Friday
Day one of my seven day journal and I’m feeling exhausted and ready to take a nap. Also struggling to work out how I want to present my 7 Day project for Studio, I want to step out of my comfort zone in terms of design and presentation and try something new, maybe a painting instead of a photograph but the last time I did that it wasn’t so successful. I’m always told I’m good at what I do and know how to play to my strengths especially when it comes to projects. But maybe this is the year of trying new methods and techniques? Maybe try and be more abstract than literal? Well as long as I continue creating based on what I care about it’ll all be good.
Now I don’t know what else to write about and I’m wondering if I should’ve just used a prompt. It’s fine I’ll just regard this paragraph as a stream of consciousness and keep writing what comes to mind like the fact that I have a class at 7pm on a Friday night but I am still wondering what I want to do tonight as if I’ll have energy, sometimes i really push myself to stay busy but I do enjoy being busy and always having something to do it makes me feel … productive. Well now there are two minutes left until the end of class and I’m glad I got this done now, so until Saturday.
Saturday
What makes something art? Have you ever seen something on the street and thought it was art, only to realize it wasn’t?
I would say Art is something that has a meaning and grabs peoples attention forcing them to be drawn in. Art should be able to be justified by the artist, if they choose to identify their work as a piece of art then they should be able to. For Example, Street Art such as Graffiti and Installations in public areas are considered art even though Graffiti can also be considered an act of rebellion. I often think that some architectural objects in parks or more specifically, the structures attached to the building in the centre of union square. At first glance they could be art or they could potentially have a more practical purpose.
Sunday
Can you teach art? Can you teach someone to be creative? How?
I don’t think you can teach talent, Artistic techniques can be taught but ultimately students come to schools like Parsons to be taught how to create more effectively and develop their craft. It’s not just about teaching art or creativity but it’s about how to push an artists’ creativity and allow them to step out of their comfort zone and think differently.
This questions prompts me to think about my journey through Parsons and what i have learnt so far. My professors have taught me about new ways to think and create through set projects. I don’t think I’ve necessarily been taught how to be creative but how to create meaningful art using a variety of mediums and has also opened me to a community of creatives that I am excited to collaborate with.
Monday
If you owned a gallery, what kind of art would you display? Would your gallery have a theme?
I am always drawn towards purposeful art. Art that calls for action or speaks on today’s society. Personally, my artwork revolves around my interests or social justice. If I had a gallery it would revolve around the theme Social Justice and Empowerment, it would aim to educate and empower the viewers of the artwork. I would want to display artwork from young, upcoming artists who create dynamic pieces and wouldn’t usually have the opportunity to expose their art on such a platform otherwise.
Tuesday
Response to On Keeping a Notebook
The reading starts with a woman examining a not from her notebook and wondering about it’s significance. She debated about why people keep notebooks and why it’s so important to record things. She suggests that it is about ‘preserving everything observed’ putting into questions why we feel the need to keep notebooks and write things down. Didion explores the difficulties that come with owning a notebook from understanding the meaning of the notes you’ve taken to why you observed certain things, she suggests its another way of interacting with your old self and your thoughts.
Wednesday
With Barthes in mind, think about “Mythologies” that you encounter every day. This could be as specific as an advertisement or a food you eat for breakfast, or as broad as a snap judgement or stereotype you find yourself making.
Nowadays, I find myself eating a Croissant and having Tea for Breakfast which one could say is very European of me but when it comes to the deeper history of each and their origin I don’t know much. All I know are the typical stereotypes associated with each things, Crossaints are associated with the French while Tea with the British. In relation to Barthes Mythologies it makes me think about the true histories behind these products and why we draw these stereotypes.
Thursday
To end I’m going to a free write, today there was a snow day so classes were cancelled. Although it was a day off I still spent it working and trying to catch up but still ,managed to achieve nothing on my to do list. Sometimes I feel like I spend too much time planning how to be proactive than actually being proactive. I need to work on my efficiency, like how am I able to have a sticky on my laptop desktop that reminds me of all my homework due that week every time I open my laptop but still not able to complete it until the night before.
