This is the documentation footage of my Time Studio final project. This video was made with the context of the bus stop in mind, and projected onto the surface during the evening in downtown Grand Rapids, Michigan. (There is no sound.) This was recorded with my lovely new Canon Rebel T1i. Enjoy!
So there are two new minors this year at my university that I am interested in, the Entrepreneurial Minor and the Writing Minor. The problem is, I don’t know which to pick, if any, or if I could handle both. The deal is, I’m already looking at being here four and a half to five years with summer studies to stay caught up in my art studies. AND I’m trying to study abroad. I don’t know if I can fit it in, let alone handle the insanity of a double minor.
Considering I will pick one, I’m balancing which would be more useful versus fun. Entrepreneurial would certainly be useful. I can see it being creative and fun. I mean, being an entrepreneur means starting your own business from scratch and being your own boss. Keeping a business like that takes a lot of creativity. So I think I’ll be okay, just as long as it doesn’t get all technical business lingo-y on me; that’d just be downright scary.
Writing, however, I would probably pick mostly creative writing classes since that’s what I enjoy the most. I would love to take some Creative Writing classes or Intermediate Poetry. But writing can also be useful. So many people don’t know how to communicate effectively with the written word. Or their grammar makes them sound like they’ve just graduated from Primary school. Just the other day, someone posted on facebook, “I don’t want to go to class either but I already have went to one.” That makes my die a little inside, each time I read that.
Anyway, writing is a big part of communicating properly on the internet. You can’t be there to explain your services to someone on your website, so you have to be good at communicating effectively in writing without getting too long, or complex. I tend to be a little bit long winded (as I probably am here, but it’s my blog and I’ll rant if I want to), or I can’t think of enough to fill the space.
Winding down, I still can’t decide. I think next semester I will start some Intro classes for each and maybe that will help me decide. Until then, any input from readers would be great! Anything I’m forgetting to consider, ideas, opinions, your experience with college minors? Thanks!
Paper Planes is a video I made for my Time Studio class. It was filmed in edited in one day. Just the way I like to get things done. So with out much more adieu, enjoy!
“National Novel Writing Month is a fun, seat-of-your-pants approach to novel writing. Participants begin writing November 1. The goal is to write a 175-page (50,000-word) novel by midnight, November 30.” ~What Is NaNoWriMo?
So, I love NaNoWriMo. This is my 5th year participating in the madness. I began my sophomore year of high school when a friend told me about it over the summer. I idly blew it off. But then when she started getting excited for October to start when the NaNo forums open, I decided to check it out and I was hooked. I stayed up late that night, refreshing the NaNoWriMo home page on October 1st, 2005, the first available day for new sign-ups to start that year. And every October and November since have been filled with novel writing goodness.
The first two years I completed NaNo with two sci-fi novels in a series. The third year, I tried to continue the series, but I think they ran out of steam, and I was also swamped by my senior year of high school and college applications, etc. Similar story with my freshman year of college. I was simply too busy with the new load of homework and social life I was unused to. But this year I have more free time, a lighter class load, and my own apartment to escape and write in. I’m determined to finish this year with a new slightly sci-fi/adventure novel. Catch my synopsis under Novel Info on my NaNo Profile.
This year I started my free trial of Scrivener for Macs (which is recommended for large research papers and writing projects, even if you’re not doing NaNoWriMo). And there’s a special offer in the forums that gives you 50% off the purchase price if you win and would like to buy it after NaNo! Definitely a great motivator for me this year, because I love this program already and I’ve had it a week. Also, there is an offer from CreateSpace to give you one free printed proof of your book if you reach 50k. That’s right, you can hold a copy of your book, for FREE! I’m definitely doing that as well. (Keep in mind, these offers are only for registered NaNo users who reach 50k and validate it on the website.)
This year I donated $25 to The Office of Letters and Light that runs NaNoWriMo! $5 for every year I have participated. And if you’re a NaNo Participant on Twitter, be sure to add this Twibbon to your avatar! Made by me!!
I’ve been lagging again on posting. But! I’ve been absorbed with life so I consider that a better use of my time, really. Haha! But to play a little catch-up now, here’s a bit about my trip to Chicago two weeks ago with the art department.
It was the usual trip to The Art Institute of Chicago, which in the past 2-3 years I’ve been to at least half a dozen times. I have the layout of the museum memorized for the most part. I feel like I could give tours and even speak on a few art pieces I know well. Nevertheless, it was a whole new experience for me this time because I had not seen the new, recently completed Modern Wing. Which was awesome. A whole new wing to explore, and whole new collections of recent art of this century to see, and current artists.
One current artist being Cy Twombly. First thing, how awesome is that name? It’s just so fun to say! Cy Twombly. Hehehe! There was also a photography exhibit under works, an audio/visual room for movies and sound pieces. Plus the architecture was just stunning. I highly recommend checking it out if you ever go to Chicago.
Anywho, the other stop on the art department Chicago trips is the Museum of Contemporary Art, a straight shot down Michigan Avenue from the AIC, next to Water Tower Place. We went specifically to see an exhibit that was leaving soon. The main exhibit was by artist Olafur Eliasson.
Olafur Eliasson is from Copenhagen, Denmark and is a very contemporary artist and deals with interactivity with the viewer, one of my favorite things in art. This guy makes you think about his art, without needing much explanation. I was struck with the simplistic beauty of his pieces, but then wondered at the complexity of making them. It was completely spectacular.
One piece, above left, is one of my favorite, a 360º Room of Color. It was a bare, round room, with slowly changing colors of light. It was another sabotage to my eyes, especially from blue to red, or pink to green. But again, it was so beautiful I wanted to stay. Even within the plain circular area, there were different ways to view this. You could stand in the middle and watch other people, and see the changes of color and their faces and follow the rotating colors around the room. Or, you could step in closely to a wall, and erase all trace of people so your vision was filled with pure color. Both were like entering a new world and took time to adjust to.
