Improving slowly but surely...

Just a few weeks ago I dedicated a whole blog post to my lack of Indesign skills and expertise. Anyone who read that post would know how much I despised the software, how inept it made me feel and how much I was longing to be free from ever looking at it again.

Then something inside me snapped and I decided I had to practice and I had to make myself better at it. It may never be a love of mine but for the sake of experience and (hopefully) a decent mark in my exam, I needed to practice.

After a few long, tedious and, at times, hair-pulling hours I began to improve. I didn’t panic as much when the picture box didn’t fit. I didn’t give a loud, exasperated and dramatic sigh when the headline was wrong. No. I copped myself on and I asked for help. My classmates, Amy and Lorna, who were both in the same boat as me, were on hand to help and so we gradually got our bearings with the software. I have realised that not panicking is one of the most important things when it comes to Indesign. In fact, it’s the worst thing you could do. Do the opposite. Play around with the tools and figure out what’s what.

Now, I’m not saying I’m ever going to master Indesign but I feel I’m improving slowly but surely. Today’s class was really good and I feel I benefited from it a lot. Although Photoshop goes over my head a bit, I decided to concentrate on my Indesign page. After seeing it as a PDF format I knew I had some changes to make to it and so I concentrated on those for the majority of the class.

I feel that with a couple more hours of practice I will be able to navigate my way around the software and be as ready as I can be for the lab assessment. Wish me luck!

Reuniting with an old friend

It was like maths class all over again. I could never do it properly. Never quite get it right. I tried. But I never grasped it fully.

I thought my days of maths class were over when I started university and they were. I would never have to do algebra or geometry again. I was delighted. However, that was short-lived. Although maths was already long forgotten, it had been replaced with a different class. Indesign. All the same feelings I had about maths in secondary school came flooding back. Those feelings of despair, helplessness and pure and utter frustration. Maths was gone but Indesign was here to stay.

Maybe that comparison is a bit dramatic. Ok, I don’t particularly like Indesign and I never have. I thought when I passed my exam on it in first year that was it. But here we are. It’s like reuniting with a long lost friend. Someone I haven’t seen in a very long time. I’m a bit reluctant. I’m slightly cautious. But I’m willing to sit down, have a coffee and get to know them all over again. And hopefully even better this time.

Although Indesign has never been my thing, this year I am ready and willing to try my very best at improving my skills with it. I may never be brilliant at it, but I’m confident that with a nice bit of practice and patience anything is possible.

This time round I am optimistic and excited about the Limerick Voice. Two years ago I worked as part of the sport and news team. Although it was stressful at times and I felt a lot was demanded from us, it was a great experience. Going into the project this time round I am far more confident than I was in second year. Having completed my Co-op and Erasmus last year I know I have so much to offer the paper and I am really looking forward to it.

Working with the MA students is new to me but I view it as a welcome change and feel we will all work very well together.

Although I have only had one class so far, JM4017 has been great. I know the module will demand a lot of hard work and time but I’m ready and willing to take on the challenge.