aad 250 blogs

After reviewing the Runquist Murals and doing the readings for this week I felt like I wanted to do a compilation of my favorite team the Golden State Warriors jerseys throughout history.  It was very interesting to me to see such an incredible change from year to year.

Creative

Beautiful

Inspiring

Unique

Emotional

Passionate

Poetic

Personal

Original

Meaningful

When watching the Ted Talks video I found it very interesting when Larry Lessig talked about how laws are preventing growth for everyone.  What I found interesting was when he talked about growth of music and how when it first came out rap music featuring African American people was strange.  This is very interesting to me because in todays world it is so common for African Americans to be featured in rap music.  The growth of the world has increased but with laws today it prohibits a lot of personal growth and growth of artwork.

When reading the paper, “Computer Graphics: Effects of Origins” by Beverly J. Jones I found the thesis to be when she says, “I (She) hope to establish the relation of specific image, object, event or environment to conceptual frames.  These frames exist within art and technology and are present in other forms of symbolic and material culture.” (21 Jones)  What Jones is trying to explain is this paper is that she is trying to connect the virtual world or technology aspect of things with art.  This is very interesting to me because I think there is a connection already.  You look at things like video games where the attention to detail is so prominent, and I would say video games as a whole is a form of art.

A great example of Jones supporting her thesis was when she went into a brief explanation on computers saying, “The middle period of computer graphics is one of the continued tension between technological/scientific and artistic realms.  This tension reveals itself in choices of images, intentions and, increasingly, in conceptions ‘how the world is and ought to be’.” (24 Jones).  Jones is trying to explain how technology and computers give a perspective on real world using art that isn’t as accurate as it should be.  I find this to be true in many cases because i always see pictures online that are trying to depict the world, but most of them look too good to be true.

I think that Jones’s thesis connects to present day very well.  This is because I think that technology such as computers and even the internet have depicted art, and almost anything you see on the internet can be considered art.  You can also consider any kind of video game which involves a lot of technological work to be art, and apparently according to the woman that did the Ted talks thinks that video games can save the world.  This connects video I am talking about connects to Jones because they are both using the power of technology to try and explain forms of symbolism and material culture.  The woman in Ted talks tried to say that if people were to play more video games a lot of world problems would be solved.  Jones thinks that the development of technology such as the computer will be able to explain and connect technology to art.

I think that Jones had a very interesting standpoint on art and technology, and gave great points to support her thesis.  I think that technology plays a huge role in the development of art, because no matter where you look whether it’s the computer or internet you will see art.  I think that without technology art wouldn’t be as developed as it is today.  I also think that the emergence of video games and the popularity of them has helped art take form as almost anything you could possibly imagine.

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

Gaming can make a better world: Jane McGonigal on TED.com

I thought the Ted talks that was posted was very interesting, and what the game designer had to say.  In the very beginning when she said playing 21 billion hours of gaming a week, and it would solve problems like hunger, obesity, poverty, global changes, and world conflict.  I found her reasoning to be very interesting  because I never would have thought to think that gaming could have that effect on the world.  The phrase “epic win” is apparently what would help us take that step in the future to solve the problems explained by her.  Also when she talked about how as humans we think that we are better in game world than we are in real life.  I would think of this as being true because there are skills that aren’t needed in the gaming world that may be needed in real life.  Although I don’t agree with her saying gaming can save the world in the next century I did find it interesting that she came up with solid points that supported her claim, and made it more valid.

1) How do you define “spirituality”?

I would define spirituality as searching for something sacred.  I give it this definition because it isn’t technically part of the definition of religion.  You always hear people say they are going to take a spiritual journey, which means they are going to reflect and learn about themselves.  I think spirituality is kind of a hard definition to define because there have been so many different definitions of it, and people will always have a different definition from another person.

2) Does spirituality differ from religion?

I think that spirituality differs from religion.  This is because I would say religion is something you practice, where spirituality to me at least is something that you seek out.  With religion you believe in certain beliefs where as spirituality is more of searching for something.  I would say though that spirituality can be part of religion because when people go on  spiritual journeys most of the time you are following some sort of religion, which can relate the two in a way.

