Shifting focus
With my thesis finished, it’s time to rebuild my schedule.
I defended my thesis last week. It was the last hurdle — other than some remaining paperwork — for my Master’s degree in Mass Communications at the University of South Carolina.
My thesis looked at how the visual context surrounding a logo can shape consumer reaction and I’m very happy with how it turned out. (Spoiler: Context matters.) At some point down the line, I’ll revise it and start submitting it to journals, but for now, I’m just thrilled to have completed this major milestone.
I officially graduate in a month and I’m actually going to participate in an in-person commencement. After that, it’s back to the classroom. I was accepted to the Ph.D. program in Mass Communications at the University of South Carolina and will be continuing my research and studies. I’ll start that new adventure after the summer.
I was surprised at how all-consuming the thesis process was. I’ve been working on the framework of this study for over a year. Finding and reading related research. Collecting data and doing analysis. Writing and rewriting my draft. Even when I wasn’t working on it, I was thinking about it.
My goal for this year was to be intentional about scheduling. For the first third of the year, that schedule has been dominated by being a student — writing my thesis and preparing for comps. Now that thesis is done, it’s time to reset my schedule and figure out how to reincorporate my health and creative projects into my daily routine. I’m going to try and find time to work Apple Fitness+ into my day and write blog posts more regularly. I’ve got typefaces to finish and a couple of ideas for shirts and stickers.
I believe that we are rounding the corner with the pandemic. I’ve returned to my office after working from home for over a year. I’ve received my second vaccination last week. Maybe soon, I’ll feel comfortable returning to coffee shops to work on projects, study and write.
My hope is that I can establish some good habits and structures that will continue after I start my Ph.D. program. I’ll be working on my doctorate part-time so it’s going to take a long while. I’m going to need a solid time-management foundation to handle everything.
Bob Wertz writes about design, technology and pop culture at Sketchbook B. Bob is a Columbia, South Carolina-based designer, soon-to-be Ph.D. student, researcher, college instructor, husband and dad. He’s particularly obsessed with typography, the creative process and the tools we use to create. Bob occasionally and begrudgingly posts to Twitter and Instagram. He wears a mask and got vaccinated — Team Moderna — to protect his community.