Project and Life Update

In this post, I will talk about how the project is going. And whatever else has been happening in my life. Enjoy!

So, I’m nineteen now. I probably should have said this sooner, but I didn’t have the energy to talk about my birthday. I’ve never liked birthdays. It’s nothing against any person, it’s just everything to do with birthdays, period. I don’t like social gatherings, the people, the loudness, the need to be happy, the people; it can be a bit draining. Birthdays are that, but with a focus on a certain person. There is this pressure to give and receive because you made it to your day of birth. I find it stressful. But, to top it all off, everyone at the birthday has to sing a song dedicated to the person, out of tune, while everyone surrounds a sugary confection, impaled with waxy sticks of fire. Look at me in the eyes and tell me that’s not weird. I feel uncomfortable when I have to sing or hear that song. When I was little, I hated it so much I would hide under the table. Heck, I still want to do that. I am not a big fan of cake and ice cream, I like cinnamon buns. So, I had cinnamon buns instead of cake. But, because of tradition, we impaled the buns with fire sticks and sang a song with my name in it. I think singing is the worst part of birthday parties, to be honest. It’s nothing against any person, I’m just heavily introverted and sensitive to stuff.

I never talk about my birthday so why did I start with it? Well, little Tim-Tim, (or whatever you’d prefer) my birthday is over April Break. And I was planning on working on the project over that time. I had my birthday to celebrate, so I had to dedicate a day to that. But, that wasn’t the only thing I had to do. As a senior, I have extra responsibilities, and those extra responsibilities are Roundtable prep. Roundtables, for those who don’t know, are a big every other year thing our school does to showcase our growth as students. They basically showcase a portfolio you’ve put together, along with some realm letters to go along with them. 8th and 10th-grade are the small Roundtables to prepare you for the biggest Roundtable of your high school carrier, the 12th-grade Roundtable. They are a graded thing, so you either pass or pass with conditions. If you pass with conditions, you have to alter and edit your work again. And, in some rare cases, you have to redo your entire Roundtable and re-present it. I almost had to redo my 10th-grade Roundtable because I created a 12th-grade Roundtable by accident. I didn’t know how close I was to redo my Roundtable until my mom told me on the car ride home. I put too much work into my Roundtable last time, what else is new? I put too much effort into my work all the time. When I feel passionate about something, I give it my all. But, because of that one Roundtable, I’m traumatized. I don’t want to overdo or put too little in my work. So, I came up with a plan. I would work on my Roundtable after my Senior Project was finished. That way, I can dedicate my time to it fully. I was going to dedicate April Brake to celebrate my birthday and work on my project. That didn’t end up happening.

Right on the start of Break. Roundtable stuff came up in an email. So, I basically had to work on it during Break. It took me three days, but I got to a good stopping point so my teachers won’t worry about me. The vary next day (the day after I got the email), a package was delivered to me. Diplomas. For the past five years, I’ve been in this extracurricular class called, Diploma Art. A group of kids who like to draw work together to create personalized, homemade, stylized diplomas for that year's graduating class. You either use colored pencil, watercolor, or watercolored pencil to draw on the diplomas. I’m not proficient in that medium, but I’ve been using it anyway because I didn’t have access to my preferred medium. You gather information on the person you're drawing a diploma for, while still keeping it a secret. Sometimes, the teacher running the class will guess what the student would like on their diploma if they never come forward. Which happened frequently. I’m one of those students that never came forward because I have a *theory of what they will make for me, and I want to see if that theory is accurate. I also forgot to come forward, so…

*My theory is, is that they will draw art supplies, comic sound effects, and maybe something anime-related on my diploma. When in reality, I would like a crystal cave, and baby dragons all done in a pastel color pallet. That ain’t happening (I don’t think).

Here is a diploma that I worked on last year. It’s done in watercolor.

Anyways, if you can’t already tell, I’m a senior. I’m not supposed to be in Diploma Art. But, I am. I don’t remember signing up for diploma art, everything is just a blur. But, I’m in it. I usually draw two diplomas, but, this year I’m drawing three. I’m doing too many. I’m juggling two projects at once. My Senior Project and the three diplomas. Both projects take time, and time is fleeting. I’ve been working on the comic during the week, along with the blog updates every day. And, during the weekend, I’m working on the diplomas.

I care too much, that is my problem. I want to do well on the things that matter to me, but it’s not taking up my brain space. I essentially have two art projects that both require my utmost attention. And my Senior Project is suffering as a result. To get the diplomas done faster, I did some rebelling and my own sleuthing. But that’s for another blog post. Till then…

-Bellapinkpen