In early 2015, I created an Instagram page for my local high school known as Grand Blanc Athletics (@gb.athletics). In the first few years, it wasn't as professional as it is today. I used collage apps to stitch together final scores, Athletes of the Month, updates on Bobcat Alumni and anything additional that I thought should be on the page.
Results from the 2015-2016 school year
Results from the 2016-2017 school year
Eventually, I got better in what I did and began to cover most sports that were offered at my high school. The account slowly became a trusted source of Grand Blanc Athletics.
Results from the 2017-2018 school year
Results from the 2018-2019 school year
I graduated from GB in 2019, but still had aspirations of running the page like I had the past 4 years. Thankfully, an opportunity to make the page better fell into my lap. In August of the same year, I purchased Adobe Photoshop and created my first graphic using the software
It wasn't the best looking or even the most polished. But it offered me a chance to take the step from amateur high school account to a semi-professional social media presence.
Over the course of the 2019-2020 school year, I learned more about the tools Photoshop offered me and slowly began to create a brand for the account. Although not all sports graphics were made in Photoshop, I was optimistic about the future of my graphic designs.
When the COVID pandemic unexpectedly hit the U.S., it forced the MHSAA to call off winter and springs sports, causing me to momentarily stall in my work. As bad as it first seemed, it gave me an opportunity to create general social media stuff along with my usual content such as Athletes of the Year and Bobcats In College, similar to the college athletic accounts. Posting things such as splash edits, trading cards, and playoff history was just another step for me to make something professional.
As stressful as the first year was with Photoshop, I'm satisfied with the stuff I made. And I'm very excited to grow my talents out and create much more stuff for the upcoming 2020-2021 school year
