Before this assignment I did not know these murals existed in the library. After going to see these pieces in person, it made me think of how intricate people’s idea on the evolution of art and science are. What I noticed was that in majority of the panels for both murals, the figures that had the darker skin were the ones placed not facing the front and bending over performing work. I am not sure if the artist intended on this coincidence but from my perspective I am not fond of this portrayal. This makes me feel that from the beginning, people saw the darker skinned individuals as the ones performing the labor. I think the period in time the murals were created has an influence on the way the mural was created. Ellen Dissanayake wrote a piece addressing the different eras that experienced different waves of art influences during their time period. She mentions the idea that “authors may not have meant the same thing by the word ‘art’ as we do” (pg. 16). With this in mind, perhaps the artist was trying to experiment with different shadings and show different cultures coming together, which developed the growing idea of art. The world’s view on art has definitely grown in various directions all very influential to today’s art.

In one of the videos we watched in class, Dennis Dutton provides an excellent argument on the idea of how and why we develop feelings towards art pieces. He brings up the idea of stemming our innate ability to asses art and develop an opinion on it from our ancestors before us, the homosapien. I have to disagree with his argument as I think I develop my thoughts and ideas from my environment and experiences.

What I also noticed in the murals were the lack of women represented in the evolution of both art and sciences. In the early days, women were not allowed to perform duties that were seen as a man’s job. Perhaps this is why both of these murals depict men performing most of the scholarly and innovative works. The two artists were also both male, which may be the reason for the heavy male influence seen in the murals.

These two murals are great examples of the early idea of public art. The early program to exhibit and increase the public’s knowledge about public art was the WPA, or the Works Progress Administration. Today’s public art has sky rocketed since 1935. We can see works here at the University of Oregon as a public display of eye pleasing art pieces. I am fond of the idea of increasing the public’s knowledge on art as most individuals stray away from appreciating and understanding the meaning of art. In the Development of the Arts mural, this exemplifies the growing tree of art work and knowledge. If there were a mural painted today, the tree would be enormous and almost infinite. In the article by Erika Doss, she talks about how the view and essence of public art have shifted. She talks about how public memorial grounds such as the African Burial Ground has become a national landmark for both knowledge and pleasure (pg. 3-4). It is monuments like this that allow for the growth in knowledge about other cultures and worldly historic events.

I think it is almost imperative to increase the amount of public art and the push the limits on what can be displayed. As time progresses artists are always finding new and innovative ways to portray art in ways that are unimaginable. These two murals represent an interpretation of the beginning of this expanding art culture as well as standing as a basis for the origin of all existing art today.

Below I have attached my idea of the evolution of art. I started with the cave paintings from the early stone age. The next image represents the art from the old Greek era. Following that is the famous Mona Lisa. The next two images represent modern art sculptures that I think show how intricate the art pieces have evolved into.

Dissanayake, E. (1991). What is art for? In K. C. Caroll (Ed.). Keynote adresses 1991 (NAEA Convention), (pp.15-26). Reston, VA: National Art Education Association.

Doss, E. (2006, October). Public art controversy: Cultural expression and civic debate. Retrieved from http://www.americansforthearts.org/pdf/networks/pan/doss_controversy.pdf

Dutton, D. (n.d.). Denis Dutton: A Darwinian theory of beauty. Retrieved June 1, 2015, fromhttps://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PktUzdnBqWI

A Response to the Runquist Murals. (n.d.). Retrieved June 7, 2015, from http://blogs.uoregon.edu/runquistmurals/

Contemporary art. (n.d.). Retrieved June 7, 2015, from https://giannadispenza.wordpress.com/tag/contemporary-art/

Modern Art Sculpture. (n.d.). Retrieved June 7, 2015, from http://kuaibozz.com/modern-art-sculpture/

Packet #22. Renaissance Art. (n.d.). Retrieved June 7, 2015, from http://artdiscovery.info/rotations/rotation-1/packet-22/

(n.d.). Retrieved June 7, 2015, from http://blog.livepsychicsnetwork.com/history/the-whos-who-in-greek-mythology/

ArtLex on the Stone Age. (n.d.). Retrieved June 7, 2015, from http://www.artlex.com/ArtLex/s/stoneage.html

I do not believe what I created was art. It may look and appear as a piece of art or work but I personally feel it is not. The idea that I took someone else’s work and created a collage does not define my idea behind art. I also feel that there should be a meaning and purpose behind every art piece. Ellen Dissanayake talks about the idea of “there is no appreciation of art without interpretation” (19). What I think she is trying to indicate is that the viewer must see the artwork and interpret what they view with a meaningful eye. What Dennis Dutton discussed in his TED Talk about stemming our views and emotions towards art from our early ancestors, that I do not agree with. I believe we all have innate features and have the upbringing and society that allows us to form our own opinions on judgements on what we feel art is.

