Fireside Chat

Our Fireside Chat was one of the greatest experiences I have had all semester.  I was so surprised and truly touched at how amazing it was.  I was extremely impressed by everyone's stories and by the atmosphere of the night.  We have all gotten to know each other pretty well this semester, being in so many classes together.  However, I felt that our Fireside Chat allowed us to exceed the level of comfort and understanding of each other that we had previous.  I loved getting to know everyone at an even more personal level.  Furthermore, I was impressed by peoples' willingness to share things so personal to them.

After the performance, I realized how high of an opinion I have of everyone in this class.  I always looked up to everyone and thought they were wonderful people, but this night just increased that sense I had exponentially.  Everyone truly is amazing and has so many amazing qualities.  I have grown to love and appreciate this group of people, and the Fireside Chat only enhanced these feelings.

Much like my impressions from the Exercise in Empathy, I also realized how humble and full of wisdom everyone is.  Sometimes we go through life feeling alone and that nobody else understands us.  If we have this negative attitude, we cannot get help and advice from anyone because we are too blocked off to the idea.  This night helped me realize that a lot of people are going through just as difficult, if not more so, trials than I am.  I am so impressed by how everyone in our class has responded in certain situations.  This gives me a feeling of happiness and hope for the future that I, and others, can handle tough situations and get through them in one piece.  And the wisdom of everyone was tremendous.  I could feel the maturity of everyone, based on the specific story they told, or their reaction in the situation when it happened.

My performance went a lot differently than expected.  I usually love performing in front of people.  I do not get nervous, or shake, or anything of that matter.  But when I told my story, everything changed.  I was so overcome with emotion.  That story is not one that I have told many people.  It is a very personal moment that is hard to return to because of the fear and pain I went through.  Deciding to tell that story was definitely hard.  I was uncomfortable with the idea because I feared how emotional I would get.  As I practiced, it really was not that difficult.  I thought I was going to get through telling my story easily.  But the moment I began, a switch turned inside of me.  I would not say I had the typical nerves.  Rather, I was shaking so much because of what I was saying.  It hits home so much.  And saying everything out loud in a way felt like I was reliving it.  Telling that story was harder than I had imagined.  I actually felt some of those terrifying and angry feelings that I felt ten years ago.  But in the end, what hit me most was talking about my sister today and the beliefs I have in her.  I love that we talked about our beliefs.  That is what made all the difference to me in this project, and honestly that is why I got so emotional.  Our beliefs define who we are; they are what motivates us through our days.  I hold my beliefs so near and dear to me because they are the essence of me.

Extra Credit Assignment

I have noticed a general trend in society that very few people overcome.  Not only are people too busy for anything besides work or school, but there is such a strong emphasis on perfection.  Because of this tendency, people stick to the one thing they are good at and very rarely branch out.  I believe this to be a great sadness in how society runs today, and I would love to see more people doing more things, because it is fun and enjoyable.  I would love for us to return a little bit more to the Renaissance Man.

I propose an assignment to do just this.  I would include it in our Belief section because it deals in the belief in human capabilities and the belief in ourselves.  In class I would start by talking about this idea of the Renaissance Man; how people used to have so many talents because they worked to become great at many things, including language, music, dance, poetry, etc.  I then would direct the class discussion to self confidence and self esteem.  I would talk about how people become discouraged when they are not good at something.  It is important to emphasize the busy society we are in - that people only have time for work related things.  People so often load their lives with so much work that they have little time to rest or do anything else fun.  Because of this specialized world we live in today, people become amazing at a specific talent, but lack in others.  But a more "Renaissance" type person is much more rounded and fulfilled.  Yes, it is wonderful to be so skilled at something in particular, but try to have other talents.  Try to make time for other things.  Try to enjoy life and do those things you are too busy or too scared to do.  This assignment deals with Belief because it is the belief that we are capable people and that humanity truly can be amazing when people "spend themselves in a worthy cause."

The media example I would use for this project is my favorite quote, The Man In the Arena, by Teddy Roosevelt.

