Welcome to the Image & Text Blog.
We will use this space to engage each other in dialog concerning class content and themes. We will debate controversial issues, ponder the application of visual and literary culture to our distracted 21st century lives, share pertinent resources, and cultivate our skills as effective and ethical digital communicators.
During the first few weeks of the semester, we (Drs. Hall and Cleworth) will set the tone for our blog conversations and establish topics. Eventually, this task will fall to all of you -- more on that later.
For your first topic this semester, we would like you to think about your "cultural diet." When we think of a diet, we typically imagine the intake of nutrition for the sake of health. In the same way, a "cultural diet" represents the manner in which we "consume" cultural artifacts. You may argue that you have no interest in arts and culture, but you interface with both everyday via advertisements, social media, your fashion choices, curating your music playlists, gaming, etc.
We will use this space to engage each other in dialog concerning class content and themes. We will debate controversial issues, ponder the application of visual and literary culture to our distracted 21st century lives, share pertinent resources, and cultivate our skills as effective and ethical digital communicators.
During the first few weeks of the semester, we (Drs. Hall and Cleworth) will set the tone for our blog conversations and establish topics. Eventually, this task will fall to all of you -- more on that later.
For your first topic this semester, we would like you to think about your "cultural diet." When we think of a diet, we typically imagine the intake of nutrition for the sake of health. In the same way, a "cultural diet" represents the manner in which we "consume" cultural artifacts. You may argue that you have no interest in arts and culture, but you interface with both everyday via advertisements, social media, your fashion choices, curating your music playlists, gaming, etc.
Toward that end, we would like you to introduce yourself to us not with a typical student biography but rather by a description of your cultural diet. Tell us who you are by virtue of the culture that you consume on a daily or weekly basis. Your "consumption" may be passive (TV viewing, etc) or active (actually creating art and culture through playing an instrument, making digital art, etc). Try to give us a sense of the wide range of your cultural diet practices and make note of anything that is or has been particularly meaningful to you.
If you would like to get creative, try this approach: curate your cultural diet for us in three objects or artifacts. Describe them in detail and clearly articulate how and why they are meaningful to you.
Before you post your comment, be sure to hop on to the Canvas course shell for either ARH 102 or HUM 251. Go to one of the Blog Check assignment links and look at the associated grading rubric. This will give you a concrete sense of our expectations.
If you would like to get creative, try this approach: curate your cultural diet for us in three objects or artifacts. Describe them in detail and clearly articulate how and why they are meaningful to you.
Before you post your comment, be sure to hop on to the Canvas course shell for either ARH 102 or HUM 251. Go to one of the Blog Check assignment links and look at the associated grading rubric. This will give you a concrete sense of our expectations.
AS ALWAYS: Proofread. Spell check. Remember your audience and that Blogger is a public medium.
For my first artifact, I will discuss the musical instrument I play. I am a percussionist in the symphonic band here at GCC. I have not always played percussion, though. My musical career as a whole began when I was ten years old, and throughout my elementary and middle school years, I was a clarinet and alto saxophone player. Then, after my freshman year of high school, when I had moved on to tenor saxophone, I had this burning desire to learn percussion. I took lessons the next year, and became an official percussion student in junior year. I have continued to stick with it throughout my college years because, ever since I started, it has become one of my passions. The main appeal of it to me is, unlike any other instrument, you are not ‘limited’ to a single one; there are drums, like snare drum and bass drum, mallet instruments, like the marimba, and accessories, which can entail anything from a classic tambourine to a wind-up police siren (of which I have actually played in concert!) So, that in of itself is already amusing. In addition, though, percussion is very important to the musical realm. From what we hear on the radio to symphonic performances, its instruments help keep the beat and serve as the ‘backbone’ of songs. Even further, they can make the music ‘groove’ much more easily. Adding on to the aforementioned radio example, the pop songs of today would likely have a strikingly different feel to us if there were no drums or other percussion. This is how percussion is meaningful to me.
ReplyDeleteMy second artifact is related to how I get myself onto campus: driving my own car. While it is typically expected in our culture that teenagers will get their license at or shortly after they turn sixteen, I did not get mine until I was eighteen. That was a personal choice; I did not feel emotionally ready to start driving until I was done with high school. Now, I drive to campus every day, in a Hyundai Accent that my mom and I were able to purchase with money stored in my savings account shortly after my high school graduation. This is very meaningful to me, as it has allowed me to gain independence from my parents. I no longer need to rely on them for a ride to school. In a similar way, I recognize that I am fortunate to have a reliable means of transportation; one that does not require spending lots of money on weekly passes, nor begging toward my parents to use theirs. Transportation is a vital part of our culture; we all have places we need to go and ways we need to get there, whether by car, bike, bus, or even foot.
The third artifact I would like to mention is my involvement in St. Vincent de Paul. While not as tangible as those aforementioned, this still bears a great amount of importance to me. In my senior year of high school, I was part of a club called Advocate for Change whereby we went to certain organizations and did community service. A key organization we went to was St. Vincent de Paul, and we would attend this event called Hearts and Hands. Hearts and Hands is a three-hour public volunteer session that is offered every first Saturday of the month, from 9 AM to 12 PM, with the primary purposes of decorating water bottles and packing sack lunches for the homeless. As hunger is an important issue to me, I jumped at the idea of attending these events. In fact, they are so important to me that I have continued to attend them, and next time will be my fourteenth time. As such, I have built a strong relationship with the Volunteer Coordinator, and connected with other volunteers. Nowadays, whenever I see promotions for St. Vincent de Paul, I am always reminded of its positive culture that keeps me coming back. It is through the aforementioned artifacts that I have acquired my “cultural diet”.
Lizzy, I have to say that I found your cultural diet to be very similar to my own. I too began playing the trumpet in junior high at the ripe age of 10! At the time playing an instrument was a requirement for anyone who was in fifth grade or above, however, I found that playing the trumpet became a major passion of mine due to the fact that it gave me some short of outlet for my creativity. Likewise, playing an instrument made me feel like I could finally create my own music. Sadly, I did not continue playing the trumpet when I went into high school which part of me has always regretted.
DeleteI also relate to your experience with getting your car at eighteen. I too chose to hold off on getting my license at sixteen. However, I did such because I had gotten into my first car accident shortly before my sixteenth birthday. Getting into my first car accident made me afraid to drive for a long time. Yet, I decided to take driver's education my senior year of high school to finally get my license. With this in mind, I currently still do not have my own car but getting my license was a huge task that for a long time I thought I would never be able to accomplish. I am still extremely proud of myself for getting my license for many of the same reasons you listed in your response. I am also proud of you too Lizzy, I understand your struggle!
Finally, I found your experiences with volunteering very interesting seeing as I just began volunteering last semester. When I was first told that I needed to volunteer for my scholarship I felt a mix of emotions. One part of me was extremely excited because I had always wanted to try volunteering but my parents would not allow me too because they thought many of the
organizations were in bad parts of town. This opportunity finally allowed me to bypass their rules! Additionally, I also remember feeling worried because I knew that I had to have my hours done by a certain day so that I could fill out paperwork for the honor's office. With this being said, I chose to volunteer at the Andre House with several other honor's students. It was by far one of the best experiences I have ever had. It was so amazing seeing all of the hardworking volunteers who desperately wanted to make a change in other people's lives and knowing that every single person who came to eat food in our cafeteria would have a good, wholesome meal.
