Last year in my Photography 1 class, my class had to mat one of our photos. Well, it didn’t go very good for me. Fast forward to critique day and my professor basically took it apart, let the photo stand alone, and basically said my cutting was terrible and I should redo it. I asked what grade I would earn with this presentation of the board because I worked really hard on it. Side Note: cutting a mat board is super hard. Anyways, my professor said I would earn an F unless I redid the assignment and resubmitted. I kept the F and passed the class with a B. So, it didn’t hurt my score too much. I learned a harsh lesson: your best isn’t always going to earn you an A. But it doesn’t mean your best wasn’t good enough.
My Photography 2 class had to mat a photo this semester, I kept putting it off. It wasn’t bad that I reminded myself of the previous fall semester, but my professor kept bringing it up, too. That crossed a line: you are not motivating me to do better, but to show you just how hard I work!
This year I asked for my professor’s help, one-on-one. Those that know me know that I am uncomfortable in one-on-one situations. Because I am not good at carrying on conversations without being a chatty-Cathy or too-quiet Cathy. But, I made it through. It turned out great!
Mat Board, Fall ’17
Now, I am ready to conquer four mat boards for the final assignment.
Remember to keep improving. College is hard, and mess-ups happen. But, that just means you can grow. There is always room for improvement and learning.