"It tries to kill me, but I kill it first."

The general feeling of frustration --bordering on apathy- is starting to build amongst my peers. There's a sense of confusion this semester brought on by the selection process of a new Department Chair & the past week's visit from the NAAB team. The usual go-to rut breakers have all been run dry as we try to figure out just what is happening here. We feel like a bunch of lame duck students as our future-- as well as the future of our program- is decided by people other than ourselves. While I make a vigilant effort to not engage in any politics or gossip within the process, it's becoming nearly impossible to not voice an opinion when it has such a grave effect on my future not only here at Pratt, but in the design world at large.

I have been incessantly referring to the idea of "killin' it 24/7 forever"; this concept relates to making my work something I can be proud to present or use to represent my efforts & talents as a designer. This notion was derived from various sources: an interview with pro skater Anthony Pappalardo for VBS' Epicly Later'd, Coalesce's "Where the Hell is Rick Thorne These Days", a tongue-in-cheek phrase from my friend Tim, & the overall feeling of needing to "make my mark" on the design world. There are plenty more sources that have contributed to this idea; it grows daily as I investigate it more & more.

The notion of being in a rut has begun to set it. Am I just spinning my wheels here or is there some deeper meaning to this are of confusion? Is there any sort of action that I can use to make sure I'm getting the best out of my education as it sits stagnant? I've discussed this with a friend feeling the same way about our school-- his attitude is much more "fuck this!" than mine. Is there anyway we can be subversive-- preferably through our design process- and still somehow "break it down from the inside"? How can I continue to "kill it" as I question exactly what I'm supposed to be killing?  These are the questions that I'm looking to answer. Any advice is greatly appreciated.