and so, the end has come...

This has been nuts.

I never thought I would get this thing done let alone be as happy with it as I am. From conception to execution, it seemed like a big string of problems, and problems I didn't know how to solve.

First, there was the esoteric and deeply abstract nature of the text. I'm not saying I didn't thoroughly enjoy what Ron Burnett had to say, it just took some time to get my head around it. I'd be very interested in doing more work in this field, I think its important and the discourse for it isn't as developed as it should be.

Second, my concept for the site began as something far more complex and very intimidating because I thought I would have to use entirely javascript, which by the way, I have absolutely no experience with. Not that I am unwilling or afraid to learn it, I just didn't think I'd have enough experience with it at this point to make my site work effectively. Thus I scoured the internet looking for other forms of code that would work for me, and I found an elegant and simple CSS layout that worked well beyond my expectations.

Third, and this is the step that caused the delay in production, and why I haven't posted in over three weeks. I was having trouble with the content. Because the concept is so, well, nebulous, I had a hard time putting it in words and then translating those into images. I struggled for weeks on different layouts, and directions (see post on de Stijl, what the frak was I thinking...) to no avail. I finally gave up and focused on my other projects for my production class and patiently waited for inspiration to hit.

If there is one theme of my time at the U and of this semester in particular, it has been patience. I left the Graphic Design program in the Art Department because the faculty there believed I didn't have the patience to be a good designer. I didn't think that is true then, and I certainly don't think it's true now. For both my projects in my classes this semester, I was willing to wait and refine my ideas until the very last minute if need be. I just didn't want to do something half-assed or not well thought out, because they were my projects, I was responsible. Of course I had a great deal of stress about it, but when the inspiration did come, it was as if the sun had come out and I think my projects are that much better for it.

So this last weekend was when I began production on the text and the imagery that accompanied them. I realized that I was writing the text to the imagery, and that was where I was getting stuck on actually creating them. So I shifted gears and thought about this as a kind of glorified research paper. That is when I really started producing the elements of the site.

I'm not going to discuss my process or interpretations of my imagery, because it would be contrary to the purpose of this project. If I tell you what they mean to me, it would taint your interpretations, cloud your meaning, thus contaminating your imagescape. Of course, part of building imagescapes is experiencing sight with others, so I'd be happy to talk to anyone that asks, just reply to my post and we'll chat. But for now, I leave you to make your own interpretations.

A few technical notes before I call it a day-
Viewership has been good with few having trouble. I've had about 40 people visit the site, most coming from the posts I made on Facebook. The only problem I've encountered aside from a brief .png issue is the Safari float issue, which I haven't resolved because frankly, no one is looking at it in Safari. I do have some fixes in mind for it involving javascript, but I'd really need more time to make sure it works correctly.

This endeth my trek through this amazing material and my sphere of knowledge has increased quite a bit. I feel like this process has been a good one, both intellectually and personally. This project taught me a lot about my own imagescape, how much it means to me not only personally, but also for my occupation. I learned more about my self-discipline, patience, and where the boundaries of those qualities lie (further out and nigh unbreakable thanks to this semester I am happy to report). So farewell happy viewer, and thanks for coming to the show.

Cheers!
~Rachel

Okay... (Update)

Fixed the problem with the Representation image, stupid png errors, it took me like an hour to figure out that the image was bad and not the code. Oh well. Also added the credits page with links to everything I used for this project and I fixed up the text a bit. Oh, and I finally learned how to spell "Independent."

Out of curiosity, is anyone viewing in Safari or Opera? I didn't test in those browsers, but I know Safari has an issue with a:hover so one needs to remain hovering over the thumbnail in order to view the full image and text. Not sure about errors in Opera.

As promised, a lengthier, more detailed post will come a little later, probably tonight.

Finally

Finally finally finally. 99.5% done. I just need to get my credits page completed, which I think I'll just do from here. That hurt my brain, longer post later I promise about why I was so damn late in getting this thing up and running. Yeah, and Google Analytics is giving me crap, I don't know if it's because it's a campus server or what, but I'll try to get it fixed so I can get some usage stats. For now, Beta begins! To Facebook to tell all my friends to look at it!
Cheers!