I Don't Collect Art -- I Also Don't Collect Whatever That Is

College education isn't so bad, so far. Since I'm only taking four classes (two a day, alternating days, four days a week) with a major involving things that I largely already know, I feel I could just cruise on through the first term.

There is, however, one hurdle, and that's the art class that I'm required to take as a prerequisite. Its title is Basic Design - 2D Foundations, and it is perhaps the most frustrating exercise in faux creativity that I've endured since high school. Oh, we want you to be creative, we want you to create art, but prove that you understand the theories we're requiring you to use, and we hope to God that you did it according to some unspoken "guidelines" that the professor will call you out on if you stray even one bit from them.

Bah. I've always been more of a writer, anyway.

At this rate, my only goal for this art class is to not crash and burn with an F grade - I need to pass it. I'll be damned if I'm going to take this class for one more term.

Of course, any good piece decrying the flaws of a thing should really also look at the positives. Well, the professor is at least somewhat entertaining to listen to, and sometimes he does realize when he's talking too much and fills in the gaps with TED talks about design, or perhaps looking at famous paintings, or just stuff like that. I have difficulty paying much attention, some mornings, but I do have to get up at half past six to make it to campus for a class that starts at 10:00 on the dot.

The particularly frustrating bit, here, is the last assignment I had today. Over the past couple of days, we were assigned to draw up 20 thumbnails at a 2:3 aspect ratio (2"x3" or similar), demonstrating use of the grid, and three greyscale shades.

Well, I sucked horribly at it - not because of a lack of understanding of the project, but because I opted to try getting it done on the bus rides, since I spend nearly four hours a day just riding them around town and I figured I'd do something productive with that time. Turns out, I was wrong; the resulting "art" was bad enough that the professor had literally nothing positive to say. His only feedback: "Sloooowwwww doooowwwnnnn." And since this isn't a PowerThirst commercial, I most certainly could not respond by yelling "FUCK YOU" and kicking the concept of "art" in the face with my ENERGY LEGS. (Not that I have those to begin with. What am I, an 80's action star?)

Well, chin up. Can't let one silly little class ruin my whole day. Except math class is next...well, I haven't had any trouble with math so far, but I've barely been at it for half a month as of yet. We likely just haven't gotten around to the wall-bangingly hard bits yet. (Though we've delved into the "danger zone" of long division with remainders, which I've yet to figure out if there is a damn way to calculate them using anything computerized.)