Final Capstone Blog

          Well Capstone has finally finished and I am satisfied with the result. I didn’t imagine I would get so much done and ever since my Capstone project started I have become more motivated than ever. This experience has allowed me to become prepared for acquiring a career in the real world and gain more knowledge on how to do so. 

        Crafting the graphic novel has been an eye-opening process and I have discovered many ways and new techniques I could use to craft more graphic novels. I will surely take this techniques with me to the real world and try to make a career out of all the knowledge I’ve gained. 

The portfolio that I have crafted for my Capstone will surely be the starting point to gaining an actual job. After I graduate I may get some experience in my field by working for the Baha’i Faith. What I will actually be doing is not known yet but I am sure it will help me gain more experience I need to achieve my goals. 

         I could not have gone this far without my director Monica Larson, and the other staff at the Communications department in Shepherd University. I have been to two other universities before Shepherd and started out as a Psychology major but I am glad overall with the switch I made to Communications as it is truly the gateway to achieving the career I want most in this world. I am thankful that I made the right changes during my college experience and I thank all who have led me to this path. I have planted the seeds necessary to start my life in the work world and gained the traction I need to be succesful. The capstone experience was very necessary and I am thankful for where it has gotten me over the semester.

Cultural Attendance Blog #5 - The Birth of Bahá’u’lláh

            I attended a religious gathering of the Birth of Bahá’u’lláh. I am a member of the Baha’i Faith which is a religion that basically believes in the unity of mankind, the unity of religion, and the equality of man and woman. The founder of the Baha’i faith is known as Bahá’u'lláh and to celebrate his birthday, members of the Baha’i community gather together to say prayers and enjoy good company. His birthday was on November 12, 1817 so it has been almost 200 years since he was born. I have not been involved in many religious activities since the Summer of 2013 and it was nice to see the community again. I attended with my mother and we were both on the fence about going due to the lack of knowledge of the location where the event would be held. We went anyway and I noticed many technical difficulties and videos being played to celebrate. 

           A thought occurred that I could possibly create videos for my religion and spread the teachings of the Baha’i Faith across the country. After attending all of these events I realize that more and more of what I learned in the Communications department could be applied to my everyday life. From the events I attend to just simply helping my parents and other people learn new software and techniques. I realize that Communications is relevant to my world. It helps that I have all this knowledge as it is becoming more relevant to acquire knowledge of these techniques. I learned this well in this event and even planning events could be applied. 

To learn more about the Baha’i Faith one could check the link below this post. 

http://info.bahai.org/

Cultural Attendance Blog #4 - Super Smash Bros for 3DS midnight release

          I attended the midnight release of Super Smash Bros for the 3DS. It was not my first time attending a midnight release of a video game. The other midnight release I attended was for Pokemon X and Pokemon Y a year prior to this event. 

          It still baffles me today that people would ruin their sleep schedule to come out and support a game as the soon as the clock strikes midnight. Of course I am guilty of this because I too wanted to play the game so bad. I can honestly say I did not sleep well that night as I plugged many hours into Super Smash Bros as soon as I got home that night. My dream is to create a product such as this where individuals come out at ridiculous hours of the day just to get one of the first copies of my product. As I waited in line I partook in playing Super Smash bros matches through the demo version of the game with random people waiting in line too. Just like with Otakon it felt good to be around people with similar interests and I would love to be around people like that all the time. I would love to get a job in the video game industry just because I play them almost everyday and I want to spread the joy to other gamers too. 

          Gaming is not just a form of entertainment but it was a way of life. It encompasses so much from storytelling to emotional therapy. Gaming has healed the minds of many (myself included) that I don’t find it too insane that people want these games so bad. I learned from these releases that people just want to have fun that much because having fun is the greatest feeling a person can have.

Cultural Attendance Blog #3 - Otakon

          I attended Otakon in at the Baltimore Convention Center. Otakon was the first anime convention I have ever been to. For about 5 years I have been trying to go with my friends but they always came up with excuses as to why they couldn’t go. I decided to just go on my own and had low expectations as I was by myself. I had arranged to meet up with people who I met through tumblr.com and I had never met them in person before.

         Surprisingly everything turned out fine and it was a really fun experience. I got to meet other fans of the same stuff I watch and it was crazy having people understand all of the anime references I make because I’m not used to that. I went to panels that featured voice actors, the Japanese history in anime, and I got to see how Anime licensing companies in the USA operate. 

