Tag Archives: FSCJ

Our Digital Media students worked hard this semester!

Posted on by
Reply

Well it’s the end of another busy, fun and idea-packed semester! That means another term of great work created by our talented Digital Media students. Here are just a few of the awesome things they made this semester, some for classes, some for clients and some on their own:

As you can see it’s been a great term and I can’t wait to see what you all make in the spring term!

Oh and for even more great work please visit Prof. Govoni’s class gallery from his DIG2142 Digital Capturing and Streaming class.

Featured student: Niam Jones

Posted on by
1

niam_jones

What is your name?

Niam Jones

Where are you from originally? What’s your Origin Story?

I was born in Savannah Georgia. I moved to Jacksonville as a kid and I’ve been here ever since.

Why are you pursuing a degree in Digital Media?

As a creative, I’ve been expressing myself through music for quite some time. A nasty car accident sidelined me from doing a few things, chief of which is touring. So I decided it would be a perfect time to return to school and not only finish what I started, but also expand my spectrum for creativity.

Who inspires you the most and why?

My 6 yr old son and 4 yr old daughter.
They’ve both given me the motivation to finish school. While I don’t connect a degree with success, I do want them to understand that having one gets them off to a good start.
Particularly, my daughter reminds me what it was like to live completely inside the world of your own imagination and my son is a constant reminder that I will never know everything. Creativity and curiosity are things that become more difficult for some people to tap into as our lives become more complicated. Fortunately for me, I’m a large child.

What do you do off campus?

I make audio and visual oddities from the inside of a Cork. I also do sound design (and more recently technical direction…thanks school!) for NPR show host Al Letson! (I may also be known to 1 or 2 people as rap weirdo, Willie Evans Jr.)

What work are you most proud of?

In 2005 I had my first experience with a national music release with a group called Asamov. We were one of only a few hip hop artists to achieve this out of Jacksonville. There’s no way that I can describe in a paragraph what the experience was like, but I will say this:
Some kids say they want to be a fireman, or a doctor, or a lawyer when they grow up. When I was a kid, what I wanted to do most was make music and travel the world letting people hear it. The day that I walked into Best Buy and bought my own CD [Oct 6th 2005 2:15pm], my bucket list shortened significantly! And yes, this was when CD’s were still sold….anywhere.

Interesting facts about you:

I was T-Boned by a dump truck, pulled out by the Jaws of Life, and Life
Flight’ed to the trauma unit a few years ago. Did I survive? Who knows?
Perhaps I’m typing this from my comboooooooooooterrrrrrr!

Happy (belated) Halloween.

Also, I kissed the Blarney Stone when I was 17.
And yes, I do know what the locals do to it…

Favorite Book / Movie / Series / Video Game / Comic?

Movie: The Last Dragon
Book: The DragonLance Chronicles (though its been a while)
Series: That’s tough. TV is pretty good right now…
Video Game: Tekken / Assassin’s Creed
Comic: The (old) New Mutants

What are your future goals and aspirations?

As long as I am a content creator I’m fine.
Oh, and money. Money is… important.
I’d also like to handsome and in shape. Can being taller be a goal?
One thing you wish you could share with others is…
The old adage that tells you to do what you love is an old adage for a reason. There’s a %300 chance that life won’t go the way you plan it to but, when you’re doing what you love to do it doesn’t matter very much.

Click here for Niam’s work:

www.willieevansjr.com

 

 

Our featured students are student-selected. Once a student has been featured, they nominate the next student to be profiled. Come back next month to see who’s been picked!
Have any questions? Please contact Professor Liz Murphy Thomas at Liz.Thomas@fscj.edu

Featured student: Lindsay Dale

Posted on by
Reply

lindsay_dale

What is your name?

Lindsay Lange Dale (Gregory)

 

Where are you from originally? What’s your Origin Story?

I was born and raised in Jacksonville. I have lived here most of my life… with the exception of the few years I’ve lived in North Carolina. It was a great experience exploring a new area, but I love it here… This will always be my home.

 

Why are you pursuing a degree in Digital Media?

I am pursing a degree in Digital Media because I consider myself a creative person. From a very young age, I aspired to be an Artist when I “grew up”. Having a strong traditional art background, along with a passion for technology and computers lead me to this degree…

I consider it a practical way to be an artist, without being a “starving Artist”.

 

Who inspires you the most and why?

My mother is the person who inspires me the most. Her sense of artistry was passed down to me, and as a child, all she did was teach and push me to pursue my inner creativity.

 

What do you do off campus?

