Anicio Blom: “I've gotten to know myself better, that's what I'm most proud of”
“CMD was really a hit for me,” says Anicio Blom (26). “I am a person who doesn't like to learn from books, here you learn in projects and by doing. If you are more of a doer then CMD is a good option.”
Anicio started CMD LWD in 2018, after completing the Sound Design course (D-Drive, Friesland College). “I wanted to get to know myself better. I liked audio design, but I wanted to see what other skills suited me,” says Anicio.
CMD LWD is structured in such a way that you can determine your own learning path. The offering in the first year is the same for every student, with enormous possibilities to go your own way. From the second year onwards, you choose what you do per semester. This can be a minor or an external minor, also outside NHL Stenden, or abroad. From the third year onwards, you can choose an internship, or if (almost) all study credits are in the pocket: graduation.
“During the first year, I was mainly busy with graphic design. So it was a logical choice for me to choose a minor in the main phase of the study that fits this: Branding, Advertising & Design. I learned the basics of graphic design, yet during this minor I found out that this is not the thing I want to continue with. By choosing other minors afterwards and trying things out, I knew better and better what I did want.”
“Because CMD LWD is not my first study, I already knew that an internship is extremely important. By now I knew roughly what I wanted to do, I used my internship to find out if this is really the direction I want to go in,” Anicio says. “I eventually chose an internship outside my comfort zone, for example, I had to work a lot on writing text while I actually had little experience with that.”
Anicio: “My tip to fellow students? Use your internship to see if something is really as fun as you thought, as a test”
He did his internship at VVV Waterland van Friesland. Main tasks: content of the website and social media of this organization. “I am glad I chose a small organization. This gives a lot of room to express my creativity. And because the organization is still young, little is set in stone. There was no corporate identity manual yet, so I could also get started with that. All in all, there was room for my creativity and for experimentation. I am very happy with that.”
So was everything rainbows and sunshine during Anicio's internship? “It was quite a threshold for me to start doing things. In the real world you suddenly have to deal with many opinions, that is really different than within the safe walls of a study program. But by taking that step out of my comfort zone, I did learn what I really want. It also confirmed for me that graphic design is not the thing I want to make my job. What I discovered is that I really enjoy the creative side of reaching your target group. For example, making expressions for social media. I also got a lot of freedom in this: I went out with my camera to capture things myself.” Although he might not want to be a full-time graphic designer himself, Anicio does take what he has learned with him. “Developing concepts is something I want to keep doing, in that I would also like to direct a graphic designer.”
So no audio designer. Also no graphic designer. It looks like a game of Wordle. With every step you get closer to the answer. You get hints about what the content will look like. Are you already on the edge of your seat to discover what the thing is that Anicio is going to do?
“Actually, I already had the idea when I was in the first year of CMD, it took serious shape when I followed the minor Concepting. There I further sharpened my idea to what it is now. It started with the wish to design clothing in a sustainable way. Clothing of which the wearer can adjust the design themselves. Based on this first train of thought, I started working on a setup for my own company. During the minor I adjusted my idea at least five times. When the semester was over, I had worked out my plan to such an extent that I could pitch it to the Noorderlingen. The admissions committee of Noorderlingen found it good enough to accept me. After completing my internship, this external minor is my next step!”
“Every student should do the minor Concepting once. How I thought at the beginning of the minor and how I think now.. That is really very different”
“It's really a mindset thing,” says Anicio. “Maybe it seems a bit floaty at first, you do need an open mind for it. Some elements of what I learned during this minor I also apply in my daily life. Such as appreciating small things and starting something with an eye on the future. For me it was really the place where I got to know myself better. I am very proud of that.”
“If I hadn't done CMD, I wouldn't have been this far in this project. Working on this idea is really a passion. You stand 100% behind what you do, it is for your own future. Because I am working on my own dream, I am willing to do my extra best for this. It is so much more than a study project.”
“At CMD LWD you learn exactly what you want to learn yourself. Because of this I discovered what I want and what I am good at. I also want to pass that on to other (future) students: really use this study to get to know yourself better and find out what you really want. You will benefit from that for the rest of your life.”
Anicio Blom
Studies CMD LWD. During his side job he studies happily on, he listens to one podcast after another to gain inspiration and knowledge. Does he never sit still? Yes, this student knows that relaxation is an important condition for functioning well. Anicio relaxes by gaming and meeting up with his friends.