http://search.deviantart.com/?q=by:key-of-d-creations&section=today deviantART RSS for by:key-of-d-creations en-us Copyright 2009, deviantART.com Tue, 08 Dec 2009 13:42:33 PST deviantART.com http://blogs.law.harvard.edu/tech/rss http://s.deviantart.com/minish/widgets/apple-touch-icon-precomposed.png http://key-of-d-creations.deviantart.com/journal/27452289/ http://key-of-d-creations.deviantart.com/journal/27452289/ Sun, 27 Sep 2009 15:49:10 PDT
So here is to the next seven months!

]]> ~key-of-d-creations http://key-of-d-creations.deviantart.com/journal/26334076/ http://key-of-d-creations.deviantart.com/journal/26334076/ Sun, 02 Aug 2009 09:23:06 PDT
More importantly, Tuesday will mark my eighth-year anniversary to the greatest red head on the planet. That is one thing worth celebrating.

]]> ~key-of-d-creations http://key-of-d-creations.deviantart.com/journal/25755109/ http://key-of-d-creations.deviantart.com/journal/25755109/ Sun, 05 Jul 2009 14:18:07 PDT
]]> ~key-of-d-creations http://key-of-d-creations.deviantart.com/journal/24804736/ http://key-of-d-creations.deviantart.com/journal/24804736/ Sun, 17 May 2009 12:28:50 PDT
So far, classes have focused primarily on modeling. I'm looking forward to moving on to lighting, texturing and eventually compositing. I'm hoping one of those three areas will click with me, because modeling doesn't appeal to me much. Truth be told, I've had a much better time in arts class.

]]> ~key-of-d-creations http://key-of-d-creations.deviantart.com/journal/23917569/ http://key-of-d-creations.deviantart.com/journal/23917569/ Fri, 27 Mar 2009 13:50:22 PDT
It's amazing how doing what you love changes your entire outlook on life. I highly recommend it. Just three months ago, I was languishing in a newsroom, unsatisfied with my career. Today, I have a renewed sense of purpose. Sure, I also have a huge student loan, but nothing in life is free, least of all complete makeovers.

My first month at Full Sail ended March 26. I had only one class -- ethics and psychology -- since I was able to transfer English composition credits from my previous degree. Monday, a new cycle starts, this time with two core courses: 3D Foundations and Object Perspective. I lucked out on the schedule. No 3 a.m. call, at least for lectures. I have yet to find out when labs will be.

Ethics and psychology was interesting. The teaching team was engaging and easy to talk to. They did a great job showing us how all those theories about behavior and personalities can be used to create better stories and well-rounded characters.

As a matter of fact, for our group project, we each had to create a character and pick theories that justified their actions and outlook on life. I had a great time, especially because the exercise gave me a chance to draw and write short stories -- two of my favorite activities. It's weird; there were times I could feel the right side of my brain literally buzzing.

That's why I don't see the need to take drugs. Creativity makes me trip. On that note, I'll go work on this new piece I plan to post on Deviant Art.

]]> ~key-of-d-creations http://key-of-d-creations.deviantart.com/journal/23100765/ http://key-of-d-creations.deviantart.com/journal/23100765/ Mon, 09 Feb 2009 11:40:35 PST
The apartment is nice if still messy at the moment. Cleaning up the kitchen and putting eating utensils, pots, pans and other whatnots where they belong feels as impossible as reaching the moon by jumping from Mount Everest. Little by little, though, the apartment is starting to look like a home.

Maybe by the time we're done, my skin will have regain its usual pale tint.

]]> ~key-of-d-creations http://key-of-d-creations.deviantart.com/journal/22676413/ http://key-of-d-creations.deviantart.com/journal/22676413/ Mon, 19 Jan 2009 15:12:11 PST
]]> ~key-of-d-creations http://key-of-d-creations.deviantart.com/journal/22431331/ http://key-of-d-creations.deviantart.com/journal/22431331/ Tue, 06 Jan 2009 10:35:42 PST and another phase of preparations for my move to Orlando at the end of the month. I'm heading out there now to check out apartments. It's a bit of a drive — 8 hours each way — but what can you do?

