Jordan Stawski ’21: From New York to Aggieland, viz student gets creative
During Jordan Stawksi’s second year of college, his family moved to Katy, Texas. Left in New York all by himself and tired of his computer science major, he withdrew from the university and followed them to Texas. He immediately researched majors that would better suit his artistic abilities and found visualization, which he felt would be a good fit without abandoning his computer science roots.
Texas A&M University offered visualization as a major, so he applied and was accepted. During his visit to Aggieland, he was reminded of everything he was missing in New York: a lively campus, massive facilities and advanced technology. In New York, the students were so focused on their studies that he never saw his peers. But during his visit to College Station, the campus was lively and the students were welcoming.
The massive size of Texas A&M was also impressive, considering it’s the largest university Jordan’s ever seen. Sports weren’t a priority at his previous school, so walking past Kyle Field for the first time felt like having an NFL stadium on campus. He was also drawn to the notoriety of Texas A&M as a brand and the Aggie Network.
“There seems to be this really deep, interconnected group of people that come out of here and it's as far-reaching as somewhere up in the northeast,” Jordan said. “I only came down to Texas not too long ago, and I already knew about Texas A&M from New York. I think that popularity and reputation is a huge plus for schools to have.”
What is visualization?
Jordan describes visualization as a marriage between art and science. In the program, students learn the fundamentals of art, how to draw and how to be artistic. The curriculum integrates elements of fine arts, three-dimensional design, programming and digital technology to provide a broad, wide-ranging educational experience. The core of the program is the studio experience, which explores the relationship between theory and practices through a variety of exercises and projects using traditional and electronic media.
Some of the main tracks offered are animation, gaming and user interface. Jordan said these categories offer students a base, but they’re free to pursue a variety of interests in visualization. He describes it as a very wide-encompassing major.
“I’ve heard of viz majors going into the medical field to create diagrams of muscle systems or recreate simulations,” Jordan said. “You can also go the Pixar route or create EA Sports games.”
Jordan enjoys graphic novels the most, which he describes as the perfect middle-ground between full-motion media and illustration. Through graphic novels, he’s able to explore ideas beyond his imagination because he acts as the director, the writer, the cinematographer and everything else in his projects.
He’s currently working on a piece called “Greatest Hits,” which is about a band that wants to make it big. He’s also exploring some concept pieces for a game idea he has. Last summer, he was on a team that worked for a non-profit organization. They created an animated, interactive mural to represent the different facilities the organization had and it was eventually used as a promotional material. Jordan describes the mural as the most unique project he’s ever worked on.
Viz culture at Texas A&M
Visualization students at Texas A&M refer to themselves as “vizzers.” Jordan describes the 200 students in the program as one of the closest-knit majors on campus. Everyone knows each other’s names and projects they’re working on. The students and faculty are very welcoming and always willing to help.
With an atmosphere like that, it’s no surprise that Jordan’s fondest memories of Aggieland come from the visualization studio.
“Everyone is in there collaborating, finishing their last-minute projects and random fun things just happen,” Jordan said. “We're watching movies or we're having deep conversation about relationships or we're just bonding. My favorite memories came from the studio environment and being able to work with these people, stress out with these people but also forge these bonds through hard work and the tough times.”
Jordan also loves how student-oriented the Department of Visualization is. The students are the priority and have the freedom to take ownership of their projects and creativity. That includes starting student organizations like 2D Visual Developers. Jordan is an officer of this organization and said its purpose is to provide a space for students specifically interested in 2D work.
The officers give lectures, teach students how to improve their art and offer mentorship programs where students can come work on a personal project and receive feedback. The organization also brings in industry professionals to share insight with the members.
Post-graduation plans
Jordan earned his Bachelor of Science in Visualization on December 18 and already has plans to further his art education. He wants to take specialty classes, while also diving into the workforce. He looks forward to gaining knowledge from future employers and breaking into the industry.
His dream career is to be a director. But if he could, he’d love to travel the world and take pictures. One frustration in the art industry is trying to find references for things, especially niche things. He wants to go to places such as Machu Picchu to photograph the ruins or to Italy to capture its architecture and then place all these photos on a website for creatives to use as image references.
After reflecting on his college days, Jordan advises prospective students to learn time-management skills sooner rather than later. He said getting the work done is important, but taking care of yourself is also important.
“Taking care of yourself doesn’t mean just sleeping,” Jordan said. “It includes eating, exercising, drinking water and even going to therapy if you need it…whatever it takes to stay on top of your physical and mental health.”