Dissanayake, E. (1991). What is art for? In K. C. Caroll (Ed.). Keynote adresses 1991 (NAEA Convention), (pp.15-26). Reston, VA: National Art Education Association.

Dutton, D. (n.d.). Denis Dutton: A Darwinian theory of beauty. Retrieved June 1, 2015, from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PktUzdnBqWI

To start the day …. Don’t just study spirituality, live it!! (2014, August 13). Retrieved June 1, 2015, from https://hrexach.wordpress.com/2014/08/13/to-start-the-day-dont-just-study-spirituality-live-it/

Colors Of Nature. (n.d.). Retrieved June 1, 2015, from http://7-themes.com/7001395-colors-of-nature.html

7 Natural Remedies for Allergy Relief | Wellness Mama. (2013, April 4). Retrieved June 1, 2015, from http://wellnessmama.com/8370/allergy-relief-remedies/

What Color Is Your Imagination? (2015, January 17). Retrieved June 1, 2015, from http://www.playbuzz.com/rebeccacampbell10/what-color-is-your-imagination

Steve Cummins Talks – Bring Innovation To Your Life. (2014, December 25). Retrieved June 1, 2015, from http://stevecummins.im/coaching-and-mentoring/steve-cummins-talks-bring-innovation-life/

Copyrighting is to prevent people form utilizing other people’s hard work and calling it their own with the possibility of claiming more fame and attention than the original artist. This restriction on duplicating work is both a privilege and a set back for both parties: the artist and the community. Lawrence Lessig makes a good point at around 17:32 when he starts to talk about the youth being affected by the limitation copyrighting puts on their access to media. He mentions that the youth will grow up in a world where you can’t stop them from accessing media but “drive it underground” (18:00). I feel in a sense, the ability for the older generation to allow the youth to develop the capability to discover all that has been driven “underground” so to speak only enhances their skills to do the exact opposite of what the purpose of hiding the media was for. This develops their capability to develop skills such as hacking and encrypting internet codes.

The example of The Grey Album shows how copyrighting has the ability to diminish the ability of artist to create new works of art from old. Yes I do think that mixing two well-known songs together and calling it your own is a bit far fetched and a little out of the border of completely being someone’s own creation. In the article by Sam Howard-Spink on The Grey Album, he talks about how copyrighting is mainly for artist recognition. I think that the idea of copyright does infringe on one’s ability to be creative and imaginative. It is very helpful in a sense to stimulate ideas from someone else’s work, but then again how did those artist generate their original ideas? I think being able to create a piece that is one hundred percent original is what makes a true artist. At this day and age, anyone has the ability and potential to be a DJ by remixing other people’s hard work and calling it their own.

I think that people should be allowed to use other people’s work if it cannot be recognized as the original piece or make a monetary deal with the original artist or even a compilation with them. I think learning from the people who came before us gives us the ability to grow. In the reading by Lawrence Lessig, he talks about the idea of RW, read and writing culture, and how it does not necessarily always pose as a negative influence (95). The ability to change the way a track or beat sounds may be more innovative than what the creator may have thought of. In a way we learn from “remixing” the old music into new. I think the way the copyright regulations are now should remain the same because I feel we as growing artist should challenge ourselves to innovate new genres of music and mediums for art instead of merely copying from the people before us. It would be helpful for those in the future to look back on what we produce now to give them a reason to want to copy our work. We should definitely take in influences from what we feel and create original media.

Howard-Spink, S. (2005, July 4). Grey Tuesday, online cultural activism and the mash-up of music and politics (originally published in October 2004) | Howard-Spink | First Monday. Retrieved May 28, 2015, from http://firstmonday.org/ojs/index.php/fm/article/view/1460/1375

Lessig, L. (2008). Comparing Cultures. Remix: Making Art and Commerce Thrive in the Hybrid Economy (pp. 84-116). New York: Penguin Press HC, The.