3) How do you define “creativity”?

I would define creativity as thinking or going outside the box, or doing something that no one else thought of or could do.  Creativity can come in many different ways, from a type of artwork to an idea that someone expresses.  I think that creativity is such a broad word because one person could think that something is creative, but another person could find it being original.  Creativity is  a very unique word to describe something because it is all based on personal beliefs.

4) What is the source of creativity?

I would say the source of creativity comes from personal beliefs, how you were raised, and where you grew up.  All of these factors I think are the source of creativity because it is what makes you an individual, and come up with ideas that people may not think of themselves.  I think creativity can really come from anywhere, and influence anyone at any time so categorizing a single source wouldn’t be accurate in my opinion.

When doing the reading for the week I found everything to be very interesting because I personally never thought of spirituality to be art until I read the article and watched the video.  One quote that really stood out to me during the reading was, “To see deeply and to understand are different from mere looking or observation.  In order to experience art fully viewers must go through a mini ego death by placing themselves in the inspired mind of the artists, who themselves are out of their minds and only acting as channels of creative spirit.” (74 Grey).  This quote stood out to me because it puts a different perspective on things, saying that in order to understand the artist one needs to go through a life changing experience or think the same way that the artist would.  With spirituality though I never really followed or believed in it too much, so this reading definitely put a different perspective in my mind.  I think that placing yourself in someone else’s perspective can also relate to everyday life, and not just this topic.

Another part of the reading I found to be very interesting was when Grey talked about the different kinds of success.  I think the success that stuck with me the most was the second kind.  This one is, “when you have friends who appreciate your works and give you good feedback.  This can be fairly important to maintaining a healthy ego.” (90 Grey).  I would agree with what Grey said because at least for me having friends appreciate you really helps me feel confident, and gives me motivation to be better.  Without friends giving you good feedback at least for me I don’t strive to be better because I don’t have anyone pushing me to be the best.  It is also better to have a friend that gives you good feedback rather than be a toxic because it will keep you happy and healthy.

I think that Grey had a lot of great point that has opened my eyes to new ideas that I may have overlooked in the past.  I have never really thought of spirituality until you see people paint pictures of out of body experiences or bodies going into light. These are all examples of spirituality and I can really see them more as art now.  Even when people explain out of body experiences or things of that sort, and they paint a vivid picture in your mind I would even consider that art.  Grey did an excellent job of giving a lot of examples of spirituality and even challenged his own ideas, which makes for a stronger article.

In an article by Danielle Braff called, “Movies may cause special effects on the body” she goes into great detail and talks about how different movies can cause effects on the body.  When looking at horror films Braff talks about horror films by saying, “horror movies tend to be the same people who love to sky-dive, go rock climbing, and try extreme skiing adventures.” (Braff)  Basically what Braff is trying to say that people who watch horror films mostly like the adrenaline rush, and will do things that most people wouldn’t do.  I would have to disagree with this comment because I personally love horror films, but wouldn’t do extreme skiing or rock climbing.  Horror films do cause special effects on the body because when watching horror films especially at times when you know something is going to happen your adrenaline kicks in.  This is technically a special body effect, and I guess when looking at it people who like horror films are the same type of people that like adrenaline sort of activities.  It is said that if you have heart problems to not watch horror films because of how much harder your heart works due to intense moments in horror films.

This article can relate to our reading of “Why Horror?” by Noel Carroll because in one part when the author defines horror movies they say, “that of explaining the way in which the artistic presentation of normally aversive events and objects can give rise to please of can compel our interests.” (276 Carroll).  Basically Carroll is saying the same thing about horror films, and the effect it may have on your body when watching them.  I think that Braff and Carroll have the same idea about horror films, and I agree with Carroll that horror films do rise pleasure in people that watch the movie.  I think it is always very interesting to see peoples’s perspectives on horror films, because for people its either they love them or hate them.  There is never an in between, like there are with other categories of films.  I think this is because with horror films it is a different type of category that can’t really be explained.  Some people just really don’t like being scared in a movie so they will never like horror films.  I think Carroll and Braff could draw great conclusions together because they have the same kind of ideas as one another.

