Hi all, my name is Katie Kimberly. I was born in Panama City, Florida, but I grew up in Tallahassee, Florida and I have lived here for over 20 years. In 2021, I graduated from Florida State University with a bachelor’s degree in Studio Art with an emphasis in drawing. I am at the halfway point in the MSIT program. Currently I work in desktop support as an IT Support Specialist at FSU Libraries. I work with seven awesome men who somehow manage to turn everyday into a field day full of shenanigans. However, I am still trying to figure out where I want to take my IT career in the future.
I chose to take this class because I wanted to take something that allowed me to continue to work on my tech skills while also building upon my art-based skills as well. I love digital art, photo editing and video editing, which is why I want to continue to learn about different software and how to use it. I have experience in using Shotcut, Adobe Photoshop, Adobe Illustrator, Procreate, Snapseed, SketchUp, TinkerCad, and Adobe Premiere Rush. I am excited to have a chance to get to use the creative side of my brain because I have not had the time to really create during graduate school and prior to that I was going through artist burnout but now I am ready to create again.
Outside of working in IT and graduate school, in the very little free time that I have I take part in my hobbies and interests. I have an ever-growing list of hobbies and interests which are cosplay, prop building, lightsaber spinning, Star Wars, Disney, creating art, art history, content creation, animation, tech, and spending time with my dogs Jax and Honey. A fun fact about me is that I stutter (speech impediment).
I want to share an image of the drawing that was displayed in the FSU Libraries Summer 2024 Exhibition titled, “The Artists of FSU Libraries.” This piece is made of up of different patterns and designs which are called Zentangles.
Hello Katie! I am a fellow FSU alumnus too–I got my Bachelor’s degree in music performance back in 2018. I love the artwork you shared, and also love that FSU Libraries celebrates their employees’ talents in this way.
If you like combining tech skills with creativity, I highly recommend checking out LIS 5275 (Usability Analysis). I took it last summer and got to make a bunch of fun wireframes, evaluate websites’ usability, and create iterative design recommendations. Given your experience with all those different kinds of software, you might enjoy that class (and breeze through it)!
Hi Katie! It’s so nice to meet you and read your introduction. I’m really impressed by how you connect your art skills with technology. It’s amazing that you’ve managed to grow in both areas, even while being busy with graduate school.
I can relate to what you said about feeling artist burnout. I went through something similar a few years ago, and it was hard to feel motivated to create anything. What helped me was taking small steps, like setting aside just 10–15 minutes a day to sketch something simple or experiment with new tools without pressure. I also tried working on projects that were just for fun, without any expectations. Over time, it made me excited about art again. Maybe this could help you as well!
Thank you for sharing your story—it’s inspiring! Wishing you the best as you continue your studies. Let’s do our best in this class!
Hey Katie! I see you received a bachelor’s degree in Studio Art with an emphasis in drawing, congratulations, but I wanted to know what other stuff majoring in Studio Art can someone emphasize in. Are the options broad such as painting and drawing, or is there an option to emphasize in something such as ceramics? Simply curious on what the program is all about. Your list of software experience is impressive it shows the different types of skills you utilize. Along with your hobbies list, it is impressive to work on your art and tech skills with also being able to put time into multiple hobbies.