Month: May 2014

The 10 words that I chose were:

creative
smart
inventive
intellectual
intuitive
skillful
imaginative
thoughtful
adventurous
unique

The 6 images that I used represent the words creative, unique, adventurous, intuitive, imaginative, intellectual.

In the TED video I thought the things Lawrence Lessig had to say about the Read Write and Read Only cultures and remixing was very interesting.  I’ve often heard people say bad things about the internet.  Our generation grew up with internet evolving, and it really is something that our culture now depends on.  It allows us to be more creative and inventive.  Remixing has become very important to us, Lessig says, “these tools of creativity have become tools of speech” (Lessig).  The internet really has become a way for people to broadcast themselves and communicate with the rest of the world.

Computer graphics are a relatively new in existence, but that being said they have still gone through great amounts of change in that short period of time.  In Beverly Jones’s article “Computer Graphics: Effects of Origins” she discusses how computer graphics are not just technology, but also art.  I think the thesis of her paper is that the changes within computer graphics are not just changes in technology, but they are changes in art and culture to show that, “old cultural patterns do not die” (21 Jones).  Jones states that, “These changes are not simply technical effects.  They contribute to maintenance and change of culturally conditioned conceptual patters in the larger historical context” (21 Jones).  The statement explains how the change that computer graphics has gone through, is part of our culture.

Computer graphics are not the only thing that undergoes culturally conditioned change.  Jones gives a number of historical examples that go through the same process.  One example that Jones gives is the proposal from 1970 where small computer systems could, “be used by individuals to create unique furniture, fabrics and prints suited to their special requirement” (23 Jones).  Instead of manufacturing mass amounts of exact replicas, these programs could make it possible to customize things such as clothing.  This idea is similar to the views of Borsodi who, “noted the potential for individual control of mechanical manufacture of clothing and household textile products, based on the advent of the home sewing machine” (23 Jones).  This idea has held in our culture to customize things such as bathing suits.

An example of Jones’s idea that advancement in technology connects to cultural changes as well is how phones are used today.  When phones were first developed they had to always be plugged in, they were bulky, and not everyone had them.  With the introduction and development of mobile phones, they have become a must for pretty much everyone in our culture.  With their countless capabilities, our culture has become dependent on having a phone.  In her article “Mobile Phones and Society – How Being Constantly Connected Impacts Our Lives” Laura Jerpi states that, “Mobile phones have become a staple of our society” (Jerpi).  Phones have developed with our culture, much like many other forms of technology.  They still hold their main use of communication, but have advanced with our culture to make it possible for us to more easily function in today’s society.

Jepri, L. (n.d.). Mobile Phones and Society – How Being Constantly Connected Impacts Our Lives. Mobile Phones and Society – How Being Constantly Connected Impacts Our Lives. Retrieved May 25, 2014, from http://source.southuniversity.edu/mobile-phones-and-society-how-being-constantly-connected-impacts-our-lives-137313.aspx

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

The TED talk video was very interesting to me.  Ever since I was younger I’ve always heard that video games are not good for you.  It was not until I watched this video that I was introduced to ideas about why video games may not just be good for you, but also for the world.  Jane McGonigal states that videos may be good the world because, “games are a platform for change” (McGonigal).  Her ideas about games and how we are able to change and benefit from them really made me look a video games in another way.  They do not just have to be seen as something that people are wasting their time doing, but instead actually teach gamers life-long beneficial skills.

I believe that spirituality is something that comes from within a person.  It is a certain kind of beliefs.  I think that a person’s spirituality is their own personal set of beliefs about a higher power, or lack there of a higher power.  It is their explanation of why things are the way things are in the world.  Spirituality is how a person transforms within their bodies, and in their minds.  Being spiritual means that a person in connecting with their physical spirit and soul and ignoring the impacts that physical objects have on their lives.

Spirituality has some similarities to religion but they are different.  I believe that if you are religious you are spiritual, but to be spiritual you do not necessarily have to be religious.  If you have religious beliefs then those are also your spiritual beliefs.  Many people have spiritual beliefs that do not coincide exactly with a certain religion’s beliefs.  Religions almost always believe in a higher power of some sort, but to be spiritual you can believe in other things besides God.

Creativity is being able to come up with ideas.  These ideas can be physical or just imaginary.  I often associate the word ¨creativity¨ with artistic.  I think many artists have creative minds, that is they are able to come up with original ideas of some sort and create some sort of physical object that expressive a creative idea.  Creativity is a way to express one’s imagination and original ideas.  These ideas are then considered to be valuable or important to others.

I think that the source of creativity comes from multiple things.  I think that creativity often comes from the experiences that a person has in their life.  As we read in this weeks reading, creativity can also come from a person’s spiritual beliefs.  I do not believe that there is one specific way to describe the source of spirituality, I believe the sources are unlimited and vary from person to person.  The source of creativity can also be both physical, or it can just be an idea.  Someone could see something that could strike creativity within them, or they could also engage in a conversation or read a book that could strike creativity within them.  There is no way source of creativity.