          I attended Funimation’s panel (an anime licensing company stationed in Texas) and I saw all the announcements they made and trailers they themselves made about anime that were going to be dubbed into english for US audiences. I actually had the thought occur that Funimation would be a company I would want to work for and I could actually adapt well considering my knowledge in the communications department combined with my knowledge of anime. I could tell from the panel that the staff at Funimation really do love anime and enjoy their jobs and that is something I look for in a job. They also get to go to conventions across the country all the time which is something I would not be opposed to doing myself. So once I graduate I will look into a job in Funimation Entertainment because it is very relevant to my interests. I had fun at my first anime convention and I made some new friends who I would like to see the next time I attend a convention. Hopefully my other friends will go next time after I tell them of my experiences there (but not of the money I spent there).

Cultural Attendance Blog #2 - Comedy Show in Washington DC

           I attended my first comedy club showing in Washington DC. The reason I attended was actually because my sister was one of the comedians participating. It was a sort of audition where there would be 10 comedians each performing for a few minutes. If they performed well they would perform in front of a bigger crowd next time. My sister passed the audition round and it was a great night. 

             My sister Elahe Izadi is actually a reporter as well as a comedian. For years she has done this and managed to partake in both of these paths of her life. I learned through her that it is possible to follow more than one dream and I look up to her for this. My sister’s performance was great and I realized how much work she actually puts in for both of her jobs. 

           I need to obtain the same work ethic as her if I want to do everything I’ve planned to for years. I want a stable job and at the same time I want to construct graphic novels for a living. These are my callings and this event made me want to obtain the same greatness that my sister achieved. All of her friends, coworkers from her reporter job, and family members were there just to see her perform and it was heartwarming to see the crowd laugh at her jokes. She often appears on Msnbc for her reporter’s job and takes on a complete different demeanor and attitude. If it means accomplishing my goals I will work as hard as my sister does. 

       I’ve never really cared for stand up comedy and I just went to support my sister but this event was surprisingly enjoyable for me and my family. I would like to attend more of my sisters’ events to support her.

Video on my sister: http://elaheizadi.com/media/

Cultural Attendance Blog #1 - Malala's Pakistan

On September 4th 2014 I attended a lecture by professor of History Dr. David Gordon called “Malala’s Pakistan - On the Edge of Two Worlds”. The lecture basically detailed the history of Pakistan’s government and gave incentive for students and other individuals to read Malala’s book called I am Malala. When I attended the event I expected there to be only students in attendance but there were many individuals in their 40s to 60s in attendance to hear the lecture and to my surprise when Dr. Gordon asked how many have read the book the majority of individuals in attendance had completed the book. 

It was interesting to see how many different groups of individuals were in attendance and it opened up my eyes to how diverse the group was. After the presentation I went to talk to Professor Gordon about my Iranian background and to my surprise he had huge knowledge about my culture and religious group and was very kind when speaking to me about this. 

The presentation gave me more education about Malala and what she had to go through while bringing change to the world. Malala was shot in the face for fighting for what she believed in and luckily she is healthy today and being protected in Britain. If she were to return to Pakistan should would most likely be captured by the corrupt government and viewed as a villain by many. In the United States and other countries she is viewed as a hero fighting for the right to education. She recently won the Nobel Peace Prize and this is a huge accomplishment for someone her age. After attending the lecture I am most certainly motivated to obtain the book myself and read through it to see how a brilliant mind was able to overcome so much adversity. 

Capstone Progress Blog - Achieving the look I want.

Style is an important aspect to take into account when constructing a graphic novel. You have to make sure the style works well with the type of story you are writing. I have discovered the style I want to use with my sprites for my graphic novel. By enhancing real photos to make them appear more sprite like I am able to make the contrast between the sprites and the background mesh well together. I am using the fresco filter in Adobe Photoshop to make the real photos like as if they are from a video game to match that sprites that are meant for video games. I am still learning about everything Photoshop is capable of and I am sure I will continue learn about what this program has to offer the creative fields. 

With the feedback I received on my storyboards I am on track to finally completing my novel. Funny enough the feedback I received helps me to reduce the work load I have to do. I have a history of wasting panels to have a character say one line but with the help I received from my director I now have learned to make the panels more concise and have characters deliver more information on a single panel. This will also help me from not repeating panels. A big part of creating a graphic novel is to make sure the reader does not have to continue shifting their eyes between panels every 2 seconds. It would be too much to process and make the reader feel as if they are in a hurry. As I continue the project I am continuing to learn much more about the kind of work and thoughts one needs to take in. I am relived to hear that my story is fine and well crafted and it gives me more confidence and motivation to finish this work I am crafting from my mind. I am not on track to constructing a novel that I have always wanted to craft. 