Josh, I find it great how our cultural diets have a lot in common! It is so cool to me how you used to play trumpet. I completely agree that playing an instrument helps you express your creativity and, similarly, ‘opens the door’ for opportunities to actually create music. I am sorry you regret not continuing; however, keep in mind that you could probably brush up on it at any time. I feel that once we fully acquire the skills to play an instrument, such ability never completely ‘goes away’.
DeleteI am so sorry you had to experience a car accident before your sixteenth birthday! I would have been scared to continue on after that as well. However, I applaud you for at least getting a license. Driving is not necessarily for everyone, so it is a huge accomplishment to get licensed to do so, especially at eighteen (which is still pretty young)! Thank you, and congratulations!
Yes, unfortunately, it is true that a lot of organizations are not in the best parts of town. The St. Vincent de Paul branch I go to, for instance, is quite far down in south Phoenix. However, this does not discount how fulfilling the experience of volunteering at SVdP is to me! I can understand your mixed emotions though. I used SVdP for my co-curricular one time, but the thing was, I had to get there an hour earlier (8 am) in order to fulfill the time requirement. I did it, but still kind of prefer to come at 9 because that is when everything actually gets going. With that said, I have never been to Andre House before, but have heard of it. I am so glad you had a great experience, and maybe I could go there for a co-curricular this time around! I imagine it is wonderful to be in a cafeteria and see people who otherwise would not get food enjoy a meal.
Lizzy, although I can say only one third of our cultural diet is similar, it is one of my favorite outlets of expression. I think it is really awesome that you have a passion for percussion and music. It can be a beautiful form of art that translates across different types of people. It really resonates as well that you're passionate about it. It's always fun learning different instruments and I think it's cool that you developed a love for percussion after trying it junior year.
DeleteI think it's also important that you brought up meaningful points about having a car. The convenience of having one really helps as a college student. Especially when you live far away. It's easy to take for granted and I honestly think it was smart of you to wait on getting your license. A lot of people who get their licenses at sixteen are terrible drivers and don't understand the repercussions of driving while distracted and etc. Good, well written post!
Thanks for your marvelous post, Lizzy. I think the percussion section is the most underrated in modern symphony orchestras. Later this semester we will be taking a close look (and listen!) to Stravinsky's The Rite of Spring. The final section of that piece, the sacrificial dance, is driven by the timpani. I am always amazed how the timpani drives this section -- and it never plays at the same time as the strings. It has its own propulsive beat and, in effect, drives the whole pieces into a frenzy (fitting for a sacrificial act). Another percussive piece I love is from Akhnaten by Philip Glass. The funeral of Amenhotep is AMAZING, and I have long used it for getting into the flow during long runs. Have a listen!
DeleteDr. Cleworth, thanks so much for telling me about these works! I will certainly have to check "The Funeral of Amenhotep" out. Also, I look forward to digging more into Stravinsky's "The Rite of Spring"; that will be exciting!
DeleteLizzy, I admire your passion for musical instruments! I was not aware of how important percussion truly is to music. My only knowledge in music comes from years of choir and playing the guitar (not very well, might I add). After reading your post I realized we have some things in common. I understand how meaningful it is to drive your own car. I also did not get my license till I was 18 years old. In high school, I suffered from anxiety. Now, I am able to drive to school and where ever I please. I am extremely proud I was able to overcome the fear, just as you should be. Thank you for sharing your cultural diet with us all!
DeleteLizzy, I share a passion for volunteering as a part of my cultural diet as well. I feel that it is important to serve your community and reach beyond yourself. I volunteer at a homeless shelter for families. Volunteering there has changed me and opened my eyes to the needs in my community. I did not realize how many people are in need. I am glad to see that you want to serve people in need as well. There are so many people that we would never think need help and are struggling alone.
Delete
ReplyDeleteMy cultural diet is not too complex. The things that I take in on a daily basis do impact and shape me in ways I do and do not realize, whether I like it or not. It is important to be vigilant over your cultural diet as with your regular diet consisting of food. Just as too much food or the wrong kind of food can be harmful, so can the things we allow into our minds. My cultural diet consists of TV shows, encouraging music, and social media.
I enjoy watching tv that makes me laugh. These types of shows help me to relax and forget about how crazy life can be sometimes. I like watching old tv shows like I Love Lucy and Andy Griffith, but also enjoy current shows like Psych. These shows influence me in different ways. The shows can help to boost my mood, show me different types of relationships in our society, and even teach life lessons. TV can have more of an impact on us than we think and realize.
Another aspect of my cultural diet is listening to encouraging music. This type of music helps me to find hope in each day and live my best life. An example of an encouraging song I listen to is “Keep Your Head Up” by Andy Grammer. I enjoy listening to songs with positive messages that say even though life is hard, it is going to be okay. The messages in these songs affect the way I think and feel daily. Having the song lyrics in my mind encourage me when I get stressed during the day or feel overwhelmed. Music is an escape, but also like therapy. It is a useful tool for life.
My cultural diet also includes viewing social media daily. I look at apps like Instagram and Pinterest. These types of apps have a huge influence culturally. For me, sometimes viewing other people’s lives can affect my self-esteem negatively. However, I learned when I look at it, to appreciate my life and not use it to compare myself to others. I appreciate the differences in all of us. I get to see that we each have different lives and go through different things that make each of us unique. What we put on social media though, is often only a small part of who we actually are.
Ashlynne, you make a great point about how allowing the wrong things into our minds can cause problems in life. It’s like the saying, “garbage in, garbage out”; if you take in a lot of negativity, you will likely put a lot of it out to other people as well.
DeleteI find it very cool how you enjoy shows like “I Love Lucy” and “The Andy Griffith Show”! I have never seen either before, and could really brush up on my ‘50s/60s culture in that regard. I agree with you that watching funny, even positive television shows helps alleviate stress. I personally enjoy watching more reality shows, where I can witness, and perhaps relate to, other people. A favorite of mine is “Shark Tank”. I am always curious as to if the people presenting their ideas to the “Sharks” will actually get a deal.
I absolutely love encouraging music, and I absolutely love “Keep Your Head Up”! I am like you, and would venture to say many of us, in that I sometimes need music with positive messages to get by. Also, I tend to hum songs constantly throughout the day, so I totally understand what you mean by having lyrics in your mind.
One of the greatest pitfalls of social media is that it can reduce self-esteem. I completely fell victim to that when I was a freshman in high school. However, I am glad you and I have both learned not to compare ourselves to others on social media anymore! You are right in that it is only a microcosm of the rest of our lives; there is so much more to us as individuals that what we choose to ‘broadcast’ on the Internet.
Thank you for your post, Ashlynne. Social media is an interesting beast. At its best it has the capacity to connect us in ways that certainly Mark Zuckerberg imagined. At its worst though, I think it has the tendency to isolate us and make us even more insular than we already are. How many times have we posted "fabulous" things about ourselves only because we've just seen someone else posting all-too-fabulous things. There seems to me to be an endless and competitive crafting of our front stage personas that goes on via this powerful medium, and I sometimes worry that its powers are indeed more restrictive than expansive. Perhaps we need new courses on social ethics in the digital age or social media for mind expansion rather than tunnel vision!
