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We got down to doing some REAL work today. Started on the murals right outside of STAC room.
The objective of what we were working on today was that we'd first start with simply writing our name and then branching out from there with something we love. We'd have to branch off from that and write why we love what we love. Then branch off AGAIN and write why we love what we love what we love! You get the point.
When I first started, my mind hit a complete road block. It usually does. The problem with me is that my mind is a completely blank slate so I need someone/something to tell me/inspire me to draw something. I have a very difficult time thinking of stuff on my own.
Anyway, I have to be completely frank- the mural looked like absolute shit. I was expecting something 100x more organized and proper, something that looked like the timeline of evolution; neat, orderly and showing some sort of significance.
The sunny side up of this situation was that because nothing was orderly, neat, proper, etc., every single "thought process" was unique. It individually told so many things about the person who drew it on the wall. The hand writing, the way you connected the words, the way your organized it- it all traces back to mirror who YOU are. So while the mural is an eyesore to look at, it shows individuality. It's important to become yourself, and not some stupid barbie clone (which I sadly see a lot of in school.)
You have to set yourself aside from everyone else and in a sense that's essentially what happened with our mural this afternoon. We were all given the same exact directions but we all had different images of the outcome depicted in our minds. We didn't do a "bad job." We just did what we were told.
A self portrait.
An image.
You.
Bingo!
ReplyDeleteWhy does your mind go completely blank? Does it go completely blank? I don't know if I believe that. It must have something in it. Even blankness is something, and you seem to be aware of the emptiness, which means that even the nothingness has substance to it.
What is the substance of the blankness?
Damnit Luke, you're making me answer a question I don't know the answer to.
ReplyDeleteWell most if not all of the time it goes completely blank just because as I'm starting to grow older, my imagination is slowly starting to fade into shades of grey...WHICH IS NOT GOOD! I'm not ready to become a boring adult who sits in a cubicle and types numerical numbers!
But I was doing some shower-thinking today, and I actually do have a few ideas looming around in my head for that personal project you were talking about so I'm excited to get that started! Not telling anyone though what it is though when the time comes. I want to make people think about the meaning behind my soon-to-execute piece!
Hmm... well, why would I ever bother to ask a question when you do know the answer? Exactly what would you get out of that?
ReplyDeleteIt doesn't go blank and you know it, so stop copping out/beating 'round the bush, etc. It doesn't go blank, you do something to it. What do you do to it? The answer can be found if you dig into your own response to me, especially that third paragraph.
And besides, you already know the answer, you just won't say it.
"something that looked like the timeline of evolution" -I just pictured various pictures of ape to human transformation. I so agree that it is better not super neat and organized. The fact is we are human individuals not machines so the wall just radiates that sense of individuality you were talking about. Does that actually make it more interesting to look at rather than less? I didn't even realize how big of a public expression of individuality this was just by the way each chain physically looked rather than a self and public discovery with using words.
ReplyDeleteI know what you mean by blank mind. Or at least for my experience it was simply that I was afraid to let things out of my head or subconscious because I wasn't sure if things made sense or would sound stupid and embarrassing. This is easy to overcome especially in STAC, but to be honest I am feeling this sense of holding back in my AP Gov class because I am so self-concious that I don't have the right preparation to speak on controversial issues and politics etc… I wonder if my ideas will sound reasonable… I'm confident I will overcome this syndrome and relived that I have identified that I have a problem. (First step of rehab.)
Also, does it make any difference for your reading back to change all the "you"s in this blog post to "I"s?
http://www.bluesci.org/?p=3095 look at that article about a schizophrenic art project or just look at the picture. He makes something that looks similar to our wall. I also agree that the first day I hated the project, but the second day I was ok with it. Maybe we were high on sharpie fumes. By the way this is Danny but my blog won't let me comment.
ReplyDelete