VR project

This project was challenging at first. I wanted my topic to be fear but I wasn’t sure how to narrow it down. I decided to do trauma and how it affects your mind because it seemed very interesting to me.

I had a lot of fun taking the pictures, it was the first time I had done anything like this. I had to take pictures of my friend in a bathtub for some of the images I wanted to create. That was a fun photo shoot because a bunch of people came to watch because they thought it was funny. The audience gave me a lot of energy while I was shooting and I think it made my pictures better. When I was shooting pictures with Keeton, he encouraged me and helped me brainstorm. I realized that working along side of at least one person can really enhance your creative process.

I think I put too much time and energy into a few select photos because I felt like I captured everything I wanted to say about trauma, but then I didn’t have enough 20 pictures. You can tell which pictures I spent the most time on, but I think thats k...I still filled the requirement.

I decided to make my pictures into a movie because I wanted to add music. I thought the piano would add another layer of pathos to my idea. I was also use the timing of the song to give the images more of a punch when they appear. I had a lot of fun making the movie because it was another thing I had never done before.

Since I am a visual artist, visual rhetoric came naturally to me. I am used to using images to express myself, so I was able to go deeper with this assignment then I would have with a music or dance piece for example. I loved this project....we should do it again some time.

Here it is:

CLICK MEEEE!!!

My Visual Rhetoric Idea

For my vr project, I want to illustrate fear, and how it can physically and emotionally handicap a person. Fear is such a strong emotion, and every person reacts differently to it. I want my images to really capture the intensity of it. I will either use images which would instill fear in the minds of the viewer, or show a subject in the picture experiencing fear, or both. This project will revolve around pathos. Fear is an emotion, one that is known to every person. It will be an interesting creative process, trying figure out how different people experience fear, and how I will successfully represent that.

I will have to be careful to avoid creating images which look cliche because they are similar to a horror film. I am not trying to make people scared, but rather I am trying to discuss the idea of fear. It will be hard to detach these two from each other. I will use captions in most of my pictures, where it is necessary. This will help me talk more about the issues of fear, rather than make a scary picture which scares people. I want to explore new ways of showing fear, maybe show it in a beautiful way or a gross way.

VR in the South Loop

This image is a prime example of an advertisement utilizing pathos. It uses strong words like "defend" and "freedom", they are large, bold and at the top. It shows a veteran leaning against the fence with the American flag waving in the background, tapping into the American's feeling of loyalty and passion toward our country and our troops. Then your eye moves downward to the smaller text, asking you to "Help the achieve their own". In even finer text underneath, the advertisement explains that only a portion of your money will go to the "Wounded Warrior Project". The background of the poster is a deep blue, which makes you feel relaxed and calm. The poster as a whole makes you feel compassion for the Veterans, and want to know more about how you can help. The text gets smaller and smaller and draws your eye downward until you reach the part about paying. It uses camouflage to frame the picture of the veteran, because that pattern automatically makes the viewer think about war and soldiers. This poster is very interesting contextually because of our countries, current war(s). War is currently a major household topic, something almost all Americans have some sort of opinion or emotion about. This poster would evoke different emotions from viewers if it were shown during a time in which our country is not at war. Budget, and the Wounded Warrior Project are the messengers, and the rest of society (people walking around on the street (who have compassion and some money)) are the receivers. The message is to feel bad for veterans who have been wounded, and to buy Budget's product so that some of the money you are spending will help the "wounded warriors".

I loved this project because photography is my main jam. It was fun to go out with my classmates and look at real examples of VR in the South Loop, I became more aware of how it is actually all around us. I got to know my classmates better, and it was a relaxing morning which is good for learning.

I <3 VR

Sex.