DeleteAshlynne, I completely agree that we must be vigilant about what we allow in our cultural diet. I admire that you choose to view or listen to things that positively affect you. "Keep Your Head Up" by Andy Grammer is a great song to get inspired by. It is so upbeat and positive. You are right, social media has a funny way of subtly making people feel inadequate about themselves, but as you said what is posted is only a small portion of a person's life. I have recently deleted all of my social media to free myself from all of unnecessary expectations of perfection social media tends to pressure us into. Dr. Cleworth, I agree the power that social media holds can become more destructive rather than constructive.
DeleteAshlynne, I also agree that TV shows really impact a person's way of interacting in society. I too watched Psych and I have to say, it significantly changed my mood when I wasn't feeling my best. Social media is a dangerous tool that is at everyone's fingertips. Monitoring what websites you use and for how long is important for a person's mental health.
DeleteAshlynne, I also share many of the same pastimes as you. For example, I have always been a huge music lover. Likewise, I often find myself listening to very different genres of music depending on what mood I am in. With this being said, I definitely listen to uplifting music frequently for the same reason that you do. If you have time I would suggest listening to any song by the band Set It Off. I would say that they are the epitome of fun-loving, young and inspirational artists who simply want to have a great time.
ReplyDeleteI also enjoy watching funny t.v. shows. Currently I have been binge watching a show called Ridiculousness due to the fact that they showcase clips of viral videos that I find to be very humerus. Likewise, I completely agree with you that sometimes the best thing you can do for yourself, in terms of keeping stress levels low and staying positive despite what is happening in your life, is to have a good laugh!
Lastly, I relate to your views on social media heavily. Social media has played a huge part in helping me not only figure out who I am as a person, but also in helping me relate to a broader audience. However, just as you pointed out, social media can be a very dangerous place when it is used to compare people instead of being used for its intended purpose, building connections with others.
As stated by the Oxford English Dictionary, culture is defined as "manifestations of human intellectual achievements regarding collectivism." In other words, culture is often shaped by the mores and norms of specific communities and without communities we likely would not have culture. With this in mind, I truly have seen the practical applications of such definition in my everyday life due to the fact that the communities I have been involved in have all shaped/continue to shape who I am as a person and how I live my life, in their own ways.
ReplyDeleteWhen I think about specific communities that have helped in shaping who I am as a person I immediately think of being a “metal head”. Let me begin by stating that I am aware of what comes to most people’s minds when they think about heavy metal music; screaming, aggression, vulgar lyrics, and violence. As someone who has been a longtime fan of heavy metal music I have to be honest and say that a lot of these traits are often found in the genre. However, the more that I listen to heavy metal the more I begin to realize that these same traits are habitual in the genre for a reason. I believe that such reason is because of how many of us “metal heads” are. More specifically, a lot of of us are misfits who have a hard time relating to the catchy choruses of pop music because we crave lyrics that reflect the honest, raw, and sometimes adulterated emotions that we feel. I find that many types of music, the most notable being heavy metal for me, act as an outlet for countless feelings and emotions that I have dealt with in the past and continue to deal with now.
Another community that comes to my mind in light of shaping who I am as a person is the “gaming community”. I have always been a longtime fan of video games due to the fact that I find it very easy to get lost in repetitive tasks, which is the core mechanic behind most games (farming resources, fighting bosses, completing quests). However, I found a new appreciation for video games when I began playing online with my friends. In playing online, I quickly realized that video games can be about so much more than just competing tasks and admiring landscapes. I came to this realization for the first time while playing Borderlands 2 with my friends from school. Borderlands was the only game I had ever played whereas many of the core mechanics of the game such as the rarity of loot, the difficulty of bosses, and the amount of experience that was rewarded to a player depended on not only how many players were in the same lobby together, but also how experienced those players were. To me, this was revolutionary because it created a want to have other people join my adventures without feeling like I could not play the game by myself. This type of gameplay most notably helped me in becoming friends with many people who I otherwise would not have. Moreover, playing online with other people helped me to overcome many tendencies about myself that I was never very fond of such as being shy and not being able to speak when there was more than one person around me.
Hello Josh, you make a really great point when describing your reasons as to why people listen to heavy metal music. My sister loves heavy metal. As I was reading your post it just reminded my of her. I really enjoy listening to metal music with my sister because it is something extremely different from the ordinary. I cannot say i'm a "metal head", but I can see exactly where you are coming from.
DeleteJosh, I really enjoy our common interests, I too really enjoy gaming and I've had my moments with metal music. I agree with you that the emotions of metal music is something that is hard to reach with other genres, and the power behind the expression is unmatched. I know of a lot of metal bands that have completely swayed from the atmosphere of violence and anger through their own timeline, and I think that is a beautiful transition as a musician.
DeleteThanks for your engaged post, Josh. I read an interesting article recently about how the military is now using gaming as an immersive training technique to help foster cross functional collaboration and the development of "flow states" among soldier, pilots, SEALS, etc. As you suggest, games are not simply entertainments and aesthetic experiences (though quality games might appeal to both); games are perhaps fundamental to our cognitive structures. Human beings are problem solvers and competitive by nature, and certainly the game industry realizes this and strategically develops games to appeal to this very fundamental part of how we operate. Education is just now catching on, and we now see gaming theory becoming a part of how some faculty structure curriculum and learning activities.
DeleteI envy you Josh, because online gaming as made you less shy. I can't play Overwatch on mic because I'm afraid I'll get yelled at haha. Someone insulted my Tracer skills on general chat once and I didn't play for months. Maybe I'm just thin skinned. I do love playing with my friends though; it makes the experience all the more better when I'm playing just for fun with friends and not to climb the competitive board. I've never played Borderlands before, but my little brother really likes it. I might ask to borrow it from him, you've inspired me.
DeleteIf this posts as unknown again I'll be so sad! I don't know how to fix it. :( -Hannah Walkner
Hannah, when you click reply, there should be a "reply as" option at the top of your post; this allows you to select your posting profile. You should see your name. If you don't this means your profile may be set to be unlisted. If you click the "unknown" in your post, it will provide a series of links on how to modify your profile to ensure it is visible to Maricopa viewers.
DeleteOne aspect of my cultural diet includes my primary and favorite hobby which is watching television shows and movies. For as long as I can remember, I watch television shows or movies whenever I have time to spare. In an odd way, sitting back and watching something entertaining has also been a type stress reliever to me. I watch a variety of chick flicks, dramas, and comedies. A movie I could watch forever is Clueless. I understand that this movie is not an Oscar winning type of movie, yet that is exactly why I like it. Clueless is ridiculous in the absolute best way. The television shows I watch are equally bad in taste. For instance, I have recently been re-watching It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia. This show is extremely unusual and hilarious. Even if some of the topics are offensive, I recommend this show to everyone. Although I am aware that watching T.V. consistently is not the healthiest way to pass my time, I am pretty much addicted to it.
ReplyDeleteAnother aspect of myself which is a direct influence of the culture I live in is my obsession with zero calorie drinks. Personally, I try to drink water more than anything; however, I drink diet soda quite a bit. When I was younger, I drank regular, sugary soda all the time. Over the years, I just replaced that with diet soda instead. It all started when my siblings wanted to lose weight, so they all drank diet soda and I just hopped on that bandwagon. I have been hooked on diet soda ever since. The soda I drink the most is Diet Dr Pepper because its taste is very unique. I cannot imagine my life without diet soda.
