My name is Jenna Lay and I’m now in the Multimedia Design program at LCC. I started out in the Graphic Design program and quickly found out that it really, really wasn’t my cup of tea. I learned a lot and wouldn’t do it over any different though. I go by Friend Owl online (long story, we’ll leave it as a childhood nickname) but you can just call me Jenna. Or Owl I guess if you really wanted to.

I chose Multimedia Design because I want to be a concept artist, especially in character or environment design. Video games, movies, books, and TV shows have always been very important to me. I don’t play, watch, and read just to pass time. I invest myself into these forms of media to experience a story, grow attached to the characters, and maybe learn something from what the creator has to say. Everyone has their own voice and stories to tell. The Last of Us is a perfect example of why telling stories through media is to be taken seriously. That game impacted me in many ways. The way Ellie and Joel go through the story and interact while trying to survive, facing their own demons, and grow to love each other in a father/daughter relationship while still maintaining good game play mechanics is something to really admire. Naughty Dog did a great job writing those characters and creating a beautifully realistic world for that apocalypse to take place. Word on the street is that The Last of Us is now getting a movie adaptation. All I can say is, I hope they do the game justice.

In my spare time I work on personal projects which range from comics to animation scripts and character designs. I also play video games, read, cosplay, and write fanfiction. My current focuses are my Destiny fan motion comic, and more importantly, working on an original story (comic??) idea. Until a title can be found we’ll call it the Jade Project. I’m fleshing out characters and the world they inhabit slowly. JP has a cast of 34 named characters and could easily double. Pushing myself past the anxiety and fear of no one enjoying or taking these stories seriously is tough but my time here at LCC has done wonders for my confidence.