I bet you thought I was actually showing you a drawing of my house, as an Adobe Illustrator student. I was just metaphorically speaking. (Sorry for my terrible sense of humor.)

Growing up, most of the time, it was just me, my mom, and my little brother. We live, work, eat, laugh, and support each other through whatever hardships we may face together. As family always do, we work through everything and make sure we are always there for each other. From the time I was little, I was always the odd one out of us three, coming up with some bizarre method to do ordinary tasks. My mom noticed my creative spark and has always pushed me to achieve my dreams, and still does to this day. She’s my best friend.

From invitations, to banners, to custom drawings, my mother continually bugs me to spit out graphics like a machine.

Ordinarily, I don’t mind, though. However, she watched my ability to produce quality work increase as I got older and always pushed me to be my best. Since the start of my Precollege classes at FIT, learning and grasping new concepts has been easier than ever before. While there is a lot of drawing involved in Adobe Illustrator (more than I expected, at least,) getting the hang of a new program and transitioning from my comfortable home of Photoshop could not have been accomplished without the guidance of my professor and peers learning along with me.

Me: “What do you have to say about my progress at FIT so far?”
Mom: “I know you thought you knew a lot a couple months ago, but every weekend you come home bright in the face and won’t shut up about the new little trick you learned that made your life a hell of a lot easier.”

Very true, and I can’t deny it! I swear – there’s a secret button that does all the work for you. I could spend hours – my family watching my frustrated face – trying to figure something out and then I end up searching the internet for help to no avail. Then suddenly you’re sitting in Manhattan one day and all the answers come to you – it’s a revelation!

Me, moments later: “What do you have to say about my progress at my Precollege class?”
CJ: “Uhh… I don’t know? Where’s the remote?”

Thanks for the inspiring words.

Nonetheless, both my mom and brother, as well as all of my other family members, are supportive of me and what I enjoy doing, and it means the world.

Until next week,
Joey Criscione