Use of practice time:

A) I exceeding my projected times by sacrificing MGSV and my PS4.
I feel the same way about going out and taking pictures as I feel about going to church: I don’t want to get out of bed, but afterwards I’m always glad that I went. In the end I really enjoyed going out and taking pictures for the different projects, as well as for practice and leisure. After the first few times venturing out into Austin, I felt much more comfortable and willing to explore deeper into the city’s nooks and crannies. Now whenever I go out I have a little voice in the back of my head that says, “Ooh, stop and take a picture of that!” which makes me actively look for interesting viewpoints and objects. When I was still taking painting classes I would see the sky, for example, and imagine what I would have to do with paint to recreate it on canvas. Now when I see the sky I imagine how I would capture it in a photograph. It’s been a very interesting transition for me, but I think that all the practice time has sort of trained me to look for interesting photographs.

How I dealt with feedback:

B) I heard what the Instructors and students were saying and acted.
It has always been difficult for me to take constructive criticism and not be hurt by it. I frequently find myself putting so much of myself into my artwork that it almost feels like a slight against me when someone doesn’t like it. Being in this class, however, has helped me get used to feedback and not react so negatively whenever someone offers criticism. The way Tuan and Bill go about critiques is very low-stress, and the environment is more scholarly and geared toward improvement. I still get sweaty palms and feel my face heat up, but now I’m almost looking forward to what people say about my work. Not only that, but it makes me feel validated by my peers to receive positive feedback. I was known as the art geek in middle and high school, but coming here has made me realize I’m not a special little snowflake anymore. Receiving positive critiques, like with my book during the final critique, makes me feel like I really do belong here with all of these other incredibly talented artists. I need to improve my feedback regarding others, though, because I’m usually pretty silent when it comes to others I think that as I become more comfortable in this environment I will be able to more aptly critique and give feedback to others. It just takes time.

Level of love in your work:

A) I’m in this for the long haul.
I’ve loved art ever since I could pick up a crayon in my chubby toddler hand. I’ve taken art classes all throughout my schooling, created things on my own, and will continue to do so through college and beyond. This class has made me remember that even though art can be frustrating and tedious, I still love every second of it. I’m proud of what I have accomplished in this course, and it helped me realize my love of photography all over again. Even when I was unsure about how others would receive my art (especially in the beginning of the semester), I still loved it. Each project has been like a mile-marker for me, and I couldn’t be happier.

Your inventory of expert experiences:

B) Did a couple of things not required. I’m kinda feelin’ it.
I didn’t go to as many outside-of-class things that I wanted to, but I went when I could. Next semester I’m definitely going to push myself to go to more, because the few outside things I did, I really liked. For example, I went to four of Jen Hassin’s workshops, where we did things from cutting prison uniforms to pulping them to laying them into sheets of paper, then finally to rolling them into small spirals. It was amazing being able to work with her. I also have a Pinterest board that I use as art inspiration, so I go on there several times a week to get inspired for outside projects. Like I said, I didn’t go all out with my expert experiences, but I definitely tried to at least stick my foot in the door.

Overall:

I think that I have grown quite a bit as both a student and artist, and this course has played a fairly large role in that. I’m more confident in my artwork and can actively think through what works and what doesn’t. I’ve also learned a whole host of skills like Photoshop manipulations, Lightroom edits, InDesign bookmaking, and Gestalt theory. I’m happy to have taken this class, and I can’t wait to see what the rest of my time here has in store. Thank you so much for everything, Tuan and Bill!

Kim Garza

Garza is an experienced graphic designer and current educator. She has a long list of accomplishments and projects that was almost overwhelming, but definitely impressive. She spoke about the creation of Eventurist, a travel inspiration app with travel and airline deals. I actually told my sister about it, since she loves to travel, and she said she would download it and let me know what she thinks. My favorite part of her presentation was when she talked about Till the Clouds Roll By. It was such an interesting idea, and the execution was amazing. I loved the music (I wish I could download it…) and the imagery fit it perfectly.

Tammie Rubin

Rubin is a ceramics sculptor with a very distinct point of view. She talked about the legendary chimera, and how that concept of a thread between real and imaginary translates into her work. Her art is very interesting and whimsical, especially the cones she created. I loved how she spoke about her environment and how it shaped her creative eye. Sometimes I feel like my environment overwhelms my creativity, so it was refreshing to hear someone else’s view on it. I don’t know much about ceramics and sculpting, but her work was amazing.

James Lam Sheeran

Sheeran had a very interesting point of view and presentation. His photography is very well thought out and thought-provoking. His explanations were delivered with a very dry wit, which added to the intrigue created by his photographs (ex. “Northern Renaissance shitty paint job”). I really liked the abstract quality of his work, and how it played with perception and interpretation. His photography has a nostalgic feel to it, almost like I had seen these spaces before but the pictures were capturing it in a new light. I didn’t necessarily understand everything he said, but I was very interested in Sheeran’s artwork.

