With the arrival of May comes the conclusion of my second semester at MICA. Boy, did that rush by.
It’s fascinating to witness the collective journey of our cohort. They start off slowly, gradually building momentum, and by Spring Break, find themselves complaining of exhaustion. They then gear back up, sometimes falling short of our promises to catch up but always swearing to make the deadline together. As a result, the amount of feedback and direction I can provide varies, which has led to a few thankfully early evenings.
Then came the moments of personal growth and resilience. Some revised their story and trimmed details or pages, showing their adaptability. Others focused on completing the greatest number of pages possible, setting for 75% completion, demonstrating their determination. And then there were the machines, those who got into the groove and managed to complete their work, some even ahead of schedule, showcasing their discipline.
Last Saturday, I asked everyone to hit pause, create a PDF of their work, and post it so everyone could read what their peers have created. Then, in our final class, everyone rose to talk through what they accomplished, what they learned, and what they were proud of. Then came the comments, which ranged from laudatory to constructive.
What surprised me was the enthusiastic raves our quietest student received. She was genuinely embarrassed by the outpouring of affection. It was the longest work she had ever attempted, and she was unhappy with how things turned out and the compromises she had to make. The commentary and raves bolstered her confidence.
There were six taking the course a second semester, and they had formed a very tight bond. They drove much of the discussion and asked to repeat the potluck portion of the final class, so we had a mix of corn and bean dip, chicken wings, chips, and homemade cookies, among other tasty items.
Some of the seniors have lined up work upon graduation, others are scrambling, and a few feel secure that the work will come. Two produced chapters for their planned series, and both want to go back in and fix things, possibly even redrawing entire sections without deadline pressure. Some will try the small press market and take tables at shows to see if there is an audience for their work.
The semester ended on Friday, and now I need to complete carefully reading the thirteen submissions and determine final grades.
My fall course is already maxed out with sixteen fresh faces and no repeats, so it’ll have a drastically different dynamic. Based on feedback, I plan on spending the first two weeks emphasizing story construction and dialogue. Jose Villarubia clearly knew what he was doing when he created the course, and I have been delighted to work with these students to prepare them for their future as creators.
#Tags: Jose Villarubia, MICA