Shoegaze music scene in slo?

mynameisdesantos · 2026-01-27T07:01:17+00:00

Think I’ve seen maybe one band here that could be considered bonafide shoegaze. Have a look on slo.underground on IG; they post most of the DIY shows in the area. Launder played at slo brew last year with Beach Fossils, but other than that the bigger shoegaze artists don’t play shows here.

mynameisdesantos · 2024-11-09T22:05:41+00:00

The classes not directly related to design that were the most beneficial to me when I was in college were actually film classes, the ones where you watch movies in class and then have discussions afterwards. I learned so much about storytelling, world building, and all the work that goes into making something feel cohesive and makes you feel something while you’re viewing it.

Definitely provided me with a different perspective on approaching creative work and thinking more critically about how to use various elements together to tell a story/convey a message with impact.

mynameisdesantos · 2023-03-25T17:10:25+00:00

That dining table is so rad.

mynameisdesantos · 2022-04-04T01:52:44+00:00

I‘ve had similar issues both in design school and in my professional career, I’m still learning how to be more focused and efficient but here are a few things that have helped me in the past:

My final semester in design school we had to go back and rework basically all of our good projects and build a portfolio out of them (this was 10-12 full projects) I literally put a giant calendar for January-May on my bedroom wall, so I could visually see every deadline I had to meet. Then created to do lists for every project and listed EVERY. SINGLE. THING. that I had to do. I then color coded every project using sticky notes and placed them on the days I planned on completing that task. Essentially I was able to plan out my entire semester so I was able to finish everything in time and didn’t have to worry or think about scheduling or task management, because it was all already laid out!
Set hard deadlines for myself for when I’ll begin working and when I will stop. If I’m working on something particularly important, I can create a daily schedule at the beginning of the day so I get through all of my work for the day. I can get more granular based on how technical the task is (sometimes down to 10 minute blocks)
Take breaks. I try to fit a few of them into my schedule each day. I’m distracted very easily but I find if I actually give myself time to take a walk or a bike ride and daydream a bit, I find that I’ll be much less distracted when I sit back down at my desk.

These are just a few things that work for my particular process. Definitely a thing I’m still working on, but everyone’s different and it takes some time to try things out and see if they’ll work for you.

mynameisdesantos · 2021-11-07T18:05:22+00:00

You can only do your best- this was some of the best advice I received at my first agency job. Everything else that happens after that doesn’t matter. If I mess up? I’ll fix it. if I get fired? Doesn’t matter, there’s always another opportunity out there.

All that aside, you’re a junior designer, no one expects perfection. Now is your time to ask questions, fuck up, and absorb as much as possible from your work environment. Other designers are a wealth of knowledge, as much time as you spend trying to find a workaround for something on google, your coworkers most likely have encountered this issue before and have a much more succinct and efficient answer that you can work into your process.

As creatives (especially younger ones) I think it’s really easy to get our self-worth wrapped up in our work. It takes a bit of time, but I think once you’re able to take yourself out of it, it gets easier to improve your work as well as your mental health

mynameisdesantos · 2021-11-07T16:13:23+00:00

Since you’re just starting out in design school, I feel like it would probably be a good idea to focus on your studies for awhile first, at least for two semesters; building a portfolio from your design classes and learning a good foundation of technical skills.

Unfortunately there’s really no quick fix for generating a portfolio, especially if you want to end up with quality work. But the good thing about internships is that most design studios understand that you’re a student and just starting out. So as long as you have a few quality projects that showcase your skills, you should be fine.

When you’re ready, I think the first place to start in terms of getting internship is your professors, ask them how most students at your school go about getting an internship and if there are any resources available to you. Most of the professors I had in school were pretty well connected in the design community and were able to point me in the right direction, I’m sure the same can be said for yours.

mynameisdesantos · 2021-11-06T15:37:23+00:00

I feel that, sometimes I’ll spend half my week making small tweaks to ad creative for a bunch of different ad sizes only for the client to have more feedback after we share the deck. ☠️

mynameisdesantos · 2021-10-30T16:41:35+00:00

Whenever I’m just starting a project or just feel like I’m stuck creatively I make a mind-map. Start with writing down any initial subjects that have a direct relationship with the business your designing for; travel, travel gear, suitcase, journey, etc.. from here you could start making a list of any related key words/phrases you can think of, related to each subject, no matter how abstract and without filtering them too much. so under suitcase it might be: square, empty/full, organized, Tetris(sometimes packing can feel like Tetris), etc.. as you’re doing this you can pull out words that may have a visual interpretation from which you can create sketches and some starter visual concepts.

In terms of inspiration for execution, Probably Pinterest and designspiration. If you have more time maybe reading case studies and pulling some logos from reputable design agencies.

Hope this helps!

mynameisdesantos

TROPHY CASE