Geographical Map (Assignment #2)

For the second assignment, I chose to create a geographical map.  I am fascinated by cartography and have always enjoyed looking at old maps; as such, I tried to infuse mine with an old-world aesthetic.  Contributing to this are the texts I utilized for the neighboring states, as well as the classic compass rose, which is difficult to see here.  I chose New Jersey because it is my home state and I am very familiar with many parts of it; I also wanted to portray it in a more positive light that it usually is in the media.  Part of my goal was to show parts which are usually ignored in popular culture (for example, the pine barrens: the center of southern NJ is home to over 8 million acres of forest and plenty of wildlife.  Further, many of the northern/northwestern parts of the state are exceptionally scenic).

What I depicted on the map revolves mostly around those things with which I am most familiar.  I gave my hometown, Columbus, distinction with a representation of my house.  The capital city of Trenton, about 20 miles north of home, is set apart with a large star.  I also included the town where I spent much of my high school career with family and friends, Moorestown, and the place I first learned to sail, Riverton.  I spend a lot of time at the beach, and was sure to make mention of the two beaches I frequent: Cape May and Long Beach Island.  The yellow dotted line shows the path I took for most of this summer.  During the week, I interned at one of the northernmost points in the state, Montvale.  During my time here, most of the parties took place in nearby Hoboken, a town reminiscent of Brooklyn, located directly outside of New York City.  On the way home for the weekend, I would often stop in Princeton and hang out with a few friends who worked in the area.  Finally, after a visit to LBI, I would return home.

Regarding color, I wanted to draw the eye directly to the central state.  I accomplished this by leaving the central state white and coloring the surrounding ones in warm muted tones.  For the water, I drew a repeating wave pattern that serves to fill the empty space nicely.

mind map

With my mind maps, I focused on the problem of what might happen after my final year at Roger Williams.  I began by laying out all of the options I considered "viable", what I feel will be mostly likely to happen, and the things I hope will happen.  Chief among these things is the idea of traveling abroad; as such, nearly the entire right side of my mind map is devoted to this.  This might be facilitated in a number of ways; either through the Peace Corps, an internship that I hope to procure, or just travel itself.  The left side involves the more serious, business-minded aspects, taking gainful employment into consideration.  Past internships might lead to jobs after graduation; graduate studies would further broaden my horizon and open new doors for opportunity.  The initial layout was a good start for me, but ultimately did not succeed in realizing the possible interconnectivity of these things.

My second map took this variety of ideas and refined them, showing that these opportunities might not be mutually exclusive, but that one may lead to another and take me in an entirely different direction.  The "aha" moment came after I made this realization.  To visually portray this, I used a method which might not generally cross the minds of those creating a mind map: I drew lines that flowed from one opportunity to another.  I hoped to depict chronological order with these lines, but it requires close inspection to gather this.  Travel to Africa might be in the name of the Peace Corps; my involvement in the Peace Corps, however, is somewhat dependent on my acceptance to an internship program with the United Nations Environmental Programme in Nairobi Kenya.  Either way, though, I plan on going to Africa.  On business side, I am hopeful that my internship with Mercedes-Benz USA will yield a future job in marketing for that company.  This ties in with New York because MBUSA is located directly outside of the city.  Graduate school would take place after traveling, and probably after a few years of working.  My map shows the possibility of attending Pepperdine University's Graziado School of Business, which is located outside of Los Angeles.

Ultimately, I feel that my final map does an interesting job of depicting the problem I focused on, which is the organization of possibilities in my post-college life.