Progress on my Capstone Project - Storyboards finished and Enhancing my skills

As the date for capstone presentations slowly approaches I find myself pressed for time on getting everything in order. My progress on the project however is currently on schedule and I am good to go for now. I need to start working more and I have quit my job to allow myself to have more time for this project. This project is the gateway to many better job opportunities so I devote my time to that. 

I have finished my rough storyboards for the project and I await the review from my director to see what I need to improve on. The sprites have been enhanced to look more crisp for my project and each character that appears now has a sprite of their own. The sprites size has increased so they won’t look blurry when I craft the graphic novel. An issue I have had with sprite comics in the past is that my sprites usually look blurry when I put it onto a Photoshop canvas but now I have eliminated that problem with the help of Adobe Illustrator a program in which I have no prior experience in. 

This project has already expanded my horizons by allowing me to gain more experience with more software which I need to have knowledge of in the work field. The programs I learn the more job opportunities open up for me as a person in the field of Communications. I now need to make some sample pages so I get a feel of what my actual novel is going to look like. I need to use the Photoshop filters to make the backgrounds look like they belong with the sprites. I plan on taking actual photos of the backgrounds and with Photoshop I am planning on editing those backgrounds to appear more sprite like as to much the cartoonish appearance of my sprites. Thanks to my existing knowledge on how to use the Photoshop program I am able to execute this method with minimal problems. As I am on schedule I hope to continue to be on this path and enhance my repertoire of skills for the work world.

Capstone Progress

Half of the semester has passed by so quickly it’s hard to imagine how fast the next half is going to be. Production towards my actual graphic novel has begun and I have done many things to further my progress. I have crafted sprites from a wonderful website that lets users customize their own sprites. These sprites will serve as the cornerstone for my story. They are the tools that will help illustrate 

emotion and plot. 

I am not one for planning. As I craft more parts of my project more ideas just flow into my head. As I write character profiles I instantly craft new ideas and create more pieces of work to manifest those ideas. I am a person who becomes more creative during the process of creating. Ideas flow into my head once I force myself to work on a story. As I wrote a character profile for my main character I immediately crafted a brand new character in my head that would play more importance in the story than most of the others. I wonder if other writers have this happen to them as well. My main character Jonas was going to be motivated in his quest from his own experience but then I had the idea of adding a mentor figure to help guide him on his path. I believe this will enhance the quality of my story and help explain certain parts. 

My director Monica Larson helped me figure out how to make my pages look well together with sprites and natural backgrounds. I am not an artist but with the programs that I have sought out I am able to make myself appear as much of an artist as I possibly can. With this project I hope to learn more about programs such as Adobe Illustrator which my director showed me to help my project. I have not touched Illustrator but I look forward to diving in the program once I begin production on the actual novel. 

This project is a gateway to a world of possibilities. With this project alone I am learning so much and acquiring more skills that I am able to use in the real world. I hope to take these skills with me and pass these on to many others just as my superiors and professors have done for me. I appreciate this opportunity I have worked for to be able to craft works and have others view them.

Anya's Ghost

I recently read an interesting graphic novel called Anya’s Ghost by Vera Brosgol. Anya’s Ghost basically tells the tale of a Russian American girl named Anya who falls into a well and encounters a ghost named Emily. Emily travels around with Anya once she leaves the well and they become good friends. Little does Anya know that Emily has some dark secrets deep inside her. 

I finished the entire novel in one sitting and when you finish a novel in one sitting you know it’s good. Initially I expected a somewhat light story because of the cartoonish art style but what I got was a darker and deeper story. It shows that no matter how friendly your art may seem you are still able to convey a mature and emotional story. In the process of dealing with Emily, Anya starts to grow as a character and develop in a 200 page span. The reader doesn’t even realize how much Anya has changed until the end of the story.  

I sympathize with the main character. When I was younger if there was an Iranian person in my school my mother would always try to force me to befriend them just because we were the same race. Then I realized that we should be there for each other because we both know the struggles of being a different race in school of primarily white students. 

The story was a good read for me personally as it gave me ideas of how to condense an emotional and gripping story in a short page span. It also showed me that no matter how cartoony the art is, the story ultimately shines through. Originally I was put off by my own idea to use sprite art but after reading this tale I have no qualms or issues with implementing sprite art. I now have the techniques necessary to also have my sprites merge with my backgrounds to have them appear more naturally together. Ultimately I would also like to create a connection with the readers just as Anya’s Ghost did. If I could achieve such a feat then my story will be stronger and more interesting for all those who read it. 

