tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-77869326515825568392011-04-21T13:53:08.531-04:00Musings about words and writing, images and design by LaDonna LaGuerreLaDonna LaGuerrehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16876862308456602300noreply@blogger.comBlogger291100tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7786932651582556839.post-54104378333677492702009-04-27T17:58:00.004-04:002009-04-27T18:52:43.626-04:00

Nearly one full year since my last post. Did I kick the habit? Have I forgotten sweet sound of the clitter-clatter? Do I no longer know (and chase after) beautiful things? Hell no.This blog will no longer serve as a dashboard for my Words & Images spatterings. That class (and program, for that matter) blow like an old dusty wind. That's it—they're history.This blog will now serve in any damn way

LaDonna LaGuerrehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16876862308456602300noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7786932651582556839.post-57098424834404523182008-05-14T08:03:00.004-04:002009-04-27T19:17:34.822-04:00

It's already Wednesday and my first blog since last week. Don't know about anyone else, but I'm knee-deep (if not deeper) in revisions — not only for this class, but for Typography as well. A frenetic and insightful week.This semester...no, this class...if nothing else in life, really turned me out, tuned me in, challenged me beyond what I expected, almost to a tragic breaking point. New city,

LaDonna LaGuerrehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16876862308456602300noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7786932651582556839.post-53640367488554194062008-05-09T13:40:00.004-04:002008-05-09T13:44:49.880-04:00

For years I have been trying to remember a book series that, as a young child, I was in love with. Deeply. I've never been able to recall the series name, but my sister and I would sit around and talk about how we loved those "Mr." and "Litte Miss" characters, crudely drawn and hilariously fun. I always said that I'd buy a huge stock of the books if I could ever get my hands on them. If the

LaDonna LaGuerrehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16876862308456602300noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7786932651582556839.post-44645356819413933832008-05-09T06:05:00.003-04:002008-05-09T06:06:53.597-04:00

Coming up with a list of words I like? It's like asking a kid to select a favorite candy. It can be done, but so many treats from which to choose!   However - coming up with words I dsilike: piece a cake.   utilize finalize fabricate experiential differentiate modernity feedback condone yeah   -- I see you bubbling all over the place -- you're yeasty, and I think it's grand!

LaDonna LaGuerrehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16876862308456602300noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7786932651582556839.post-90543294421282436932008-05-08T21:43:00.002-04:002008-05-08T21:45:02.725-04:00

Rethink Locks: A Homegrown, Organic MovementOnce upon a time, growing locks meant something—it had conceptual significance.Thick tufts of rolled, matted hair denoted liberation, devotion,commitment, and a dedication to spirituality. Locks had nothing to dowith hairstyles. Rather, locks declared freedom and symbolized thebreaking of psychological slavery, imperialism, and colonialism.Since then,

LaDonna LaGuerrehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16876862308456602300noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7786932651582556839.post-82968706180298952842008-05-07T04:12:00.003-04:002008-05-07T04:19:39.341-04:00

Like Mark said: Either the movie works or doesn't. You move on. You revise.Onward, then, means a focus on the end—the last Phase Three Words & Images project I have to think about. Yay. (Not that I didn't love this class—I did and learned a lot. I'm convinced that this class could possibly be the only course of this grad program). am ending the semester on a breezy note: with a simple topic that

LaDonna LaGuerrehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16876862308456602300noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7786932651582556839.post-11600057064680348102008-05-07T01:22:00.003-04:002008-05-07T04:20:15.754-04:00

(Better title than "I don't have anything to write about and I'm blogging for time/date stamp sake.")So, first things first...a part of why I haven't blogged in a few days is that I'm still a little stunned about my movie—disappointed I guess. My film wasn't unsuccessful, but it also got a chillier reception than I had anticipated. Wondering if I bit off more than I could chew.I wanted to do

LaDonna LaGuerrehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16876862308456602300noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7786932651582556839.post-71403700660788823742008-04-30T22:52:00.003-04:002008-04-30T22:55:30.548-04:00

Seriously:Why doesn't Flash obey my commands?Why isn't it as intuitive as it seems to be? Or should be?Why doesn't it matter if the timeline is set to tiny or large? Why is it so damn hard to read?Why won't this story just tell itself?Why am I blogging instead of working on Flash?--I see you bubbling all over the place -- you're yeasty, and I think it's grand!

