How I Got Started with Northern Eclecta - A Personal Account by Grace McIntyre

Hello! My name is Grace McIntyre, and I am a member of the design team for North Dakota State University's Northern Eclecta: Art and Literary Journal for this spring 2023 semester. Ever since I entered college, it has been repeatedly recommended for me to take the course that would allow me to participate in the making of at least one journal publication during my undergraduate education. Due to my double-major in English and Graphic Design, I have found that the opportunity of helping to craft and publish an art and literary journal has been a wonderful experience that I am thankful for. Through this course, I have been able to strengthen my skills in both design and editing due to some overlap in class projects, and I believe that, whether or not a student is an English or Art major, this course is helpful in instilling students with skills such as the following: working in teams, getting along as a class when making important decisions, and contributing to something that can reach many people. It is a wonderful course that I would recommend that anyone take.

Although I could have been a member of the Editing team for this year's journal, I decided to focus on the design aspect in order to gain a new experience that was slightly out of my comfort zone within an English course and that would provide me with skills that I can use in my design-focused degree. I have learned a lot so far in the process of composing the journal, such as designing promotional content and working in a group-setting for a large design project, which I do not often have the opportunity to do. My favorite aspect about the process so far is seeing the journal come together, and I look forward to continuing to work with my classmates to finish this year’s journal!