Karim Rashid’s list of creative points is very interesting. The one that sticks out the most to me is, consume experiences, not things. This is very intelligent because people should learn by experience not from a classroom. People need to get hands on in order to improve. Yes, I can see how his creative points have come out in his work. Especially when he says normal is not good. He definitely uses that to put his own unique spin on his work. He seems like an interesting guy from his work and pictures, so I do believe his spirituality informs his art. He seems very intelligent and comfortable with who is, so he uses his inner voice (spirit) to help make his work his own.
My Own Creative Manifesto:
1.)Get experience and don’t be afraid to get involved. Getting started at a low position helps you enjoy the whole experience, so embrace it.
2.)Write down all your ideas. Nothing is worse than trying to remember something and you forget.
3.)Be organized. Keep all of your ideas and projects organized so you can always reference them with no problem.
4.)Keep your resume up to date. Always update it so it can be turned in at any time.
5.)Look for ways to show off your talent. It will give you experience and boost your confidence.
6.)Work with deadlines. In the creative business deadlines are really important, so procrastination is a weakness.
7.)Show up on time. For interviews, appointments, or meetings showing up on time is respectful and a good example of leadership.
8.)Do not burn bridges. I learned this concept in Media 101 and I believe it is always important to not make enemies.
9.)Make connections. Another Media 101 concept and definitely is needed to move up in the business.
10.)Do not settle, always try and improve. You are never done learning.
In the article, The Freak Factor, written by David Rendall focuses his attention on self-improvement with strengths and weaknesses. His three basic options of self-improvement include: Fix weakness, build on strengths, and do both. Rendall then goes on to talk about uniqueness and your own quirks.
I believe this is a very valid rule to help with your strengths and weaknesses. Not only does it take the pressure off eliminating your weaknesses, but also it makes your strengths stronger. This whole process will help with your self-esteem, which is a big part of self-improvement. Especially in the creative process, confidence is key. A man in charge with no confidence is destined to fail, because his workers will not be able to follow. Working on your strengths will give you success. If you work at what you are already naturally good at, your strengths will bring you more success. Maybe in the end your strengths will be so strong that your weaknesses will not be a problems. Once your weaknesses are hard to find then it will make it easier to fix them, because they will be so small. Some of your strengths could help fix your problems.
When it comes to the creative process my strengths include creativity and well organized. I have the ability to be creative, but have a well-structured idea that keeps the audience interested. My negatives include procrastination and motivation. Those go pretty much hand and hand, but my lack of motivation causes me to procrastinate. I could overcome procrastination by increasing motivation, by looking forward to what this project can give me. Look into the positives of finishing a project as soon as possible.
Our first joke strayed from the original contrast in order to have different locations, more characters, and a bigger punch line. Our second joke followed the joke almost word for word, in order to get an authentic adaptation. Our videos contrasted in script and characters. The first script was completely silent while the second script had a voiceover in the main characters mind. The affinity in our jokes was apparent in the beginning location and overall underlying theme of revenge. We placed the characters in different positions in order to represent space, but it was all done in a classroom. Both videos showed revenge, when Zach got Lucas back, and Joey got Zach back for both of them embarrassing the hero in the story. In the first joke, space was used when Zach got closer to the girl of his dreams. Instead of using zoom, his desk started getting closer and closer. In the second joke, the aisle between the two characters showed space. The big aisle space was used to represent the awkwardness between the boy and girl. We also represented line in our first video with the stairs and the handrail. When Lucas was walking up the stairs, the handrail was drawing the audience’s attention to the top of the stairs where Zach had left a note. This was used so Lucas and the audience can meet at the same destination, but get there in a different way. Rhythm was used in both of the jokes. The first joke used rhythm in the stairs when Zach was walking down them. The camera changed locations many times, but Zach was doing the same thing in each angle; walking down the stairs. Rhythm was then used in Joke two when Zach was talking to Joey. The camera changed angles but Zach continued to talk even though you cannot hear him, due to the voiceover.