Another article I found called “Why Our Brains Love Horror Movies” by, Sharon Begley she goes into detail and talks about why movies like Paranormal Activity 3 was such a hit in the box office.  Begley talks about the age of people who would mostly enjoy horror movies saying, “Teens and twenty-somethings ‘are more likely to look for intense experiences…'” (Begley).  I think I would have to agree with this statement because when you go to a movie theater, and watch a horror film you normally never see any adults in the theater because I don’t think that horror films apply to that age demographic anymore.  People that watch horror films are looking for that rush, and adults I feel like don’t need to feel that rush anymore.  Another thing that I found interesting that this article said was “Horror Movies help young people learn to manage terror.  ‘They can either succumb or learn to manage.”‘ (Begley).  I found this to be interesting because although I would agree, what about the people that don’t like horror movies as a whole.  Are they automatically considered to not be able to manage terror?  It was very interesting to read this article because to me it brought up some great points, but also doesn’t take into consideration people that may not enjoy horror films.

Carroll has some great points that seem to back up Begley’s ideas.  The first one being, “It is not that we crave disgust, but that disgust is a predictable concomitant of disclosing the unknown, whose disclosure is a desire the narrative instills in the audience and then goes on to gladden.” (284 Carroll).  Basically this is saying that we enjoy the gore and suspense of horror films, and we don’t shy away from disgust.  It almost draws us in to the movie more especially when it comes to horror films.  I think this is what teens and twenty year olds are appealed to because it is something different from any type of movie.  Carroll really gives us great perspective on the ideas of horror movies and why it appeals to people, which is also what Begley did as well.  Carroll really puts ideas out there that make you think about what horror films, and almost put it in a different perspective for me.  I think horror films is a pleasure that certain people enjoy.  Horror movies really aren’t for everyone and Begley, Carroll, and Braff all seem to have that same idea.

To me it was very interesting to get perspectives on horror films and to do this weeks assignments because horror films are something I truly enjoy.  I think that this weeks assignments has helped me broaden my perspective on horror films and look for more than just the surface of costumes and sounds.  I think that horror films although aren’t liked by all people it is a true form of art due to how it hits your emotions in so many different ways.

Carroll, N. (2002). Why Horror?. In Neill, A. & Riley, A. (eds.) Arguing About Art: Contemporary Philosophical Debates (2nd ed., Chap. 17). New York, NY: Routledge.

Braff, Danielle. “Special Effects: Movies Affect the Brain and Body.”Chicago Tribune. N.p., 22 June 2011. Web. 11 May 2014. <http://articles.chicagotribune.com/2011-06-22/health/sc-health-0622-movies-impact-on-body-20110622_1_horror-films-intense-movies-birgit-wolz>.

Begley, Sharon. The Daily Beast. Newsweek/Daily Beast, Oct.-Nov. 2010. Web. 11 May 2014. <http://www.thedailybeast.com/articles/2011/10/25/why-our-brains-love-horror-movies-fear-catharsis-a-sense-of-doom.html>.

Non-diegetic sound

At around 16:45 in the episode a man gets off the phone when you first hear dramatic sounds like something is going to happen.  When you see him get off the phone you see a man tied up with strings and the music seems to get louder for dramatic effect.  As the episode gets to 17 minutes the music picks up again and you see two men walking down the stairs where they make eye contact with another person, but say nothing as the dramatic music picks up.  When music like this occurs especially in horror films you think that there is something big, or even scary that is about to happen.  The use of non-diegetic sound helps keep the viewer interested in the horror film, and also on their toes for something is about to happen.  I experience the non-diegetic sound all of the time because I enjoy watching horror films that uses this trait in order to keep the viewers interested.