Animation classes at Full Sail begin March 2. I'm really excited about this new chapter in my life.

]]> ~key-of-d-creations http://key-of-d-creations.deviantart.com/journal/21987896/ http://key-of-d-creations.deviantart.com/journal/21987896/ Sun, 14 Dec 2008 20:11:46 PST
What was supposed to be a quiet newsroom shift -- or at least as quiet as a newsroom can be -- turned into a big karmic slap in the kister. Thankfully, not my kister.

The press that was heralded as the second coming of Gutenberg broke down at the production hub, forcing us to fire up our old one and to come up with a reverse production flow so that we could print the two dailies that serve this part of Florida. It was still busted by Saturday, so I had to come back for an encore even though my last day was Friday (Dec. 12).

Weird. It's like this business just won't let me go. But it's official now. I'm done. I'm no longer a newspaper editor/designer. *Happy naked dance*

Now I can devote time to rekindling the passion that filled many a dateless weekend. If only I could find my pencils.

]]> ~key-of-d-creations http://key-of-d-creations.deviantart.com/journal/21823149/ http://key-of-d-creations.deviantart.com/journal/21823149/ Thu, 04 Dec 2008 20:58:48 PST
My official last day at the newspaper is Dec. 12, but this Sunday, Dec. 7, is really the last shift in which I'll act as news editor at the NWF Daily News. Production has moved to Florida Freedom's hub center in Panama City, home of the News Herald. So has my team of copy editors and designers.

Part of me is glad that chapter in my life is ending. The job lost its appeal five, six years ago, and I'm eager (and a little anxious) to dive into Full Sail U's animation program. But as is often the case when leaving a job, I'm definitely going to miss the people I've met along the way.

Newsroom folks are a funny bunch. They come from all walks of life and more often than not enjoy a twisted sense of humor. I suppose you have to, when your business is other people's business. I can only hope the people I work with next will be just as weird.

I have a feeling that won't be a problem.

]]> ~key-of-d-creations http://key-of-d-creations.deviantart.com/journal/21738075/ http://key-of-d-creations.deviantart.com/journal/21738075/ Sat, 29 Nov 2008 20:20:52 PST
This is me talking to myself.

"Hello, D. What's up?"

"Hmmm, not much. Kinda quiet in here."

"That's because your art ain't good enough. Practice more."

"... If you say so."

]]> ~key-of-d-creations http://key-of-d-creations.deviantart.com/journal/21682964/ http://key-of-d-creations.deviantart.com/journal/21682964/ Wed, 26 Nov 2008 14:49:05 PST
HAVE A GREAT THANKSGIVING!

I don't care where you're from, what language you speak, what color your skin is, what you do in life, how much you make, etc. ... You who are reading this are a fellow human being, part of this great tapestry that makes up our world. And for that, I thank you.

Yes, parts of our world is messed up. Poverty still exists. Racism continues to raise its ugly head. Misunderstanding and ignorance plague our minds. But look outside at the sun in the sky, or the stars shining in the canvas of space; take a deep breath of whatever is blooming in your part of the world, even if it's just the faint smell of pizza from the vendor on the street corner. Somewhere, a child is laughing. Somewhere, someone has open his heart to a stranger. Somewhere, someone is proving we can rise above our differences.

It's a beautiful world out there. And we're alive in it.

That's something to be thankful for.

]]> ~key-of-d-creations http://key-of-d-creations.deviantart.com/journal/21527042/ http://key-of-d-creations.deviantart.com/journal/21527042/ Sun, 16 Nov 2008 22:32:55 PST
Dec. 12.

That date is highlighted in pulsing neon red in the calendar of my mind.

