This project was a roller coaster for me. I started confident about my ability with photoshop. I found some photos relatively easily. That part of the assignment seemed to fly by. Then, I got into working. I still felt alright. I worked to get my ideas straight and to get my design down. I worked to iron out the kinks and really settle. I decided to focus on the coaching aspect of soccer. I’ve played many years and love the sport but, at some point, you have to give back to the community. I wanted to show that. I felt confident in having a set idea and having my images set, then, I saw other people’s. I then realized that maybe I was a tad rusty at all this. This didn’t discourage me at all. I used it to go in and revise my design and find a new and more cohesive way of designing my project. I decided to look over my previous design and take some time to try to find a new way to make things work. I saw a lot of people had images that they would cut parts out of and add images behind. So, I decided to try something similar as a center piece to my work. That’s where the ball in the middle came from. I then decided that I like the parts I had on my project, but they needed to be shuffled. I spent my time in class redesigning the piece, adding the middle ball and then trying out every arrangement I could to see what way would cohesively make all of the parts come together. I finally came to a spot where I felt pieces fit and worked well. I then had to make sure that my other photos and boxes also were coherent. All together I feel this piece is something I can be proud of and it will work as a building block to help me further in this class now that I have clearer ideas in mind.

I love soccer. I’ve always had a passion for it. It’s been a long road. I have had many experiences with soccer. When I saw I had to choose my topic for the class projects, it was a no brainer. I’ve played on recreational teams as a kid. Select teams as a teenager and my high school team throughout the years. Even past this, I’ve coached a youth team. What a shock that was to realize. I was in those kid shoes. Learning what I liked. I loved giving those kids the opportunity to get out there, play some soccer, be kids and have fun. This leads into my project. I want to have that cycle keep repeating throughout the years. Soccer is the world’s game. It’s played in every corner of the globe. It’s played in almost every town. It helps kids learn about life, sportsmanship and about being active. They need that leader though. A coach who can help guide them and give them the opportunity. Being a coach is so rewarding. You get to watch the kids get out there and give a sport a try. Or, give a sport their all. You help them grow as players. As athletes. But, most importantly, as kids. Everything you do in your childhood leads into your life. Giving them those good memories to look back on is a service that is unrepayable. Even more than just memories, you give them a sense of communion. They feel like they have a place. They have people they can trust. If they have tough family lives. This helps them out immensely. Even if they have a perfect home life, it only enhances their lives. They also gain friendships that can stay with them for the remainder of their lives. My college roommate is a friend of mine who I’ve played soccer with for years on recreational teams and on the high school team. My project is a poster to hope to keep this cycle of amazing memories, friendships, and lives.

I am thinking of doing my first project as a poster to get people to start coaching soccer. It is something that is fun and helps get kids into the worlds game. I also have some experience in coach youth teams