Lab culture

Interactions in the CJ labs can be interesting. In particular, because large portions of them (8, 5,6,7) stay open overnight.

I've been finding myself in these labs alot. I can't concentrate when I'm in my dorm room- too hot and staring at that bed makes me fall asleep at odd times.

All nighters are a common theme for me, unfortunately. (And this is why 8:30s are not my friend, I digress, and apologize....) Requires a lot of effort for me to run on minimum sleep, but what is needed to get all my projects done. (I'm doing concept art/illustrations, go look at my art blog for that stuffola).

I'm not alone though. Far from it. There's a mass of other artists, working their butts off night after night to accomplish something, and they're fairly interesting characters.

Tonight, because I needed to stay awake, I brought my coffee maker, my awesome Blue Eyes Blend beans roasted from the Inland Northwest (go Thomas Hammer), grinder, and all the stuff to make a mug full of coffee to keep me awake.

Apparently other people found this amusing.

"Why didn't I think of that!"

"Hah, cool."

"Cool, although I have a Red Bull and Ritalin" (Oh dear god don't even want to think about THAT sort of combo).

I also found it amusing. But that's how comfortable I feel in these labs. Can work all night. Bring my coffee maker, some music, books, whatever, for the whole night. Can meet some amusing characters, my fellow seniors. Talk about just about anything. Rinse. Repeat ad nauseum until the work gets done.

I will admit that I probably will miss this hive of art once I leave this school. You don't have this sort of stuff in the 'real world' that much unless you have the money to rent studios or find a guild of artists.

Although at the same time, perhaps I'm feeling it's time for me to go explore the world. As I said in my last post, I've been wanting to get out of the US, go someplace entirely new with a new culture (hell, even a language- I know Japanese so I imagine other Asian languages aside from Chinese can't be that scary).

Imagine the social barriers and problems when you're a foreigner. Well, yes, I do know somewhat. I took a course earlier in my time here at Ringling on Intercultural communications, and in high school, we would often go in my Japanese course to the local community college where there was an exchange program between that college, and a women's university in Nishinomiya, Japan. (Mukogawa University)

Man, I didn't have too much in common with those girls. Japanese women like talking about shopping, alot. Like clothing. Not my cup of tea. (rather, I enjoy talking about books and electronics and video games and comic books- ha ha) . And they weren't that interested in talking with a bunch of high schoolers who probably were mashing up their language left and right. Might not say it to my face (because Japanese are very polite), but, of course it may or may not be brewing underneath the surface.

But I don't mind that. When in Rome, do as the Romans do, and that's what I would plan to do if I went overseas, as much as I could.

That's what went on tonight. 1/4 (or more) posts done. I'll probably have more to write after Monday- as I'm leaving to go visit some of my friends in Boston (possibly also relatives I haven't seen in AGES)...get away from this circus school for a week, go eat some good seafood, go visit my old roommate and the cat she took with her, all that stuff.