Thursday, January 19, 2012
I love this video for a design standpoint. It delivers a lot of dry material in a fun and creative way that makes it both informative and entertaining.
As someone who has only recently gotten on the regular exercise wagon and frequently falls off, I appreciated this extra bit of motivation to get some movement in my day.
Wednesday, January 11, 2012
Accepting Rejection
Once upon a time I wrote occasional articles for the Finlandia University newspaper "The Roar". I was cleaning files off my mp3 player/flash drive and came across one of them. Since The Roar isn't widely distributed, I thought I'd stick a copy of the article here. I wrote this one sometime in the Spring of 2009.
Finlandia University International School of Art and Design annually sponsors the Student Juried Art Exhibit in which students may submit artwork they have done within the past year to be judged and accepted into the show. I have heard a lot of disheartened students talk about the sting of being rejected; I myself had four pieces of work rejected from this year’s show.
Perhaps being rejected from the Student Juried Show is the first brush with this new reality many students will encounter. Rejection has become one of the nasty words in our culture today, particularly when used in relation to children. In little league, everyone gets a trophy just for trying to play the game. It sweetens the sting of defeat, but it also bitters the taste of victory. These trappings of a perfect world begin to wear away as we get older. The losing team at the Super Bowl does not also get rings; the loser of the Presidential race does not also get a “thanks for playing” term as president. Being allowed to lose has become a mark of adulthood.
Rejection itself has long been a part of the art world, and still is. There are many juried exhibits beyond the one Finlandia sponsors, many of which students are encouraged to submit their work to. Opinion columnist makes their trade by writing about art and whether they think it is good or not. Van Gogh never sold a piece while he was alive, although now they are traded for thousands of dollars. Almost every time a new art movement has arisen, it has been rejected and jeered by critiques.
Through rejection and harsh critiques I feel that art becomes stronger. If an idea or mentality came onto the scene unchallenged it would be weak and soon forgotten, but as artist and philosophers have to articulate a defense for it, it gains in strength and power. It is the battles we fight and win that we remember and are most proud of. That is why I came to art school at Finlandia, not to learn to make art that everyone likes, but to fight for the art that I like.
Just because my work has been rejected by this years panel of judges does not make me a bad artist, it does not mean I have failed or that all my work this year has gone to waste. It means that this year, three people happened to be judging the work who do not like my style or ideas. Others have complimented me on my work, in class when we had group critique, and outside of class by my peers and professors. I myself am proud of what I have made. I worked hard on them and am pleased with the results; it just so happened that three other people did not feel the same way.
So I will take my rejection and wear it with pride. I have been given an opportunity to defend my ideas, and I am no longer a child who needs a consolation prize. I have an opportunity to prove my critiques wrong (hopefully before I die, like Van Gogh). Yes, it taste bitter now, but all the sweeter it will make my victory when it comes.
As an update, all of my rejected work has been purchased. Getting into shows are nice, getting told people like your work through the language of commerce makes you feel like a real artist.
Finlandia University International School of Art and Design annually sponsors the Student Juried Art Exhibit in which students may submit artwork they have done within the past year to be judged and accepted into the show. I have heard a lot of disheartened students talk about the sting of being rejected; I myself had four pieces of work rejected from this year’s show.
Perhaps being rejected from the Student Juried Show is the first brush with this new reality many students will encounter. Rejection has become one of the nasty words in our culture today, particularly when used in relation to children. In little league, everyone gets a trophy just for trying to play the game. It sweetens the sting of defeat, but it also bitters the taste of victory. These trappings of a perfect world begin to wear away as we get older. The losing team at the Super Bowl does not also get rings; the loser of the Presidential race does not also get a “thanks for playing” term as president. Being allowed to lose has become a mark of adulthood.
Rejection itself has long been a part of the art world, and still is. There are many juried exhibits beyond the one Finlandia sponsors, many of which students are encouraged to submit their work to. Opinion columnist makes their trade by writing about art and whether they think it is good or not. Van Gogh never sold a piece while he was alive, although now they are traded for thousands of dollars. Almost every time a new art movement has arisen, it has been rejected and jeered by critiques.
Through rejection and harsh critiques I feel that art becomes stronger. If an idea or mentality came onto the scene unchallenged it would be weak and soon forgotten, but as artist and philosophers have to articulate a defense for it, it gains in strength and power. It is the battles we fight and win that we remember and are most proud of. That is why I came to art school at Finlandia, not to learn to make art that everyone likes, but to fight for the art that I like.