I did not mean to publish this as unknown. - Nohely Del Rio
DeleteI can relate very well to your use of television and media to reduce stress. Everybody has different ways to reduce stress, but in the age of streaming lots of people use television to power down and relax. I personally, find no problem with it as long as it doesn't consume your life and it maintains it's use as a stress reliever. Television and movies have become a huge portion of our modern culture and I think it has become a common ground for friends and family alike.
DeleteNoehly, I can see eye to eye with you about your zero calorie interest, I too used to drink soda as often as I could. After some time I identified that the only reason I like soda is for the carbonation, so I switched to flavored sparkling water. At first it was a hard transition but over time I've come to see the healthy benefits from it.
DeleteI think the community of weight loss can be a slippery slope but it is one that can really benefit a person if they find the right path.
Nohely: One thing I would encourage you to think about is that even what we might consider passive, enjoyable entertainment is nonetheless shaping our worldviews in powerful ways. Though Clueless may not be may favorite movie, it nonetheless teaches us something interesting about family drama, conflict management, negotiating social expectations placed on us, how to differentiate between style and substance, what constitutes a "meaningful life," etc. Sure, it's pop culture fluff (and pretty ensconced in its own atmosphere of money and privilege), but a perceptive thinker will draw more from it than initially meets the eye!
DeleteI feel the same way about zero calorie drinks! If I'm not drinking water I'll be drinking Powerade Zero, Gatorade Zero, or even sugar-free Redbull if I have to pull a double at work. Although I don't drink soda often, Diet Dr. Pepper is one of my favourites. If you like cherry flavours you should definitely try Diet Dr. Pepper Cherry, it's just as good! -Erica Hair (in case it shows up as unknown again)
DeleteI've decided to articulate my culture through the three artifacts that are meaningful to me. The first artifact that is meaningful to me is my video games, but not necessarily for the same reason that most use. I am a prolific reader and I am particularly enamored with storytelling and stories in general. I find myself diving deep into the world of fiction across the different mediums, but video games are my main outlet. Video games take many forms and the ones that are popular nowadays are the shooting and fighting games but I closely follow games that are story driven. A good example is last year's Game of the Year, "God of War," it is a story that takes elements of Norse and Greek Mythology and follows a Spartan and his son traveling to the tallest peak to spread a loved ones ashes. It's a emotional and well developed story that really shows the potential games have in storytelling. It really helps me explore different worlds as the character of the story and really puts me in the atmosphere. Video games also have the ability to flesh out stories over the course of several hours that makes movies inadequate sometimes due to time constraint.
ReplyDeleteMy second artifact is my classical guitar. I would say, since I have been little, I have not been as interested in music until I went to a performing arts high school. It gave me the opportunity to learn and acquaint myself with different genres of music and find the emotion and storytelling music has to be a wonderful outlet. Classical music and Classic Rock really shape who I am and I love being able outlet my emotions and feelings through playing. They are useful to me because where words fail, music conveys what vernacular and thoughts cannot for me.
The third artifact of great importance to me is The Office. If you haven;t heard of The Office you are most likely under a rock, it is one of the most watched shows of all time but trendy does not mean it can't be meaningful. I've re-watched the sitcom more times than I can count and whether the obsession is unhealthy or not, it is a large part of my life. It brings me great humor and joy and even after how many times I have watched it, I still laugh. In many of my hobbies and outlets, the office has taken a seat there. Whether it be my graphic art projects, I made a card game, jokes, a lot of me, is The Office. What we consume is a large part of who we are and without the Office, I wouldn't be as open of a person as I am today.
Ethan: So, what I want to know is the following -- 1) What are you reading? Prolific readers are rare, so I am always interested to get into their bibliographies and see what is driving their love of all things textual. 2) Classical guitar is imminently beautiful. My favorite guitarists is a Montenegran guitarist Miloš Karadaglić (http://milosguitar.com/). His rendition of Rodrigo's Concierto de Aranjuez is BOMB. So, I guess I have a third question: will you play for us in class?
DeleteEthan, first of all, thanks for all your positive comments on my original post above! Second, I find your explanation of why video games are meaningful to you very interesting! Before reading your post, I had not considered the story lines of video games to be that important. However, you make a good point that video games have more time to let their stories unravel than movies. I feel that the dialogue between characters in video games is easier to 'connect' to, probably because you are directly interacting with it. Whether you are paying attention to it or not, dialogue in movies keeps going, but any dialogue in the introductory story line of a video game usually requires you to press a button in order to advance. In my view, this pause, in between the dialogue happening and you pressing the button to advance, gives you time to take in what was just said.
DeleteI think it is very cool how you play the guitar! It is not an easy instrument in my opinion. Also, I did not mention this in my original post, but I also went to a performing arts school (Arizona School for the Arts), so we have that in common!
The Office is a great show. When I was younger, I used to play this computer game based off of it where you went around giving different supplies to the characters. Each time you did this, a 'bubble' (or something, I cannot exactly remember) at the bottom of the screen would gradually fill up, and when it was full, you gained the ability to pull a sweet prank on Dwight! It was so much fun. The PC version, from what I can tell, is still available for purchase on Amazon or download/purchase from Big Fish Games if you want to check it out.
Hey Ethan, I absolutely agree with your views on The Office. My group of friends always make jokes or use quotes from the show, especially from Dwight, all the time. Besides all of the humor, there are definitely some lessons to be learned from the show. Although I have only seen the entire series once, I would watch The Office all over again.
DeleteI love the guitar! I actually took a classical guitar class in middle school but I found out my hands were to small so I have resulted to playing the ukulele. It's great alternative I must say but I still wish I could reach the crazy chord on a guitar!
DeleteHi Ethan, I used to play video games a lot more but have lost time due to work, school, and my busy life overall. I completely agree with what you say when you mention that video games have the potential to go into depth with story unlike a movie. I have gotten lost in video games before just wanting to play and learn more. I also understand your love for music, as mentioned previously in my original post. Also, while I have heard of The Office, I have yet to watch the series. Don't worry, it is on my list of things to do. I have heard a lot about it and I will be sure to watch it since you have showed a great interest. Thank you for your post.
DeleteAs my first artifact I'd like to direct your attention to music. For nearly half my life I have been surround by instruments, singing, and school band. Before even playing an instrument in 4th grade I knew music was an interest of mine. I absolutely adore the passion and emotion that can come from playing an instrument, it is a performance bug that I can't seem to shake off. But it's not just about the music or my own personal gain from it, but the community that follows. In high school for four years I was surround by a band that I consider my family, a group that I felt I belonged for the first time. Because the band was so big there were huge communities that I attached myself to; joining the school's winterguard and learning about dance and makeup, the artistic band members and how we transformed the performances through our art, and specifically the LGBT kids in the band, where we found our place in a way we felt comfortable. All of that, on top of the joy of playing and learning about composers, is something that I still have applied deeply to myself.
ReplyDeleteMy next artifact is art, as that is my career goal. It is my true expression, I have so many things going on in my head that it's nice to see it on paper once in a while. For years I used a journal to write down my thoughts, express my troubles through art, and it was surprisingly therapeutic. When I really catch a drift of inspiration I'm not afraid to say that I create things that even takes my own breathe away. I use a lot of my inspiration through song lyrics (even my tattoos are based on a song), TV shows, movies or video games. I do love to create my own original pieces but I also think it is useful as an artist to work off of other inspirations to extend a world you've involved yourself in, or to just simply extend something you love.
