At this point in the semester, it's natural to be in a state of reflection. With only seconds till summer, I bid farewell to another semester of growth and harmony--of discovery and renaissance. But isn't it ironic that I'm paying thousands and thousands of dollars to study at this institution, when I value what I end up learning on my own far more than what any assignment, instructor or course would ever dream of teaching me? My life is all about reading between the lines. Maybe that's the whole point of it all--it's what we teach ourselves, what we personally take away from the table, that gives us our wings.
If you haven't figured it out by now, I'm really into visuals. It's a form of expression--something I'm very passionate about. In the stifling world of academia, visual creativity is hard to come by. So, when I'm given the chance to open up my mind and let the world in, I take no shortcuts. Creativity isn't just a passion, it's quite literally a lifestyle. It's a drug I just can't get enough of. The high is everlasting, but the withdraw is a bitch.
I knew when we were given the opportunity to play around with Weebly and customize our own blogs that I wanted to go beyond the templates provided by the site. With my skill sets and access to Photoshop, I knew I could come up with something... interesting. Toss in my love for Sex and the City, and voila! Seth and the City. You like?
It was important for me to express myself in this manner, not only because I wanted my blog to be attractive and fun, but because I wanted my audience to have some idea about who I am before they even read my blog. I wanted my personality to shine through the design of the blog, not only through my words. Also, it's quite important to maintain some level of attraction when managing a webpage. Think about how often you come across a website and instantly click the back button to your search engine because the page is bland and foreboding of its unworthy content. We form all of these judgements about a page based on how welcoming and attractive it is. I wanted my audience to be interested as to what I write, what I post, what projects I work on. In order to do so, I needed a hook.
I knew when we were given the opportunity to play around with Weebly and customize our own blogs that I wanted to go beyond the templates provided by the site. With my skill sets and access to Photoshop, I knew I could come up with something... interesting. Toss in my love for Sex and the City, and voila! Seth and the City. You like?
It was important for me to express myself in this manner, not only because I wanted my blog to be attractive and fun, but because I wanted my audience to have some idea about who I am before they even read my blog. I wanted my personality to shine through the design of the blog, not only through my words. Also, it's quite important to maintain some level of attraction when managing a webpage. Think about how often you come across a website and instantly click the back button to your search engine because the page is bland and foreboding of its unworthy content. We form all of these judgements about a page based on how welcoming and attractive it is. I wanted my audience to be interested as to what I write, what I post, what projects I work on. In order to do so, I needed a hook.
From day one of the assignment briefing, I knew exactly what it was I believed in. The house lights fell to darkness and the reels began to spin. Suddenly, he was there, projected on the backs of my eyes--David. Resurrected from the chambers of my mind, I could see the sultry sidewalks of Philadelphia, feel the humid air saturate my skin, taste the bitter pine nut gelato sweet on his lips. That summer we spent together was a defining time of my life. I knew it was a story I wanted to tell, to illustrate, to breathe life into. I knew in that moment that there was more to it than warm feelings and bitter endings.
It was nostalgic.
The creation of this project was almost like a dream come true for me. To see the translation and manifestation of life into art is of the most beautiful and powerful things I can experience as an expressionist. If you think about it on the abstract, this project has been in the making for quite some time--drifting on tides of transformation, plunging into waves of change. An experience transposed into memory, and that memory transposed into writing. Writing matured into story, and that story matured into art.
This project posed a challenge, as I had never created a video before. I was not at all prepared for the amount of work I had gotten myself into, however, it certainly paid off in the end. I would nominate this piece as the highlight of my semester; it is probably my best work over the course of these few months. It's pretty extraordinary to manifest such an important memory for me into a piece of visual art. It's a priceless keepsake that I'll have forever--something I can take a look at in thirty years and relish in the nostalgia of it all.
It was nostalgic.
The creation of this project was almost like a dream come true for me. To see the translation and manifestation of life into art is of the most beautiful and powerful things I can experience as an expressionist. If you think about it on the abstract, this project has been in the making for quite some time--drifting on tides of transformation, plunging into waves of change. An experience transposed into memory, and that memory transposed into writing. Writing matured into story, and that story matured into art.
This project posed a challenge, as I had never created a video before. I was not at all prepared for the amount of work I had gotten myself into, however, it certainly paid off in the end. I would nominate this piece as the highlight of my semester; it is probably my best work over the course of these few months. It's pretty extraordinary to manifest such an important memory for me into a piece of visual art. It's a priceless keepsake that I'll have forever--something I can take a look at in thirty years and relish in the nostalgia of it all.
A familiar twinge of desire and creativity surged through me when this project was assigned. The ideas were rolling around in my head just knowing that I had another opportunity to explore my newfound passion for creating videos. The idea of sharing a piece of work (again) so foreign to my normal presentational standards was very exciting. I couldn't wait to get to work. I knew that I wanted to do something experimental. Something that pushed a few boundaries and got people to think about their lives. I wanted to deviate from the vague, the over-done, the bland and boring. I wanted something fresh.
