Möbius

I've always been fascinated by languages that use symbols. No, I've never studied or learned them, but they do intrigue me. The idea of an image that conveys a word, an emotion ... this form of communication clicks with me. As a visual learner, someone who needs to see something to understand it, communicating with symbols makes sense to me.

My father introduced me to symbols as meaning when I was a child. I'm not sure if that was his intention, but he is the one who began my interest in symbols. Dad used to "do the Möbius" with me and my sister when we were young. The Möbius, which many people mistakenly assume is the infinity sign, is essentially a one-sided object; a 2 dimensional sheet with only one surface that exists in a 3-dimensional world. That's breaking all the rules if you ask me.

When you create a Möbius using a strip of paper, you can trace a line across the entire strip and land back at the starting point without ever picking up your pen. If you cut a Möbius strip in half, you will have one larger Möbius. Cut it in half again, two interlocked Möbius strips appear. There is a whole mathematical theory that goes along with the Möbius. If the Möbius was free-floating, one could essentially walk on it in a never-ending loop. Once you're on it, there is no beginning and no ending.

One of my favorite artists, M.C. Escher, studied the Möbius, making several variations of it. He is well known for his  woodcuts, Möbius Strip I and Möbius Strip II. Take away the ants, and Möbius Strip II is my favorite. I love the precise grid-like design of the Möbius, and the image itself reminds me of childhood. I love things that carry emotional attachments.

Taking risks

Last night, my sister and I attended a "cabaret" at our high school. The event was to raise money for the arts program and honor our former theater teacher. I saw former classmates and was reminded of my time in school, and the missed opportunities. I was shy, afraid of doing something wrong, afraid of straying from my group of friends for fear that I'd miss something or be made fun of for doing something different. I envied those students who were in the theater and our acting troupe, but I was too shy and afraid to branch out and try something new.

I took more risks in college, but never really pushed myself to my limits. I tested my skills in studio art by dabbling in drawing and printmaking classes and experimenting in studio art classes, trying my hand at sculpture and painting. But, I never went to that next level of mastery in the artistic areas that challenged me. Instead, I stuck with the artistic areas that came easier to me, like graphic design. I signed on with the student newspaper and delved into the layout of the paper.

In the past few years, I have been dabbling in photography and really enjoying that art form. I've even been considering photography school, have been for about three years now. I have to admit, I'm contemplating a change.

Do something that scares you every day

About two weeks ago, a friend told me to do something that scares me every day. We had been talking about how I haven't taken enough risks in my life, haven't stepped out of my comfort zone often enough. I worry about the "right" thing to do, if I'll upset someone, how my actions will affect others. In the end, I often choose the safe route and avoid anything that may bring attention to me.

Her words, as simple as they were, stuck with me. I'm too comfortable with my status quo. I yearn for something bigger and better, but I don't go after it for fear of failure and rejection. Be it career, social life, dating, even hobbies ... if I can't guarantee that I'm going to do extremely well, I don't want to do it. Too risky.

Last week, I took the plunge and did something scary. I submitted an entry for a logo design contest. It was exciting and terrifying at the same time. My skills are strong in certain aspects of design, but weak in others. So, I'm working with my strengths, pushing myself in the weaker areas and trying my best.

My first design submission was for a contest to design a logo for a perfume company. My attempt, according to the contest holder, was too fun and casual. They wanted more luxury and upscale.

So, I moved on to another contest to design a logo for a frog breeding farm. I wasn't sure how to create a frog in Illustrator, so I went for a lily pad design instead. I submitted a few different lily pad designs, as well as two more abstract takes on the logo. The feedback I received from the contest holder was great; he was impressed that I went outside the box and came up with the lily pad. He even commented that he was surprised no one else had thought of it. And, one of my lily pad designs  earned 3 out of 5 stars. He wanted me to try and add a frog to the lily pad though, so I spent hours with my computer screen divided between a tutorial on drawing a frog and Illustrator. Hours later, I had a decent frog, a bit more cartoon-like than I would have preferred, but I felt good about at least creating a graphic that actually looked like a frog. In the end, I didn't make the cut into the next round of judging, but it was a great experience, and receiving positive feedback was a major help.

Since the frog and perfume logos, I have entered two other contests. I've submitted several design options to each, and am working on more designs still. Unfortunately, not all contest holders are as good as the ones from my first two, with some people not leaving any feedback. Which means, I never know why my designs were eliminated. On the other hand, I received a 4 out of 5 star rating on one of my designs this week. That's very encouraging! I'm hoping to make it to the second round in that contest.

It's scary to put my work out there and be judged. I'm not as refined and skilled as some of the designers I'm up against, but I'm perfecting my skills daily. Some day, I'll be a top contender.