My last artifact is movies and TV. I wouldn't call myself a movie critique, I walk out of bad movies and still find something to love about it, but I like the artistry it requires. My favorite thing to look for in movies are parallels, whether in words or simply the shots that they take over the course of the cinema. I also really enjoy breaking apart the meaning of movies to identify a deeper meaning, such as the stigma in Bird Box, or what the movie Life Itself is trying to say through it's jumbled mini stories. I think that given the right director, movies and TV shows can have a really though provoking impact on the viewer.
Unpack your second artifact for us. You mention your career goal, but then you provide only a generalized sense of what it is: art. I'm assuming you're a songwriter, no? If so, tell us about your music. Are your lyrics tied to a specific genre? What are you inspirations -- poetry, life experiences, professional standards of song writing? And Bird Box. I have Netflix. Why should or should I not add this to my queue?
DeleteBryson, through your love of music, I noticed you also got to learn about makeup and dance. I danced from the age of four, until last year. I enjoyed dancing in many styles and found community in dance as well. It is amazing how an art form can bring people from different backgrounds together to tell stories and to help each other grow. I also enjoy journaling like you. It is therapeutic, letting you release all the many thoughts inside your mind. I think it is admirable that you express yourself through many artistic mediums such as journaling. Sometimes it more powerful to express your feelings through art than through speech.
DeleteI have also danced for a very long time and loved it so much, 14 years to be exact! I recently stopped due to college and wanted to solely focus on music and photography but honestly I miss it so much, there's nothing like freely letting the music move you!
DeleteHello Bryson, I completely understand how you feel about band, but forgot to talk about it in my original post. When I got to high school, I was a little smaller and I was a little intimidated by the thought of high school. But when I joined band, I found the complete opposite. I found that band is like a family and I made a ton of friends that lasted me even until today. I also have a love for TV like you that I did not mention in my original post. While I do not get to watch TV and movies as often as I would like, I do enjoy looking at the deeper meaning portrayed as you mentioned in your post. I also have Netflix and Hulu, do you have any good shows or movies you recommend?
DeleteBryson I think that is very interesting to know how important art is to you. I agree, expressing ones troubles through art IS therapeutic and it always ends up into some beautiful art. I think painting is something that will never fail me in any troubling situation.
DeleteDr. Cleworth, I guess my fingers were faster than my brain. I had re-written my post so many times I guess I missed the main point of my second artifact. I am not a songwriter but I do basic art pieces with paint, pen and ink. About Bird Box, it is based off of book that I am interested to read, and I think it is a very intriguing movie when you look at it past the basic story line. I can see a stigma against those who have mental illnesses from the movie while at the same time saying it could represent the pain of mental illnesses. My only warning with adding it to your queue is that since it is a Netflix original, it doesn't hold back with showing graphic images at times.
DeleteThe artifacts I chose to represent my cultural diet is honestly quite simple and basic. The first one being art. I absolutely love art. The art I enjoy comes in various forms such as, paintings and digital art. I tend to be drawn to pulp horror, like Esteban Maroto and Aeron Alfrey. I also deeply enjoy Latinx. and Chicanx artwork such as, The Love Embrace of the Universe, the Earth, Myself, Diego and Senor Xolotl by Frida Kahlo. As an aspiring artist I want to submerge myself in pieces of artwork from all types of genres. I feel it is important because it gives me the opportunity to learn and take inspiration from other artist. My fascination with pulp horror stems from my appreciation for comic book artwork. My dad is a big comic book fanatic and it was through him I was able to gain a huge sense of how important comic book artwork is. My love for Latinx and Chicanx art comes from my own love for my heritage. Their work gives me a strong sense of familiarity to the struggles I have faced as a Chicana, that have been otherwise ignored by the mainstream anglo culture.
ReplyDeleteThe second artifact I have a deep appreciation for is fashion. I am truly obsessed with fashion. For me, fashion gives a person the chance to explain their personality with their style. Clothing can give someone so much confidence just by wearing their favorite shoes or pair of jeans. Not only do I love the freedom clothing can give you, but also how the material is manufactured. In Japan, tobi jeans are made by hand and are dyed by hand. The process for making one pair of denim jeans is takes around a month to complete. This determination to create such unique articles of clothing truly inspires me to style unique outfits for myself.
My final artifact is music. My music taste varies from 50s/60s to Spanish music to alternative indie music. I love music from the 50's and 60's. I am a huge fan of Sam Cooke, Billy Holiday, Doris Day, and Wanda Jackson. Their music is soothing and perfectly encapsulates their era, especially Sam Cooke. Natalia Lafourcade is a singer from Mexico. I absolutely adore her voice! It is soft and angelic, yet it yields such strength and pose. Her music encompasses the beauty of Mexico. Another artist I adore is Lila Downs. Her music comes from the perspective of an indigenous Mexican woman. Many of her songs come from a place of protest and call for change. Which is one of the many reasons I love her songs. Finally, one of my favorite artist at the moment is Bjork. She is thoughtful about her music and her music videos. She understands that just as everything in art as meaning so does every sound in her songs. Music has given me the opportunity to hear history from all different points of perspective.
Wow, Aryanna, what a repertoire! There is a lot here to absorb. I am hoping that we will have time near the end of the semester to bring Kahlo into our discussions, as she offers us a really interesting way to bring together a host of themes: surrealism, Mexicanidad, Marxism, syncretistic imagery, and, of course biographical approaches to interpreting art -- I mean, her relationship with rivera and her own suffering are foremost among her subjects.
DeleteI'm a fan of Bjork as well. Her album Vulnicura is among my very favorites, as it is a much more intimate, biographical work.
Given your interests in Mexican singers and classic blues artists from the 50s and 60s, I strongly urge you to check out Lhasa de Sela. She passed away a few years ago, but what a legacy. La Llorana is probably amongst my favorite albums of all time.
I love Bjork as well! She is such an interesting individual and makes very stimulating music. I used to be a full time dancer and we used to always use her music, it's inspiring at the least!
DeleteIt's so nice to hear that you really love your culture. I, too, am Mexican but I never tried to get deeper into my culture before. You've inspired me to add "learning about my culture" into my cultural diet.
DeleteDr. Cleworth, thank you for your suggestion. I will definitely have to give La Llorona a listen. Jacey, I completely agree Bjork is an extremely interesting woman. I love how much she loves to experiment with new sounds and instruments in her music. Damaris, Im so happy I've inspired you to want to delve deeper into our culture. I suggest reading “I Am Joaquin” by Rudolfo “Corky” Gonzales. It is one of my absolute favorite poems. I hope this helps!
DeleteAryanna! I can see that you are really interested and astonished by art. That is so great ! Do you also draw comics ??? That would be so cool. I am actually really happy that I came across this post because I need new music to listen to so thank you !
DeleteI had this all typed out and accidentally closed the tab, haha. Here goes round 2.
ReplyDeleteI'd say my first artifact would be my love for the fantasy setting in media. I've been playing "Skyrim" since it came out (7 years) and have replayed the game series "Dragon Age" for years as well. I'm anticipating "Game of Thrones" return, and it took me 4 years to finish reading "A Song of Ice and Fire" (Sorry George R.R. Martin, sometimes your page long descriptions of food is a little boring). There is something about escaping to a land of kingdoms and rulers, of monsters that don't exist in the real world and magic that seems too far fetched to even imagine that draws me in. I suppose my love for princess stories as a child as evolved into this. These together have stemmed my love for this genre, and it is usually what I write. I've been writing for as long as I remember, and have been drafting a fantasy novel for the last 5 or so years. Several chapters have been written, and I'm pretty happy with the result I have so far. It revolves around an assassin getting sent to kill a king of a kingdom during a war. I love my main character a lot, but I feel like giving her a happy ending doesn't really fit the genre of kings, queens, dragons, and magic.