More reading of other graphic novels similar to Anya’s Ghost needs to be done so I am able to gather more inspiration for my writing. Writing that connects with the writer is so crucial for a graphic novel as it resonates with the reader’s emotions and create a red string with the reader. The reader will then tie the string to their friends and acquaintances about the story they have read and some may accept it and some won’t. The goal of the writer is to have that red string that is tied to their writing become tied to everyone across the world. This is what writing is about.

Resources: Brosgol, Vera. Anya's Ghost. New York: First Second Books, 2011. Print.

The Keys to Suicide Prevention

The decision that individuals make to commit suicide not only affects that person, but once they commit suicide they are spreading the seed of depression into all of their friends and family. The seed then leads that individual to commit suicide and the process just continues on and on. It is like an infectious disease but instead of showing physical symptoms it infects the person’s mind and they commit suicide without anyone knowing why they did such a thing. 

Healing the minds of so many people affected is a tough task and that task is left to psychologists. It shouldn’t just be left to psychologists. Writers, artists, musicians, and comedians should have the minds of the depressed in their hearts when they are creating. They should take their own experiences and forge them into a work that could show the depressed that they know how they feel and there is hope beyond the cloud that haunts their soul. 

According to a Study from The Journal of Crisis Intervention and Suicide Prevention, individuals suffer from something called bereavement. Bereavement is identified by many symptoms such as sleep disturbances, loss of appetite, and low mood. The problem is that these symptoms don’t classify themselves as a mental disorder. The same study also said that depression after the suicide of a close friend or family member is more difficult to cope with then other factors of death involving a friend or a family member.

The same study found that behavioral cognitive therapy is able to lessen the burden of depression on individuals but that depression is still there. The key is to provide intervention for the individual as early as possible so they don’t get enveloped their sea of depression that hovers over their mind. So it is imperative that everyone recognize the symptoms of depression in others so they are able to intervene. Again, this does not fall in the hands of just the psychologists but the people who share love for the afflicted need to have their eyes open. 

The ones who create entertainment do so for the public to enjoy and be happy. Entertainment in my life has been nothing but positive and whenever I was feeling depressed it was always there for me when I needed it. It felt like a healthy escape from the real world and got me invested enough to realize my problems weren’t that big. I want to accomplish the same through my storytelling. Doing something as great as that would be a huge benefit for not only me but for humanity. 

Resources: A CBT-Based Psychoeducational Intervention for Suicide Survivors

The Positive Effects of Anime

Growing up I have been a huge fan of anime (Japanese animation). I thought it was amazing that such stories could be conveyed through this anime. What set anime apart from regular children’s television for me was that it was more mature and conveyed real life situations better for me than cartoons. A great example is the anime “Digimon Tamers”. Digimon Tamers was targeted towards kids but it tackled real life topics such as loneliness, depression, divorce, death, and separation from friends. My child-self couldn’t handle all of this at once but it somehow made me want to pursue a field in writing. 

One study conducted in Malaysia showed that children who watched anime online were influenced strongly and positively by the characters. The children wanted to be happy just like the characters. I suppose in a way I was the same as the children in the study. When I saw Digimon Tamers, the main character was a regular boy named Takato. He had no special skills and seemed pretty wimpy but as the story went along he became determined and wanted to reach his goals. That was something I wanted to achieve as a child. 

This same study indicated that the genres of anime were endless. The genres ranged from sports, self-defense, journey, food, action, drama, comedy, and relationships. All of these genres are able to motivate children and even teenagers to accomplish goals. The study showed that these genres of anime caused positive interaction between the children they studied. When the children talked about the anime and their favorite characters, they were very enthusiastic and excited to talk about them with their friends.

I want to have influences of Japanese anime in my story. When I write a story or comic I take influences from anime rather than american comics. That is why I am not a fan of the superhero genre as much. I am more of a fan for stories that are deep, intense, drama-filled, and something that just seems badass. I don’t get that same feeling from superheroes because they seem cliched to me. If this ever gets published I would most likely need to hire a new artist to do the art and I would want it to be reminiscent of a manga. 

Anime has been such a huge influence for my stories and my dream is to have a show with my stories that are inspired by Japanese anime.

Resources: The Influence of Online Anime towards Children

Graphic novels and Education

Graphic Novels have been around for many years. They are seen by many of the older generation to be a waste of time for young adults and children alike. Young adults and children view them as entertainment. To the individuals that write graphic novels they view their work as extensions of themselves and the ideas in their head coming to life. True lovers of graphic novels also see others’ works as masterpieces and something that could enhance minds in individuals everywhere. 

