The Flight:

Dear Diary,

I can't believe I am about to be half way across the world in a few hours. Never in a million years would I think I would actually get the chance to study abroad in Rome, Italy! I can't wait to call this country my home, and meet all my relatives who have spent their entire lives here.
I'm terrified for the plane ride though, but I know the short-lived fear will be worth it in the long run. Maybe they will have a free movie or something that can keep my mind occupied. I hope it's White Chicks. That movie never fails to make me laugh. Also, I should probably practice my Italian on the plane so I can be prepare when we walk out into the terminal. OH! And maybe I'll me some cute-ass Italian boy. That would be the dream.
Either way I'm excited to become a part of the culture. I want to see every piece of grand architecture the city holds, and try every type of pasta that exists. And be able to drink in public (duh). What's the point of being there for my 21st birthday if I'll already be drinking there the whole time there? Anyways, I'll let you know how the flight goes.
XOXO, Jordan

Graduation Day:

Dear Diary,

I'm terrified to leave college. Temple has been my home for 4 years and now everything is about to change. Sure its exciting to graduate with a degree in Visual Studies, but I still have to go through another 3 years of schooling anyways. And what if I end up hating art therapy? What will I do with my life then? I'll just be some broke college graduate with no sense of direction in life. Mom says I tend to worry a lot, and maybe over exaggerate, but come on, can you blame me? Like, Donald Trump fucked up our economy.
On the bright side, this cap and gown does look very badass on me, I must say. But, ugh, what if I trip again like I did at high school graduation? Or the wind blows my dress over my head like at my uncle's wedding last year? That's be my luck. I'll be damned, I never realized how unfortunate I am at public events.
Either way, I'm confident that I got the most out of this experience at the Tyler School of Art. I've made some great friends along the way, and mastered the art of procrastinating on projects and still managing to get that A. Too bad I still have grad school.
Until next time,
XOXO, Jordan

Move-In Day

Dear Diary,

TODAY IS THE DAY. THIS IS IT. I am finally going to my dream school, in my dream city, living in the best place on earth: The Village. I mean, come on now, I got the New York City skyline tattooed on my rib cage at 17. Like, I had to live here at some point or I'd just look like a fucking idiot when I'm 45 years old and have to explain to my kids why I have this thing permanently marked on my body if I never even lived there.
By the way, I am officially more broke than I ever was. I am a walking metaphor of a "broke ass college student." Better yet, "Starving Artist." But hey, atleast I'm going to have a career in doing what I love, and living in the greatest place on God's green earth (or atleast it was until global warming took over and no one seemed to give a shit.)
Also, Dad bought me 2 cans of pepper spray. Because, you know, one isn't enough. And on the bright side, I can finally wear my Jets jersey with pride in this city, unlike Philly. And just based off of that, I can already tell these are going to be the best years of my life.
Damn, it feels good to be home.
XOXO, Jordan

My 5 Year Plan

In the next 5 years, I plan to focus on myself. In the years to come, my life will be shared with a husband and grow into a family. Because of this, I want to make sure that I do, see, and learn everything I could possibly imagine in the next 5+ years before I have to dedicate my time and happiness to other people. I plan on studying abroad my junior year in Rome, potentially the full year. I want to learn the language and embrace the culture, especially because I am 50% Italian and have a lot of family members in Italy and Slovenia. After that, I plan on going to NYU for my Master's degree in Art Therapy. If you were to ask me if I could live any place in the world, "where would it be", my response would be The Village in New York City, without any hesitation. To live there and study at NYU would be dream come true.

I've had so many friends of mine die from overdoses, alcohol-related accidents, and suicides that many people can't personally relate to. But I've truly learned to embrace the idea of living life to the fullest, and only doing what makes ME happy because of it. If I can help others along the way, it's a bonus. But I understand that I need to live life for myself and not everyone else, which is something I alway tend to struggle with. I think it is achievable and if not, essential, for me to focus on my success and happiness. That is how I plan on living the next 5 years of my life.

Homework #5

I could not agree more with this article. The ending is the most powerful part:

"Whether we love Trump or hate him, is it possible we are all equally addicted consumers of spectacular images he continues to generate? Have we been complicit in the rise of Trump, if only by consuming the images generated by his person and politics? Do the critical counter-images that protesters create constitute true resistance, or are they instead collaborating with our fascination with spectacle?"

This stuck with me because I can admit that I am not, have not, and never will be a fan of Trump. Yet somehow I feel as though he is always being brought up in my every-day conversations. I am constantly seeing his tweets on my newsfeed. I am engulfed in his life even when I do not want to be. And when I walk in the Women's March, or the GOP retreat protest in Philly, am I feeding into these images when I post about it on my social media?

All-in-all, I think this article is powerful and current to our situation in America. Technology is taking over our everyday lives and effecting the way we think and feel, noticeably in this year's election. 

Homework #4

I believe both articles were just spitting out repetitive information that all of us have heard before. It is common sense that if a font is too distracting, or the format of a website is too busy, a person will less likely be happy while reading an article or browsing a website. And the same goes for the design of street signs- if the font is distracting, the driver will become distracted too, or at least confused for a moment. However, I do believe this is important information. Designs influence our lives every day- from being slightly annoyed while reading a news article, to the safety of our lives while operating a vehicle.

Photoshop Final

Everyone is Altered

I think it is interesting to reflect back on how the ideals of beauty have been rapidly changing over the years. I truly believe the main source of these new trends and fads are due to the advances in technology. A lot of times, beauty was "achieved' by covering up imperfections and flaws, but nowadays beauty is "achieved" if you alter and change the body entirely. And it is all because it is possible to do so now, whether physically through surgery or visually through digital media. It's crazy to me that this type of technology even exists. I believe I am nieve to how much is actually used in movies and tv shows, although I was aware that it existed. I think it is also important to note that this article was written over two years ago so just imagine how much this kind of technology has evolved just within that time period!

Magazine