Just because my work has been rejected by this years panel of judges does not make me a bad artist, it does not mean I have failed or that all my work this year has gone to waste. It means that this year, three people happened to be judging the work who do not like my style or ideas. Others have complimented me on my work, in class when we had group critique, and outside of class by my peers and professors. I myself am proud of what I have made. I worked hard on them and am pleased with the results; it just so happened that three other people did not feel the same way.
So I will take my rejection and wear it with pride. I have been given an opportunity to defend my ideas, and I am no longer a child who needs a consolation prize. I have an opportunity to prove my critiques wrong (hopefully before I die, like Van Gogh). Yes, it taste bitter now, but all the sweeter it will make my victory when it comes.
As an update, all of my rejected work has been purchased. Getting into shows are nice, getting told people like your work through the language of commerce makes you feel like a real artist.
Thursday, December 8, 2011
Search Terms
One of my favorite things about the stats feature on blogger is it gives me the search terms people used that resulted in content on my blog.
Currently, one set of terms is "cute van for teenaged girls"
Which linked them to this picture:
Just going to hazard a guess, this is not the van they were looking for...
Currently, one set of terms is "cute van for teenaged girls"
Which linked them to this picture:
Just going to hazard a guess, this is not the van they were looking for...
Tuesday, December 6, 2011
Dear Andee...
A comment was posted in response to this post, I felt I needed a little more space other than the comments to properly answer the question. Plus, it's good information for everyone to know.
as someone who could have been punched in the face(o_O)
i think i can give myself the right to ask;
"soul-crushing sadness!!,Why!!?"
PS.
1)don't temme that u dont wanna talk about it because u did talked about it. (we r on ur blog)(fact!!)
2)don't ask who i am, just to maintain the illusion.(quoted from ur snappy answers!!)
:P
Dear Anonymous,
I thought the reason people who have depression suffer from "soul-crushing sadness" was reasonably clear in the post, but I shall attempt to explain further.
People who have depression are not simple feeling blue, sad, down in the dumps, that is a symptom of the disease. Depression is when your body is unable to correctly balance your chemistry.
Most scientists believe people who have depression have an inability to create the proper amount of serotonin, which is the chemical your body makes that gives you the feeling of happiness. Prescriptions for depression can either be thought of as serotonin supplements or as chemicals that cause your body to start producing it at correct levels. It is rather like insulin for diabetics, their bodies do not create the right chemicals to break down sugar while people who have depression do not create the right chemicals to register the feeling of happiness.
People who suffer from depression literally do not have the ability to be happy, and so they are sad all the time. As the imbalance gets worse, they get sadder and sadder. Sometimes they pull out of it, and sometimes they cannot deal with it anymore and suicide or begin committing self-harm.
There is little telling what might set of an attack. Sometimes it is outside influences, like a close one dying, or in my case, often if I get over stressed (I often have depression attacks around exams or after moving). Sometimes there can be little to no reason for an attack of depression.
Not all depression attacks have to be treated with medication either. I have found my depression to be much more manageable by eating a healthy diet with lots of vegetables and limiting my simple carbohydrate intake as well as regular exercise, a very similar recommendation for those suffering diabetes you'll notice. When your body is healthy, it has an easier time producing the right chemical balance. Plus, as anyone who's watched Legally Blonde knows: "Exercise creates endorphins, endorphins make you happy, and happy people just don't kill their husbands." (Okay, so maybe I should have cut that quote off earlier)
Sometimes though, the attacks are bad enough that you cannot regulate them yourself and you need medication to get your body chemistry back in balance so that you can feel happy again.
So why does depression exist? Studies have shown that those who suffer from depression also have the unique ability to see things exactly how they are. Almost everyone is a little optimistic in their outlook of how everything is, which can regulate decision making habits like getting a mortgage or loan or in a more hunter-gatherer case, think winter isn't going to be very long. People who have depression have the ability to look at things in a very realistic manner with an emotional detachment "I may be able to afford the mortgage payments now, but the job market is looking like it's going to get worse and I am not that secure in my job right now" or "The snow this winter has been late in coming, which means it will probably stick around longer so we should be more careful with our supplies". If you look at many of the great minds in history who did a lot to changed the world, they often suffered from some type of depression. You could see how this would be evolutionary beneficial to us as a species. The downside, of course, is that these same people can go spiraling down into equally unrealistic pessimism.
