Adam Castanier has defied the odds.
Ask any graphic design major about their program, and they’ll tell you they’re not in it because it’s fun. They use words like “hard work” and “all-nighters” or, as Castanier put it, “long hours.”
“Graphic design and I have a love-hate relationship,” Castanier said. “ It’s nice to be able to work creatively like that, [but] you also get burned out really quick. A lot of people drop out or just can’t hack it. It’s a lot of hard work and long hours. But if you love it, you kind of stick with it. I can’t see myself quitting it.”
Castanier has been told by his professors that he got into graphic design for the wrong reasons—that merely “liking” graphic design wasn’t enough, but he doesn’t really care what they think.
Despite looking like the square peg, Castanier stands as a senior in the program with one year to go. He’s a member of the Imagine More Arts Association, and he’s a serious photographer.
Photography was a late discovery for Castanier. He didn’t know he even enjoyed taking photos until his second year in the program during a required photography class.
“Photography is a nice way of getting away from design and still having the same creative outlet. With design, when working for a client or teachers, you feel rushed because of deadlines, whereas [with photography], I’m not shooting for anybody’s senior portraits or anything. It’s all fun. It’s kind of the opposite of design in a not-so-opposite way,” Castanier said.
“It’s nice to work creatively; to not have to crunch numbers all day. You get to think creatively about a problem and find a solution for it,” Castanier said.