The Prequel: One Week Until Commencement

Welcome to my new blog! As the title suggests, this will entail the beginning of my life as an adult with a degree from UC Santa Cruz in Film and Digital Media, in the Production Concentration. Life stands before me. It's pretty interesting. But I haven't actually finished school completely yet; this is the beginning of the transition phase out of college and into life. I have one week until I walk across a stage on a big field overlooking a city and a beautiful bay. I'll be wearing a graduation gown, but instead of a cap, Stevenson College graduates get hoods! I'm excited.

In the meantime, I've started an internship with The Kenwood Group, a corporate production outfit in San Francisco. You can see their building on Google Maps' Street View! Pretty neato. I do menial tasks that they don't want the expensive people to waste time doing, such as getting food for the freelance editors and producers. I also take things places, such as a large crate, two whiteboards, and FedEx packages. Apparently Kenwood is one of the few outfits that is NOT struggling financially. In fact, they seem to be rolling in money. And the staff follow the motto of "we take our work seriously, but not ourselves", which I find incredibly refreshing, seeing as everyone who works there is incredibly talented and could easily take themselves far too seriously. Last Friday was my second day on the job, and it was a slow day, which was nice. I made labels, fetched salads for the editor and producer (Lori Wright, who fixed me up with this very internship and to whom I am eternally grateful), and spent a stupid two hours after I collected a discount from Fedex Kinko's fighting my way through the endless maze of one-way streets and "no turn" rules that is San Francisco. I'm pretty sure I did SOMETHING else, but I can't think of what.

One thing I've become starkly aware of is the overwhelming amount of sheer wealth flowing through this city. With the amount of money that Kenwood makes, the salaries for the high-up people must be quite hefty. There are many, many very expensive cars, especially around Kenwood, and everyone is dressed to kill. You can tell just by talking with people that they are used to living very, very well. I'm still a little ambivalent about the "big city" lifestyle, but I do know that I'd love some of that wealth to flow my way. It's just a little dizzying to see it whizzing by or parked in rows in private lots.

One more thing, and then I'm off to bed.

Motivation. I've often felt like I had no motivation to do well in school other than my personal pride as a good student and because people I trust say it's a good idea. I'm going to graduate with a 3.6 gpa, which is the equivalent of getting A-minuses for every class I've taken, plus an A or two. The reality is more like half Bs and half As, with a few plusses and minuses mixed in. But whatever, the point is that I'm a decent student who doesn't feel inspired. However, I now see what is going on in real life, and I see the money flowing around, and I'm seeing the skills of the people to whom it is flowing, and I'm thinking, "I could do that someday. Perhaps someday relatively soon." You have to be a genius to work as an animator for ILM or Pixar, but you don't have to be a genius to work at some very nice outfits; all you need to be is competent, good with people, enthusiastic, and consistently so. Essentially, I feel that inspiration is nearby. I'm a force to be reckoned with when I'm inspired, but it happens rarely and disappears quickly. I have this feeling that when I become truly passionate about something, I'll do something amazing.

I'm excited for the future.