Spring 2015 Orientation begins today. And while an Art Center initiation holds the potential to overwhelm and intimidate with its alphabet soup of acronyms (extra credit to any new student who can define ACCD, CSE,  JFK and LAT). Then there are those daunting tales of Art Center’s punishing workloads and cringe-inducing crits.

Of course, it’s worth noting that any challenges encountered here will not be experienced in vain. There is a method behind the madness. An Art Center education, above all else, instills a process-driven approach to the audacious act of bringing innovative and imaginative ideas to life.

To illustrate the grit, guts and ultimate gratification baked into this process, we created the Student/Space series of web videos, which track students’ progress completing a project over the course of a term. We’re now publishing the final installments of the our Fall 2014 series, for which we recruited Connie Bakshi (Environmental Design), Pearlyn Lii (Graphic Design) and Rosie Geozalian (Advertising). Though Rosie ultimately had to bow out of the project for personal reasons. Each of the other two students’ trio of videos tells an inspiring and impressive story about the sources of inspiration and exasperation that comprise any work of art.

Have a look and see for yourself. We hope these short glimpses into the Art Center approach to creativity will offer an encouraging (and possibly even entertaining) reminder of what brought you here and where you’re headed.

Click here for a daily lineup of orientation activities.