"It is not the critic who counts; not the man who points out how the strong man stumbles, or where the doer of deeds could have done them better. The credit belongs to the man who is actually in the arena, whose face is marred by dust and sweat and blood; who strives valiantly; who errs, who comes short again and again, because there is no effort without error and shortcoming; but who does actually strive to do the deeds; who knows great enthusiasms, the great devotions; who spends himself in a worthy cause; who at the best knows in the end the triumph of high achievement, and who at the worst, if he fails, at least fails while daring greatly, so that his place shall never be with those cold and timid souls who neither know victory nor defeat."

This relates to what I would discus because it highlights the act of actually TRYING.  So many people give up, even before they start.  But in this quote, Teddy Roosevelt emphasizes how the importance is in TRYING.  We do not need to be the best.  We do not need to live in fear of failure.  We do not need to let others determine what we will do in our lives.  We should decide what we want to do, and not be limited to one thing, and the one thing we are good at.  This quote shows the belief in a strong person who desires to do better and be better.  Trying new things, whether we are good at them of not, is better than the bitterness of never trying them at all.
 
Assignment Description:  Choose something that you have always wanted to do, but either never have time for, or were too afraid for fear of failure.   This could be creating a painting, writing a piece of music, exercising, trying out for something, etc.  Make sure this is something that you have thought about before but do not do on a regular basis.  Spend the week creating or doing this particular work or activity.  How did you feel after completing the project?  Did you feel more accomplished?  How did this activity help you grow?  Did it help you grow?  Keep a journal of your impressions and feelings during your progress.  Did this help you find meaning and purpose in doing different things?  Do you think you will keep doing it or other things you don't usually have "time" for?  Do you feel it is important to be more of a "Renaissance Man?"

Concerned Citizen

By Jessica Marquis and Kirstin Anderson



 

We did our Concerned Citizen documentary on Diena Simmons. She is the station manager of KBYU, Channel 11, at BYU Broadcasting. KBYU is Utah’s local PBS channel, and is part of the bigger organization, BYU Broadcasting, which is nationwide, as well as international.

We originally planned to interview and follow BYU Broadcasting Managing Director, Derek Marquis. When we showed up to do the interview, he suggested that we interview Diena. He explained that she works more on the community level than the global level, and that she is really passionate about her work. We were glad he made this suggestion, because Diena turned out to be a great interviewee.

Diena is in charge of what goes on the air for Utah’s PBS station. She is very passionate about providing wholesome content. In the interview she mentions that no matter what, people are going to use media, so she wants to provide something that is worthwhile.  Toward the end of the documentary, she mentioned that she has had opportunities to work in the commercial media world. But when it came down to it, she felt more proud to be doing this work at KBYU. Other employees at BYUtv have had similar opportunities to work in the commercial media industry, but choose to work at BYUtv. Even though the salary is often lower, many of them feel better about the work they are doing there.

We happened to be at BYU Broadcasting to interview Diena on the day before a big event she was running, and she invited us to come back the next day and shoot some b-roll. This is one of many events that she is in charge of. We discovered that they have a lot more going on than people realize. She said in the interview that not all of the work they do is on the air. This event, among others, aids the community on a physical level. Diena feels it is important to provide service wherever she can, in fun and interesting ways that will get people to want to participate.

We could tell that Diena is a genuinely caring person. While editing, we talked about how comforting it is to know that there are people like Diena who care enough to try to improve the community. There must be more people like her in our community who work hard in different ways to better their environment, and that is such a great thing. We hope this documentary can inform people about how dedicated people are to creating better environments, and how anyone can help out even if it is a small contribution.

On the technical side, we got to our interview and didn’t have a 9-volt battery to power our lav mic kit, so we just had to use the camera audio. If we could go back and redo it, we definitely would have gotten a battery so our audio could have been better. However, in the end, we are really happy with how the documentary turned out.

Protest Poster

“...But the spirit told me, that we should get married!”  I love BYU so much, and I really enjoy living in Provo.  But for the last four years, I have despised one thing about this culture; the idea that a week after meeting someone is the time to get engaged.  I fear our community thinks the faster you get married proves you have a better relationship.  Reflecting the last four years of my life, I realize this engagement problem is the one I continue to run into, and the problem that seems, not only to bother me most, but hurt me most. 

