Reframing

I chose the Dali picture I did because it’s just so interesting and I find looking at it to be almost uncomfortable. I love that I got such a strong emotional reaction to a simple image on a screen. I chose to reframe the picture the way I did because that area of the picture appeared to me to be the lightest section of the whole piece and yet it’s still so dark. The way he’s clutching the side of the egg, to me, gives this sense of anguish to the picture. I believe Dali framed the picture the way he did, was to bring all the other elements into the picture that make it darker, creepier, and more intense than it would be with just the man coming out of the egg. What I love about the original frame is how lines are perceived in the picture. There are tons of virtual and actual lines leading the eye straight to the egg, from the man in the bottom right’s hand, to the boy’s gaze, and the things hanging down above the egg, they all make the egg appear more prevalent without it being all that obvious and most of these lines are linear, with maybe a slight curve for the things hanging over the egg. I also find it very interesting that there are so many shot types within the frame; you could consider it to be an extreme wide shot, due to the fact that you’re seeing the characters inside the location. It also appears to be a three shot at first glance, between the man in the egg, the man on the right, and the little boy, but if you look closer you can see three more people in the background, two on the left and one on the right. I find it to be interesting that there is so much contrast between the line and shape of the picture and feelings that are actually portrayed. There are so many round shapes in the picture which would normally point to a feeling of warmth and happiness yet the frame invokes a rather eerie dark feeling.

Song critiques

Here are the three critiques I did on Nick (http://nickshega.blogspot.com/), Steve (http://steevka.blogspot.com/), and Maddie's (http://mcschneidy.blogspot.com/) songs.

http://www.podsnack.com/playlists/9314b3ad91526d93acb17f813a545938

Brainwashed

After reading Seth Godin’s “Brainwashed” (http://changethis.com/), I was struck by one of his seven levers for reinvention. Make art. Godin explains that art is the creation of something that’s never been created he believes even the simple act of human interaction is art, and I love that, there is so much beauty to be found by just spending time with other people, there are so many new things to learn new ideas to be discovered through the meeting of the minds. His lever acknowledge the lizard goes hand in hand with make art, it’s to hear that voice that tells us not to do things to not stick our necks out for fear of rejection or ridicule, we have to hear that little voice inside of us to be able to push past it and come out the other side with whatever we created proud that we made it. Both of these levers are things that we are working on with our blogs. We are making art, creating the uncreated, and also risking ridicule and rejection by putting them out where everyone can see them, we are acknowledging the lizard but posting everything anyway. I think these levers make for a better well rounded person, an artistic person. It gives us the tools to fight our fear and get in touch with the purest form of ourselves, our creative selves. There’s not a whole lot that could be cooler than that.

Soundscape critiques

I critiqued:

Katie Mack's soundscape (http://mdia203mack.blogspot.com/2011/04/soundscape.html?showComment=1303825322317#c1181724202707536351)

Gretchen Kesseler's soundscape (http://gretchenk-media203.blogspot.com/2011/04/soundscape-worry.html?showComment=1303825899473#c4837726107099179928)

Maddie Schneider's soundsscape (http://mcschneidy.blogspot.com/2011/04/soundscape.html?showComment=1303826437254#c7648499969090222881

Cover songs.

“With a little help from my friends” is a song from my childhood, but until a couple of years ago, I didn’t realize I had grown up listening to two different versions. The Beatles played the original version (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jBDF04fQKtQ) and Joe Cocker made a remake (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CV1ULAAg5LU&feature=related). I honestly and truly thought they were two completely different songs until I realized they not only had the same name, but also the same lyrics. The reason it was so hard for me to realize they were the same song was because of the differences between the melody and the musical quality. I would say that the differences in the melodies were the biggest contributing factor to my belief that they were two different songs, I could find myself humming both songs in the same day and each time I would be humming different notes because each artist sings it so differently. The Beatles sing it with a very clear beat hitting each note they’re supposed to while Joe Cocker has a little more fun with the notes, going up and down and all over the place. Joe Cocker’s version also has female vocalists signing the chorus, which definitely changes the way it’s sung. The musical qualities of each song are also very different. The rhythms are different as is the speed; Joe’s is a little faster than the Beatles’. The Beatles’ version is much less intense than Joe’s and I would say that the difference in timbre helps this; Joe’s is definitely more complex, which only adds to the intensity. I would say the Beatles’ version is more organized, note wise at any rate. They have a clear definition between the chorus and the verses and they do pretty much the same melody for the verses, but Joe Cocker’s version is all over the place with the verses. As much as I hate to admit this, I prefer the Joe cocker version better. It kills me to admit that I like a Beatles remake better than the original, but I just love the added quality of soul in Joe Cocker’s version, this song makes me feel this intense sense of happiness and, as strange as this sounds, safety. Sorry Beatles, I am going with Joe on this one.

Song project.