Lessig, L. (2007, March). Laws That Choke Creativity. Retrieved May 28, 2015, from http://www.ted.com/talks/larry_lessig_says_the_law_is_strangling_creativity?language=en#t-1069018

The author’s thesis for her article was to investigate the properties of art forms in technology as their role in our culture today stem from their origins. The fundamentals that these early graphic designers based their work upon were mathematical equations and logarithms. They had the ability to “express it mathematically and to present it visually” (pg. 24).

One example Jones makes on page 23, she brings up the art piece named Stained Glass Windows. Jones describes this as a piece of art graphically designed for aesthetic imagery. The artist attempted to introduce color to enhance the visual appeal on the display screen. He nonetheless set the tone for other graphic designers as there was a chain affect on the usage of color.

Art then moved towards a more digital and pixelated approach. As time progressed, developers integrated textures and three-dimensional figures. A man named Leavitt started to incorporate different art techniques to further enhance the aesthetics.

Some argue that the works of the early graphics that it was not art but originating from mathematical equations and numbers. There was a debate over the idea that this type of art was no different than a machine. Jasia Reichardt added “it is as if behavior were more important than appearance in making us feel that something is alive…it is clear that people have no difficulty in organixing their psychological response as if The Senster were alive-an animal or another human being” (pg.25). I interpret this as we as people are slowly losing the essence of art. We can no longer differentiate between what has been computer generated with no meaning behind it and what art is meaningful and intended on being art rather than an aesthetic posing as art.

Nowadays, graphic images are intended to look as close to real-life as possible. The explosions we see in action movies and falling bridges are so digitally enhanced you would think that had actually happened if you drove to the building that was burning with the damsel in distress trapped on the top floor. These types of images are intended to make the viewer feel as though they were standing in the presence of the situation. In an article by Bruce Campbell, he makes the point that graphical art is more of a scientific approach rather than artistic approach. The idea that they base their images on scientific equations loses it’s essence of being art (pg. 7).

Resources:

Jones, B. J. (1990). Computer Graphics: Effects of Origins. LEONARDO: Digital Image – Digital Cinema Supplemental Issue, pp. 21-30.

Tool, A. C. Art on Graphics. Pg. 6-7.

How is it that when we play video games with other players around the world, how is it that we feel so easy to trust someone we will never meet in real life? Over time with the evolution of the internet, we have been educated and taught to not trust people online. But is it the idea that we will never meet our teammates in person will give us the confidence to trust total strangers in order to reach our goals? Maybe it is the idea that we know that this virtual world could never influence our actual real world giving us a sense of comfort that trusting these virtual teammates will not be beneficial or detrimental to our real lives. In the TED talk by Ms. Mcgonigal talks about how numerous players online have the tendency to effortlessly trust other online players. She talks about how players have the tendency to engage themselves in virtual social encounters that allow them to handle social situations. At about 4:30 in her video, she talks about how players come together to help each other solve the virtual problems and reach an “epic win.” I feel this sense of togetherness in the virtual world and a player’s mentality that if they just entrust their virtual teammates they will be able to achieve their goals faster.

McGonigal, J. (2010, February). Gaming can make a better world. Retrieved May 18, 2015, from http://www.ted.com/talks/jane_mcgonigal_gaming_can_make_a_better_world?language=en#t-433592

How do you define “spirituality”?

I feel that spirituality stands as a basis for our personality and character. It could stem from our personal beliefs or life experiences in which we base our opinions and decisions off. I think our spirituality could come from our religious beliefs or anything that we believe in. It feeds our souls by allowing us to define who we are as a person. What is so amazing to me is that we have the ability to grow in our spiritual ways either through new experiences or through religious ideology.

Does spirituality differ from religion?

I think spirituality grows from our religion. Even if we choose not to have a religion it still influences our spirituality. I believe these two play hand in hand with one another. I believe what we believe in heavily influences our spirits. We don’t necessarily need religion to stand as a basis for our beliefs. Our religion could be based on something other than a god per-say but rather on ideology of the great philosophers before us.

How do you define “creativity”?

Creativity is our inventive imagination that allows us to provoke our thoughts and ideas in a way that is out of the ordinary. Our creativity is the formulation of ideas, theory, or even a way to solve a problem. It takes a great deal of imagination and your ability to think outside of the box to show creativity. This is a very abstract concept that I think could be synonymous to that of our definition of art.

What is the source of creativity?

My source of creativity are probably my past experiences. It is easy for me to take my past experiences and think about what could be improved in that moment in time or for the future. It is also influenced by my environment consisting of people, ideas, as well as ideas from different people. I love hearing other people’s thoughts to provoke some of my own. I think it is very resourceful and brilliant idea that we as people have the idea to feed off of each other’s thoughts and insights.