I have never really considered myself an artist, or artistic/creative person.  The creative process has always been somewhat of a mystery to me.  After reading this week’s reading, I have began to gain a better understanding of the creative and spiritual side of creating a piece of artwork.  In the article “Art As Spiritual Practice.  The Mission of Art” Grey’s walk through of his personal experience of all the steps involved in the creative process, really opened my eyes about what it takes to create artwork.  I’ve always assumed that there is some reason or explanation behind a piece of artwork, and I’ve always thought that artwork can be interpreted any number of ways by viewers, but I’ve never really had any idea how much spiritual thought really goes into creating a piece of artwork.

One part of this article that I found especially interesting was when Grey discusses seeing art.  The very beginning of the article made me stop and realize how often I glance over things without stopping and appreciating it.  Grey says that, “Seeing occurs when our attention is arrested by a person, object, or scene.  Our mind stops chattering and pays attention.  We see both the shape of the thing and its meaning to us” (pg. 72 Grey).  It’s incredible to me how we look over so much every day.  I look or glance at pieces of artwork everyday while going through my everyday life, but rarely do I really take the time to see them.  Grey also talks about how only the deepest art connects to us spiritually.  This made me realize how a majority of the common art we see in every day life, is not really deep art that connects to us on a spiritual level, but really connects to us more on a social level.  Grey refers to Stephen Dedalus and states that, “improper or lower works of art inspire movement in the viewer and that the higher or proper works of art inspire static contemplation” (pg. 82 Grey).  This really made me realize how we rarely see proper works of art, and instead and faced with improper and lower works of art on a regular basis.

The first article that I read relating to enjoying horror was an article by Leslie Fink titled “Horror Movies: Why People Love Them.”  This article discusses what it is exactly that makes horror films so appealing to people.  One of the reasons that Fink gives for why people enjoy horror is because of the desired effects it gives us and because being scared, “calls up primal behavior” (Fink).  Another reason that this article discusses is that people enjoy horror because they enjoy the suspense that comes along with it.  Even without gory and bloody images, people still enjoy the rush they get while suspense builds in a movie.  Third reason Fink gives is because of your brain.  She says that, “fear is not merely a biological reaction, but an emotion derived from both deep-seeded evolutionary factors as well as newly learned cautions” (Fink).  Fink talks about how this emotion can be trigged while watching a movie, which many people enjoy.

These reasons are all different from the reasons that Noel Carroll gives in her article, “Why Horror?”  In Carroll’s article she states that, “horror thrives above all as a narrative form” (pg. 278 Carroll).  All of Fink’s reasons relate more to why we enjoy horror in a psychological way, whereas Carroll’s reasons discuss why the narrative of horror is appealing to an audience.  There is a connection between Fink’s reason about suspense and about Carroll’s reason about narration.  Many things contribute to the aesthetic of horror, and how the narrative is put together is why we find horror movies scary.  Horror films achieve a successful narrative, “by putting off the conclusive information that the monster exists for quite a while” (pg. 278 Carroll).  Of course not all horror films have some sort of monster, many horror films are scary for other reasons.  Despite what form the bad guy of a scary movie comes in, suspense is being built by putting off information regarding the character.  This suspense is very appealing to the audience as Fink says.  Although there are a lot of differences in the two articles, both in some way describe how suspense is a huge aspect of why people find horror enjoyable.

The second article that I researched was the article by Margarita Tartakovsky called “Why Some People Love Horror Movies While Others Hate Them.”  In this article Tartakovsky also discusses many reasons why people enjoy horror.  One of the reasons she gives is because of the way you feel after watching the movie.  She says that, “when people watch frightening films, their heart rate, blood pressure and respiration increases.  After the film is over, this physiological arousal lingers” (Tartakovsky).  This causes positive emotions that you feel to be intensified.  This can also cause the opposite reaction, so any negative emotions you feel can also be intensified, so those who have a good time after seeing a movie may want to watch more scary movies in the future, while those who have a bad time after may not.  Another reason that some people like horror is because, “Some people are simply wired to enjoy high levels of physiological arousal” (Tartakovsky).  The third reason that Tartakovsky describes is the novelty.  Many of the things that take place in horror films are not things that you see every day, so watching a horror film might make someone curious about what happens in the film.  The visual effects of the films can also be very appealing to some people and add to the novelty.

In Carroll’s article she talks about the skepticism that comes along with horror films.  One of the main things she talks about in scary movies is monsters.  Obviously monsters do not actually exist and as she says are, “putatively inexplicable or highly unusual vis-à-vis our standing cultural categories” (pg. 281 Carroll).  This causes both skepticism and curiosity.  This curiosity relates to the curiosity that Tartakovsky discussed in her article that is caused by the novelty of movies.  Although Carroll does not clearly discuss the novelty of horror films, she does discuss how horror narratives involve a desire to know.  This desire is caused by things in horror movies that do not exist in real life.  Some people have a natural urge to explore the unknown, and horror narratives target this group of people by creating events and characters that make the audience skeptical and curious.  All of these factors contribute to what makes horror appealing to some and unappealing to others.