My other favorite piece, not pictured, is called Room for One Color where the hall of the Museum for Contemporary Art was bathed completely in yellow light. I loved the shock to your eyes as all colors left your vision and they strained to cope. And I loved that as my eyed adjusted while walking down the hall, I began to see that people in the hall looked monotone, yellow and greyscale. It was like looking at a beautiful photograph. I lingered for a while to look at my own clothing composition in greyscale, though I was originally trying to get out of the room as soon as possible to rest my eyes.
The name of Olafur Eliasson’s exhibit is Take Your Time. Basically a request from the artist to slow down and examine the different possibilities of the art around you. And I certainly took my time. I admittedly rushed a bit, but I went around the gallery two or three times, marveling more and more with the many new discoveries that kept coming out of such simple installations. Olafur Elisson is definitely a new favorite artist of mine.
1. Don’t settle for anyone.
2. Get a design I’d want if I ever got a tattoo.
3. Watch a meteor shower.
4. Dress up for the historical society in 1800’s fashion.
5. Go on a real picnic with friends.
6. Go clubbing.
7. Plant some potted flowers and keep them alive.
8. Introduce a friend to the wonder that is Sherman’s ice cream.
9. Leave a 50 - 100% tip for great service.
10. Memorize a poem.
11. Read 50 books [3/50]
12. Cover a wall in pictures I’ve taken.
13. Get rid of one piece of furniture in my bedroom at home.
14. Photograph the Northern Lights.
15. Create my websites and maintain them.
16. Have a piece of writing published.
17. Start keeping index cards of what books I’ve read.
18. Take 100 Photographs I like enough to print out and store in a photo album. [0/100]
19. Make 100 Icons 100×100 size for fun. [0/100]
20. Get rid of 100 things I don’t need in one week.
21. Save $1000 in savings and don’t touch it.
22. Learn to French braid and get good at it.
23. Make mashed potatoes for my friends.
24. Send a postcard to Post Secret.
25. Take a picture of myself at least five days a week for a year. [20/52]
26. Do something fun for my 20th birthday.
27. Learn some ASL.
28. Make Christmas presents.
29. Learn to play “Zanarkand” on piano by memory.
30. Get a pair of nice shoes.
31. Finish writing any story.
32. Write a letter to myself to be opened in 10 years.
33. Be in bed by 10pm every night for a week.
34. Take a photo of something interesting everyday for a month.
35. Blog at least once a week. [25/143]
36. Have a “girls’ night” 5 times. [0/5]
37. Visit at least 2 new states. [0/2]
38. Blog and prove everything completed (if possible) on this list. [1/101]
39. Write a love letter (to someone else or myself).
40. See a Broadway play in NYC.
41. Write and draw a little comic/children’s book.
42. Create 10 new paintings from original photos. [0/10]
43. Go out just for fun at least once.
44. Learn basic CSS.
45. Complete an old dare of kissing a stranger.
46. Get someone else to do 101 in 1001.
47. Have a “family night” once a month in summer -movies/games/reading/etc.
48. Write my future husband a letter once a month for a year. [4/12]
49. Use one full box of teeth whitening strips in a month. [0/30]
50. Create post/greeting cards out of my photos and send to people.
51. Swim in a lake at least twice a month in the summer.
52. Ride the whole Kal-Haven Trail, at least one way.
53. Scan important family photos and make a CD of them for mom.
54. Find eye shadow colors that work for me and how to make it look good.
55. Keep taking ballroom dance at school and possibly over the summer.
56. Learn more about my family tree.
57. Find a layout for my room and keep it that way and clean.
58. Get a TV for my apartment next year.
59. Get a job.
60. Take a massage class to compare with my skills from personal experience.
61. Take a friend to the beach.
62. Hike Canyon Falls again.
63. Visit Brett.
64. Have a “romantic” Valentine’s dinner–in or out! (with single friends is okay.)
65. Don’t ever get a credit card.
66. Spend one whole day reading.
67. See three mainstream music concerts live. [1/3] (Hellogoodbye)
68. Go camping somehow.
69. Get a complete (min. 4 person) dinnerware set for myself.
70. Put $2 in an envelope for each task I complete and go on a shopping spree with what I saved. [$0/202]
71. Write and illustrate a fairy tale.
72. Read all the unread books on my shelf or get rid of them.
73. Look into doing a semester abroad in England.
74. Plan a plausible trip to Wales to the town my great-great-great grandfather came from.
75. Buy real bras that fit me.
76. Sleep under the stars with someone close to me.
77. Organize all my photographs, and print/back up the ones on this computer.
78. Send a message in a bottle.
79. Get a pair of awesome knitted wrist-warmers.
80. Blow bubbles in public with friends.
81. Take one photo a week for a year. [25/52]
82. Take a few photos and write an accompanying blog post. [15/52]
83. Make a book (on blurb?) of said photos and posts.
84. Write one blog post a week for a year. [25/52]
85. Sketch more.
86. Draw cartoons occasionally.
87. Be silent for an entire day.
88. Build a sand castle.
89. Build a snowman.
90. Write a future wedding guest list for fun.
91. Frame and display my own photography.
92. Find out how soon I could get my own cat.
93. Play RISK or some version of it more.
94. Play chess at least once a month for a year. [0/12]
95. Send five happy/uplifting postcards to random addresses.
96. Take pictures in a photo booth.
97. Meet at least one person from YWS.
98. Find happiness being single.
99. Give away 30 happy paintings.
100. Don’t be afraid to fall in love.
101. Love and be loved.
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