LaDonna LaGuerrehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16876862308456602300noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7786932651582556839.post-63633498360824765562008-04-29T17:35:00.004-04:002008-04-30T22:36:32.654-04:00

Sucks that I can't remember the specific title, but I needed to devote a short entry to the film the class watched yesterday (please comment with the title if you remember). I enjoyed seeing the film and found it worth having to buy and eat a Subway sandwich for lunch.The timeliness of the film struck me the most. I love how it was done and it gave me motivation, inspiration, and hope for my

LaDonna LaGuerrehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16876862308456602300noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7786932651582556839.post-3467247679144173082008-04-26T00:50:00.002-04:002008-04-26T01:00:11.808-04:00

In addition to what I'll present in class, I wanted to share some other process examples I found. I don't imagine these are exceptionally obscure given that I found them via Google without navigating past the first page of results, but what the hell — I'll feature a few articles I came across from two websites: How To Do Things.com and eHow.One thing these websites taught: wow, almost everything

LaDonna LaGuerrehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16876862308456602300noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7786932651582556839.post-64622025862595171852008-04-24T12:45:00.001-04:002008-04-25T09:54:21.869-04:00

I have to stop being a lazy designer. I drafted the following three paragraphs before this one, and just as I was about to conclude the blog entry, I realized: damn, I don't think it's that I can't be a good self-editor (although to an extent, it is true)—I just need to stop being lazy. A lazy designer. That almost seems like an oxymoron. I mean, design is all about details. How can I expect to

LaDonna LaGuerrehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16876862308456602300noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7786932651582556839.post-35421205239156283672008-04-21T22:52:00.002-04:002008-04-21T22:55:50.876-04:00

Finished my writing for the Classification and I feel good about it. I came up at 914 words, or something like that. Thanks to Casey for using the magic editing wand to trim the fat from my first draft. I'm glad I produced a piece of writing for this class that I am genuinely happy about. The fruit content was written on the fly and the profile article was pre-written and combined with a

LaDonna LaGuerrehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16876862308456602300noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7786932651582556839.post-58499602700497319772008-04-19T21:38:00.002-04:002008-04-19T21:45:33.922-04:00

Anyone who read my previous blog now understands my disconnect with fiction...or my zealous connection with nonfiction...facts vs. fantasy. Even still, I've read a lot on the whole and have a good amount of fiction both on my bookshelf and in my memories. For this week's Show & Tell, in lieu of a personal presentation, here's a short list of books I appreciate for one reason or another.   Sula -

LaDonna LaGuerrehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16876862308456602300noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7786932651582556839.post-91424440281394272032008-04-17T19:27:00.003-04:002008-04-17T19:33:13.517-04:00

This project sprung a surprise lesson on me: I'm not that into fiction. I've never been a huge novel reader, gravitating mostly towards literary journalism and other types of nonfiction. I rarely watch movies. I'll watch a sitcom or HBO series here and there, but my TV repertoire consists mostly of news and commentary, reality competitions, game shows, and a variety of niche cable network:

LaDonna LaGuerrehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16876862308456602300noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7786932651582556839.post-69884505773039311032008-04-17T00:09:00.004-04:002008-04-18T16:40:47.618-04:00

I grappled with finding a balance between my inclination towards serious subjects and the importance simplicity will play in executing a successful short film for project 5. I also worried about being predictably unfunny and maybe too straightforward. Fingers crossed, my story ends up being that satisfying happy medium between the two. This isn't a Diary of a Mad Black Women parody, so I'm not

LaDonna LaGuerrehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16876862308456602300noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7786932651582556839.post-76148248612626768922008-04-11T21:15:00.004-04:002008-04-11T21:25:04.607-04:00

Is anyone else struggling to keep to the 1000 word maximum? Granted, I can be a chatterbox (not literally, but the writer-equivalent to that). But somehow, one thousand words for my piece seems to scratch the surface of my topic (How to Buy Reggae). I can't wait to get some feedback tomorrow. This is my first draft and I haven't done any heavy editing, so I'm all ears and eyes. Although I feel

LaDonna LaGuerrehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16876862308456602300noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7786932651582556839.post-70277444016259867672008-04-10T11:58:00.004-04:002008-04-10T12:04:30.474-04:00

I'm forcing myself not to overanalyze. My usual MO is to overconceptualize and leave myself a day to execute. I gotta change that. In one week, two professors threw me under the microscope: Dina from Type said (paraphrased) that "I'm clearly smart. I seem to overanalyze. I need to tone down the concept and focus, too, on being visually creative...". Stephanie said that my work looks like I need

LaDonna LaGuerrehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16876862308456602300noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7786932651582556839.post-54937085546336262232008-03-25T21:22:00.003-04:002008-03-25T21:25:46.799-04:00

Molly Bang wrote briefly about being critiqued by some art god in the How Pictures Work preface, speaking directly the running Words & Images conversation about critique sessions. Some, perhaps many, class members find critique either brutal, long, or otherwise dreadful. Others don't comment; maybe a favorable opinion by default. Then, of course, there's the "man up" point of view. I lean towards

LaDonna LaGuerrehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16876862308456602300noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7786932651582556839.post-20031139922122065422008-03-25T01:27:00.003-04:002008-03-25T21:27:23.514-04:00

I can't get my mind off advertising campaigns. While I've always appreciated an ad well done, I've never been an ad person, per se—at least I never imagined myself designing ads; seemed so superficial. Now, I find myself overanalyzing ads of all kinds, especially TV ads, rewinding my DVR to nit pick at details—why the light typeface? why THAT jingle? how believable was that? who approved this