What particularly drew me into this excerpt was when the author, A. Grey, started to talk about his experience with DMT and how his trip influenced the outcome of his painting. Through this he saw a better and clearer vision of what he wanted his piece to look like as he “[brought] the inner solution of [his] artistic problem to an outward form” (pg. 78).

The way he found inspiration from “seeing” other artist’s work was interesting. I like how he mentioned the idea of looking at works from Van Gough and Michelangelo and hearing their voices inside of his head. Grey talks about the idea that drawing is an outlet for your spirituality and way of seeing into some deeper meaning of what your art is interpreting. He adds how he has not “completely ‘seen’ a work of art until [he’s] drawn it” (pg. 87). As they say, a picture is worth a thousand words. If I was a better at drawing, I think I would thoroughly enjoy the ability to draw what I was thinking rather than just saying words to verbally expressing what I feel or think.

Grey then proceeds to discuss the idea of the chakra’s existing in each and every one of us and how each chakra will influence the way we interpret and perceive the world around us. The idea that there are vibes that either the art, the people we surrounds ourselves with, or our environment have on us as individuals help us grow. Grey brings up the fact that we feel vibes from reading artist’s work allows us to appreciate the piece at a higher level of cognition (pg. 97). This brings me to the piece written by Ellen Dissanayake when she mentions art having a psychological or emotional pull on us that cause us to generate our idea of art (pg. 15). I think our spirituality has an influence over the way we perceive art. We stem our spirituality from personal beliefs and experiences, which then influences our perspectives on art.

Dissanayake, E. (1991). What is art for? In K. C. Caroll (Ed.). Keynote adresses 1991 (NAEA Convention), (pp.15-26). Reston, VA: National Art Education Association.

Grey, A. (2001). Art as Spiritual Practice. The Mission of Art (1st ed., pp. 205-233). Boston & London: Shambhala.

After researching articles, I came across two written by Noel Carroll.

The first article is a response to another writer’s piece, Berry Gaut. Gaut discusses the idea of horror movies posing as a paradox, in a sense how it is seemingly possible that some individuals take pleasure in watching something that is supposed to instill fear. Carroll challenges Gaut’s claim denying the fact that there is no “intrinsic relationship between being horrified and feeling any unpleasantness and by maintaining that nature of the conceptual relation between being horrified and displeasure” and that in response to this perturbation people will “experience the objects of their emotion and the emotions themselves are unpleasant” (pg. 1). I disagree with this statement made by Gaut. Although I personally dislike horror movies, I feel that some people enjoy watching horror movies to experience the thrill and feed their imagination. The ability of a horror movie to instill a sort of fascination is one of the reasons why some people enjoy watching these types of movies. Carroll makes an argument Carroll makes the claim that viewers find horror films fascinating.Gaut also brings up the fact that it is difficult to maintain the fascination with the horror movie. Carroll comes back with the idea that some people have greater thresholds in their attention span governing whether or not the individual stays in-tune with what they are watching. I agree with this as I have experienced this while watching a movie with my friends. As we discussed in the lectures and the reading, the diegetic and non-diegetic essence of the film have the ability to enhance our experience while viewing scenes. The addition of special effects may also be a contributing factor drawing our attention and attraction for scary movies.

The second article, Noel Carroll is also the author of the breakdown of the humor in horror. He brings up the valid point addressing the idea that certain horror movies aim at attempting to be humorous while simultaneously frightening us. An example of this would be the movie Beetlejuice. Carroll explains that this movie was made to show the audience that there are scenes that are seen as a satire that should be interpreted as scary. I feel this is the optimal way for an individual to enjoy horror movies is to view it lightheartedly. The integration of real life situations and events such as characters exemplifying mental illnesses has more of a psychological impact on viewers. In his article, Carroll talks about the heightened emotional response the producer is attempting to evoke from the audience playing on the idea of a real life situation. The way the movie is shown is aimed to stimulate and heighten your emotional response whether it be relating the show to your own personal experiences. In relation to art, and my definition of art, the art of cinema directly targets the way you feel during and after you watch the piece. This type of art is enhanced with special effects to enhance the visual experience.

