Found this at Boing Boing (a site that’s like the proverbial treasure chest in your attic, full of both good and whimsical stuff).
On May 6 2011, J.C. Herz gave the commencement speech at Ringling College of Art and Design, in her words, “the #1 art school in the country for computer animation and game art and design (grads go to Pixar, ILM, and EA)”. The speech is something every creative professional needs to take to heart. (I know I do.)
From the Ringling College site. “J. C. Herz is a technologist with a background in biological systems and computer game design. Her specialty is massively multiplayer systems that leverage social network effects, whether on the web, mobile devices, or more exotic high-end or grubby low-end hardware. She currently runs an analytics company, Batchtags LLC, which sells a next-generation graph database and information visualization to enterprise customers, predominantly in the high tech and health care sectors. The Batchtags team has experience in algorithm and software development for large financial flows (e.g. Wall Street, cybersecurity), elegant visual presentation of complex, multidimensional information, and the development of intuitive game-like interfaces and interaction design.”
The speech is full of basic, down-to-earth advice about functioning as a creative professional in the world. I can’t summarize it. So here is the first couple of paragraphs and then a link to the speech itself. I did save the speech for myself—and I wish I could turn it into a little grad book you could buy at a flower shop or a gift card store. The advice she gives is what I needed to hear.
Bear Witness 