My anxiety relievers are another important artifact for me. Everyone who experiences anxiety has something to do to make them calm down, for me its a few things. One would be applying my makeup. Even if I have no where to go, applying makeup when my anxiety is at its worse seems to help a lot. Maybe its my brain creating different looks with my eyeshadow that distracts me, or my having to even out my breathing to make my eyeliner wing perfect and sharp. Either way, my anxiety always finds a way to calm down once my makeup is all done. My second way is to play the game "Animal Crossing: New Leaf" on my 3DS. In it you are a mayor of a town and your villagers are cute animals. Talking to them, fishing, and organizing my town while sweet music plays in the background is stress free. In 5 years, I've put 450 hours into my same save file from the start.
Lastly, and this might be the most important for me, is my love for the group BTS. They might simply be just a boy band to some, but for me they've helped my mental health more than anything. I found out who they were the day before the anniversary of my brother's suicide, and I spent hours just consuming their content to distract myself from the worst day of the year. Over the last 2 years I've been a fan, I've learned to love each member individually for their strengths, the blood, sweat, and tears they pour into their music, and their love for their fans. Some might not like the "pop"ness of their music, but if you read the lyric translations they sing a lot about the poverty they've experienced, their own struggles with mental illness, the stress schools put on children, ways in which the government can be toxic, etcetera. Their last album series had the theme of "Love Yourself", and showed the story of loving someone so badly it destroys apart of you, and learning that you must love yourself before giving love out in the world. My first tattoo was the symbols that are on those album covers, and I can't be happier with it. I saw them in concert in September, and that honestly was one of the best days of my life.
I don't know why this posted as unknown!!! :( -Hannah Walkner
DeleteHonestly, I had the same problem as you Hannah! Also, I absolutely adore Animal Crossing! Are you excited for the upcoming one! I'm glad they haven't stopped making those games. You're a trooper, 5 years with the same file from the start! I lost my first file in the hands of my cousin. I also have friends that like BTS but I have yet to hear one of their songs, maybe you can recommend me one!
DeleteJust in case it posts as "unknown" my name is Yasmine Mills and it was a pleasure reading your post!
Thank you for replying to my post Yasmine! I'm logged into my school email too and it still says I'm unknown, maybe the internet just hates us.
DeleteI've kept my copy of Animal Crossing under lock and key, I think if anything would to happen to it I'd die. I lose things so often it is a wonder I still have it; I lost my copy of Pokemon Sun when I moved last year.
My favorite song by BTS is Spring Day! It's about meeting with a lost loved one after the cold winter passes (could be alluding to depression) and spring comes again. Fake Love is also good too; the lyrics translate to a love so toxic that the person changed themselves completely for the other person, so much that they wear a mask to cover their real selves.
-Hannah Walkner
Hi Yasmine and Hannah -- check out my post above on the "Unknown" issue. If your name is showing up in the "reply as" field when you type a message (it should if you are logged into maricopa.edu), there may be an issue with the privacy settings on your Google account. Click the "unknown" associated with your post and follow the links provided to see if you get any relief. Also, when typing a new message, see if your name is available as a drop down when you click "unknown."
DeleteHannah: One thing I will say about fantasy as a genre is the idea that it is but an "escape" is certainly not true. Though I am not fluent in fantasy literature (or games), I have found that epic fantasy literature, at least the very best of it, is almost always about the present moment. I think the best example is Tolkien and his Lord of the Rings series. Yes, we can get caught up in elves and new languages and mystical rings, but at the heart of the story is a tale that directly parallels the cataclysm of Tolkien's own time: World War I. In a way, Tolkien used his vast knowledge of Old English and Norse mythology to craft a heroic tale that in many ways spoke to the fear and sense of impending doom that soldiers -- and all of European civilization - felt as the war in the trenches became just that, more entrenched. So, I would venture to guess that a close reading of Martin (who I know was/is a huge Tolkien aficionado) would reveal similar lenses into our own times.
DeleteHey Hannah, good to see another Elder Scrolls fan out there! I've played games from that series since I was a little kid, and I have more hours logged in the last three installments than I'd care to admit. Oblivion is my favorite of the series as I can't help but view it through nostalgia goggles. I think it was the first game I really got into. I remember being so stoked when Skyrim finally released on 11/11/11, and I can't wait for Elder Scrolls VI to come out. I'm not sure if you play on console or PC, but if you haven't checked out the Elder Scrolls modding scene you are definitely missing out!
DeleteHello! My three artifacts that I've brought to the table are; my love for video games, drawing and playing the violin!
ReplyDeleteI play more often than I draw, there's just something about being in someone else's life that I enjoy. It also helps me determine what kind of person I want to be. In a virtual environment, I'm able to make more mistakes and incorporate the things that work in my life. Not only can I find who I am as a person but it helps me escape from the world. If I have a bad day, I can just switch on my console, step away and give myself space to calm down. My favorite title will have to be Assassin's Creed: Odyssey. I'm a total nerd for history but when those two things come together, it's like chocolate and ice cream! I get to learn about Greek gods while I play.
It's almost the same idea of getting away from the world with drawing, but I associate drawing with meditation. I vent out feelings with my art, it's the best way I can express myself. I wouldn't call myself shy, but I'm defiantly a timid person. When I'm working on an art project, it's always in a calm and quiet atmosphere. I can be one with myself. It can also help me actually talk to people, there's no right or wrong way to look at an art piece. I enjoy going to art museums and talk to some people about what they see and what the art means to them. It gives me a chance to step into people's shoes but in person.
The first time I ever wanted to play an instrument was when I was in sixth grade but it wasn't the violin that I was in love with. I wanted to play the saxophone, my parents insisted that I played the violin though because it was "easier". Yes and no, with a violin you obviously don't use your breath in a way but end up using both hands. It's as challenging to me as patting my head and rubbing my stomach. Sadly, I can't do those two together without practice. It took me almost two years to learn to read musical notes and know where they are on my instrument, but once I got better, I feel in love. I don't really play often unless it's at a family's wedding but every now and again, I'll pull it out from the shadows.
I posted under my school email, but the internet fails me, yet again! - Yasmine Mills!
DeleteYasmine, do you listen to violin music? How does your own taste in music reflect your love of the violin? Do your tastes run classical? Bluegrass? Contemporary? For me, the violin will always be associated with two pieces. The first is a violin concerto by Samuel Barber. If you have never heard it, take a listen. It is wickedly difficult (and short), and I always imagine a supernatural being serving as the primary instrumentalist in that pieces. The other is a contemporary piece by John Adams called Dharma At Big Sur. It is scored for electric violin. It's stunningly beautiful and always takes me back to my summers on the coast of California.
