually see, know and understand how a design works, but you can never place it into words. Hundreds, if not thousands of people have this problem, but can manage without it. I am most certainly grateful for the fact that I'm slowly discovering some very effective ways of being able to actually explain it all verbally. And I'm certain that this scrap of usefullness is the key to helping me discover that medium. This 'medium' has GOT to mean something. Seriously, I can tell that it's some sort of key to both pleasing the instructors, and greatly broadening my horizons to this graphic world I am attempting to traverse. But WHERE IS IT?!

Do I actually HAVE to create twenty sketches, sixty renditions, and twelve roughs every time I develop an idea to find it?! CAN I HAS SLEEP?! I WANT SLEEP! gonk