My research for this project was somewhat different than any traditional style.  I searched around the Provo/Orem area looking for things that urged on, not just marriage, but weddings in particular.  I noticed the large number of engagement ring adds, couples workshops, bridal stores, and also the marriage and family classes offered at BYU.  These places are all over the community and all over BYU.  My research also consisted of thinking back to all of the experiences I have had, as well as asking many others how they felt about the issue.  I found that I am not the only person feeling this way; however, I am still shocked that, although people claim to this feeling, engagements after a week are still popping up all over the place. 

My understanding of this issue has grown because I am realizing what the motivations are.  After my research, it seems clear that people do not see beyond the initial marriage and their first few years as a newlywed couple.  People I have asked have big plans for the future, but when it comes to logistics, nothing is worked out.  I hope to bring awareness that can inform and change people's lives; I know too many people my age, here at BYU, who have been divorced. 

My goal was to make my poster look like adds I see everywhere, but tweak it so my audience takes a second to really understand the meaning.  My poster reminds me a lot of ring adds from Jared’s, Kay’s and all of those stores. To express my point of view, I chose the very popular song, “Call Me Maybe,” to show that getting engaged so quickly is a trending thing in our society.  Furthermore, the lyrics suggest the ridiculousness of the proposal; the subjects do not understand because they cannot see beyond the excitement.  I also wanted the whole image to be clouded by red to represent how clouded peoples’ mindsets can be when they care only about the wedding.  The red shows they are so lost in the romance that they lose sight of reality.  I wanted the man proposing to be in casual clothes and casually handing over the box to call strong attention to this “chill” attitude people have about getting married.  Marriage is a big deal, but our culture seems to strip that commitment and turn it into something purely fun rather than serious.

After posting this on my social network, I received interesting feedback.  Some people from home in California agreed with me wholeheartedly.  However I wanted to focus on those living here who experience this.  For the most part, people really agreed with my poster.  They even liked the humorous aspect and felt it complimented my idea.  I do think though that I received so much positive criticism because those who disagree with me would not say it, even if they ponder the image.

Webspinna Final Links

http://blog.widp.de/medien/click-the-squares-am-laboratory

http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/nova/physics/fabric-of-cosmos.html

http://margaretnoble.net/blog/not-the-olympics/

http://www.stumbleupon.com/su/8pQG4y/naturesoundsfor.me/Anza/

http://margaretnoble.net/blog/autumn-leaves/

http://margaretnoble.net/blog/salt_pepper/

http://margaretnoble.net/blog/chopped-and-stretched/

http://www.stumbleupon.com/su/2oj4wJ/:11ZIwwGlr:LcJhWhdS/balldroppings.com/js?1/

The Websipinna was a completely unique experience, unlike anything I have ever participated in before.  Preparing for my performance was particularly interesting.  At first, I was confused where to begin.  I did not know websites that had specific sound effects, and I certainly did not know how I was going to mix everything (that is if I could find anything).  I began with my interests.  Finally something popped into my mind.  Many years ago my dad got me into listening to books on tape.  My favorite was by an astro-physicist, Brian Greene.  I decided the approach I wanted to take was to tell part of my life story through sound.  I searched the internet for a clip of this book because physics, math, time, and space have occupied my thoughts my entire life.  From there, I decided to find other sounds that expressed who I am, like the nature sounds I fall asleep to every night, and the montage of athletic noises to show the sports I have played my entire life.

In mixing my sounds, I wanted to begin with Brian Greene and introduce the audience to the workings of my brain.  I wanted this to last throughout the whole piece to show my curiosity that is always under the surface, even if it does not seem to be the most dominant thing at the time.  Then I used the magic squares website to slowly introduce an addition of new thoughts, dreams, and ideas that “pop” into my mind.  The noises of the athletes were added in half way through the performance because after part of my life had progressed and I was in high school, sports became so important to me and dominated much of what I did.  This narrator feel extended through my entire performance to give a representation of my life through sound.