The photograph “Strangler Fig Embrace” by Jennifer Ray is a strong piece of artwork. It is an excellent mix of a posed scene, and found beauty. The image is endeering because of the beautiful way one tree has consumed the other, and the objects she paced under the tree add conceptual depth, and lead the viewer into a frenzy of questions. What exactly is under the tree, why is it there, who put it there? This image is part of a series of images in which the artist uses nature scenes to explore the nature of sex, and its position in our society. She uses the word “embrace” in the title of this photo, as it is evidence that both humans and objects in nature share this physical contact. She places man made objects from our society into this nature scene to allude to the duality of mankind pertaining to sex. Society places certain labels and ideas onto the idea of sex, giving it a negative connotation, however Jennifer Ray is trying to show that it is part of nature, something which is at our core....trees do it :).

This photo is also successful because it is a visually pleasing image. Jennifer’s use of light and color give the image a surreal and beautiful image. The composition of this image is successful because she uses the rule of thirds, and gives the objects their own place in the picture. It is a well designed image, using lines and shapes to move your eyes around. She uses the fore-ground, middle-ground, and background to give the image, both visually and conceptually, more depth.

The criteria I use to judge aesthetic is based on whether the image is visually pleasing, whether it makes me ask questions, whether I like the questions, and whether I like the answers I am able to come up with. If that whole process is enjoyable to me, then ya I like the picture. This picture has successfully achieved my criteria therefore I like this picture...a lot.

Wait....cats don't belong in dorms!

Visualrhetoricvisualrheticvisualrhetoricvisualrhetoric

Lucky Charms will make your child happy, and will give them nutrients in the morning!! This advertisement uses both ethos, logos,and pethos. Lucky charms resides in grocery store isles, waiting to be chosen by children, and approved by mothers. The front of the box uses bright colors, and symbols like a rainbow, heart, and leprechaun, and his wide smile, to make kids feel a certain way, and to lure the children in (pethos). These things create a happy emotion which is meant to catch a child's emotion, and hold it. A mother would feel good about buying this cereal for her child, because it has a bright and positive vibe, and it says "whole grain" in the top left, which uses logos to show that it is smart and healthy to buy this for your child. It also adds a bonus in the bottom right, advertising "Lucky's new webisodes ONLINE!". Putting that extra ad on the box gives the kids a sense of excitement, drawing them in further. I'm not sure if this is right, but I think this ad also uses ethos. The cereal is shown as a pot of gold, and it would make sense that I leprechaun is advertising a pot of gold. It would make sense for them to be called "lucky charms". A cartoon character with a big smile is something a child can understand easily. The body language of the leprechaun shows that he is inviting the viewer, almost giving them his gold. A child is also intrigued by the thought of small candies in their breakfast. It is much more appealing than regular corn flakes . The designer of this ad was sure to add many large and colorful marshmallows in the cereal, placing them in the front, to give the viewer hope for extra marshmellows...which is not true!! There are never any marshmellows its a lie.

Keeton

KEETON IS THE BEST PERSON EVER!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

writingwritingwritingwritingwriting

I came to Columbia to be an artist. It seemed like a place where I could express myself freely and try to discover and shape my path in life. Writing is something that has always held me back in school. I never liked writing for school because it took me a long time and I would get frustrated easily and the results were never what I wanted. It is hard to learn and move forward when you try to ignore the writing part. I have always written in a journal, and recorded things from my past on paper in my own words, but that writing was only for me. It felt like as soon as I had to write for someone else, I couldn't write anymore, either because I was nervous about them judging me, or I simply didn’t want to. Coming to Columbia this summer for the Bridge Program helped me improve a lot as a writer. Being in a more accepting and creative environment enabled me to dig deep and find a true love for writing. Now that I am able to enjoy writing, and feel confident in my work, it allows me to push myself and improve. I used to hate it more than spinach, but now I love writing, and I am passionate about it. I hope that this class will challenge me to push my limits, and explore writing in a new way, continuing to give me a new perspective on my old enemy. Hopefully I will be able to learn from my peers, and perhaps give my own insight into class discussions. I want to be able to take what I learn and apply it to other classes, and be able to write my opinions and ideas more clearly in other areas like photography, or 2d design. Writing helps me organize my thoughts and ideas, so as I progress as a writer, I hope to better understand and verbalize my ideas. And of course I am looking forward to class with Keeton and Courtney first and foremost.