During Jordan Stawksi’s second year of college, his family moved to Katy, Texas. Left in New York all by himself and tired of his computer science major, he withdrew from the university and followed them to Texas. He immediately researched majors that would better suit his artistic abilities and found visualization, which he felt would be a good fit without abandoning his computer science roots.
Texas A&M University offered visualization as a major, so he applied and was accepted. During his visit to Aggieland, he was reminded of everything he was missing in New York: a lively campus, massive facilities and advanced technology. In New York, the students were so focused on their studies that he never saw his peers. But during his visit to College Station, the campus was lively and the students were welcoming.
The massive size of Texas A&M was also impressive, considering it’s the largest university Jordan’s ever seen. Sports weren’t a priority at his previous school, so walking past Kyle Field for the first time felt like having an NFL stadium on campus. He was also drawn to the notoriety of Texas A&M as a brand and the Aggie Network.
“There seems to be this really deep, interconnected group of people that come out of here and it's as far-reaching as somewhere up in the northeast,” Jordan said. “I only came down to Texas not too long ago, and I already knew about Texas A&M from New York. I think that popularity and reputation is a huge plus for schools to have.”
What is visualization?
Jordan describes visualization as a marriage between art and science. In the program, students learn the fundamentals of art, how to draw and how to be artistic. The curriculum integrates elements of fine arts, three-dimensional design, programming and digital technology to provide a broad, wide-ranging educational experience. The core of the program is the studio experience, which explores the relationship between theory and practices through a variety of exercises and projects using traditional and electronic media.
Some of the main tracks offered are animation, gaming and user interface. Jordan said these categories offer students a base, but they’re free to pursue a variety of interests in visualization. He describes it as a very wide-encompassing major.
“I’ve heard of viz majors going into the medical field to create diagrams of muscle systems or recreate simulations,” Jordan said. “You can also go the Pixar route or create EA Sports games.”
Jordan enjoys graphic novels the most, which he describes as the perfect middle-ground between full-motion media and illustration. Through graphic novels, he’s able to explore ideas beyond his imagination because he acts as the director, the writer, the cinematographer and everything else in his projects.
He’s currently working on a piece called “Greatest Hits,” which is about a band that wants to make it big. He’s also exploring some concept pieces for a game idea he has. Last summer, he was on a team that worked for a non-profit organization. They created an animated, interactive mural to represent the different facilities the organization had and it was eventually used as a promotional material. Jordan describes the mural as the most unique project he’s ever worked on.
Viz culture at Texas A&M
Visualization students at Texas A&M refer to themselves as “vizzers.” Jordan describes the 200 students in the program as one of the closest-knit majors on campus. Everyone knows each other’s names and projects they’re working on. The students and faculty are very welcoming and always willing to help.
With an atmosphere like that, it’s no surprise that Jordan’s fondest memories of Aggieland come from the visualization studio.
“Everyone is in there collaborating, finishing their last-minute projects and random fun things just happen,” Jordan said. “We're watching movies or we're having deep conversation about relationships or we're just bonding. My favorite memories came from the studio environment and being able to work with these people, stress out with these people but also forge these bonds through hard work and the tough times.”
Jordan also loves how student-oriented the Department of Visualization is. The students are the priority and have the freedom to take ownership of their projects and creativity. That includes starting student organizations like 2D Visual Developers. Jordan is an officer of this organization and said its purpose is to provide a space for students specifically interested in 2D work.
The officers give lectures, teach students how to improve their art and offer mentorship programs where students can come work on a personal project and receive feedback. The organization also brings in industry professionals to share insight with the members.
Post-graduation plans
Jordan earned his Bachelor of Science in Visualization on December 18 and already has plans to further his art education. He wants to take specialty classes, while also diving into the workforce. He looks forward to gaining knowledge from future employers and breaking into the industry.
His dream career is to be a director. But if he could, he’d love to travel the world and take pictures. One frustration in the art industry is trying to find references for things, especially niche things. He wants to go to places such as Machu Picchu to photograph the ruins or to Italy to capture its architecture and then place all these photos on a website for creatives to use as image references.
After reflecting on his college days, Jordan advises prospective students to learn time-management skills sooner rather than later. He said getting the work done is important, but taking care of yourself is also important.
“Taking care of yourself doesn’t mean just sleeping,” Jordan said. “It includes eating, exercising, drinking water and even going to therapy if you need it…whatever it takes to stay on top of your physical and mental health.”