 Here is my song:
http://www.podsnack.com/playlists/15e9e69f4b96502e31570f922a541058

Soundscape

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aX0X2EIrMmA

Podcast thing.

Here is a link to my podcast on the "Find Your Howl" article: http://www.podsnack.com/playlists/6957bd85283928c95a324af0fa501448.

Breakthrough ideas.

In Mitch Ditkoff’s “14 Ways to Get Breakthrough Ideas,”  (http://changethis.com/manifesto/show/49.06.14Ways) he explains fourteen fairly easy ways to get ideas, who would have guessed? My three favorites of the fourteen, the ones I think are the “best suggestions”, were number four, make new connections, number five, fantasize, and number ten, hang out with diverse groups of people. I found make new connections really interesting and helpful just because I think too often we don’t consider the fact that putting to old ideas together can in fact make a new one. In this day in age when so many ideas have already been thought up it can be hard to create a truly new thought, but the truth is when you take from the old and make something new, that is a truly original thought, and I love that someone out there is enforcing that. Fantasize. I absolutely love that word. The word itself makes me imagine the impossible. Ditkoff had a really good point, too often we assume that the only people who fantasize are children and sickos, but I often find my best writing comes after I daydream about things that could never happen in real life, we all need to find that sense of wonder that as children brought us hours of enjoyment. Fantasize is a great suggestion. I love number ten. Hang out with a new group of people. We rarely by choice seek out the unfamiliar, but the truth is the more time we spend with people we don’t know and who aren’t like us the more life experiences we can have and the more information we generate to create even better creative ideas. I started high school in a new school district freshman year, and my new district was in one of the richest parts of Columbus, I was from…not the richest area. I was forced to hang out with new people I had nothing in common with. But these people opened up a whole new world filled with music I really enjoy, and even my style changed. These strange people changed my idea of me, and the truth is if I hadn’t been forced I never would have associated with those people. Now I try and hang out with all different kinds of people, so I’m constantly hearing new music, seeing new fashions, and listening to interesting, new to me, points of view.

Number one’s prompt is “What new idea is fascinating you? What new possibility has captured your attention? In what ways can you honor this inspiration today?” Lately I’ve been really into music and the idea of writing some songs and learning to play the guitar have been taking over my brain. The idea of creating something that other people might want to listen to is kind of intoxicating. I’ve been fighting the urge to ignore all of these feelings for the past two weeks and instead I’ve been hanging with my friends singing songs we already know and picking up some chords on the guitar. I haven’t written anything original as of yet but I’m planning to start soon.

Creative influences.

Lately I’ve been listening to a band called The Mimicking Birds. Their song “New Doomsday” (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VPW8Pz8fFFM&feature=related) uses Tension and Relsease by starting the song out with a slow monologue about better understating steps when reading instructions and it goes on just long enough to make you start wondering when the song is going to start and then the music kicks in to release the tension of the monologue. This song influences me creatively because I love the way it mixes in weird everyday sounds with the music. It uses, not only the initial monologue, but also sounds like a coin dropping, little things that takes a couple of listens to really notice them. I love adding small details to my creative endeavors and this is a perfect example of a way that I would do it.

The movie Inception was anther huge creative influence for me. Its use of Text and Subtext in the final scene is a favorite part of the movie for me (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ibX4WbnFdHo). The implied meaning at first is that he made it home and everything is good and back to normal, but then he spins the top and you never see if it falls making the subtext that he may or may not be in reality. I love to keep people wondering when I create things, leaving some ideas up to the audience as opposed to feeding it to them. The effect the ending of that movie had on me continues to this day and I often wonder which was the truth, was he still dreaming? Or was he in fact back at home with his kids? I can only hope to create as much thought with a piece of my own art some day as Inception did.

My third major creative influence is the blog Postsecret (http://www.postsecret.com/). It employs Objective and Subjective subject matter. Some of the secrets have very objective subjects, you know as soon as you see the postcard and/or read the secret what the person is trying to say and why. But there are other secrets that are more subjective, where you aren’t sure what the sender really meant by their secret or don’t really understand the context of it leaving it up for interpretation. I also love the raw emotion that shines through with this blog. People, although anonymously, are bearing their souls out sharing their deepest darkest secrets. While some are humorous, like being turned on by a pillowcase, others are serious to almost awkward point, like admitting to being molested by a loved one. When I create art I want to put every part of myself into it. The parts I’m proud of and love and the parts that make me ashamed and that I hate. It creates a dark beauty that I adore.

 

 

In conclusion, I would define my creativity as a bit of mess, which mixes the everyday beauty with the contrast of its darkness. I like to keep people guessing, and to add details that make it impossible to discover all parts of the general theme in just one look or listen. I want to create things that keep people coming back for more discoveries.

Blog #1

I wish I could say I'm a morning person and loved the idea of taking an 8 am class on a Friday, but the truth is the only reason I signed up for it is because it was the last available time slot.