Recently in Personal Category

We all have those horror stories, the crazy boss that doesn't take their medication, the co-worker that would stab you in the back at any opportunity, and the guy that can't keep his fingers out of his nose. Then there's the politics, the egos and the know-it-all's.

I went from one dysfunctional environment to the next. Right out of college I worked for a small direct mail company, or what I refer to as the "bottom feeders." The ones that only care about quantity and not quality. There were only four of us in one big room, including the owner/boss, a real paranoid, controlling type. There was no going out to lunch or even leaving the building unless he was in tow. He referred to us as his "big pack of losers." I finally couldn't take it anymore and started looking for another job. But like most paranoid, controlling bosses, he liked to read my email. So, when a colleague asked how my job hunt was going, I received a memo on my honeymoon that I didn't have a job to come back to. Needless to say, we extended our trip to celebrate.

A few months ago I was asked to participate in the First International Skull Appreciation Day Invitational Exhibition. I was flattered to be asked and very excited. After an extended period of careful thought and research, I finally settled on a concept, the duality of man. Yes, it is a line from Stanley Kubrick's, A Full Metal Jacket. But aside from that, it is a facet that has been reflected in my graduate work in the communication of film. As the concept of the Gothic emerged in the Romantic Period, duality became a primary theme. This was carried through into the Victorian era and is still relevant today. This piece entitled, Duality, reflects my thoughts on the subject in a  whimsical manner while embracing the style of one of my favorite artists, Tim Burton.

Over the course of the years, opinions change and evolve, interests and inspiration ebbs and flows. As focuses shift and life takes on it’s many twists and turns, I find myself in an awkward place. In my younger days, my creative outlets had purpose. They came from a clearly identified source. After three college degrees and many successful professional endeavors, I now find that my creative purpose eludes me. The myriad array of ideas and concepts swimming about my brain seem scattered and unrelated. So what do I do to resolve this? How do I go about reclaiming my artist voice?

Design educators have a pivitol role in the creation and nurturing of great design. As I prepare to teach advanced web design at Virginia State University on the fall, I have to take some much valued cues from a great master.

(Daily Press: April 27, 1992: Published correction ran Tuesday, April 28, 1992. The Teen Angst column in Monday's LifeStyles section was incorrectly labeled an In Your Face column.)

Today's society as a whole has draped a cloth over our heads, in order to keep us from seeing things for what they truly are. Society hopes we will see as everyone else wants us to see.

We are taught that everyone is supposed to look and act a certain way, that we are all supposed to believe in the same things. If someone deviates from the norm, then they are considered "outcasts" or "misfits" and are not accepted by society.