Our game was titled Wii Lacrosse and is pretty much a sports game that uses the Wii controls to add realism to the game of lacrosse. One weakness in our gaming presentation was the objectives category. We found it hard to differ goals and objectives, and when we researched and found the information we had already covered it in the goals category. We had to switch a few things around making goals the achievements and objectivesthe final plan of action such as tournament champions. Our strengths were present in our explanation of mechanics, which are the controls and ways you play the game. We covered everything from the motion detecting and buttons used for throwing the ball and playing defense. The easiest category for us was rules, which are the guidelines that everyone has to follow in the game. Since we had a sports game it was easy to come up with the rules because they were already pretty much made for us. In our presentation we discussed the rules of the game and how they would be enforced. Overall we had a good idea, presentation, and execution of all game play concepts.
I chose this original image because it seemed so normal. At first glance it is just a small kid looking straight ahead. The kid’s hair is slightly messed up and wears a plaid shirt with no color. The black and white filter adds zero color to the piece to show its message. The shirt and hair is similar on each side making an affinity. When you look at it longer it really changes.One eye is closed more than the other and makes you wonder why. I chose to reframe only the right side of the kid’s head. This emphasizes the contrast without showing the other half. It changes the picture entirely because you cannot notice the difference the artist was trying to show. When you observe the eyes it reveals the contrast to an otherwise symmetrical work of art. There is very small visual intensity with a black and white filter in order to keep your attention on the kid. There is very limited space with a flat wall right behind him. It adds zero depth and lets the viewer observe only the kid focused in the center of the frame. The limited flat space also allows you to ask the question of where the kid is. Does the kid live in a low social status, is the kid rich, or is the kid happy? The wall I feel is like another character in itself. The wall is so bland adding on to the expression the kid is revealing. The kid has an extremely straight face and seems serious. No emotion is shown because that is what the picture is supposed to represent. It is definitely a close up shot in order to make the kid the center of attention again. All of these aspects help to create an intense picture from just a simple concept.
The article Brainwashed by Seth Godin talks about seven ways to reinvent yourself. Seth basically says that society has “brainwashed” children to live a certain way and the young people grow up living up to society’s standards.
Layer #1 Acknowledging the Lizard
This layer is about the little voice in everyone’s head. It’s the voice telling you to not go outside the box. Everyone is so self-conscious about their artwork so they are afraid to share it with the world in fear of being laughed at. We must acknowledge this problem in order to ignore it. If we follow the rules and refuse to put our artwork out there, we will never fulfill our dreams and will stay behind the walls of society.
Layer #6 Fail
This layer deals with challenging the lizard as well. The population should be able to fail in certain things, in front of the public. This comes back to the self-esteem of society and how willing people are to risk something if they might fail.
“If you take no risk you win no victories.”
-Richard Milhous Nixon
Connection To Our Blogs
All of these layers explain how blogs will help me become an artistic person. Blogs help you get your voice heard in some aspects and can give you the confidence to raise that voice. Also if you fail miserably it can give you constructive criticism if someone comments on your blog. It will help you criticize your own work, which can only make you better. Blogs cannot hurt your chances only help you gain skills and confidence.
Nathan Chapman's Soundscape
I enjoyed the causal noises such as the rain or owl hooting. It went along with the picture with the owl sitting on the chair and the hoot being heard in the background. The whispering near the end was creepy and great way to transition into the final piece of the soundscape. The manipulation of time and space was used greatly by the heartbeat near the end where everything seemed to come together. It seemed to echo near the end, which made space seem big and made it louder as well. The intensity increased making the song more creepy and interesting. Every picture was placed in the perfect position to represent what was happening in the song. With the thunderstorm and the floating house placed in the rain it seemed like you were there experiencing what was happening in the picture. The soundscape represented all of the pictures perfectly and the end was the best part. The blast of the horn was a great ending to a sneaking and intense soundscape. Overall the song represented space and time with echo and storms with thunder and rain dropping. It gave size to the picture and made you look beyond and view more space within such a small picture.