Carroll, N. (2002). Why Horror?. In Neill, A. & Riley, A. (Eds.) Arguing About Art: Contemporary Philosophical Debates (2nd ed., pp. 275-294). New York, NY: Routledge.

Fink, L. (2009, November 6). Horror Movies: Why People Love Them. LiveScience. Retrieved May 12, 2014,

http://www.livescience.com/7949-horror-movies-people-love.html

Tartakovsky, M. (n.d.). » Why Some People Love Horror Movies While Others Hate Them – World of Psychology. Psych Central.com. Retrieved May 12, 2014, http://psychcentral.com/blog/archives/2012/10/31/why-some-people-love-horror-movies-while-others-hate-them/

Towards the beginning of the Buffy episode you hear an example of mise en scene.  The episode begins with a woman talking and you can immediately tell she must be a professor teaching a class.  I chose this example because it is the very beginning of the story and therefore sets the scene for the episode.  It is an example of mise en scene because it does a good job representing production design.  You can immediately imagine the set and props being used, and imagine what the students’ and teacher’s costumes might look like.  This example of mise en scene contributes to the aesthetic of horror by building a small amount of suspense.  During the scene Buffy has an intense dream, which gives the audience a hint that something scary may happen in the future.

A little less than half way into the episode there is a great example of diegetic sound.  This example is while two men are talking.  I chose this example because it reveals something about the characters and also gives an excellent example of diegetic sound.  From the beginning of the scene you immediately hear the voices of the characters, you can also hear their footsteps so you know they are walking.  This example contributes to the aesthetic of horror because of the things you hear the characters say.  While they are talking you hear that they have a secret that they can’t tell, which causes the audience to be curious about what it is.

The third example represents non-diegetic sound.  This example takes place about thirteen minutes into the episode and begins with soft background music that begins to deepen, and make the mood more intense.  The music sounds very dark and scary.  I chose this example because it really starts to make this episode seem more dark, which is a switch from how the beginning is and you start to understand why this show is seen a horror show.  This example represents non-diegetic sound because it is not sound that is actually being made by what’s going on, but is instead just background music.  I think this definitely contributes to the aesthetic of horror because it makes the sounds make the mood very dark and scary, and also build suspense as if something bad is going to happen.

While reflecting on how I dress and customize myself I realize that one of the main beliefs and values that is supported and expressed by my dress and body adornment is that it is important to be comfortable and happy in your own skin.  I believe that how you dress and customize yourself says something about who you are, and I think it is important to customize yourself how you like instead of how you think others want you to.  I think that today it has become very common for women to do their hair, makeup, and wear a stylish outfit every day in order to fit in.  I believe that there are times when it is appropriate to wear makeup and get dressed up, but on a regular day I think that my dress and body adornment expresses my belief that it is not always necessary make yourself up and make yourself look like someone else.  I value the way that I look naturally and I do not see the need to change how I look to make myself look like every other girl.  I make these choices to dress like this because this is what makes me comfortable and being comfortable makes me happy, which is something I value very much.  I do not think that this has always been the case.  I think when I was a young teenager in middle and high school I used to wear more makeup and dress in what other people thought was “cool”.  When I was younger I used to value fitting in more than dressing in a way that made me comfortable, but over the years I’ve realized that customizing yourself to fit in really does not matter and being happy in your own skin is a lot more important.

I think that my family has always valued being happy and believed it is important to be happy with who you truly are.  My parents were always very supportive of whatever my siblings and I believed in and never forced us to dress or customize ourselves in a certain way.  I think that my family has always found it important to express yourself how you want.  This was communicated through my family by my mother allowing us to dress how we want.  When we were kids we were allowed to experiment with different styles of clothing and body customization in order to find a style that we are most comfortable with.  We able to color our hair different colors, wear different kinds of clothing, and customize our bodies with body piercings.  By doing this we were able to discover our own personal values and beliefs and how we want to represent ourselves in a way that makes us happy.

I think that a core value of my peer community is the relationships that we have with other people.  I think many people my age find it very important to have a close knit group of friends that they spend time with and can trust when they need them.  I think that this is expressed through dress and body adornment because people with similar styles and clothes tend to be friends with one another.  People will choose the way they want to dress or customize their body based on their certain beliefs and values, and I think that they often become friends with people who express the same beliefs and values.  I am not trying to say that people only build strong relationships with one another based on what another person wears, but I do think that relationships with one another at this point in our lives are very important and can in a way be expressed through body adornment.  I also think that people our age often want to attract people that they are attracted to in a romantic way and often express this by dressing a certain way.  For example a girl or a guy may wear a nice smelling perfume or cologne to attract someone, or maybe wear a nice outfit.  Another core value of my peer community is happiness.  I think many people believe that it is very important to be happy with life no matter what you are doing.  I think that this can be expressed through dress and body adornment by the colors that we use.  If someone is wearing brighter colors I think it represents a happier person, where as if someone is wearing darker colors like black and grey they may not be as happy.  I think that people often dress in different colors depending on their mood.