When watching scary movies, they sometimes involve and monstrous or beastly figure. Carroll addresses this as a way for the movie to guide the audience to “control and guide our emotional responses in such a way” (pg. 149) that the audience should be perceiving the monster in the same fashion as the actors in the movie. There is a difference, however, between the ways the monster is being portrayed and how it should be perceived. One example Carroll brings up is Chewbaca in the Star Wars movies. He is seen as a hairy beast although not interpreted as frightening. We would not consider Star Wars a horror film even though there is a beastly figure. The intention of that beast is not made for horrifying viewers. This type of art is more on the aesthetic side for a pleasant enjoyment. This relates to the slides talking about the Aesthetics of Horror Presentation in our lecture slides. The Mise-en-Scene encompasses the ideas of the overall aesthetics of the costumes and makeup of the characters. If the creature was portrayed as a killer, there may be some fear instilled in viewers as they may imagine themselves being in the path of a blood thirsty animal. The ability to see a comical side of these creatures can influence the way we perceive them. Carroll recalls upon a stand-up comedy Bill Cosby performed in which he talked about the way he interprets scary figures as comical. Cosby “[erasing] one of their essential characteristics” (pg. 156), which would be extracting the one characteristic that makes creatures so frightening.

The art of cinema is continuously pushes the limit on horror films. With enhancing technology on special effects the possibilities are endless in creating new worlds and creatures that will send chills up your spine. Although not a fan or horror films, I would try to perceive the scary movies with a more comical view to better my enjoyment of scary movies.

I believe in dressing in what you feel most comfortable in physically and mentally. I am pretty lazy on school days and do not take the time and effort to get ready in the morning. I see it as I am going to school not caring about how people perceive my appearance. However, I dress in a way that will not make people think I don’t care about up-keeping my hygiene, but comfortably. Also, since I am from Hawaii, I dress mainly for warmth. Even though I may not have the most fashionable warm clothes, I do not care. I care about being comfortable and warm first and foremost. On somedays, I do take the time to get myself ready with makeup but under two conditions: I have a lot of time before my class or I am really tired so putting on foundation and powder will hide the enormous bags under my eyes.

I also have my ears pierced. I feel this makes me feel girly when I am able to adorn myself with dangly earrings for special occasions. Wearing earrings makes me feel like I am completing my outfit with a pair of jewelry matching my outfit. I pierced my ears because I wanted to wear earrings to express my love for adorning my ears with jewelry to look and feel pretty.

I have a deep and forever love for my parents. They gave me the bases of all my core values and beliefs in life, which helped mold me into the woman I am today. Even though I have learned through my own experiences and college schooling, I still hold the same core values as I did when I was a little girl. I used to go to church every Wednesday night in high school with my family. I have a gold chain that adorned my neck which represented my religious beliefs. I still wear it from time to time, however not as much as I used to. I was never good remembering to wear jewelry.

In my upbringing, my family taught me humility, humbleness, and the idea that family comes first. My mother always emphasized the way I present myself whether it be at school, a function, or going out with my friends, should be a reflection of my parents. I am the kind of person to represent my parents in the best way possible. I make it a point to make sure the way I dress I would be able for my grandparents to approve. I also dress and present myself in a way that if a friend or family member saw me walking on the street, they would think I am a respectable young woman. My family is a well-respected family by high authority back home, Even when I go out with my friends, I make sure that I dress tastefully yet appropriately that if one of my dad’s business associates were to see out in public, they would not think I was trashy and that I represent one of the best lawyers in Hawai’i. I do not have any tattoos and only ear piercings. I was brought up being taught that tattoos were hazardous to your health as the ink is semi-toxic and the process of getting a tattoo is unsanitary. I always think about when I get older, I prefer to not have any tattoos even though are becoming more socially acceptable.

As I made new friends and created my own life for myself in college, I have changed some of my views but kept majority of my original beliefs with me. I am more accepting of people’s individualism. If they prefer to dress very flashy or revealing, that is up to their own discretion. Through my schooling and classes, I have learned from my professors and my peers that the only person you should worry about caring about yourself is you. Your parents may have a certain opinion as well as your friends, teachers and colleagues. However, you don’t have to listen to what they believe is the correct way. Sure they may have their input but honestly I believe that we have the right to make our own decisions and go about our lives the way we feel is most beneficial to our happiness. If getting a crazy piercing or tattoo makes you happy, then go for it! The people you surround yourself with, they are the good people you believe them to be, should be supporting and accepting of your individualism.

