Week 3

I am fascinated by the short movies we watched today. Over and over I wonder where people find it within themselves to pursue and create these unique things. These spoke to me. Actually made me think about my perceptions on art and artists and what that means. Reflecting back on myself and what I really intrigues me are things that make my chest feel tight, like I can't breath because I am so full of life. And when I try and reflect that back on campus, and our classroom more specifically, I struggle with how to engage and capture everyone with some thing that seems so personal. However, I also don't doubt that we can do it. I think our hearts all pounded a little faster as we watched those videos and it was hard for all of us to look away. Why? What sort of intensity and skill allowed that to happen? Is that the type of thing that would capture the hearts of our class/campus? Not that we have decided that the campus would be our 'audience', but I sense that is what we are leaning towards. 

An 'art project'. One individual, one group. It's been a long time. I am a practical person. If I am going to make a collage I want to decoupage it and make it into a table top.   

One thing I don't agree with is the idea that other majors missed out on something that we didn't. Although, if that is true, it is certainly true that we equally but differently missed out on something that other majors received. 

Must shut down computer...

Week 1

Who am I?
Am I creative?
In what ways am I creative?
In what ways am I not creative?
How and where has creativity been encouraged in my life?
How and where has creativity been discouraged in my life?
Am I an "Artist"?

There was this girl in my 211 English class and she told everyone she was a writer. I had to read one of her papers, as a peer review type of thing, and it was awful. Really awful. No structure, uninteresting topic (maybe if it was well written I would have found it interesting) and I thought to myself, and hopefully this doesn't make me a bad person, where does she get off calling herself a writer? And I thought about it. I came to a couple of conclusions.

1. It is subjective. Everyone surrounding me can write, and yet the majority of them would certainly not consider themselves writers. It was the fact that she WANTED to be a writer, that it meant something to her, and that she had something to say and had to write it was the reason she was a writer.
   
2. Just because you are a writer doesn't mean you are a GOOD writer. In order to be a good writer, to write with some authority and knowledge. The Diary of Anne Frank was written by a girl who had some authority and knowledge of her situation and her life. She wrote honestly about how she felt, what she did, and her subjective observations.

I guess I feel I do not have any of that authority or knowledge to call myself an artist. Maybe the point that was trying to be made tonight is that not everyone can be a doctor, but everyone can be an artist? I just felt tonight that I was doing something wrong by NOT calling myself an artist. I do plenty of artistic things, but I don't see what is essential about me calling myself an artist. And I don't think that is wrong. I think it is fine. I think my life is wonderful. In terms of encouraged or discouraged with creativity, I am both of those things everyday.

I feel it is creative to problem solve. And that is life. Does that make us all artists?

New Media

The role that new media plays in my life is an unconscious one. I haven't noticed it. I use it, I am sure, with myspace and facebook, but I don't actively pursue it. 

The questions I am asking myself and seriously considering are:

• How can I participate in New Media in a way that I am excited about?
• As I think about graduation, how can I use New Media to get ahead in the work world? 

Surly, the more skills I have the more employable I will be. But I guess as I have been sitting in class and thinking about the place of New Media in my life I had some initial reactions or concerns. I feel like New Media speaks to a certain economic class. Fortunately the school provides all of the technology I am required to have, mainly a computer. But I don't own a computer, camera, or video camera. 

Food for thought. Class end. ciao.