After that begins the preparations for a new life in Orlando. We're planning to move at the end of January. Classes at Full Sail U begin in March. It'll be weird to be back in school after 15 years, but I'm looking forward to it. To be immersed in a learning environment again, one geared toward creativity and the arts to boot ... I get all chocked up just thinking about it. It's going to be a life-changing experience.

Already the creative juices are beginning to stir. It's a mere trickle at the moment, but I can feel the end of my dry spell approaching. To quicken the process a little, I've signed up for an art swap organized by

It sounds like a lot of fun, so check out her journal for details.

]]> ~key-of-d-creations http://key-of-d-creations.deviantart.com/journal/20491175/ http://key-of-d-creations.deviantart.com/journal/20491175/ Sun, 14 Sep 2008 14:37:14 PDT
These days, I'm repeating this to myself like a mantra.

Change is good.

I've never been afraid of change, not really. Careful about it, sure; but not afraid. After all, it's the only way to grow, evolve, learn. That's the way I approached it back in 1990, when I immigrated to the United States by my lonesome. I was 17, wide-eyed and bushy-tailed, full of hopes and dreams and too young to care about the hardships ahead.

With luck, that young man's spirit, energy and enthusiasm are still lurking inside my skull somewhere, waiting to be set free. I'm going to need that young man come January. That's when my 15-year career in journalism ends, and my new one in 3-D animation takes its first baby steps at Full Sail University in Orlando, Fla.

I'm older now, with more responsibilities. My decisions affect not just me, but my wife also. In a way, that makes me stronger. I'm not alone like that young college student back in 1990. I'm lucky to have a wife who supports my dreams, who encourages me. But it also means the stakes are higher, that there's no room for failure this time. I can't let her down.

Yes, change is good -- and this career change is definitely exciting. But for the first time, I'm a little scared, too. I wonder if there's a mantra to fix that.

]]> ~key-of-d-creations http://key-of-d-creations.deviantart.com/journal/20279574/ http://key-of-d-creations.deviantart.com/journal/20279574/ Mon, 01 Sep 2008 20:06:52 PDT
We got rain and wind over here, along with some serious surf and an occasional water spout but nothing too serious. Despite the influx of evacuees from the states on Gustav's path, the area is eerily quiet. The stormy weather is keeping people indoors, which is probably for the best.

And I still can't find the inspiration to draw. Bummer.

]]> ~key-of-d-creations http://key-of-d-creations.deviantart.com/journal/20131969/ http://key-of-d-creations.deviantart.com/journal/20131969/ Mon, 25 Aug 2008 10:16:14 PDT Hmmm, it looks like Fay isn't done with Northwest Florida after all. We're now getting the rain we were expecting Saturday night. ... Anybody has a snorkel and fin set to spare?

-------

Tropical Storm Fay lived up to her nickname over the weekend. "The Joker" stuck to her unpredictable patterns, drenching central Florida but leaving us in the Panhandle merely annoyed.

Since I work for a daily newspaper, I'll admit the media might have gone a tad overboard with the coverage, mostly because we can still remember Dennis, Ivan, Opal, Charlie ... and of course Katrina. It pays to stay informed and be prepared. Just because the storm was weaker than predicted when it got here doesn't make its danger any less real.

Twenty-three people did die in Dominican Republic and Haiti, plus another 12 in the United States. Some people in southern and central Florida had to evacuate to avoid the floods. Fay was real enough to them. Those of us living in northwest Florida should just be thankful that didn't happen here.

I for one am glad that I won't need my inflatable mattress as a raft to get to the grocery store. The rain we got in Fort Walton Beach over the weekend was a misty, steady drizzle, much like the "no-spot" setting at a car wash.

Let's hope that whatever comes next is just as feeble. Two other disturbances have already formed in the vast blue storm factory. I wonder what 94L and 95L have in store for us. Maybe I shouldn't have shelved my inflatable mattress.

