My final biology grade freshman year of college was a solid “C-“. Calculus also kicked my butt (C baby, a whole half-letter grade above bio). And English? God, I love English but I still forget when a colon and semi-colon are appropriate – I use them, sometimes interchangeably, and hope to god I’m correct. Art? I cannot express how much joy art brings me. I could try to write it down and attempt to put it in words, but that’d be impossible. How can you write emotions that extend beyond human comprehension? You can’t.
“I’ll be at UWGB got elementary education”
Such confidence.
“Wow,” It was all I could say. My high school friend, Emily, was telling me her plans after summer. She knew what she wanted. I didn’t. “So like, just little kids? No high school or beyond?”
“God no, too much Algebra.”
“Fair enough.”
“What about you?”
“Art.” I punctuate with silence and then, “I think. Illustration? I like drawing in my sketchbook.”
Emily commended me, supported my decision, applauded me for doing what I loved. But I hated it. I was a high school senior, not fully developed in any way (isn’t the age everyone throws around 25?) and you want me to pick out a career path I want for the rest of my life? I always thought that it was the dumbest ass expectation considering I know nothing, much less what I want to be until I retire. But I knew I wanted to pursue art. I wasn’t sure I was capable of freelancing like Dan Gerhartz, so illustration would have to do.
So I applied fir UW Eau Claire since they had an illustration major. I put in the down payments, signed up for housing, filled out forms, and attended orientation. I told everyone I knew and come full circle, Emily reaches out two or three weeks before dorm move-in.
“I know someone who needs a book illustrated. Nothing that would be on store shelves, but something to put under your belt and to build your resume.”
I said yes.
So I started on this book and I worked and did 12 illustrations, plus four more in case they wanted options. I spend so much time on this project… and I hated it. Oh my god I hated it so much how could someone do this? For hours? And not feel like their eyeballs were being pulls from their sockets. I had done this so many times before on my own time and for my own pleasure, but doing it for a client? Drawing something that wasn’t my desire in my sketchbook? It was different, so different, and I didn’t want to do it anymore. Certainly not for the rest of my life.
So, looking at the calendar I had two weeks before school started and approximately 2 seconds away from a crisis. In a last minute, mother-suggested effort, I applied to UWWC. Panic, panic, panic. Cancel UWEC enrollment. New applications. Panic. Acceptance. Less panic, but panic. Enroll in classes. Panic. First day of classes. Panic, because why not.
And then I was in Anna Moisiadias class. It was a digital design class my counselor suggested to fill the suggested 15 credits per semester and it focused on the adobe suite applications. I had never touched Photoshop before in my life, much less any of the other programs like illustrator and indesign but it was related to art so I was open to learning. Anna taught us all the programs; had us design collages, posters, tattoos, business cards, and logos. All these things required so much planning and effort and forced us to treat it like we had a client in need of a design. We couldn’t be late with a client so we can’t be late in the class.
And I noticed something. Even while being put to the grind, I was enjoying what I was doing. I wasn’t ditzing about in my little art world, I was being forced to create something according to the rules of another person like when I was illustrating. But, unlike the illustrating, I was enjoying it? I looked forward to it? It was a passion. It was also an answer.
“So just for reference, I like to know even if your just considering, Is anyone going into art?” Anna dropped the question one day before class when most of us were finishing up our final projects. A lot of us said yes and she follows up with, “What for?”
I can finally answer what I’ve been asking since day one: “Graphic design.”
The CGS Catalyst 
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