The point I am trying to get across here is that people who have depression as a disease and suffer from depression attacks feel "soul-crushing sadness" because of chemicals in their body. Not because someone is mean to them or they just broke up with their boyfriend or because someone they love just died, these things can set off an attack, but the reason people who have depression feel sadder longer than someone who does not is because they do not have the ability to produce the chemicals and hormones that would allow them to get out of it on their own. Which is why saying "just snap out of it" is so hard for someone going through a depression attack to hear, they literally DO NOT POSSESS the capability to do that. You wouldn't tell someone with peanut allergies to just get over it, it is the same thing with depression.
Hope that answers your question,
Andee
as someone who could have been punched in the face(o_O)
i think i can give myself the right to ask;
"soul-crushing sadness!!,Why!!?"
PS.
1)don't temme that u dont wanna talk about it because u did talked about it. (we r on ur blog)(fact!!)
2)don't ask who i am, just to maintain the illusion.(quoted from ur snappy answers!!)
:P
Dear Anonymous,
I thought the reason people who have depression suffer from "soul-crushing sadness" was reasonably clear in the post, but I shall attempt to explain further.
People who have depression are not simple feeling blue, sad, down in the dumps, that is a symptom of the disease. Depression is when your body is unable to correctly balance your chemistry.
Most scientists believe people who have depression have an inability to create the proper amount of serotonin, which is the chemical your body makes that gives you the feeling of happiness. Prescriptions for depression can either be thought of as serotonin supplements or as chemicals that cause your body to start producing it at correct levels. It is rather like insulin for diabetics, their bodies do not create the right chemicals to break down sugar while people who have depression do not create the right chemicals to register the feeling of happiness.
People who suffer from depression literally do not have the ability to be happy, and so they are sad all the time. As the imbalance gets worse, they get sadder and sadder. Sometimes they pull out of it, and sometimes they cannot deal with it anymore and suicide or begin committing self-harm.
There is little telling what might set of an attack. Sometimes it is outside influences, like a close one dying, or in my case, often if I get over stressed (I often have depression attacks around exams or after moving). Sometimes there can be little to no reason for an attack of depression.
Not all depression attacks have to be treated with medication either. I have found my depression to be much more manageable by eating a healthy diet with lots of vegetables and limiting my simple carbohydrate intake as well as regular exercise, a very similar recommendation for those suffering diabetes you'll notice. When your body is healthy, it has an easier time producing the right chemical balance. Plus, as anyone who's watched Legally Blonde knows: "Exercise creates endorphins, endorphins make you happy, and happy people just don't kill their husbands." (Okay, so maybe I should have cut that quote off earlier)
Sometimes though, the attacks are bad enough that you cannot regulate them yourself and you need medication to get your body chemistry back in balance so that you can feel happy again.
So why does depression exist? Studies have shown that those who suffer from depression also have the unique ability to see things exactly how they are. Almost everyone is a little optimistic in their outlook of how everything is, which can regulate decision making habits like getting a mortgage or loan or in a more hunter-gatherer case, think winter isn't going to be very long. People who have depression have the ability to look at things in a very realistic manner with an emotional detachment "I may be able to afford the mortgage payments now, but the job market is looking like it's going to get worse and I am not that secure in my job right now" or "The snow this winter has been late in coming, which means it will probably stick around longer so we should be more careful with our supplies". If you look at many of the great minds in history who did a lot to changed the world, they often suffered from some type of depression. You could see how this would be evolutionary beneficial to us as a species. The downside, of course, is that these same people can go spiraling down into equally unrealistic pessimism.
The point I am trying to get across here is that people who have depression as a disease and suffer from depression attacks feel "soul-crushing sadness" because of chemicals in their body. Not because someone is mean to them or they just broke up with their boyfriend or because someone they love just died, these things can set off an attack, but the reason people who have depression feel sadder longer than someone who does not is because they do not have the ability to produce the chemicals and hormones that would allow them to get out of it on their own. Which is why saying "just snap out of it" is so hard for someone going through a depression attack to hear, they literally DO NOT POSSESS the capability to do that. You wouldn't tell someone with peanut allergies to just get over it, it is the same thing with depression.
Hope that answers your question,
Andee
Friday, November 18, 2011
TGIF
If you wanna take some action, you can go here.
Now on to more pleasant things.
Things I did not make/alter that I wore were my olive green Doc Martins (remind me to tell you their story someday if you haven't already heard it...) and my beautiful Pancake Mountain shirt from Threadless.