Off campus I wear many hats. I work part time as a waitress at the Jacksonville Millhouse, and I also do part time freelance Graphic and Web Design for them. I have the coolest dog ever, Bradley. And I love spending time with my extremely supportive husband, Justin.

 

What work are you most proud of?

I can’t pinpoint a particular piece, I am proud of all of my work!
I truly put my heart into every piece of art I create, whether it is digital or traditional. I love taking a break from digital design from time to time, in order to paint and draw. But, if I had to pick some of my favorites, I would say that my Photography and Portrait work, Wedding Invitation Design, and anything I have ever painted.

 

Interesting facts about you:

Hmmmmm. Tough one… for those who know me, they know I LOVE to laugh. (And to make people laugh.) I am also a very positive and joyous person.

 

Favorite Book / Movie / Series / Video Game / Comic?

Book: The Outliers.  Movie: Wall E.  Series: Six Feet Under.  Video game: Super Mario World (SNES)

 

What are your future goals and aspirations?

I don’t have a particular path or job title in mind. I know that ultimately, I want to walk into work every day doing something I enjoy: CREATING! I want to draw and paint and design. I love it and live for it.

 

One thing you wish you could share with others is…

I want to share my strong beliefs for Education. Going back to school wasn’t just so I could land a job, it was about being educated. An education is something you should value, and it is also something that NO ONE can take away from you. I have an overwhelming sense of accomplishment, for being able to grow to be what I aspired to be as a young child.

 

You can find examples of Lindsay’s work at her school and professional websites:

 

 

Our featured students are student-selected. Once a student has been featured, they nominate the next student to be profiled. Come back next month to see who’s been picked!
Have any questions? Please contact Professor Liz Murphy Thomas at Liz.Thomas@fscj.edu

Featured student: Julie Bradley

Posted on by
Reply

 

julie_bradleyWhat is your name:

Julie Bradley

Where are you from originally?:

I was born in Clearwater Florida, but I was raised in Jacksonville for as long as I can remember. I have had interest in the arts since I was a child and my strongest skill is traditional drawing. I am now pursuing this degree to advance my skills in digital media.

Why are you pursuing a degree in Digital Media:

I was in an art history class here at FSCJ, while pursuing my A.A. I was lost and wasn’t sure where to push myself without feeling unsure. My professor liked my work when she saw me drawing in class, so she brought up the idea of the Digital Media Bachelor’s program since it was new at the time and she gave me more information after sparking my interest.

Who inspires you the most and why?

I can’t put my thoughts into just one person, but the people who inspire me are the ones who put countless hours into their own creations. I find inspiration in the people who can work outside of daily jobs and make projects they love come to life. The drive to develop and create their ideas makes me feel like I can do whatever I really want if I just fuel my drive to do so.

What do you do off campus?

Outside of campus I work part time to pay off bills and I work on drawings in my spare time to develop my portfolio work.

What work are you most proud of?

I don’t want to pick any one piece I’ve made, but I find a lot of pride and happiness in how far my skills have come in such a short time. My favorite works are the ones I’ve made in my 3D Animation class, as I enjoyed getting lost in the virtual world of my imagination.

What are some interesting facts about you:

  • I can spark a conversation with most anybody
  • I have interest in multicultural trends
  • I have a wide range of musical interests

What is your favorite Book / Movie / Series / Video Game / Comic?

  • Book series: “Blue is for Nightmares” by Laurie Stolarz
  • Hiyao Miyazaki films/”chick flicks”
  • Games: Kingdom Hearts series, Tomb Raider, Pokemon, Animal Crossing
  • Online games: Dragon Nest, Trickster Online

What are your future goals and aspirations?

My future goal is to work for a 2D or 3D animation studio so I can work in the animation, character design, story scripting, or environment making departments. I have a strong interest in all of those areas and so far I have not made up my mind. I plan to use that future stability to maintain my family and to support a comfortable and creative way of life.

One thing you wish you could share with others…

I wish I could share my inspiration to make more out of life with the people who want more but can’t find the will to change their status. Some people need a push and I would love to help people obtain an inspiration to get what they want.

You can find samples of Julie’s work on her portfolio:

http://veenaviera.com/portfolio/

 

Thanks for reading this newest addition to our blog! We hope to us this to feature some of the great students our program is fostering. These posts will highlight some of what they are doing and what goals they have. The featured student will be picked by their classmates and one of our talented students is responsible for contacting and collecting these stories.

Have a suggestion for a student you’d like to see featured? Please contact Professor Liz Murphy Thomas at Liz.Thomas@fscj.edu