Sitting near his computer looking at the graphics on his screen, he reaches for his iPod, puts on his headphones and starts walking toward the door. With the breeze in his hair, he walks aimlessly outside listening to his favorite songs hoping to rid of his creative block.

Jorge Mostacero, 29, graphic design major, says music is a great inspiration to getting his creative ideas flowing from an idea to an actual design.

“Music is my inspiration.  It’s impossible to work without music,” Mostacero said.  “It gives me a lot of ideas.”

Having worked in the fashion industry with True Religion, as well as with Whole Foods as a graphic designer for a t-shirt line, Mostacero started college with a different major in mind.

“I was a computer science major at first; I was taking classes for engineering and got tired of taking math classes and then decided to take an art class which opened a different world for me,” Mostacero said.

Enjoying the sense of adventure that graphic design gives him, Mostacero likes being able to explore the different aspects of designing.

“One day I can draw illustrations, the next day I can be producing movies. I can do different things and it’s very appealing to me,” Mostacero said.

Mostacero is presently working with The Graduation Initiative (Title V) Project at EC. The program is designed to help student’s graduate and complete degrees, certificates and transfer requirements.

“They came to the graphic design department to ask for our help in designing posters for them and I was chosen to be the creative director,” Mostacero said.

Mostacero said he learns a lot from the people who surround him on a daily basis.

“A lot of the learning you get is from others, you learn from the people you work with and it helps you grow,” Mostacero said. “I used to be a supplemental instructor and I had to lecture about graphic designing and I was learning so much from teaching that it was amazing how people think so differently and you get inspired from them.”

Andrea Micallef, professor of design and visual communications, fine arts, says Mostecero is a pleasure to work with.

“He’s exactly the kind of student you’d expect in graphic design programs.  He comes with a rich foundation,” Micallef said. “He is an above average student, he does a great deal of research in his visual solutions.”

Although Mostacero is pursuing a career in graphic design, he has found a way to incorporate his interest in film. 

His latest project, has been working in post production, marketing and designing posters for a zombie drama titled “Pretty Dead.”

As to where the future will take him, Mostacero plans on getting as much education as he can.

“I will be one of those old grandpas still going to college taking random classes for fun,” Mostacero said. “I love learning and it is something you should keep at your whole life.  You should never stop learning.”