DeleteMy whole life I've been inspired by pictures, whether that’s moving or a snapshot I think it is one of the most important creations to the world, and to me. As I grow older, my life goal is to travel the world and capture culture through the lens, in hopes to share with other what I will, and what I may encounter. There is this sort of high you get when you create something beautiful and I must say it has got me hooked, not only that but it is addicting and it doesn't make it easier when there is so much inspiration all around me, everywhere I look. Life is so beautiful, especially in the details and I think a lot of people forget about them, some just oblivious, other intentional, either way I get this feeling that it is somehow my purpose in life to help people see, a natural force that draws me into the small and overlooked candid moment of this temporary life, in which is too short.
ReplyDeleteAs for another thing I love to explore, I love not necessarily fashion, but just what people wear. What a person wears and how they dress can tell you a lot about who they are. I myself like to wearing things my parents and grandparents pass down to me, so anything from oversized sweaters to old rusty jewelry. There is just this authentic sense to it all that you rarely find in newer fashion. Guess you can call me an old soul, and the shoe probably fits! I also love thrift shopping because I loving giving things a new purpose; it is also better for the environment then just fast shopping which is something I've been trying to get better at, being more environmentally aware that is.
As for my last quirk I love to embrace, it is my room. I, like most teens, would like to say my room is my safe place, and for that I am always on a constant hunt to make it my own and a creative place in which I could make music, art, photos, anything you name it. Some things that it consist of are my infamous red Christmas lights, childhood photos scattered all amongst the walls, a lamp that has a color changing light bulb, a beanbag, pieces of art hung in black picture frames, two of them being my photos I did in black and white on film, processed and printed by myself, and lots of notes taped to my walls from poems my cousin writes, to important reminders I like to look at from time to time. I also have many plants in which all have names!
Thanks for sharing your thoughts, Jaycee. Do you hope to become a professional photographer at some point? Or do you just want to have your lenses on hand as you catalog your experiences as a future globetrotter. As far as fashion is concerned, I don't think one has to be a connoisseur of haute couture or a monthly reader of vogue to understand that what we wear is part of our performance of identity. One of my favorite "characters" in the world of fashion was the photographer Bill Cunningham. You should look him up. He spent 50 years on the streets of New York just snapping photos of random people on the street -- not celebrities or big wigs. Fashion editors ALWAYS paid attention to his columns in the Times because they new that his eyes were the ones that were detecting shifts in how we communicate via dress.
DeleteI love your post Jaycee! I love your passion for photography, clothes, and your room because I love each too. My parents are always making fun of me because I am always buying new things for my room but it's mostly plants and succulents. Maybe I'll even start naming them... I hope that in a future time you'll be willing to show off some of your photography !
DeleteMy cultural diet seems pretty basic to me. I take on more of a passive consumption of culture, meaning I mainly just read, listen to music, play video games, and movies.
ReplyDeleteOne thing that is very important to me is my approach to watching movies. Ever since I took an IB Film class in high school, I’ve viewed movies in a whole new light. When I see one for the first time that I really enjoy, I’ll watch it 4-5 more times that week. My interest isn’t only in the plot and fine details of the film itself, but the entire world behind it. I love breaking them down and understanding the seemingly unimportant specifics of the behind-the-scenes world. My all-time favourite movies is the Lord of the Rings trilogy (2001-03). Other films I enjoy are Whiplash (2014), The Big Lebowski (1998), and Yojimbo (1961).
Another cultural aspect that is important to me is music. I drive up to 300 miles a week commuting to school and work so during that time I let music keep me company. I grew up listening to my father’s stuff so it was a lot of AC/DC, Lynyrd Skynyrd, Fleetwood Mac, and basically anything that was popular in the 70’s. As I grew up my taste in music got a little more diverse. Now I have a single 4 hour, completely nonsensical playlist composed of 80’s hair bands, broadway soundtracks, movie scores, 50’s doo wop, garage rock, garage punk, heavy metal, 90’s rap, German rap, Japanese rock bands, Celtic punk, and much more. The thing I like about music is how it makes me completely forget about myself. For a few minutes at a time I’m whisked away to another place, or another time, or even another dimension.
I guess I'm another victim to the "Unknown" problem - Erica Hair
DeleteHello all, my name is Kyle Waddington and the three artifacts or objects that I will be discussing are my instrument that I play, my vehicle, and my music that I listen to everyday.
ReplyDeleteThe first artifact I will be discussing is my musical instrument, the Euphonium. Since the 5th grade I have played a musical instrument. In my first band class, my director had me choose an instrument to play based on which mouthpiece I felt most comfortable playing. After trying several, I chose the mouthpiece for an instrument called the Euphonium. Since then I have stuck with that instrument and I have enjoyed playing it for years. I think that playing my instrument helps me relax and distracts me from the outside world; when I play I enjoy myself and performing for others. I love playing so much, that I purchased my own instrument, which was not very cheap. I love playing music and I am even starting to take band classes again here at GCC to take a break from all the other work associated with other classes. I hope to have a ton of exciting performances with my classmates and I look forward to what is to come.
Another artifact I will be talking about is my vehicle. While it does not seem like a huge part of my life or cultural diet, I use it everyday. Ever since I was 16 and started my driving career, I have invested a lot of what I do into my car. I worked hard to get my permit, then license, and eventually my car. Before I had my car, I had to use a bike to get back and forth to work and ask for rides to school. Now that I have my vehicle, it does not take me as long to get places and I can come and go at my own leisure. I use my vehicle everyday and I have invested a ton of money into it to keep it maintained. Also, now that I have my own car, I can assist and give others rides that are in need. Overall, my car has become an important artifact in my life that assists me everyday.
The last artifact I will be sharing is the music that I listen too. This kind of goes hand-in-hand with my vehicle because whenever I drive, I plug in my music or make sure the radio is playing. The type of music I listen to varies as people are always showing me different music but I always have to be listening to something when I drive. I also enjoy listening to symphonic music as I do play an instrument and have taken previous classes on music and its history. Overall, music and the art of it has become a big part of my life and something that I have grown increasingly interested too. Listening as well as playing music will probably always be a big part of my life and something that will stick with me forever.
Hey Kyle! Thanks for sharing. I play the Euphonium too! Did you want to follow a career path with music? It really seems like you like it. Also having a car is a big change because not only does it help you commute but it allows you to access places that can broaden your cultural diet that weren't available before. Have you ever thought about going somewhere new? Music seems like a big part of your life and thats good! Sometimes listening to music while driving is the perfect way to relax and I can speak from experience. Do you listen to any band composers?
DeleteMy cultural diet consists of a few things: TV shows, movies and books. First, I'll talk about TV shows. I am constantly watching new shows any chance I get. TV shows make me feel like I am living in another world and often times bring me closer to people. When I was 10, my family and I moved from California to Arizona. I didn't know anyone at school, so I spent more time at home hanging out with my brother, who was 7, at the time. One Saturday evening, he and I were channel surfing and were about to give up searching when we landed on a channel that was airing the TV show Psych. I wasn't someone who enjoyed watching TV shows, but this one brought so much joy between my brother and I. We fought a lot, as siblings often do, but we both bonded with this show and thus began my obsession with TV shows. Being able to watch shows that take me out of this world and into new ones is what makes TV shows fun. Life is either more dramatic or fun in a show. Psych was humorous and made me laugh, How To Get Away With Murder is dramatic and leaves me wanting more at the end of every episode, Strong Girls Bong Soon was funny and dramatic, yet it also pleased my inner romantic. A fun series that I just started watching is Black Mirror. It's not a show that I can binge because every episode always leaves me reflecting on the world and my place in it, but I find it very interesting and I enjoy being able to connect the episodes to the world I live in today. Of course the episodes are all more intense than the real world today, but they are all easily applicable to the modern age.
