I want to found my own design and clothing company that goes beyond simple "brand identity." I want to create products with a philosophy, establish a symbol. I will use my skills as a graphic designer to project a positive message, to remind people that life is too short to not live fully, but give hope that there is always another day. Remind people to take risks, to have fun, to improve. It becomes easy to get caught in the mentality of "live like there is no tomorrow," making you feel rushed and ultimately lose sight of the important aspects of life. The main icon, a tricolor sun, will be the symbol for "NO TOMORROW DESIGN CO." The colors (yellow, orange, purple) represent the sky during a sunset. I want to place my sun symbol everywhere I can: in the streets through posters and stickers, on clothing items, virtually, etc. When people see my company, see the sun, I want them to take a deep breath and pause, let them take in the moment. There is nothing more valuable than the present. Graphic design can often be misunderstood or reduced to merely creating vectors and images, yet it is ultimately the art of communication, and I want to be able to use that skill to push a positive message in an aesthetically pleasing and accessible form.

I have never felt more at peace with myself than when I am exercising, sleeping well, and eating properly. Not only does my confidence improve, but my energy level increases significantly and I feel less stressed. Weightlifting has acted as an escape for me from the daily stress of life, a way to be more proud of who I am and how I look. I am able to watch myself improve gradually by seeing the amount of weight I can lift increase as time goes on. Yet a healthy lifestyle goes beyond just the connection with the physical aspects, it includes the mental and spiritual aspects as well. I have found that during the times when I seek to improve myself mentally and spiritually—such as by journaling, meditating, or reading—are also the periods when I improve my physical wellbeing, feeling more motivated to go to the gym or eat a nutritional diet. Likewise, for the vice-versa, I am more motivated to keep an eye on my mental health and spiritual needs when I improve my physical health. Overall, a healthy lifestyle matters because it acts as a keystone for any other form of self-improvement.

I want to found my own design and clothing company that goes beyond simple "brand identity." I want to create products with a philosophy, establish a symbol. I will use my skills as a graphic designer to project a positive message, to remind people that life is too short to not live fully, but give hope that there is always another day. Remind people to take risks, to have fun, to improve. It becomes easy to get caught in the mentality of "live like there is no tomorrow," making you feel rushed and ultimately lose sight of the important aspects of life. The main icon, a tricolor sun, will be the symbol for "NO TOMORROW DESIGN CO." The colors (yellow, orange, purple) represent the sky during a sunset. I want to place my sun symbol everywhere I can: in the streets through posters and stickers, on clothing items, virtually, etc. When people see my company, see the sun, I want them to take a deep breath and pause, let them take in the moment. There is nothing more valuable than the present. Graphic design can often be misunderstood or reduced to merely creating vectors and images, yet it is ultimately the art of communication, and I want to be able to use that skill to push a positive message in an aesthetically pleasing and accessible form.

I had never really liked cats, despite my mom being a self-proclaimed "crazy cat lady." I never hated or disliked them, but seeing as they made me sneeze constantly and my caused my nose to leak, I preferred to avoid them. We got our first cat, a stray in Mexico, when we discovered her hiding in the underside of our car after a drive home. A black and white one, with green eyes so sparkling they resembled jewels. We named her Daisy. Daisy hated me; She hissed at me just for walking close to her, and scratched me if I tried to pet her. She adored my brother instead. Daisy became my brother's cat. My mom, using the excuse of consoling me to get another cat, adopted Cookie. Cookie liked me more than Daisy, but loved the hand that fed her even more. She was almost like the family dog. Even with these two invading my home and shedding fur everywhere they went, I still did not consider myself to be a cat fanatic, not even close. Even after our family saved another stray from the trash—a small, white ball of fur (seemingly black at the time from the fleas covering her)—I still did not consider myself to be a cat fanatic, not even close. Not even when Daisy ran away from home, leaving the rest of my family devastated, did I find a huge love for cats. Still, it pained me to see her go. For my mom, it was as if she had lost a daughter. There was now a vacancy in the contract between my mom and my dad, one which stated, "There can only be THREE cats at a time! The vacancy may be filled, but there cannot be any more than THREE." A gray being of chaos filled that spot and barged into my life. Metztli. In Aztec mythology, her name meant the goddess of the moon, or of the night. It suited her, as she would always stay up with me in my sleepless nights. She would sleep behind a cupboard, and wait for me to open the fridge when I looked for a midnight snack. She would jump down on the microwave below, thumping, and meow at me in glee. Metztli was my cat. She played hide and seek with me when the moon was out and all the others were asleep. She nibbled on my toes as a way to demand food. As soon as I opened that fridge door, when the moon was out, I forgot all about the problems which bothered me during the day. Now, when I open the fridge door, I wait to hear the thumps of the microwave. Though she does not come now, I know she is sound asleep behind the cupboard. Sleeping, waiting to hear the fridge door open. I wish I never became a cat fanatic. I see parts of Metztli in the two new kitties we adopted, after my mom somehow convinced my dad to rework the contract. I rolled my eyes when my mom first brought them home. "More cats?" If I am honest, though, I can deal with the runny nose and sneezing.

https://youtu.be/jQ4KOluCwSE

My father, despite being absent from my life at times due to traveling abroad for his job, has always been one of my biggest influences. He never ceases to improve himself in every aspect and urges me to do the same in everything I do. My father has proved to me that the only way out of a tough situation is through relentless hard work. He has taught me I have value because of my background, to not be ashamed of it regardless of what others might say. Though life led him to be an engineer—analytical, problem-solving, and logical—he has fully supported my choice to pursue the arts as my future career. He reminds me how important it is for a person to be passionate about what they choose to do. Despite us feeling like polar-opposites at times, even in our interests and careers, he has helped me nurture a mindset focused on passion and self-improvement. When I graduate, I will found a design and clothing company that goes beyond simple "brand identity." I want to create products with a philosophy, establish a symbol. I will use my skills as a graphic designer to communicate a positive message, to remind people that life is too short to not live fully, but give hope that there is always another day. Remind people to take risks, to have fun, to improve. It becomes easy to get caught in the mentality of "live like there is no tomorrow," making you feel rushed and ultimately lose sight of the important aspects of life. The main icon, a tricolor sun, will be the symbol for "NO TOMORROW DESIGN CO." The colors (yellow, orange, purple) represent the sky during a sunset. I want to place the sun symbol everywhere I can: in the streets through posters and stickers, on clothing items, virtually, etc. When people see my company, see the sun, I want them to take a deep breath and pause, let them take in the moment. There is nothing more valuable than the present. Graphic design can often be misunderstood or reduced to merely creating vectors and images, yet it is the art of communication. Anything that a person sees and interacts with in the modern era has been graphically designed, such as app icons on a phone or billboards when driving. I am not only skilled in the technical aspect of my craft through Photoshop and Illustrator, I am able to broadcast and convey ideas concisely and aesthetically.