]]> ~key-of-d-creations http://key-of-d-creations.deviantart.com/journal/19671507/ http://key-of-d-creations.deviantart.com/journal/19671507/ Tue, 29 Jul 2008 23:15:31 PDT
Key of D Creations now has its own slice of the Web.This is my online portfolio, a repository of all I can do in writing, drawing and music.

And if it helps me get a job out of the newspaper industry, BONUS! (That's why I didn't include any page layouts. Who cares about that?)

Come on by, take a look, listen to a track or two and feel free to comment here.

See you on the Web!

D.

]]> ~key-of-d-creations http://key-of-d-creations.deviantart.com/journal/18998661/ http://key-of-d-creations.deviantart.com/journal/18998661/ Mon, 23 Jun 2008 09:57:26 PDT
]]> ~key-of-d-creations http://key-of-d-creations.deviantart.com/journal/17765139/ http://key-of-d-creations.deviantart.com/journal/17765139/ Wed, 09 Apr 2008 14:23:55 PDT
I finally got my hands on those hard-to-come-by E8400 Intel processors, which brings me a step closer to building a new computer. Last November, I bought a Thermaltake Armor case, followed in December by a 750W power supply by PC Power and Cooling.

Left on the list:
* a motherboard based on the Intel X38 or X48 chipset (haven't decided on model yet)
* 4GB of DDR2 800 RAM (I know Vista 64 bit would allow for the full use of those 4gigs, but I'm going to stick with XP a little longer.)
* Noctua's NH-U12P cpu heatsink and fan
* 3 320GB Western Digital SATA hard drive
* 8800 GTS graphic card

I've been slow in buying components for two reasons: Money (ain't that always the case?) and the release date of some components. In the end, the goal is to have a graphic / music recording monster (with the occasional game thrown in...).

Holy Geekdom, here I come.

]]> ~key-of-d-creations http://key-of-d-creations.deviantart.com/journal/17482797/ http://key-of-d-creations.deviantart.com/journal/17482797/ Sun, 23 Mar 2008 21:00:13 PDT
It's a little strange; it feels like I'm abandoning an old friend. ... I've been drawing pretty much since my fingers were coordinated enough to hold a pencil. Until recently, that's what defined me as an artist. But that changed in 2005 when I tried my hand at composing music for the first time.

I grew up in a house where my dad's classical music had an uneasy alliance with my mother's latino beats. My own inclination followed a different path: the electronic soundscapes of Jean-Michel Jarre, Mike Oldfield, Vangelis, Kitaro and Tangerine Dream.

Making music, however, always seemed impossibly out of reach. Whereas a pencil, an eraser and a sheet of paper were affordable, a synthesizer remained firmly in the realm of window-shopping.

Fortunately, getting older means that much more time spent saving. So after trying out a friend's keyboard to make sure that I had a musical bone in me, I finally took the plunge and bought my own, along with Cubase 4 for recording, sequencing and mixing.

It was like a cork popped, letting out a stream of creativity that had gone untapped all these years. It's too bad deviantArt doesn't allow for musical submissions. I'd love to share my newfound mode of expression with fellow Deviants.

I'm not likely to stop drawing altogether, though. An album needs cover art, after all.

]]> ~key-of-d-creations http://key-of-d-creations.deviantart.com/journal/17314789/ http://key-of-d-creations.deviantart.com/journal/17314789/ Thu, 13 Mar 2008 11:40:13 PDT
Six years of graphic creations, gaming, music recording and elective surgery in the form of various upgrades have taken a toll on my faithful companion. Last week, it lost its memory. One gigabyte of RAM, caught in the binary war of zeroes wanting to be ones, gone just like that.

It was disheartening to hear the computer take its first breath, fans spinning with the promise of soon-to-be-completed projects, only to see the monitor return an empty stare. Scary, actually. Like a family member who didn't recognize me anymore.

A transplant was in order. In went two shiny new sticks, for a total of 2GB. Why not? The upgrade cost a quarter of what the original gigabyte did. And now my old friend's got its memory back.

If only it were that easy for people.

]]> ~key-of-d-creations