Diegetic Sound

At around 17:30 in the episode there are a lot of diegetic sounds especially because during this time in the episode there are no words that are actually being spoken.  When the two men are on the elevator when they start going up you hear the elevator as it goes up, which is the sound of an actual elevator going up.  Also when one man has to open the keypad and enter in a code when he presses each button it makes the noise of what a button would make when being pushed.  From the scenario of what is going on in the elevator these sounds are actually crucial in setting the mood of the scene and showing how serious the matter really is.  I think that without these diegetic sounds in the scene, it would not seem as serious to the viewers, which would make people less interested in watching.

Mise-en-scen

I think a great example of this is at around 14:30 after everyone shown had a white cloud coming out of their mouth symbolizing there voices, you see all the clouds go to a box that is shut by a vampire.  This is a great example of Mise-en-scen because they show the vampire for the first time in the episode and the costume he is wearing.  The vampire is very creepy and sets the mood of a horror episode.  His eyes and teeth depict a very aggressive and angry vampire, and in some ways how you would depict a vampire in a horror film.  Even the box is considered Mise-en-scen because it is a prop that is used to store voices, which is pretty creepy in a horror standpoint.  I would say that both the vampire and box are great example of Mise-en-scen and helps set the horror mood.

When doing the people watching assignment I found myself reflecting a little bit more about myself.  Thinking about how I normally dress everyday I have a type of style where I like to be comfortable and wear basketball shorts, or sweats a lot during the day.  At night when I go out in public I like to look a little more put together, by wearing jeans and nice t-shirts.  From how I dress I would say that I do have some personal beliefs that that express how I dress.  From how I dress I would say I am very lax and love to be active from the basketball shorts.  I would also say I am well put together because of how I like to dress when I go out at night.  I would also say I am pretty reserved due to the fact that I have no body adornments at all.  I make the choices that I make because of how I was raised.  My parents are a huge influence in how I make choices because they have instilled their beliefs in me to make the best decision in every choice that you make.  I would say it has changed very little over the years.  The way it has changed is that I try and live a little bit more and enjoy myself more.  My thought process has also changed in the way that I have learned that it is ok to make mistakes.  This is because if you make mistakes you learn from them, rather than if never trying anything new and never making any mistakes and learning life lessons.  I think that my clothes definitely expresses my personal beliefs and values, and I think I will continue to do that.

Growing up in an Asian family there are specific core values that were instilled into me by my family.  The main values are family first, respect everyone, and follow through with plans. These values can be communicated through dress because I have a lot of shirts that have the saying family first, and I try to not have any clothes that would be offensive to anyone.  I think how I dress when I go out shows that I am a pretty reserved person, which can show the main values that are from my family.  I think also me not having any body adornment shows that I don’t want to do anything that will make my family upset, and since I am more reserved I have never really thought about getting anything of that sort.  The only thing I have thought about maybe getting when I am older is a tattoo that says family in Chinese on my wrist.  This shows the kind of beliefs that I have about my family and how much I care about them.  I think that the core beliefs and values that come from my family make me the person I am today and it shows from the clothes I wear to the way I conduct myself.

I would say that the core values of the peer community are very similar to the ones that I have.  I try and pride myself on having friends that have the same beliefs as myself because then you can relate to them more than with people you don’t share the same values with.  If it is just the community values, that would be a little harder to think about because since I am currently living in college town that is so diverse so it would be hard to come up with core beliefs that everyone in this community believe in.  I would say based on my friends how they express their beliefs is exactly how I do.  Mostly my peers wear the same kind of attire that I do because they share the same kind of beliefs that I do.  Mostly all of my peers too don’t have any body adornments because they come from the same kind of family as my own and don’t feel the need to get any of them.  I think that it says a lot about you if you find peers in your community with the same core beliefs because then you have more to relate about.

I have actually really enjoyed this assignment because it has made me think and reflect after the people watching assignment.  It has taught me that because of my beliefs I try and find people who have the same sort of beliefs as I do because that is what helps you relate and get along better with that person.  I really didn’t realize at first that I looked for these beliefs in peers, and it has become clear to me that all my friends have the same beliefs.  This assignment has showed me also that even if people don’t have the same beliefs that you shouldn’t judge them based on that.  Everyone comes from different backgrounds and circumstances, but that is what makes people so unique.