Recently I went on a tear through my wardrobe getting rid of things I didn't wear any more, had multiples of or felt I was out growing. Out the door went many, many screen-printed tees. I held a few back because with out t-shirts, I don't think I would know how to dress myself in the morning (or noon, or night, it would be pants-on-head madness up in here 24/7). But a majority of my cute/clever/Engrish shirts went out the door. I feel I have come to an age in my life where it's starting to feel way too teeny-bopper-ey to be going through my day-to-day wearing screen printed tees.
Not that I wore so many in the first place. I never got on-board with the whole corporate-logo t-shirt thing that was big when I was a teen (Nike and the like). When people started wearing band tees, comic book tees or movie tees, it just felt like the same thing. If companies want the privilege of using my chest for advertising, they can pay me for it. I ain't forkin' over $20 so that people can read my opinion of Limp Bizkit (yes...I'm that old...moving on) on my shirt. I will tell people my thoughts for free, but I'm not paying anyone to do it.
I don't know if you've shopped for t-shirts recently, but these opinions pretty much regulates me into the little old lady parts of the store where I can get solids or a nice floral print if I'm feeling daring.
I guess the lesson here is if you're going to have principles about buying t-shirts, then you probably won't buy a lot of t-shirts...
Thursday, November 17, 2011
A New Game.
I've decided to use it to catalogue my outfits for a month and then blog about them. Most likely because I'm a crazy person. (Coming as a surprise to no one...)
So this outfit represents a rough approximation of what I wore on Monday.
Let me just say, I love those pants. Friday I was walking home from my 8 o'clock and as usual, passed a lot of students going the other way. From far off, one of them looked like they were wearing these magnificently stripped pants. Turned out they were plaid pajama pants and I really need to make a dedicated effort to keeping my glasses clean.
But the idea of those magnificent stripped pants persisted. I considered drafting a pattern and buying black and brown stripped fabric because in my mind those pants must exist.
It wasn't long before I decided sewing them from scratch was too much effort. Besides, there are already so many pants in the world, what was the point of me adding to the problem instead of adopting a pair of my own? So I was off to Goodwill.
I found the perfect pair of Docker's black cotton-blend pants in a size 12 for half off. They're a little loose on me, but they have a "sure fit" waistband that keeps them around my waist and they're comfortable like pjs. Next stop was Wally World for some bleach and masking tape (and gas and dish-soap and And AND, why are these trips never simple?).
Saturday I masked off stripes and stuffed them with some of the surplus plastic bags we have jammed into every nook and cranny around here. I carried them outside sprayed the pants with a 50/50 bleach solution. Then I let them sit there in the dead-end street while the bleach dried, which upon reflection may have not been the most considerate thing to do to the neighbors. Most people find it somewhat distressing to see what looks like half a person lying in the street...
*ahem*
Anywho...after the bleach dried I stuck them in the drier to beat the crystals off before putting them in the washer. I did not think my brilliant plan all the way through. Let's just say it's ill-advised to stick clothing in the dryer covered in masking tape.
One sticky adventure later, and my pants had gone from being imaginary to real world! Huzzah!
I wore them with a Gap white button shirt I got from St. Vinny's, an Ana denim vest from Goodwill, my dad's old alpine hat and his old blue cowboy boots. The whole outfit all together probably ran me $5 and features one-of-a kind pants. How awesome is that?
(Hint: Very awesome.)
Friday, November 11, 2011
Iron Artist
I keep getting asked what I'm going to do over Thanksgiving recess. I've decided I'm inventing an Iron Artist challenge for myself. Over the course of 1 week I am going to complete as many art projects as I (in)humanly can.
The List:
[ ] 5'x3' Acrylic Painting "When My Heart Leaks"
[ ] 24 hour comic
[ ] Next story arc for Legend of Helga
[ ] Found Object Sculpture "Born of Wild Words"
[ ] Mini Collages "Man in his Nature"
[ ] Watercolor painting of a gorilla girl riding a roll of toilet paper (Don't judge me!)
[ ] Prep Masonite for 11 paintings of a series yet-to-be-determined
[ ] Painting #1
[ ] Painting #2
[ ] Painting #3
[ ] Painting #4
[ ] Painting #5
[ ] Painting #6
[ ] Painting #7
[ ] Painting #8
[ ] Painting #9
[ ] Painting #10
[ ] Painting #11
[ ] Portrait of Tyler, the moose dog
[ ] Painting "From Duluth" (Working Title)
So there's like, 11 acrylic paintings I don't have a subject for...suggestions?
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