Creative Resumes
I desperately need to update my old boring resume and I’m thinking of a makeover that will add some pizazz to freshen it up a bit and to hopefully grab someone’s attention as I think about re-entering the work force in the near future. I will be graduating in the spring of 2012 with a masters of landscape architecture, but will be encountering a very competitive job market. My plan “B” is to return to making/teaching pottery full time. Since both landscape architecture and pottery are creative fields, I think I could really have some fun designing an eye catching resume with personality.
If you’re in a creative field, what does your’s look like? If you review resumes, would you give a second glance to an out of the box resume, or toss it aside as being too flashy… “look at me, look at me!”
As I traipsed around the web looking for examples, a few caught my eye:
Greg Dizzia http://dizzia.deviantart.com/
I love this one, it reads like a map with a key to help decipher his various endeavors, education and work experience.
Pau Morgan http://www.flickr.com/photos/paumorgan/4028700199/
This one is similar to the previous one, but simplified by color coding vs. using symbols.
Ozgur Alaz http://www.flickr.com/photos/alaz/411713924/sizes/o/
The one above employs Google Earth to map out his accomplishments and experience. This would work really well for the landscape architecture profession, but probably not so well for my pottery endeavors. It’s interactive and dynamic provided the recipient has Google Earth downloaded on their machine. If not, it reads like more of a static record. But, I love maps, so this one rocks!
Yingzhu Luqiu http://www.flickr.com/photos/30500271@N08/3398956071/
This one is more text based like a traditional resume, but has an interesting layout and color scheme that I find very attractive.
There are a ton more creative and inspiring resumes to peruse on the web and this is just a small sampling. Any thoughts?
I’m Borrredddd!
I guess that means that it’s time for me to go back to school. It’s been a good break, albeit a bit long and I still didn’t get everything accomplished that I wanted to in the past 5 weeks. My break has been punctuated by family visits, holidays, fun and then in the last week, the national news that pretty much consumed me as I scoured the internet for any and all information. I hate to be a pessimist, but the past week left me feeling a bit hopeless and drained. I suppose like many people, I needed time to digest everything and regroup. AND, regroup is what I’ve done because ultimately, I have faith in the human spirit.
Ginny Cash – Covered Jar
In between spending too much time online and being a lady of leisure, I have slowly continued to de-clutter and organize our house as we prepare to potentially move across town this summer between semesters – I do miss my former studio and look forward to inhabiting it once again. Thanks to my recent online dalliances and boredom, I retook the Myers-Brigg Personality Test for kicks and giggles. Actually, I retake this test every so often in an attempt to see if the results will change – they don’t. I’ve been an ENFP ever since I first took this test in my youth. I’d say it’s a fairly accurate – I’m an idealist and a people person which made the news out of Arizona last weekend very traumatic. I have such a hard time understanding why things like this happen – and don’t get me wrong, I’m not naive, just sensitive.
I finally cut myself off from all news and focused on the tasks I needed to complete before beginning my 4th semester of grad school, which begins tomorrow. News overload just isn’t healthy….
Meanwhile, on my to-do list this winter break is to update the Colorado Potters Guild website with photographs of work taken before our fall show. I began editing the photographs this morning and several caught my eye, including Ginny Cash’s covered jar above and Sarah Christensen’s covered jar below. Nothing like looking at beautiful handmade pottery to make me feel better!
Sarah Christensen – Covered Jar
Finally, I think I learned something about myself. I’m the type of person who can get a heck of a lot done when I’m busy. Sitting around, being lazy does nothing for me and in turn makes me even more lethargic – such a vicious cycle. Have a good week everyone!
“Art” Mockumentary
Exit Through the Gift Shop
Over winter break, I’ve been taking care of quite a bit of business before I head back to school mid January, but I’ve also been enjoying my fair share of recreational reading and movie watching while time permits. One of my most recent watches is Exit Through the Gift Shop, billed as a documentary about street artists including such luminaries Shepard Fairey, Banksy, Swoon and a “franken-artist” named Mr. Brainwash among others. Seemed like a good flick to watch and after perusing Netflix for what seemed to be 20 minutes, one both Ron and I could agree to watch together.
I was buying it up to the last 1/4 of the movie when I became somewhat ill at the notion that an artist can be made with the help of a bit of money, some famous endorsements, a few connections, and an army of workers. Hell, if it’s that easy, I think I’ll go mortgage my house right this very minute. Still thinking about the movie the next morning, a little internet sleuthing proved that I and probably a lot of others had been played in the most devious & brilliant fashion. I don’t want to give too much away since the movie is entertaining and if you are at all interested in street art, graffiti and even the main stream art machine – it’s worth seeing.
I actually like Banksy just a bit more now…and found it to be a good critique of modern society.
New Year, New Toy
Nikon D90
I have wanted a DSLR camera for several years now and finally decided to make the plunge last week after lots of hand wringing & research. Originally, I was going to purchase a Nikon D3100, but ultimately stepped up a tad to the D90. I am trying to justify the expense as a multipurpose tool for school, the pottery studio, family, and potentially for work as a future landscape architect. Like any new tech related gadget, there’s a learning curve…and I know just enough about photography to take a photograph with my new camera, but not enough to use all its functions AND I’m already fantasizing about which lenses I will buy next.
For the time being, I’m taking the advice of many veteran DSLR owners and am getting to know my camera and the lens I bought initially to help me decide what kind of photographs I want to take before committing more $$ and making potentially expensive mis-purchase decisions.
For artists who make work for sale – especially for the online marketplace, I think it’s critical to take good photographs in order for people to feel comfortable buying something without actually seeing/touching an item in person. Just peruse the Ceramics and Pottery category on Etsy any day of the week and the photographs range from down right amateurish to professional quality. I don’t want to pick on anyone, because we all start somewhere and many of my first attempts to photograph my work were pretty bad too.
Meanwhile, as I try to learn the zen of photography, I’ll leave you with this image I snapped this morning:
Buddha captured through tall grass in my backyard
P.S. Photography tips are always appreciated if you have found something that works for you…
