Creative Mode

Ad of... myself      When I first worked on this image, the original shot felt too dark, which muted the natural beauty of the scene. To bring it to life, I deliberately increased the highlights and lowered the shadows. This choice made the sunlight reflecting off the water stand out more vividly, giving the entire image a bright, airy feel while still preserving enough detail in the shaded areas. By doing this, I wanted to emphasize the contrast between the cool shadows along the shoreline and the warm glow of the sunlit water, making the scene “pop” with depth and vibrancy.      For the text, I wanted it to complement the photo without overpowering it, so I pulled colors directly from the image itself. The yellow in “Behold Photographic Perfection” echoes the warmth of the sun and subtly contrasts with the cooler blues of the sky and water, helping it stand out without feeling artificial. Meanwhile, the blue used for “By Joel Velez” blends harmoniously w...

      My three options for places I could potentially build my portfolio are Adobe Portfolio, ArtStation, and Dribbble. Here are the pros and cons for each: Adobe Portfolio Pros; 1. Can be pared with Behance (another portfolio website) 2. Its free with adobe creative cloud 3. It has clean, professional templates suitable for corporate or creative roles 4. It supports images, video embeds and GIFs Adobe Portfolio Cons; 1. Limited customization compared to others 2. Less built-in SEO 3. No integrated blog feature ArtStation Pros; 1. The top platform for anime, gaming, and concept art portfolios 2. Recruiters from animation studios actively browse here 3. Free plan available with optional Pro upgrade 4. Great networking potential in the animation/art world ArtStation Cons; 1. Less suited for branding and corporate design work 2. Layouts are art-focused, not business-focused 3. Doesn’t have strong SEO or personal branding tools Dribbble Pros; 1....

 Top three places I would like to work and what I have to do to work there Instructions:      For your top 3 jobs, what is the company, what are the company's stated values, goals, and mission? Do they have a Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn, TikTok, or other social media accounts? What did you learn about the company from their website? Did you learn anything about the company from Glassdoor, newspaper articles, industry articles, or other online/news services? Are you friends or connected in any way with anybody currently at the company?      1. MAPPA studios; Their mission is to "deliver anime that will always remain in the hearts of viewers". In other words they want to animate stories in a way to deeply resonate with the viewer emotionally. MAPPA does have a TikTok, I've personally come across it a few times. Now, MAPPA has some high expectations so here are my thoughts:      This is quite an ambitious dream, some might even call it fo...

Today I'm doing an exercise called "The Reverse Invention". Here's how it works: Pick a modern invention or trend (like social media, elevators, or fast food). Imagine a world where this thing never existed. Create a story, society, or game mechanic around how people would adapt—or what would take its place. My Pick: No Mirrors. Ever. Imagine a world where mirrors were never invented . No reflective surfaces, no still water, no selfies, nothing. People grow up never truly seeing themselves. This opens up some wild ideas: Identity is all hearsay. You only know what you look like through how others describe you. People might hire professional “Face Tellers” who specialize in describing your appearance with poetic flair. Fashion becomes performance-based. It’s less about looking good and more about how people react. Clothing might be designed to provoke emotion, movement, or sound—not just style. Illusionists and imposters thrive. Since no one can ve...

1.  Animator; Ever since I was little, I've always wanted to be an animator. No amount a research will shake my passion for it. 2. Video Editor; I loved working with adobe premiere pro and, before college, I worked with CapCut so becoming a video editor doesn't seem to far fetched for me. 3. Social Media Content Creator; I already do a little bit of content creation so doing this for a living wouldn't be too hard for me. 4. Visual Effects Artist; Based on my research this job sounds fun. Its very similar to video editing. 5. Layout artist; Another job that looks like a ton of fun. Based on my research, their similar to set designers 6. Motion Graphics Designer; Based on my research, this is kind of like being an animator. 7. Social Media Designer; Because I already make social media content, gaining the skills to do this would be helpful. 8. Art Director; This is another job that sounds cool but I prefer learning/enhancing the skills necessary to do it rather than the job i...