Hey there, folks. I’m writing this post from Sirmione, Italy, a small town just a short jaunt west of Verona (pictured below). The gelato really does live up to the hype here. Make no mistake – I didn’t pay for this vacation with my Pink Robot money, although that’s the goal someday, huh? I’m here with my family for two weeks, and we’re celebrating a recent accomplishment of mine.
Earlier this month, I left college with a Bachelor’s Degree in Media Arts from Boise State University. I graduated from the Honors College Magna Cum Laude and member of the Dean’s List, which feels weird to say. That’s the point of this post, so if that’s all you wanted to know, you can stop reading now.
Although if you did want to keep reading, you would find out that not only does GradImages expect $45 for a single photo download from the event, but they also picked the worst possible angle, a scenic background of the stage scaffolding. I would post the photo here since it’s pretty funny, but I’m not sure if they’ll get mad at me for that.
I’m not really sure where to begin talking about my college experience, so I won’t. Instead, I’ll talk about some of the things I learned there and how I’m going to apply them to the future of Pink Robot Studios. I’m ecstatic to finally have the time I want to build the best company possible.
The Times, They Are A-Changin’
They say your life speeds up as you get older. I can confirm this even after only completing (hopefully) 20% of it. With that speed means changes come at you quicker than ever. Part of growing up is learning to adapt to change and become the best version of yourself through it.
Now back to marketing-speak: I want Pink Robot to adapt to change and become the best version of itself. I’m thinking of a rebrand soon – new logo, new style, new site, the works. I’ve been branding myself as a “web and graphic design agency” for a long time now, but I think I want to shift it a little bit to something more along the lines of “creative agency.” I absolutely love building websites and making graphics, but I don’t think I can keep it up forever. I want to do everything. More on that in a second.
You’ll see the new Pink Robot Studios branding sometime soon, but for now I’ll leave it at “soon.”
Expanding Horizons
One of the biggest takeaways from my time in college was that it’s a place to broaden your life experiences. I’ve learned more about the world around me in these past four years than in the seventeen years before it. As Calvin’s father from my favorite comic Calvin and Hobbes would say, “it builds character.” By the way: Bill Watterson never gave Calvin’s parents names, because “as far as the strip is concerned, they are important only as Calvin’s mom and dad.” Read more on Bill Watterson if you’re interested, he’s a fascinating guy.
The point I’m trying to make here is that I want to broaden my horizons at Pink Robot Studios too. I’ve been making websites, logos, and graphics for three years here now, but I want to expand into other offerings. That starts with photography and videography, which I now have official documentation proving I am more than capable of.
The plan has always been to make this move, but I decided I wouldn’t really be able to dedicate the time to it until I finished school. Now that I’m done, I can’t wait to justify buying a ton of new camera gear.
I’ll post again in the future with some more info and an official announcement of these services, but for now, believe it or not, I’ll leave it at “soon.”
Looking Ahead
I tend to forget things over time – I already forgot what classes I took last fall. Because of that, I’m pretty positive I’m going to forget what my future plans are right now in a few years. Here’s as good a place as any to jot them down.
My primary goal is to keep Pink Robot Studios going for as long as possible. I’m so unbelievably proud of what I’ve been able to create here, but my work is never done. There’s so much more I want to do! I’ll never get tired of meeting new people, and working with them to create stunning projects they can be proud of too. I can always be better, and I intend to be.
At some point, I’m sure I’ll go back to college again. “Dr. Bridgeman” has a good ring to it. Or at least an MBA – I’ll take after my dad that way.
For now, I’m going to enjoy my time here in Italy. We’re headed to Venice tomorrow! I’ll talk to you all again when I’m back.
-David