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Since this was my first semester in college, it was definitely a roller coaster ride. This seminar was something that gave me insight into the art world and helped me feel more prepared for the rest of my time here as a Visual Studies major. I loved hearing all of the guest speakers and how art has shaped their lives. The blog posts were definitely a pain in the butt to do at times, but looking back in a few months or years I know I’ll be happy that I did them. The seminar also made me look at different opportunities in the art world that I had previously overlooked, like internships and the EAST Austin gallery tours. I think the seminar was very successful, and I personally feel like I learned a lot.

Tuan

Tuan’s presentation was very… Well… Very Tuan (which by no means is a bad thing!). Since I had never really seen any of his art before, I wasn’t sure what to expect. Overall I really liked his work, especially the screen printing on various objects like moving boxes and collaborative work on bags. It was interesting to hear the background of his father’s business adventures, and how Tuan worked with him to create something special. I think he has a very strong design point of view, and he seems very analytical with his creations. I also really appreciated how he not only creates things for his friends, but he seems to collaborate with them quite frequently as well.

Hollis

Hollis’ art was very inspiring to me. Once again, I hadn’t seen much of it before so I was looking forward to the presentation. I loved the style of the autobiographical graphic novel, and think the idea itself is extremely interesting. The detail put into each piece, especially the composite landfill pieces, was crazy; I’ve always admired people who could put so much into a drawing. I share her interest in memories and how they can be visually represented, and it was refreshing to see that she finds importance in the memories that objects can carry. Each piece could stand alone, but they also all worked together. There was a natural flow between each piece, series, exhibit, etc.

Bill

Bill is an extremely talented and seasoned photographer. It was fascinating to hear of his growth as an artist and the journeys he took that led him to this point. It was like each stage in his career had a specific theme – from the gritty rodeo pictures to beautiful landscapes to more glamorous commercial portraits to serene running water and then to abstracted objects. I appreciated how he told his story without glossing over any parts, because when people do that it’s almost like they’re rejecting that time in their life. Bill clearly has many amazing stories about his life, and this small glimpse into it was really cool. His photographs themselves were all beautiful, especially the running water.

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2015:
Fall: freshman. finish up the semester strong. beg teacher i volunteer with for forgiveness for not being there in a few weeks. work on as much art as possible over winter break.

2016:
Spring: freshman. work hard in classes. continue volunteering in art classroom.
Summer: get a job. take summer classes. work on art. travel. catch up with former painting teacher.
Fall: sophomore. move into on-campus apartments with current roommates. work hard in classes. continue volunteering in art classroom. work on as much art as possible.

2017:
Spring: sophomore. go on alternative spring break trip. continue volunteering in art classroom. make art.
Summer: get a job. take summer classes. work on art. travel. possible internship.
Fall: junior. find a house near campus and move in with friends. work hard in classes. begin student teaching. make even more art.

2018:
Spring: junior. maybe go on another alternative spring break trip. cry from stress. keep making art to de-stress.
Summer: get a job. take summer classes. work on art. travel.
Fall: senior. cry because i’m finally a senior. work hard in class. work hard making art. work hard in general.

2019:
Spring: senior. prepare for the outside world. finish up classes and GRADUATE.
Summer: go back home and apply for teaching position at as many austin schools as possible. cross fingers that i will get an interview. make art.
Fall: get a teaching position at a school, preferably middle or high school, also preferably in austin. cry because life-long dream of being an art teacher is coming true. move into small apartment.

2020:
Spring: teaching art. loving it but also really stressed. making art on the side. keep in contact with past professors for guidance.
Summer: travel to barcelona to stay with grandparents’ friends. create lesson plans. make art.
Fall: back to teaching. still love it. get a cat.

Finding Home (pages 7-8), 2015

Finding Home (pages 11-12), 2015

These two sets of photographs were taken for the sequence book I’m working on in my Visual Studies course. The theme of my book focuses on my accumulation of memories since moving to Austin. As Austin has become a new home for me, I wanted to create something to commemorate this great change in my life. Each set of pages has a diptic that evokes a certain memory for me, but may cause the viewer to recollect something completely different. The relationship between each image makes sense to me, but I need to work on turning it into a sequence that a viewer would recognize without making it look forced.

Lynné Bowman Cravens

Cravens teaches in Dallas and uses photography as an outlet for personal reflection and narratives, such as her battle with cancer. She also incorporates other mediums like screen printing, bookmaking, and origami to create dimension and intrigue. I felt a strong connection to much of her work, especially her Grandfather series. I loved the way she constructed each image so that the separate photographs don’t seamlessly mold together; it added another layer of meaning and evoked a sense of nostalgia.

Miranda Petrosky

Petrosky is a talented designer who has worked in many mediums and on many projects, but is currently an interactive designer at Bakery. She worked on the Muncher app, which is a social network for bartenders and managers. I was surprised and inspired by all the work she has done so far.

Dustin Meyer

Meyer is a professional photographer who specializes in weddings. I thought it was pretty cool that he previously worked with Bill. For some reason in my mind, there’s always a separation between professor and student, but Meyers reminded me that professors are people, too. His presentation was very thorough and interesting, and even though it was a bit business-driven, I felt like I learned a lot of real-life information. I wish I had known about him when my sister got married!

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http://www.thecontemporaryaustin.org/internships/

http://artsciencegallery.com/internships/

http://www.artallianceaustin.org/news/art-alliance-internship-program