The Weight of Justice
Kristi Mosac
The Illusion of a Climb
The original photo, on the left, was taken at the Tellus Science Museum in Cartersville, GA, in 2019. My husband and I had taken our friend Samantha, pictured, there for her birthday. Outside the museum are large rock formations, as the area lies in the foothills of the Appalachian Mountains. These are often used for photo spots, and we took many pictures there that day. I chose this one because I wanted to edit the image to look as though she had climbed a mountain or a large hill. The original picture was fine, with Samantha in the top third of the frame, but the parking lot in the background distracted from the focus of the image. By cropping out the parking lot and light poles, the image is once again refocused on her and the beautiful spring day. In addition, this allows the trees and the sky to frame Samantha while using the rule of thirds — placing her and the tree on the right in one-third of the image, creating the illusion that she was at the top of a climb.
Dreams Built of Stone and Time
Dreams Built of Stone and Time, by Kristi Mosac, is licensed under CC BY-NC 4.0.
“Whatever you can do, or dream you can, begin it.” ~Johann Wolfgang von Goethe
Ireland has always been a dream of mine. To travel there, to live there — I have wanted these things for nearly 40 years. This image invokes these desires, showcasing the beautiful scenery and sunset, while focusing on the relics of the past. While dreaming of my journey I wish to one day take, it also calls to mind the dreams I have achieved: earning my undergraduate degree, continuing my education in graduate school, and embracing my role in libraries.
Kevin MacLeod’s stunning music, “Long Road Ahead,” not only enhances the vision of this Irish dream but also evokes the long road I have already travelled in my second-chance career and education. Further, it embraces traditional Irish musical styles, creating a lovely balance with Franz van Heerden’s image.
The Road Less Travelled: A 30 Year Journey Into Higher Education
In the poem Harlem, Langston Hughes asks, “What happens to a dream deferred?” As someone who delayed finishing their undergraduate education for 30 years, I understand this question all too well. One of the driving forces in finishing my undergraduate degree was my career change in my 40s into library services, and my desire to become a “real” librarian. I knew that to do this, I would have to earn my Master’s, and thus began my journey to completing my education.
My name is Kristi Mosac, and I am currently halfway through my MSI program. After graduating with my undergraduate degree in English and Writing from Eastern Oregon University in 2024, 30 years after my high school graduation, I applied and was accepted into the program here at FSU. I moved to Spring Hill, Florida, from the Atlanta area in 2020, after my father’s passing, to help care for my mother, which afforded me the opportunity to restart my educational career. I transitioned from retail management into library services in 2017, and am now working in the Hernando County Public Library System as a Library Information Specialist II, which is just another way of saying I am the assistant supervisor of my branch. One of my roles in supporting my supervisor and the library system has been to create a range of marketing materials, including brochures and social media posts. Our system has been working to increase social media engagement, and our branch has been a driving force behind it. My hopes and goals for this class are to become more adept at creating engaging content for our patrons and to remain the driving force behind our small system’s growing online community.
Libraries really are a special interest for me, with readers’ advisory being a key element in that arena. This allows me to connect with my patrons about my other favorite hobby, reading, while simultaneously using my skills with Canva to create engaging graphics and printables that can both entice and encourage them to read, either more of what they enjoy or, even better, outside of their comfort zone.