Nolan Alexander's Soundscape
All of the noises included in this soundscape represented rage very well, from people yelling and shooting guns. What I thought was the best part was the intensity that built up throughout the beginning. With the bass going along with each sound being made. It’s as if the people yelling and breaking things were part of the beat. It added a whole dynamic onto the rage emotion. The manipulation of sound was represented with the rhythm of the baseline. Everything was timed to fit along with the bass, which was moving at a fast tempo. When a bass moves fast it really represents anger or rage like they were showing. The space represented a confined area with glass breaking and people yelling like it was in a bar. The idea to show rage in such a small confined area really makes the listener feel uncomfortable. When a person feels uneasy listening to a song and it’s supposed to represent rage then it did its job. The illusion of a bar fight was great. It seems like they didn’t need a lot of layers to show what they were doing. They were able to show a bar fight with few layers making it a great illusion. It seemed like so much was going on during the song, and they only made it in Garageband.
Tyler Dawly's Soundscape
I really enjoyed the introduction of this soundscape. The manipulation of space was great with the intensity increasing and the panning. It made the sound seem as if it was coming towards you and fading away. It also moved left and right making you think there was a large amount of space within in this song. The piercing noises in the background and the dreamscape really add to the ecstasy. During the song I admit I was feeling different with my headphones in, it almost added on another dimension in the real world. I didn’t feel like I was sitting in a room anymore, I was experiencing new things. The gestalt principles with illusion and proximity are used greatly in this soundscape. The space represented in the song sounds so random and the proximity is almost impossible to guess. It represents ecstasy perfectly with the random panning and intensity. It sounds so natural when it changes from one speaker to the next. It makes the listener feel uneasy because they cannot guess where the sound will go next. Overall the representation of ecstasy was achieved through careful manipulation of sound and the addition of background noises to add depth and interesting dynamics.
The original song Don’t Stop Believing was performed by Journey and there have been many covers, but my favorite was the recent one covered by the television series Glee. The biggest difference is the people singing the song. For the original version it was just one man, the lead vocal of Journey. In the Glee version it is mixed between their two lead singers Rachel and Fin. Using the contrast of a girl and a boy really changes the pitch up instead keeping it the same as the original. The most interesting part is the introduction of the songs and how they differ. Glee uses the voices of the club to make the noises for the introduction. Another big difference is within the chorus, where in the original the lead vocal sings. In the cover the entire group of singers in the glee club are singing. The voices in the background the entire time really made the speed seem quicker with the faster rhythm. The original song uses solely its instruments. I think the way they decided to uses the glee members to sing the background beat really added a new dynamic on the song. I like the cover better, because it is more musical and passionate. The original relies so much on the instruments, which is still good but the Glee version adds so much depth to the song. When all of the members join in to sing the chorus it really makes the song seem bigger. It really adds to the intensity. The intensity is how loud or soft a song seems. I think the cover had a louder sound to it, so the intensity increased. The intensity of the original was softer giving a less passionate feeling to the music. The lyrics all stay the same and the timing was very accurate. The organization is identical to the original they only changed the singing style and the background music. Overall I enjoyed the Glee version, which is the cover. The original is definitely a classic, but Glee put a better twist on it. They added in some new voices and created a duet. The duet added so much more interesting dynamics and really created a new version. Some covers seem to be identical to the original, but Glee did a great job of making it different but keeping the same spirit in the song. Also with the visual used in the television show it adds a lot more to the song. I have not seen a music video for the original, which may cause me to be bias to the Glee version. The visual definitely added depth and intensity. It made it seem louder and more interesting than just listening to the song. But even without the visual part the songs are still easy to compare and contrast. They both have the same lyrics and organization Glee just took another route with singing. It was probably down that route because the songwriters wanted to include everyone in the glee club, instead of the one lead vocal. I think decision sets it apart from other covers and is one of my favorite cover songs ever.