The actual performance was interesting because I was surprised how much it matched up with my life just as the sounds did.  When I first got up, the sound from the previous person died out before I had a chance to begin.  I thought this was interesting because it left a gap between me and the person before.  This parallels my life because I was born quite a while after my siblings.  My brothers are close in age but significantly older than me.  Similarly, the person after me had troubles and the noise quit.  I also have younger sisters that are close in age, but born eight years after me.  In a way, this can represent how distanced in years I am with my siblings.  We are all extremely close and similar, just like the class performed the same sort of thing, but there is a separation of time between me and everyone else.  Another thing that I noticed performing is that no matter how well I thought I had things planned, it turned out differently than expected.  This is hugely representational of my life.  I am what you would call a “type A” person and love things to be in perfect order.  However, as the years go on, I realize that things change and you cannot control everything, no matter how well you plan.

Finally, I had a great time listening to everyone else’s Webspinnas, socializing and of course eating food.  I felt like the whole night really brought us together and we were able to express ourselves in different ways.  The thing I loved most was that we were able to come and share our lives with each other from farther back than we knew each other.

Webspinna

Links to Websites

http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/nova/physics/fabric-of-cosmos.html

http://margaretnoble.net/blog/not-the-olympics/

http://margaretnoble.net/blog/salt_pepper/

http://www.jeffwu.net/?page_id=967

http://margaretnoble.net/blog/autumn-leaves/

http://margaretnoble.net/blog/chopped-and-stretched/

http://www.stumbleupon.com/su/8pQG4y/naturesoundsfor.me/Anza/

http://www.stumbleupon.com/su/30mf62/:hsd81pDx:LcJhWhdS/everyonesmixtape.com/

http://www.stumbleupon.com/su/2oj4wJ/:11ZIwwGlr:LcJhWhdS/balldroppings.com/js?1/

Medium Specificity

Bob Ross - Landscape painting

 

One of the most fundamental aspects of art is the use of color and mixing those colors to make a specific image, whether it be a literal representation of something, or an abstract piece.  Unique to two dimensional art forms, like painting, is the use of color in whatever way the artist seems appropriate.  Unlike photography where an image is captured in its natural colors and can later be manipulated, painting and drawing can alter color from the beginning.  As such, color plays a vital role in artistic works by representing either physical manifestations or altering reality.

I wanted to explore this notion of changing color and the effects it can have when compared to the same piece portrayed in natural colors.  I chose to draw (using colored pencils) an already painted landscape; however, I used the original piece's opposite colors on the color wheel in my representation.  For example, wherever there were blues in the original, I used oranges.  I also used a more detailed color wheel to get correct shades because there are so many blues and greens in the original.  By doing so, I wanted to show that because the medium of two dimensional art allows for complete artistic representation, particularly with color, the artist can portray something however they desire - even to it's most extreme, like opposites on a color wheel.

What I found interesting was how easily people could tell what I drew.  After showing my work to multiple people, not a one hesitated in what it portrayed.  I find this intriguing because although color is so important to a picture, it only changes emotion rather than the image itself.  That emotion is the basis of my take on this assignment.  Because a person can paint using whatever colors they desire, they have complete control on the emotion forced onto the viewer.  This art form then allows for the artist to insert their views onto others more poignantly than other art forms, like photography.  For instance, after surveying a group of people, all expressed they received a calm and peaceful feeling from the original.  Once I showed them my representation, the majority said they felt more overwhelmed, but also more interested in the picture itself.

Another important thing to note is that most people found the altered picture to be more compelling.  This shows how painting and drawing can be a great tool to cause awareness, create tension, and get audiences to think more than if they saw a normal photograph.  In a way, Van Gogh's Starry Night acts to create such an atmosphere.  He uses similar colors for an accurate representation, however he calls more attention to the colors and the brush strokes than he does to the entire piece.  In consequence, the colors seem heightened and the painting becomes more compelling because we can tell there is something unusual about his color choices.

Mark Rothko stated, "we are in a sense mythmakers and as such have no prejudices either for or against reality.  Our paintings, like all myths, do not hesitate to combine shreds of reality with what is considered "unreal" and insist upon the validity of the merger."  The manipulation of color is a wonderful characteristic of painting and drawing.  Because of it, an artist has the freedom, as Rothko states, to combine truth with fiction and present it in a captivating way that other art forms cannot.