Artifact 1: Values
OBJECTIVES:
- Become familiar with the basic relationship of human values to psychological and philosophical endeavors.
- Understand that values are formed from external and internal drives of an individual
- Explore one’s own value system
ARTIFACT:
Values Assessment – view the original post here.
REFLECTION:
The process of defining my own personal value system accomplished a number of tasks.The process itself was based on internal value judgments. For example, family was my number one top value, which I am not going to dispute necessarily, but the choosing of this value was based on an emotion, which is a primary basis for forming value judgments. Lewis said “the choice of emotion as a primary mode of forming value judgments… means that we are predisposed to certain specific values…” (Lewis, 14). The examination of my own value system enabled me to become familiar with the origins of value judgments and how they are formed within individuals. A basic understanding of how value judgments are formed has an incredibly important application potential to art. I feel my work has led me to a deeper understanding of how deep an interplay there is between value judgments and art. Arguably, values play into every aspect of art – creating, interpreting, performing, and so on. Is art anything if there is no value to it? Perhaps art itself is art because people give it some value. These insights were inspired by the intention of becoming familiar with the basic relationship of humans to psychological and philosophical endeavors, a primary objective for this unit.
Fun Fact: In drawing and painting, the value scale (most simply, a value from dark to light), is fundamental to the skill of drawing and painting (Gray). To get overly analogous, you can’t have art without values.
FOR THE FUTURE:
Thus far in life, I have been afraid to establish a concrete value system. Behind this irrational fear, however, hides the fact that an established value system posits an established sense of self, at least to some degree. This course, and this unit in particular, have challenged me to define such things. For the future, I would like to continue to challenge myself to have solid beliefs and not be afraid to believe them. I believe this will require a deeper examination of the difference between internal and external drives within individuals, and the values that are formed as results. It will also require a level of bravery, and perhaps that is the beginning of my own value system: bravery. After all, when forced to choose, I put personal development and integrity in the list of most important.
Bibliography
Lewis, H. (1990). A Question of Values: Six Ways We Make the Personal Choices That Shape Our Lives. Axios Press.
Gray, D. (2013). Control Your Values, and a Lesson from the Sphere. David Gray Oil Painting Techniques. Retrieved from http://dgoilpaintingtechniques.com/control-your-values-and-a-lesson-from-the-sphere/.
Gray, D. (2013). Control Your Values, and a Lesson from the Sphere [Photograph]. David Gray Oil Painting Techniques. Retrieved from http://dgoilpaintingtechniques.com/control-your-values-and-a-lesson-from-the-sphere/.
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