PC: Andrew Neel

Deep down, and not so deep down, I’m super nerdy. From Kindergarten when I first learned to write, spelling out words and forming sentences like “The cat played with the ball” I’ve loved school. I loved picking up a pencil, knowing I was doing something important that my parents and teachers would be proud of me for. That I was learning to be a part of society in a timeless way. I remember crying over things like multiplication tables in 5^th grade and Chemistry in 10^th grade, but even those subjects that didn’t come naturally, I was always proud of myself after a test that I somehow passed.

Though my career plans don’t require furthered education—to be honest they don’t require any education save for a vision that you have to convince others is great to get on board with for funding and movie making—I knew upon graduating college I wanted to go back to school “someday” after working a few years in the industry.

That “someday” is now and though I initially wanted to get my MBA, I found myself applying to a marketing program at a business school in Spain for a masters in Digital and Visual Media. A mix of creative, hands-on work and more theory-based classes such as Strategic Thinking and Media Ethics, this program offers a lot in terms of education, a sabbatical year abroad, and refreshment from intensive production work.

Here are a few items I’ve created for my Graphic Design class. Photoshop, InDesign, Illustrator— as I work through assignments, I’m pretty proud of what I’m creating on these new (to me) software programs!

If I don’t share my work, it’ll just get digitally dusty sitting in some file somewhere, and even if what I’m posting seems basic to true experts, like a kindergartner learning to write “cat” I’m learning digital content creation in a new way and am excited about the baby steps I’m taking in my masters program.

PC: Justin Aikin

The last post I wrote was called “Consistency” dated July of 2017. Fifteen months ago. Wow. I really lost touch with my writing this last year, but I’m baaaack!

And since I’m back I’ll fill you in on a few things. First, I’m living in Madrid, Spain for the next year studying for a Masters in Digital and Visual Media. I worked in video production for the last 3 years, but I decided to chase some dreams and go get a Master’s, while learning marketing for business with a media twist. And since I’m in Spain, I’d like to debut my first time writing in over a year on a pretty important subject here in Spain… drinking.

Drinking here is kind of like a hobby, but a necessary hobby. Like, for example, triathlons for me are a hobby. I’m not a professional, but no matter how popular or not the race is, I can’t live without training for my next Tri. It’s a hobby where I push myself on the daily to train, in and out of season. I need long rides on my bike, timed swims in the pool, and runs where the only thing that matters is my increased mileage. A necessary hobby.

Which brings me back to wine in Spain. Wine, my friends, is a deep rich drink that dates back 1000’s of years to Bible times. Which means, it’s not going anywhere. It’s a necessary hobby for people in Spain and is a unifier of people around the entire planet.

First, it physically brings people together. The following conversation I’ve had with friends around the globe since I first started drinking.

“Hey! We said we were going to hangout tonight, are you still down?”

“Yeah! What do you want to do?”

“Well it’s snowing out…” Or, “It’s raining out…” Or, “I’m trying to save some money and don’t really want to eat at a restaurant…” Or, “I have to be up early tomorrow for work…”

You know the only proper response to these statements is, “Oh, well why don’t we just grab a drink, better yet, just come to my place, I have a bottle of wine we can open!”

Wine is good, but I didn’t know it till I started drinking it at age 20 when I studied abroad in Spain the first wine, I mean time. And wine in Spain is so easy to get addicted to. Doesn’t matter how cheap the bottle is, all alcohol is cheap in Spain, but it is always sweet, rich, and cheap. Did I say that already?

Second, drinking brings people together physically, but it also turns us into story tellers.

“You have to try my drink!”

“Oh, that’s so good! What’s in it?”

“Well this one time I was staying at a hostel in Portugal and the hostel worker made Sangria for us that had muddled mint at the bottom. Saw the same thing on the menu here and wondered if it would be the same. The owner at the hostel let me help him make it, such fun memories.”

“What! When did you go to Portugal? Sounds like so much fun!”

All of a sudden, I’m telling a story just because of a silly, over priced drink that reminded me of a time I traveled, and wanted to share said drink with my friend. Honestly, for better or for worse, I owe my good friendships to nights out, or in, opening up to each other talking about fun, difficult, or somber life situations around a bottle or glass.

Third, and maybe the least obvious and the most “uh-oh, is she okay?” is that drinking solo is kind of the best way to drink. Rainy night in with a glass of wine, or escaping to the mountains with a view beer in hand, or day drinking while cleaning… I don’t have to be out and about or with surrounded by friends to enjoy life. Sometimes a casual drink alone allows the mind to wander and be inspired in a new way.

And that is what prompted this blog post. All because of a glass of wine by myself in my little apartment in Spain and I started thinking, and my thoughts grew, and I decided to pull out my laptop and write again. Like Triathlons, and my interest in the influence of wine on culture and relationships, writing is a necessary hobby in my life and something I’ve put off for too long claiming to not have time or anything interesting to say. Which is just not true.

SO, pour yourself a drink, and come hangout with me through my blog as I process all that Spain has to offer this year second time around!