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Think Minor Subjects Don’t Matter? Think Again.

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Let’s be honest— minor subjects don’t feel like majors. They don’t carry the same pressure. They don’t dominate your schedule. They don’t always seem directly connected to your future career. So it’s easy to treat them differently—to give less time, less effort, less importance. That reaction is understandable. But it’s also where the misunderstanding begins. Because the value of a subject isn’t measured by how “heavy” it feels—it’s measured by what it develops in you. I teach Art Appreciation to some courses that are not BFA, under our General Education program, and I see this mindset all the time. Students assume it’s light, flexible, or secondary. Something you can set aside when your major starts demanding more. And to be fair, Art Appreciation does not function like a major subject. It doesn’t train you in technical specialization. It doesn’t drill you for professional practice in the same way. It’s not supposed to. That’s exactly the point. General Education courses—including Art...
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When Doing What You Love Feels Like Too Much: From the POV of a Creative Practitioner

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I remember one night, sitting in front of my laptop, staring at a blank screen while the city outside my window slept. My mind was buzzing with ideas, but my body felt completely drained. I had three deadlines the next day, and a client was messaging me for the fourth revision of a poster I thought was already perfect. “That’s when I realized I was burnt out.” Creative burnout is that overwhelming mix of stress, frustration, and sometimes desperation we feel when trying to finish a project—whether it’s a design, a written piece, a song, a choreography, or a stage play. Unlike ordinary fatigue, which a good night’s sleep or a meal with friends can fix, burnout digs deeper. It affects your motivation, confidence, and sometimes mental health. Many of your friends in the creative field—freelancers, designers, artists, and educators—have probably experienced it. And while we can’t always fix it for them, just being there matters. Most creatives say their work is their passion, and ...
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The Road Less Planned: My Journey from Graphic Design to Teaching

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We love movies with twists and turns, but life? Life writes its own plotlines—sometimes stranger, sometimes more meaningful than anything on screen. Today, I want to share one of my own twists, a journey that reshaped my career, my passions, and my understanding of myself. The Early Dreams As an undergraduate, I was a fairly typical student—not overly studious, not lazy, just… simple. I had simple dreams: to have a band, create art, and write plays for the stage. These were the things that made me feel alive. They weren’t necessarily practical, but I imagined a life where I could flourish in these pursuits, and for a while, that was enough to keep me motivated. Finding My Career Path After completing my BFA, I entered the workforce as an illustrator for a small children’s magazine. It was modest work, but it connected me with the professional world. Soon after, I became a graphic designer for retail, then hotels. During this time, I discovered a new aspiration: to beco...
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When One Job Isn’t Enough: Life as a Filipino Millennial

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Have you ever felt like you’re always on the run—especially when it comes to work? Like, no matter how much you give, how many hours you put in, or how hard you try, it still isn’t enough? These thoughts have been lingering in my mind for years. Why do we have to juggle two or three jobs just to make ends meet? And yet, somehow, even with all that effort, we never truly feel secure. Juggling Multiple Roles I am a job juggler myself. On the academic side, I work one full-time and one part-time position. On the creative side, I run a small business that serves clients whenever opportunities arise. If you only work a single job, this might sound impressive—or even enviable—but the reality is far from glamorous. Even with multiple streams of income, I still find myself stretched thin. Not empty, but never quite enough. “Despite technically managing three jobs, there are days when I have to tighten my belt just to make it to the next payday.” I live modestly. I buy only what I can afford,...
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Why No One Listens Anymore?

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Lately, I have been thinking about how noisy the world has become. Everyone has something to say. Every issue invites a reaction. But in the middle of all this speaking, listening seems to be disappearing. Listening is not just about being quiet while someone else talks. It is about being open. It is about allowing another person’s idea to enter your mind before you respond. Today, however, many conversations feel like competitions. People wait for their turn to speak instead of trying to understand. Social media has made this more visible. Posts are judged by likes, shares, and views. What becomes viral is often treated as true. But popularity is not the same as truth. When we rely only on what trends, we stop thinking deeply. We react quickly instead of reflecting carefully. The philosopher Socrates believed that wisdom begins with recognizing that we do not know everything. This idea requires humility. To listen well, we must accept that we might be wrong or incomplete. Without tha...
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When AI Points a Gun at Creativity: A Reflective Blog

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  Since the pandemic era (2020–2022), AI has sparked endless debates among academicians, students, professionals, and society at large. For me, AI itself is not the problem—it can be a powerful tool for research, writing, and innovation. But when it comes to AI-generated art , I draw a clear line. I’m reflecting on this because, just last week, our college came under public scrutiny for producing an AI-generated poster to promote an event. Reactions poured in through Facebook groups, chats, and other channels. Many students expressed disappointment, some even condemnation, largely because the poster was created by a member of the college administration. The creator defended AI as a tool for creativity and innovation—even within a college devoted to art and design. I respect that perspective, but I remain critical. As Walter Benjamin once observed in The Work of Art in the Age of Mechanical Reproduction , the aura of art—its uniqueness and presence in time and space—is diminished wh...
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Location: Manila, Metro Manila, Philippines
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Surviving a Toxic Workplace Without Losing Yourself

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I used to think a workplace was just… work. You go in, do your job, and go home. Simple.  But over time, I realized something: your workplace is basically your second home. You spend most of your waking hours there, talk to the same people every day, deal with stress together, celebrate wins (sometimes), and survive deadlines. Of course, it shapes you.  I’ve been in work environments that were supportive, light, and motivating. People helped each other. Feedback was healthy. You went home tired but not emotionally drained.  And then… there’s the other kind. The kind where tension is always in the air. Where compliments feel suspicious. Where people smile in meetings and criticize in private. Where gossip moves faster than emails. Where you slowly notice you’re becoming more guarded, more cynical, maybe even a little meaner than you used to be.  That’s when it hit me: the biggest danger of a toxic workplace isn’t just stress — it’s turning into someone you don’t even...
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