Course Highlight: Digital Imaging
While I was considering Vanderbilt, I remember searching through the course catalog online reading through descriptions of classes and looking for classes that I could take simply for enjoyment and interest. I was excited about delving into my major, but I had passions beyond psychology and sociology. I was passionate about art, writing, cooking, and nutrition. I compared Vanderbilt’s courses to my older sister’s college experience. She took yoga and shop classes. She even mentioned a variety of classes with focuses in sewing, cooking, or spoken word. I acknowledged that Vanderbilt is a very different university than my sister’s and I challenged myself to find ways to continue my passions. Of course, there are a significant amount of clubs and organizations with passion based focuses and if you cannot find one that focuses on your passion, you can create a new organization.
Luckily, I was able to expand my passion and skills in art this past semester. I took Digital Imaging I with Professor Acierto. I was unsure about the class initially. My strengths fell under physical art such as painting and drawing, not digital art. I had to quickly grasp skills in Photoshop and Illustrator in order to make my projects turn out the way I envisioned. The class not only focused on developing these new skills, but also how the internet, social media, and archives affect our perspectives, morals, ethics, and our views on aesthetics. As a result, our projects were very open ended and allowed us to explore how digital platforms, systems, and images affect us personally. Not only was I challenged to explore new perspectives, but I also gained valuable skills in Photoshop, Illustrator, and editing that I can use in the future.