LaDonna LaGuerrehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16876862308456602300noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7786932651582556839.post-78907658407997140222008-03-11T14:17:00.004-04:002008-03-11T14:23:24.956-04:00

Saw this newsletter in my inbox today...thought it would be appropriatePUBLISHER'S NOTE: TOUR DE PANTSI once visited the apartment of the man who owns Subway; it was stunning in size, decor and by every other measure. He had lent it out for a book signing party. Later that night, all I could think of (being the classy guy that I am) was: " My God, they're just sandwiches. And I actually prefer

LaDonna LaGuerrehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16876862308456602300noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7786932651582556839.post-49124665549005223832008-03-11T13:42:00.002-04:002008-03-11T13:48:05.832-04:00

In working through my cause/effect concept and ad campaign, I chose Urbanite magazine as my publication. Being new to Baltimore, I thought this would be a perfect opportunity to get to know one of its local publications. One thing I loved about Boston (or love) were its local reads: my favorite being The Weekly Dig. Urbanite reminds me of a hybrid between three Boston alternative weeklies: The

LaDonna LaGuerrehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16876862308456602300noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7786932651582556839.post-49208015109517435782008-03-06T07:33:00.003-05:002008-03-06T10:58:54.169-05:00

As promised, I'm posting my last compare/contrast example. Better late than never.   I chose a story from Miranda July's anthology, No one belongs here more than you, called The Shared Patio. It's an eerie story about loving from a distance. The main character, the female neighbor, is in love with her male neighbor, Vincent, who is married to Helena, who the narrator feels is all wrong. The

LaDonna LaGuerrehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16876862308456602300noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7786932651582556839.post-10914894666471042812008-02-27T00:23:00.006-05:002008-02-27T00:34:18.210-05:00

Christie's last blog kind of tickled me: "to be or not to be...definitely not to be."It tickled my brain and pushed me to review my own writing and analyze the lazy writer in me. The time came to look at this objectively. I've written story after journal after poem about writer's block, which I believe relates to laziness, lack of motivation or inspiration, and tapping out of ideas or fresh

LaDonna LaGuerrehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16876862308456602300noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7786932651582556839.post-17720676462339405832008-02-25T16:11:00.004-05:002008-03-06T11:36:53.937-05:00

I never noticed hierarchy on houses before Saturday, but now feel in on this interesting little "secret." Still being a Baltimore virgin, just completing my third month, I never noticed that pretty much all the brownstones (or most) have silver or gold numbers. I also didn't realize how much stained glass punctuates the city.When Alison talked (passionately??) about house numbers during class, I

LaDonna LaGuerrehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16876862308456602300noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7786932651582556839.post-47047417176073101602008-02-25T15:54:00.005-05:002008-03-06T11:36:08.203-05:00

irrupt \ih-RUHPT\, intransitive verb:1. To burst in forcibly or suddenly; to intrude.2. (Ecology) To increase rapidly in number.verb1. enter uninvited; "They intruded on our dinner party"; "She irrupted into our sitting room" [syn: intrude] 2. erupt or intensify suddenly; "Unrest erupted in the country"; "Tempers flared at the meeting"; "The crowd irrupted into a burst of patriotism" [syn: erupt]

LaDonna LaGuerrehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16876862308456602300noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7786932651582556839.post-61361990800537533172008-02-22T13:38:00.004-05:002008-02-26T23:04:18.185-05:00

Although I have still not yet read up on "psychographics," I can see the clear difference why a designer or writer who needs to specifically target an audience is better off going for "what they like," which is a presumed extension to "who they are," rather than "computed, assumed, and greedily & nosily gathered information." Ugh -- how impersonal and generalized.To see my point, try to access

LaDonna LaGuerrehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16876862308456602300noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7786932651582556839.post-54312844611354363842008-02-22T01:03:00.002-05:002008-02-22T01:31:56.617-05:00

I haven't posted in a while because [insert lame excuse] and also because [yet another generic excuse that means nothing]. In any case, that won't happen again, because I made a handy-dandy blogging schedule.To make up for my absence, I'm coming back fierce, returning with a vengeance: I'm having a moment of naked honesty. It is not easy, particularly among a group of smart, eccentric, and

LaDonna LaGuerrehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16876862308456602300noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7786932651582556839.post-68090125439421937842008-02-07T09:27:00.000-05:002008-02-07T09:28:45.968-05:00

Food & Wine Feb 2008--I see you bubbling all over the place -- you're yeasty, and I think it's grand!

LaDonna LaGuerrehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16876862308456602300noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7786932651582556839.post-56761140187485645722008-02-04T03:17:00.001-05:002008-02-04T03:18:19.313-05:00

--I see you bubbling all over the place -- you're yeasty, and I think it's grand!

LaDonna LaGuerrehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16876862308456602300noreply@blogger.com2