I believe at this day and age, people are starting to care too much about what the social media and society thinks about them. I have noticed an increasingly amount in people getting plastic surgery to create this image of perfection or what they think is perfection. By getting yourself modified is just not something I believe in. I believe in natural beauty and to be happy in your own skin. If you feel you feel the need to modify the way you look because you are trying to be perceived as perfect or an ideal body, that is totally up to you and your judgement. I think people who feel they need to dress and act a certain way to impress other people tend to be slightly insecure. For those individuals who adorn themselves with tattoos, I believe they are doing so because of a fond memory of someone or a specific moment in time that they want to envision and think about every time they look at their body art. Society is starting to become more accepting of tattoos seeing them rather as meaningful art rather than looked down upon.

As I sat down and people watched for a bit, I confirmed my belief that the University of Oregon is a place of mass diversity. I apologize in advance if I may so have happened to describe one of my fellow peers.

The first individual that caught my attention was this caucasian male, looked about six foot two inches, wearing a white t-shirt, khaki pants, black shoes, and duo man buns adorned on his head similar to that of what little asian girl would most likely style her hair. He also had a pair of wrestling shoes attached to his backpack. This trend of the “man bun” has growing exponentially in the past couple of months. He was walking with a steady pace across the EMU quad as he seemed to be in a rush of some sort. His decision in wearing the laid-back outfit caused him to appear as having a chill and casual personality who chooses comfort over style. His choice of hair style makes him appear as though he is confident in himself that he does not mind other people giving him strange looks in a comical fashion as his duo man buns draw an eye or two. The appearance of the wrestling shoes hanging from his strap caused me to assume that he wrestles or wants people to think he wrestles. He seems to be making the statement that he can still match his clothes while being laid-back. In conclusion, he seems like a confident individual who shows an interest in sports with a calm personality. I feel these assumptions could say that I am very observant and tend to look for the good in people. I also think or I’d like to think I draw people with the similar personality of being relaxed and chill as I can only deal with hyper and excited people for so long.

Another individual that I observed was a caucasian female who looked like she was around the same age as me, which is 21. She had bright pink hair, a septum piercing, a couple small tattoos that I could barely make out. She was also wearing maroon Dr. Marten boots, bring tie dye leggings and a black top. As she walked across campus, she took huge gaping steps and had a sort of hunched over posture. By her appearance, it appeared to me that they believe in self-expression and making a fashion statement. I don’t think I would ever have the guts to dye my hair pink unless I lost a bet or was attending a crazy music festival. By the way she walked gave me the idea that she is definitely confident in herself with her and knows what she wants. I believe that people that have the ability to wear whatever they feel comfortable in that may come off to passing bystanders as outrageous or give them the thought of “oh my gosh what is she wearing” are probably the most awesome people if you ever get a chance to meet them. We humans have the innate quality of being timid with our actions as we, or some I should say, do not take criticism light heartedly. We are usually afraid of how we appear to others and what people will think and judge us based on our appearance. I think this individual probably has a great personality and potentially radical ideas by the way she asserts her individualism through her eye catching hair and confident step in her stride.

Lastly, I observed an individual wearing heavy makeup, her hair all dolled up, wearing a flowery dress and sandals. She also wore a large necklace adorned with pearls and stones that was very shiny in the sunlight. Being my cynical self, I initially assumed this individual cared way too much about her appearance by taking the time to put prom worthy makeup on her face for school. She seemed to want people look at her with the daunting necklace draped around her neck. The fact that she felt the need to cake her face up with makeup for school shows that she is hiding her true appearance. On the other hand, maybe she just enjoys putting on makeup or had the time to put makeup on before classes. I’ll admit, I do take extra time to get ready during Spring term but only if I have the time. I believe that forcing yourself to wake up early before your classes in order to get ready for school is ridiculous. This individual caused me to think that she cares a lot about what people think and must put up a front so anyone that sees her will think that she has a perfect complexion and never has bags under her eyes from sleep deprivation of procrastinating on homework. I believe this shows that I am a very down to earth individual who cares to an extent of what people think of me. Honestly on school days I dress similar to the same way I crawled into the bed the previous night because I feel I don’t need to impress people while walking down 13th to PLC.

I believe that if my friends, family, teachers, or significant other cannot accept my natural beauty and personality, then that sounds like a personal problem. I am too confident in my values and beliefs that I don’t need to change the way I appear to others in order for them to enjoy my company. I appreciate the way individuals express their individuality through piercings, tattoos and clothing. However, I feel a sort of sadness when I see those robotic individuals who feel they need to dress certain ways to fit in for societal acceptance.