Tuesday, October 25, 2011

Responses To 3 Things Found on the99percent.com

I read "7 Types of Creative Block (and What to Do About Them)" by Mark McGuinness. This article caught my eye because I know how frustrating it is when I am in what I call a creative “drought”, or periods of time when I feel uninspired, don’t have motivation to create art, or lack fresh ideas that I feel are worth manifesting in art form. When these droughts happen to me, I feel as though time is slipping by and I’m wasting precious moments that I could be using to produce art and express important ideas. This article gave me realistic ways to pull myself out of this drought, or even how to work through it. As the title suggests, it listed 7 different forms of creative block and possible solutions to conquer them. These consisted of getting trapped in your own thinking, avoiding uncomfortable emotions that may surface during the creative process, faulty work habits, personal problems, poverty of money, time, knowledge etc., being overwhelmed (whether that’s overwhelmed by too many obligations or even too many ideas or options), and finally, communication issues. I really liked the advice Mark had to offer for these problems, because I could apply them to my own life easily.

I read “Setting the Scene for a Productive Day” by Elizabeth Grace Saunders. I enjoyed this article because it was new advice to an old problem, and it was refreshing to me to hear what Saunders suggested solution to being more productive was. I struggle as do most, with getting my list of to-do’s done on a day-to-day basis. But to actually accomplish what I should, requires more than just writing a to-do list. It’s about keeping up my motivation as long as possible, so as to make the most of the time the day offers. Saunders suggests reevaluating and reconstructing your surroundings as a first step. This means that if you immediately lose some motivation or energy when you go home from work, then stop at the gym or errands right after work for example, instead of trying to pry yourself off the couch once already home. Also, organize your workspace so it’s not overwhelming or distracting. And lastly, observe which places in your life trigger which emotions or mental responses, and use that gained knowledge to your advantage.

I read and thoroughly enjoyed “Piet Parra: My Life Has Surpassed Expectations” by Arye Dworken. This is an interview with Piet Parra who is a Dutch artist and clothing designer. The main reason I enjoyed reading Parra’s responses to the questions asked of him was because he seemed genuine, down to earth and human in his answers. Many of the questions were common straightforward inquiries that could be asked of any artist such as “Do you have a ritual for making creative work?” and “How often do you draw and paint?” And instead of sounding pretentious, overconfident or distant, Parra wasn’t afraid to tell of his insecurities, worries or frustrations with art and creativity. I found this reassuring, because I personally struggle with productivity and self-criticism in my own work, so to hear someone who is a successful artist admit these flaws, made me more hopeful.

Monday, September 5, 2011

Response to copyright TED talk

I enjoyed this TED talk about copyright that we watched in class.  I found it interested how he built up his argument very slowly, starting with examples and stories, setting the scene of the topic he was discussing and providing us with background information and history.  He was clear and to the point, but was thorough in that he took his time before blatantly stating his main argument.
His presentation spoke to me personally too, because when I first started posting pictures of my own artwork to facebook and self promoting art sites such as Redbubble.com, I was excited and eager to get my stuff out there because I wanted to see what reaction would come of it.  Also I was trying to sell my work for the first time.  After a while however, I started to pull back a little and wasn't so sure how comfortable I was letting go of my hard work and creations.  I did not know if I should trust the public to ask before downloading or printing etc.. my art. I once saw that someone had saved a picture of my photographed work and manipulated it in photoshop and reposted it in their own album.  I immediately felt uneasy and angry that he had "stolen" my work.  However, after a while and after I had come to some new realizations, I realized that it's ok.
The minute an artist shows their work to a new pair of eyes, it no longer belongs to only the artist.  Art is meant to be shared.  Sure a piece begins as the artist's personal expression of their emotions or ideas, but it then becomes open to interpretation.  I think artist's should be generous with their work, and though they're the creators, shouldn't claim ownership of their art. Art in all it's forms, makes the world a much more complex and beautiful place, and shouldn't have restrictions.  I agree with the TED talk

An Afternoon at Devil's Pool



So for this assignment of experiencing a different part of Philly, I went to A swimming hole called Devil's Pool around Mt. Airy. It's only 8 miles away from Temple's campus and a 20 minute drive.  I just really wanted to do something in nature and get out of the city feel without having to drive a long way.  So I researched swimming holes in PA and this one was the closest.

It was such a great find because I had no idea there was this breathtaking secluded place immersed in the woods only 8 miles from my trash infested street.  It was a breath of fresh air literally and figuratively to be there for the afternoon with some of my friends.  I invited 3 of my friends to come and we hiked and jumped off a huge rock into the river and swam.  It was so refreshing and a great time to relax together and enjoy the end of summer.  There were alot of people there swimming and drinking  beer enjoying the long holiday weekend.  My friend Olivia tried to go off the rope swing and failed, entertaining onlookers.

After swimming for a while and talking a little to the other groups there, we sat on some towels we brought and smoked Leah's hookah.  It was really fun to be in the woods, leaning against a tree right by such a beautiful landscape and river, smoking hookah and chatting with my best friends.  The best part is that this was a completely free outing, and was so close to school, yet seemed like a completely different world.

Tuesday, August 30, 2011

TED TALKS..."Christopher deCharm Looks Inside the Brain"

This video was indeed fascinating to me.  Christopher DeCharm speaks about a new scientific finding where MRIs and other technology has advanced so much that not only can we see the brain patterns and activity on what looks like an x-ray screen, but we can see it in real time.  This means that we can look at an image of our brains and see which areas are active as the activity is happening.  He says that seeing our brain patterns in action allows us to actually have control over which parts of the brain we choose to excercise.  For instance, he said that people with chronic pain watched their brain activity through this new technology and somehow managed to take full control over this pain by observing their brain patterns and manipulating them to reduce their pain.  DeCharm continues that with more research and further progress, we may actually be able to control and manage our brain activity at even deeper levels such as controlling emotions, or other more complicated aspects of the brain that we never thought possible to interfere with.   DeCharm suggests that in the near future this new technology may even be a fourth alternative instead of medication, psychotherapy or surgery.  I'm usually opposed to such advanced fast-paced technology, because it seems unnecessary or pushing our human limits. I have often agreed with the idea that "just because we can doesn't mean we should" however, this particular phenomenon has caught my interest and I am fully in favor of further research into this, as I feel that controlling our own brain patterns naturally seems like an outstanding and superior solution in comparison to medication.