Who did you most relate to? and why?

I related Alex the most because he was a fellow graphic design major, and he was working towards a very interesting project. However, his style greatly contrasted the aesthetic I want to develop. He appreciated making very vintage, crafted piece while I am really interested in more modern looking designs. I checked out the Preacher project and I was interested in getting involved somehow. I tried to get in touch and somehow work with Mr. Roka but he was unaware about the amount of first years in the lecture so I was shot down–I even suggested doing some cleaning work…but no. Shot down.

Who surprised you? and why?

I surprised by Ms. Rebecca Marina because of that grand entrance she made. Also, because I later figured out that she was the late one and I was really hoping that I’d only have to hear 3 presentations, but I was really interested in her work. The fact that she got to work with NASA was pretty amazing. She was also pretty interesting when I spoke to her. She was really vocal about what she was involved in and happily informed and invited the crowd around her to volunteer and check out her work, which was amazing.
What was the most valuable piece of advice you heard today?

The most valuable piece of advice I heard is a very repetitive one–just persevere. Even if it is not explicitly said, through many of the speakers anecdotes, I gather that they had to persevere. They have to dedicate time to invest in themselves, in their craft, be patient, and possibly hear “no” a million-one times before a door of opportunity opens.

SKILLS INVENTORY

1. My greatest strengths in Visual Studies I include: My note taking skills and my retention.
2. For greater success in this course, I need to: Practice the computer skills, time management
3. My greatest strengths in Rhetoric and Composition I include: My creativity
4. For greater success in this course, I need to: Read the material more attentively, time management
5. My greatest strengths in Sex, Drugs, and Counterculture include: Study skills
6. For greater success in this course, I need to: Take more notes
7. My greatest strengths in Visual Studies Seminar include: Doing the work, listening in class
8. For greater success in this course, I need to: Try to apply the habits and skills shown in class
9. My greatest strengths in Spanish III include: Doing the homework, listening in class
10. For greater success in this course, I need to: Participate more, speak more
11. My greatest strengths in Drawing I include: Participating, doing the classwork
12. For greater success in this course, I need to: Practice the skills, spend more time on homework

Computer skills:

1. My computer skills include: Adobe Photoshop, Adobe Illustrator, typing
2. I still need to learn: The Adobe Suite more extensively

Research & writing skills:

1. My greatest strengths as a researcher/writer include: language used when writing, creativity
2. I need to work on these aspects of research and writing: time management
3. I learn best & accomplish most when: I get enough sleep

ACTION PLAN

Sex, Drugs, and Counterculture

1. I can take better notes.
2. I need to get better rest before this class.
3. I can review the material after each class.
4. I can go to the professors’ offices.
5. I can sit closer.
6. Be more attentive.
7. Ask questions.
8. Check for homework more avidly
9. Keep an agenda.
10. Study more

I thought that this Ted Talk seemed like the most dry humored Ted Talk I’ve watched yet. The Texan native, Dan Phillips, discussed the detail that goes into designing and building houses–something I don’t find too exciting but older Texans are in love with. He would mock and parody his own work by making comparisons between the architecture and appliances and objects or human acts. He either builded upon the narrative of a room, object, or group of objects or he deconstructed the narrative to make his own. Then it was a bit interesting when he began to talk about how culture shapes how we assign different things narrative based on culture or perspective. Then I got a bit bored again as he went through  the factors of being a good architect, but I really liked how he tied the rest of his speech to human interaction and says that everything has a narrative or a backstory.

Part 1:

These images are two of the photos from my Gestalt project from my Visual Studies I class. The prompt was simply, ‘how do you make an image?’. My transition from Hāwala, Honolulu, HI to Austin, TX allowed me to notice, more clearly, the clutter of manmade constructs but also how they mimic nature. So I based my project on the idea of an ‘urban forest’ or a ‘concrete jungle’. I shot photos like I would shoot nature, and I focused on how figures directed the viewers eye around the photo and how figures framed negative space.

Part 2:

My Gestalt Project:

GESTALT

The birds in this photo create continuity through their formation, leading one’s eye diagonally across the photo. There is also similarity and repetition between many of the birds as some have birds have similar forms to other birds in this photo while the flock as a whole showcase the many forms of a bird in mid-flight.

The intersecting lines in this photo frame the negative space within the photo contributing to figure ground. There is also repetition of upward constructs and symmetry between the the two bigger poles towards the foreground and the poles upholding the Subway sign in the background.

The upward constructs in this photo create repetition, and the many cluttered figures in the photo like: the busy traffic, the power lines, or the security cameras lead the viewers eyes all around the image.

The bus leads the viewer’s eye towards the skyline, and the buildings are in close proximation to each other, which creates a new shape…ergo skyline.

The poles in this photo get smaller in size and the proximity from one construct to the next get closer, which reminds me of the golden ratio.

The poles and wires in this photo frame the negative space, and the negative space create various linear shapes. The figures in this photo are also in various proximities of each other.

The utility poles in this photo repeat into the background, and the web of converging power lines lead the eye into the background as well as across the photo. The trees frame sky as the the power lines form shapes out of the negative space in the sky.

This photo displays the continuity; the power lines guide the viewer’s eyes back into the photo.

In this photo, the gas pump is one of the main focal points: it’s illuminated by light, it’s in the foreground, and it is one of the bigger objects. However, its lines and the lines of the roof above it point towards the convenient store. The focus then leads towards the illuminated top of the store which has lines that lead to the seven. Continuity.

Self-Critique:

The strongest aspect of this piece is my purpose for all the photos. Although some photos are more pleasing and engaging than others, I would argue that all my photos showcase the intellect of a developing artist. The weakest aspect, I would say, would be lack of emotion connectivity. Some photos do appeal to the audience’s emotion but it’s not consistent throughout the collection which would have made my project stronger. These photos, however, were intentionally taken from a more intellectual standpoint. I thought that my composition was pretty good already. The only way I could think of having better composition is to make more apparent comparison between nature and human construction in an urban setting, which is how I could also conceptually make this project better. Technically I could have edited my photos a bit more. Even though some the photos I took weren’t necessarily bad, Joe is weary of seeing a good looking gas stations. I could be a bit more original and creative I suppose.