ReplyDeleteSecond, I will be discussing movies and their impact on me. Movies are a smaller part of my cultural diet but they have a lasting impact. Movies are shorter than TV shows which allows me to re-watch them multiple times in one day. Just like TV shows, movies take me to other worlds and they also bring me joy. I find it interesting how a story that is days long can be told in less than two hours in a movie. Movies impact a viewer's life in ways no one could imagine. For example, I watched Spiderman: Into the Spiderverse recently and I was so moved by the story telling and the animation that I actually teared up when I was watching it. I also really loved that Miles's mom spoke Spanish and so did Miles. I don't hear much Spanish in movies unless it's for joke purposes by making fun of the language and accent so hearing it in a normal conversation was a relief.
Finally, I will get into books. I love to read. When I was in high school, I read one book every day for about a month. Reading, like TV shows and movies, takes me into other worlds, but it does it in a way that I get to control, or imagine, how things look in the stories. Reading not only allows me to be more creative, but it also teaches me how to write better. There could be improvements, but I really do like that books have taught me how to write better than my teachers have in the past. As I said before, I wasn't a kid who grew up watching TV for more than one hour a day so the way I spent my time was usually sitting on my bed reading books. I read a lot of Goosebumps, Animorphs, Percy Jackson and the Olympians, and so much more when I was younger. I believe that every book I've read has taught me something new and I'm very pleased by this.
The three artifacts that I will be talking about are my love for music, video games and anime.
ReplyDeleteI'm majoring in Music Education and I love doing it. I love talking about music, criticizing music, analyzing music, and playing music. I play the Euphonium which, in my opinion, has the most beautiful and warmest sound of the brass family. That warm sounds help me escape from anything harmful and helps me calm down my nerves. I do practice excessively but I also take time to play whatever I'm musically craving. Sometimes I just sit in my room and listen to classical band music and listen for the Euphonium part.
Playing video games is a way to make mistakes and not care. Yes we know that making mistakes in the real world is okay and necessary to becoming successful but sometimes it gets embarrassing and annoying. So what I do is I just start playing games when I make a mistake I just press the restart button and make sure I do it right the next time. I love emerging myself into another fantasy world where I can be a mage who has to save the world or a knight who has to fight for his country.
Watching anime helps me destress from anything musical. One anime I'm re-watching called "Sound!Euphonium" is about a girl who struggles as a musician and as a high school student. I remember watching this as a high schooler and it helping me through out my struggles as a musician as a high schooler. The graphics to this anime are amazing as well and makes the anime even more real not including how real the emotions are in this anime.
I’d like to begin my post with the following disclaimer: I’m not a very “open” person. I guess you could say that I prefer one-way roads to two-way streets. Don’t get me wrong, I enjoy novel experiences and new ideas more than most, but the prospect of opening myself up to strangers on a public forum has never had an appeal for me. It’s not that I have a problem with being vocal, it’s that I’ve never felt that I have anything meaningful to contribute. Viewing media as an aggregation of human experience, I find it hard to believe that in my short, relatively average existence I’ve experienced anything that hasn’t already been documented, explored, and analyzed ad nauseam. Because of this aspect of my character, my cultural diet is composed entirely of passive medium. I don’t have an online presence, no social media to speak of, and my circle of friends is small to say the least. I enjoy media that can be consumed individually, paused and considered and exchanged at my leisure. I’ve been an avid reader for as long as I can remember, I like film in most of its forms (except for musicals, I hate musicals), and listening to podcasts has been a recent addition to my cultural diet.
ReplyDeleteWhen I was younger, I loved works of fiction. I was mesmerized by the author’s ability to create an entire universe with little more than the written word. I read the Harry Potter series, the Lord of the Rings books, Narnia, and several more that I’m surely forgetting. As I’ve gotten older, my preferences have shifted away from the fictional and towards nonfiction. Recently I’ve read Yuval Harari’s magnum opus Sapiens and Seth Stephens excellent Everybody Lies, both of which have altered the way I perceive our modern, data driven world. My hope is that this class will give me a greater appreciation of expression and push me to delve into the literary classics which I’ve largely neglected.
I think movies are awesome because they are completely self-contained narratives and can be told in so many different styles. I particularly enjoy the work of Quentin Tarantino with his violent brand of nonlinear storytelling. My favorite movie of his (and overall) is Pulp Fiction, but I also really like Reservoir Dogs. The Coen brothers also make excellent films, some of my favorites include The Big Lebowski, Fargo, and the latest movie of theirs: The Ballad of Buster Scruggs. I mentioned that I hate musicals, but I do make exceptions if the musical aspect makes contextual sense. For example, I thought that the Blues Brothers movie was very well made and entertaining, and I also liked Walk the Line starring Joaquin Phoenix. But by and large, musicals invoke either nausea or annoyance in me.
A food group recently added to my cultural diet is podcasts. I just started listening to podcasts this last year. They’re great for entertainment on the go, I listen to them during my commute. The first that I listened to was the S-Town podcast by This American Life. For those of you who haven’t listened to it, I would highly recommend it. It’s very strange and was a wholly unique experience for me, and it’s a completely true story which aligns with my bias toward nonfiction. Currently I’m listening to an introductory philosophy podcast called Philosophize This! by Stephan West. I would strongly recommend this to anyone who is curious about philosophy and would like a cursory overview of the subject. For me it has made a compelling case to begin looking at the topic more seriously, and more broadly to begin taking life itself more seriously. Also, the conversational style that West uses throughout makes the podcast very accessible to the layman, like yours truly.
I can’t think of much else to add. Like I stated previously, passive mediums are more within my comfort zone. I look forward to being challenged by this course, and hopefully by the end I will have a more varied and more substantial cultural diet.
I guess being Unknown is a common problem. I'm Darrick Whitmer.
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ReplyDeleteIn my mind, my cultural diet takes up a big chunk of God, sports, and art.
ReplyDeleteAs my first artifact, I would like to talk about my church. I really think that my relationship with God greatly affects the way I think, the way I do things and the way I see things happening around me. I believe that it is important to believe in something even if it’s not believing in anything. For that reason, I am always open to hearing what others believe in. I love the person that I am today because of the relationship I have developed with God. When I think culture I think religion but because over time it really becomes a primary belief in one’s life. At least to me. It affects the way I see all people, the way I treat my body, the way I give importance to some things and even the way I tip a waiter… it affects everything I do.
As my second artifact, I’d like to talk about my soccer ball and my running shoes. The transition from God to soccer is totally not comparable but I will say that my cleats and my Nikes have taught me two significant characteristics of myself which is passion and humbleness. Being a part of the game and a part of a team has strengthened the person I am today because besides the passion and humble character it also gave me a family. My love for the game and the love for running is something I really thank God for giving me because I would not be where I am now if I had not had that family in my life.
My final artifact would be my camera. Photography has opened my eyes to the world of art in a way that I would have never learned with any other object. It truly amazes me how the camera can capture moments in time that could be kept and cherished forever. Photography has definitely inspired me to view the world from its different angles; to see and to listen to the perspectives of each individual and to really value what one image can portray onto us without it being written directly. I find it intricately beautiful to see the world by all its little parts. The colors, the textures, the shapes, and all its values all making something so beautiful.