In this article your howl is your own authentic voice that you must find. This article basically involves connecting your inner abilities with those around you to connect with the world. We are identified by what decisions we choose and how others judge us. That is how you choose to integrate with the world. Flaum talks about his fifth grade class and how it caused him pain to hear a person present their story. To Flaum the student’s story was true and he hated to admit that. His story involved a tiger and his cage. His cage had now become a part of him. In order for the tiger to get rid of his cage he had to die because the cage had become a part of him. This story encompasses our entire life decisions and how our surroundings become a part of our daily lives. It is impossible to drop your surroundings unless you die all together.
The world is always looking for new and innovative ways to inspire ideas throughout the public. This article by Mitch Ditkoff focuses on 14 rules that will help inspire and change the ideas that circulates throughout common culture. This Manifesto only requires an open mind and the willingness to achieve your dreams. One of the rules I necessarily disagree with is tolerating with ambiguity. This sends the message that your experiment can accidently be solved if you fail. This basically says that you have no control over what you are doing and you should just wait until it happens. That will make for an unmotivated and unachievable future. If you tell a kid that he will accidently come up with the answers to a test, then they will not study and fail. I understand that the rule is just saying that something may happen by accident and it shouldn’t go overlooked. It still is instilling the idea that there are larger forces at work and we have no control over our lives. If you dismiss this idea it creates an internal drive and allows you to have more control. I do agree with the next rule about making connections. Practically everything in the world is connected and if you figure out the connections it could help you develop better ideas. It will help us wander outside the box, because to the first layer some things may not be connected but you have to delve deeper to find the connections. A good example is the six degrees of separation. It asks the question to connect certain people to others only using six connections. This can be used for anything and can help you to connect certain things for brainstorming. Listen to your subconscious is a very interesting option and I believe it entirely. The person’s subconscious is very powerful and holds many secrets and passions. That will help you achieve your inner dreams and help you become truly happy. This is a common theory explored by the very famous psychologist Sigmund Freud. He talked a lot about a Freudian slip which is when you accidently say something you actually believe it because it’s your subconscious. I believe that he is right, because most of the time you subconscious really know how you feel. Looking for happy accidents explores the idea to enjoy the little things and let things happen to you. If something is good that happens to you enjoy it and embrace it. And of course it is definitely smart to use creative thinking techniques in order to develop ideas. A new idea that fascinates me is the idea of a musical. It’s a mixture of music and visuals that tells a story in a very interesting way. I will most likely address this issue by observing works of art that are classified as a musical. Maybe develop ideas that revolve around music and can be told in a musical form. I can apply this to my daily life by listening to music and watching movies with music involved. It is a great way to tell a story and unique as well. These ideas really helped me understand the creative process with brainstorming and noticing the important things.
I tend to focus on storytelling and visual imagery in my creative process. I enjoy representing a story in a visual fashion in order to relate to the audience. My creative ideas are influenced by many directors but by the ones who can truly tell a story in the right manner. I am inspired by the very famous Steven Spielberg and his storytelling abilities. This is a link to a biography of Steven Spielberg. Steven Spielberg is one of the most influential directors and this article describes how far his ideas actually travel. One example of Steven's ability is his most famous and influential film Schindler's List.
This persons influences my ideas in many ways. Steven Spielberg's greatest example of tension is his film Jaws. He builds up the tension by not showing the shark until an hour into the movie. It was considered a thriller so there were many examples of tension within the story. Steven Spielberg uses black and white in his film Schindler's List which is a great example of affinity. It has less visual intensity but also contrasts the intensity of the actual action within the film. It also allows to emphasis the red jacket worn by the little girl who ends up dying. A lot of his films including Munich seem to represent certain themes that can be considered subjective. He has symbols in order to develop a deeper meaning in the text and give another dimension to the story. These ideas add so many more dynamics to the script and create another world to explore. His motivation and work gives me the inspiration to follow his footsteps. His power influences and motivates me to try my best and achieve my goals.
