Three days ago I graduated from the Savannah College of Art & Design with a BFA in Illustration: Animated Illustration and Publication Design. It feels like yesterday that I stepped on the Savannah Campus for the first time, freshly 19 and eager to create art. Here is a review of those four years.
FRESHMAN YEAR
I started my collegiate journey online (not knowing my academic experience would return to this format less than two years later) in the fall of 2018. I had just bought an art desk with money from my camp-counselling job, an investment that would pay off as I spent 90% of my time there. I remember the newness and excitement of starting school. Art had been my passion my entire life, and finally my dreams were coming true.
I ended that quarter with a paint-covered hairdryer (from color-theory exercises) and anticipation for on-campus learning. Winter quarter 2019 was when I finally stepped foot back in Savannah and moved into Turner House (or as students affectionately called it at the time ‘Burner House” because the laundry room had caught fire).
At the floor meeting on the first day I met friends I would keep my entire time at SCAD.
FALL 2019
Sophomore year started with some excitement as Hurricane Dorian put all Savannahites under anxiety. I had accepted a student orientation leadership position that had me on campus two weeks before the start of the quarter, only to be told to evacuate student housing only 2 days after landing. That two-week period I affectionately remember as the ‘Dorian Interlude’ where I stayed with friends and family members as SCAD shut down and Dorian thankfully missed the city.
I returned to Oglethorpe House with new internet friends, and a new outlook on life. That fall was one of the best periods of my college experience, where I explored the city and made Savannah my real home. At night I would sit on the 6th floor of O-house on the phone and observe the tourists and all other interesting midnight happenings below.
I spent a lot of time in the library as I didn’t yet own a laptop, and always found myself walking into an event- whether it be wag-o-ween or a jewish food festival, and more. I also had my first Illustration class, Illustration 218: Materials and Techniques with Professor Casey Nelson (who I would go on to take 6 other classes with). I saw my first shooting star with my best friend who was visiting, and went on a class field trip to Tybee Beach at midnight to view a meteor shower, only to get rained on (but still enjoyed myself).
However the best was yet to come in Winter Quarter…because I was going abroad.
WINTER 2020
I had always wanted to study abroad, so I applied to scad lacoste as soon as I was eligible. in february 2020 that dream became a reality. Pitot 5 became my home for those 10 weeks of excursions and drawing. I would pull all-nighters in the Pitot lounge living on cold m&ms from the vending machine. This was the quarter where I truly found myself artistically, and where I learned to love storyboarding. It is also where I saw the sequential art community come together at the Angouleme International Comics Festival.
I could write many pages of my memories during this time, but thankfully I don’t have to because I recorded them. However an important part of the story my video does not capture were the memories of reading articles about a mysterious flu in China. A ‘flu’ that would change the world.
One humorous anecdote about this time period is that I once almost passed out in the shower. however I was more concerned about being discovered unconscious in my birthday-suit than having the "wuhan flu."
Fellow students returning from Italy were quarantined on Campus and had to have food delivered to their rooms. My friends mumbled to themselves if they should go home early. I wish I could go back in time knowing what was going to happen next, and visit as many neighboring countries as possible before the lockdown, but instead I stayed in my room and drew for my final projects of the quarter.
I left France with a new understanding of what I wanted to do with my creativity, and a naïve thought that going back to the U.S.A would be an escape from the new, spreading coronavirus.
One week later the United States locked down.
SPRING 2020
This quarter was one of the hardest in my life. It started with the death of my beloved dog, and ended with the death of my grandmother. It was the early days of the pandemic, where we all naively thought everything would end after 1 month of isolation.
There are so many aspects of this time period that seem ridiculous looking back, like disinfecting groceries and boiling silverware. As a college student I felt the weight of the collective anxiety of the world. I wondered, will there be a future for me and my peers? This was also the start of zoom classes.
I admit I didn’t go to many, and the next year of my college experience was just that, looking through a screen, but I admire and respect my professors for all the energy they gave during this transition. I finished that year with pieces that helped inform the rest of my artistic journey, and a hope that life would return to normal soon…(hint: it didn’t)
FALL 2020- SPRING 2021
My entire junior year of school was online. A lot of personal circumstances took my focus off academics, but thankfully I was able to keep my grades up. This was the year I found my love for shape language and character design, while also expanding my storyboarding portfolio.
I learned much about my own determination and fortitude, about grief, mental health, and most of all faith during this season. Although not in Savannah, I lived in neighboring Pooler, and developed the skill of observation. Since there was nothing to do because of the pandemic, I would walk every day.
I learned there are wild sawtooth blackberries near the Tanger Outlets, and that many good Samaritans will offer you assistance if you carry a desk 1 mile back home. I learned what it was to slow down, and appreciate the little things. I also learned the importance of self-advocacy, of communication with professors and making use of student resources.
Without the patience and support of SCAD, I don’t know if I would be graduating today, and I am so thankful.
Senior Year (2021-2022)
In fall 2021 I was able to complete another important academic goal I had outlined for myself when I was a freshman: participating in SCADpro. At the time, the requirement for SCADpro was a 3.5 GPA, and to be a rising junior or senior.
My team's collaboration was with Snap-on Inc. We were tasked with creating innovative mobile tool-storage solutions. being around different creative disciplines taught me to expand my thinking about design; particularly User experience. Getting to the final presentation was a proud moment I’ll never forget, especially the celebratory team dinner afterwards.
Winter and Spring quarter were full of changes and opportunity. I was able to participate in SCAD START-up (and won the MVP award), and had portfolio reviews with art directors Mark Holmes, Max Boas, and Jake Reeves. I started freelancing on Upwork, got 6 adobe certifications, attended 14 SCADAMP sessions, and more.
In summary: The last four years have been so transformative, from pandemic zoom-. I classes, to graduation. I would like to thank God for his protection and my supportive friends, family and professors for this experience.
On to the next chapter!