Studies show that students in school have enhanced cognitive skills when they read graphic novels as opposed to actual textbooks. It is obvious that young people would love to read graphic novels as opposed to textbooks. Using graphic novels as educational tools for high school students in theory would work as a better learning device than textbooks. According to Gretchen Schwarz in her 2002 article “Graphic novels for multiple literacies” she found research that said that “reading graphic novels may require more complex cognitive skills than the reading of text alone.” 

I plan to use my graphic novel to educate many individuals. I want to spread suicide awareness and teach psychological principles in a way that is understandable to the reader. Individuals who don’t understand psychological principles and terms would be able to understand those principles once they read my novel. I want the reader to also connect with my story while learning something. That way those suffering from depression and those who are not would be able to understand each other once they have read my graphic novel. Once that happens I will have made a good impact on society.

Perhaps with my story I will be able to open a gate to allowing graphic novels to be used as a teaching device in the middle school and high school curriculum. If I had used graphic novels in huh school and middle school I probably would have gotten better grades because I despised just reading textbooks. Graphic novels in college would also be a cheaper option which would decrease the costs of tuition at many schools and help students learn better from them. 

One day graphic novels may very well be instated in the school system and students would be able to obtain better grades with a reading source that is easy to understand. It is amazing how many things graphic novels are able to achieve with the author’s thoughts and ideas brought to life on paper. Creativity and education brought together can make understanding and learning about subjects more entertaining.

Resource: Graphic Novels across the curriculum

Depression and Ignorance

Depression is a subject that has put me in thought for years. I have personally had my ups and downs but I have never thought of committing suicide. The thought of that scares me in itself. I have seen suicide happen (not in front of me) but I have had a friend who has contemplated suicide and hear about it all of the time. I never understood why people decide that suicide is the best option but with this research for the project I plan to gain an understanding as to why people go to such lengths and decide that suicide should be the end.

There are so many risk factors for depression and so many causes that it's tough to help those suffering from this crippling disease. It is important to also note that depression is not a "United States Exclusive Disease". Suicide is the number one cause of death for youth aging from 18 to 24 in South Korea. The main cause of this suicide in 80 percent of these cases is depression. The attitude towards important events in a young person's life is overanalyzed by those youth and in turn the youth think that what happens in those moments of your life cripples you forever and that there is not point to go on.

The biggest example is parents pressuring their children to perform at the best academically. Many Korean youth are afraid to go home if they got poor grades and some even contemplated running away from home. When people badmouth those suffering from depression for committing suicide it makes others feel worse who have contemplated it and does not help them in the least bit.

With this graphic novel, I wonder how I can target many individuals suffering from depression and help them feel at ease. I want people to feel like I'm there for them with my storytelling and that I know what they're going through. If my story ever becomes a series then I want to be able to incorporate individuals suffering from depression for many different reasons.

Self-help groups and Psychotherapy are both proven to help prevent youth who suffer from depression to commit suicide. The reasoning for this is that they are around others who are in the same boat as them and are able to connect with others. They are able to be there for them and vice versa.

The subject of others helping others is something that is wonderful. It's good that those who are suffering from depression are able to impact each other in a substantial way and that is a key subject I want to cover in my story.


Resources: Rising youth suicide and the changing cultural context in South Korea.
Tackling taboos: Young people talk about Asia’s mental health problems

Statement of Intent: Capstone Graphic Novel

I will be writing a graphic novel for my Project. Monica Larson has agreed to be my Director. I would like to go into a career of writing graphic novels and comics after I graduate. This project will give me insight on the process it takes if I want to accomplish my goals.

The story tackles the topic of depression and suicide. There are some elements of fantasy and supernatural stories meshed into this. The main character wants to help people who are overcome by depression by traveling into their minds and battling the depression inside them. The depression manifests itself as a monster and the main character must beat that monster and talk sense into the ailing person. The main character is a college student and a psychology major. Naturally this story will have to incorporate aspects of psychology and research needs to be done on depression in our society and what causes it. I should also research different stories similar to this and how they tackle topics of depression.

The art of the story is going to implement sprite art used in video games with some sprite backgrounds. I am able to accomplish this with my knowledge of Comic Life and Photoshop. I need to research methods of publishing and chances of getting a graphic novel turned into an animated show or live action movie. After I graduate this novel could turn into a series of graphic novels tackling the topic of depression. Right now I am not sure who this story idea and graphic novel will manifest but for now I want to make it a one-shot story. This means it could be just a short story or could turn out to be the beginning of a long journey.

My idea about this came about when playing the Persona video game series as it deals with character confronting their true selfs and accepting who they are. Perhaps my story idea could turn into a video game as well. I would like to see if there are stories out there that use fantasy elements while still dealing with real life problems. Also the effect that stories have on people and if they help others cope with feelings of depression.