I also knew that I had to try and top my last project--a feat that proved more difficult than I had expected.
Pairing up with a partner wasn't my ideal working situation. Gena and I agreed on a topic, and we worked well together. However, I prefer to work alone, especially with projects and topics that are so important to me. I had a clear vision and I wanted to execute that vision. It was my mission.
Unfortunately, I think this project got a little bit lost along the way (on my end, at least). Perhaps I was a little overzealous in the creation of this video. The foundation of our ideas were obstructed by the constrictions of research and my obsession to create something provocative and worthwhile. I think that Gena and I achieved a lot with this video, however, I also think that it falls short of my vision. Time was my enemy and when I started to run out of it, I just wanted to be finished. I put a lot of time and hard work into this piece and for it to fall short of my vision is very disappointing. In retrospect, if I had it to do over again, it wouldn't be the same project.
I also knew that I had to try and top my last project--a feat that proved more difficult than I had expected.
Pairing up with a partner wasn't my ideal working situation. Gena and I agreed on a topic, and we worked well together. However, I prefer to work alone, especially with projects and topics that are so important to me. I had a clear vision and I wanted to execute that vision. It was my mission.
Unfortunately, I think this project got a little bit lost along the way (on my end, at least). Perhaps I was a little overzealous in the creation of this video. The foundation of our ideas were obstructed by the constrictions of research and my obsession to create something provocative and worthwhile. I think that Gena and I achieved a lot with this video, however, I also think that it falls short of my vision. Time was my enemy and when I started to run out of it, I just wanted to be finished. I put a lot of time and hard work into this piece and for it to fall short of my vision is very disappointing. In retrospect, if I had it to do over again, it wouldn't be the same project.
Still exhausted from the Advocacy campaign, I was actually relieved to have a black and white assignment. I knew there wouldn't be any pressure to top myself. I could finally breathe. Ahhhhh...
Selecting a group to monitor on Facebook was surprisingly challenging. I thought and I thought and I thought and I thought. Again, I wanted to deviate from the bland, the boring. If I was going to do some research, why not make it worthwhile? Why not study something different and undone? Well, as you know, my topic wasn't surprising or cutting edge; I opted for the obvious route. Why not study what the gays have to say?
Selecting the gays that I wanted to monitor was a bit of puzzle. I literally sat at my desk in my room and wrote down the name of every gay that I knew in my friends list. I narrowed it down to ten gays, all of whom had something different to offer my research. The intellectual, the party gay, the introvert, the extrovert--I wanted a variety.
I had my own ideas about the kinds of things I would be observing. I imagined I would collect a lot of statuses about parties and boys and sheer cattiness--yes, even from those dear intellectuals. However, I was pleasantly surprised at what I found. Using Facebook as a platform to express and promote positivity was a common theme among my sample. Something that resonated with my own online activity. It was kind of eye-opening. I once condemned the black hole of social media, the ceaseless exchange of mutual idiocy, and the wasteland of chronic complainers. Don't get me wrong, I still do. I deactivated my Facebook just after I collected my data. However, I have a newfound respect for my findings. The assignment was a triumph for my understanding of social media as more than just a place to air your dirty laundry, threaten the bitch who texted your boyfriend, or stalk out exes and prospective lovers. Maybe I should give it another go... Or not.
Selecting a group to monitor on Facebook was surprisingly challenging. I thought and I thought and I thought and I thought. Again, I wanted to deviate from the bland, the boring. If I was going to do some research, why not make it worthwhile? Why not study something different and undone? Well, as you know, my topic wasn't surprising or cutting edge; I opted for the obvious route. Why not study what the gays have to say?
Selecting the gays that I wanted to monitor was a bit of puzzle. I literally sat at my desk in my room and wrote down the name of every gay that I knew in my friends list. I narrowed it down to ten gays, all of whom had something different to offer my research. The intellectual, the party gay, the introvert, the extrovert--I wanted a variety.
I had my own ideas about the kinds of things I would be observing. I imagined I would collect a lot of statuses about parties and boys and sheer cattiness--yes, even from those dear intellectuals. However, I was pleasantly surprised at what I found. Using Facebook as a platform to express and promote positivity was a common theme among my sample. Something that resonated with my own online activity. It was kind of eye-opening. I once condemned the black hole of social media, the ceaseless exchange of mutual idiocy, and the wasteland of chronic complainers. Don't get me wrong, I still do. I deactivated my Facebook just after I collected my data. However, I have a newfound respect for my findings. The assignment was a triumph for my understanding of social media as more than just a place to air your dirty laundry, threaten the bitch who texted your boyfriend, or stalk out exes and prospective lovers. Maybe I should give it another go... Or not.