Gaping void on being creative…

So you want to be more crea­tive, here are the tips from one of my favorite people

1. Ignore everybody.

The more ori­gi­nal your idea is, the less good advice other peo­ple will be able to give you. When I first star­ted with the cartoon-on-back-of-bizcard for­mat, peo­ple thought I was nuts.

And there’s more..

2. Put the hours in
3. Ever­yone is born crea­tive; ever­yone is given a box of cra­yons in kin­der­gar­ten.
4. Every­body has their own pri­vate Mount Eve­rest they were put on this earth to climb.
5. Don’t try to stand out from the crowd; avoid crowds alto­gether.
6. If you accept the pain, it can­not hurt you.
7. Never com­pare your inside with some­body else’s outside.
8. Nobody cares. Do it for your­self.
9. Worr­ying about “Com­mer­cial vs. Artis­tic” is a com­plete waste of time.
10. Don’t worry about fin­ding ins­pi­ra­tion. It comes even­tually.
11. When your dreams become rea­lity, they are no lon­ger your dreams.

winter…

There are only three things I can think of that are good about winter…

1. I can go snowboarding and that is fun
2. The water from the tap is nice and cold
3. It eventually goes away

Apart from those things, you can keep it thanks very much

Finished the year…?

So, I have just finished writing my final assignment of my first year. Not sure how I feel about it really. I certainly am not relieved, which I thought I would be, but then I don’t feel I have been relieved of anything. I have really rather enjoyed this year and being encouraged to and having time to reflect on it has been very beneficial. I am looking forward to having time to study over the summer. I really want to practice my AS3 and PHP skills and have a whole bunch of books I need to go through. I also have the reading lists for my theory options so I have plenty to keep me busy!! I have found the library blissful these last few days, there is scarcely a person in here and it is practically silent, even on the first floor [except for the weird old guy that's been sat next to me a while, he keeps making odd noises...].  I think I’ll be spending some time in here over the summer,  I have never had much time for libraries in the past, I think I am gradually becoming a calmer person, which is no bad thing in a lot of respects! I really want to build my own website this summer, I think it will be a useful project and a practical way to keep learning. Seeing as I have discovered I am something of a pragmatist when it comes to learning [and a lot of other things for that matter] I think it will help to create something useful. Plus I may get some freelance work if I am lucky, I am going to need a few pennies…

Next term I need to keep my research a bit more organised, I think I’ll start using Biblipedia a bit more, it seems like a useful tool. At the moment I have picked up The Audience Studies Reader. I have gotten really interested in all that audiences stuff, participation & UGC and what it means for authorship, what makes a text immersive, what effect does the mass media actually have on, well, the masses I guess? I would really like to familiarise myself a little more with the theories before I start my lectures next term. CRIKEY, 351 words? I am waffling on, man I HAVE CHANGED Joking aside I think I really have. I think this is probably without doubt the best decision I ever made…

Reflections

Blimey, I didn’t realise it had been so long since I’d mithered *myself* by posting something. It’s now 2.37am and yes, I should be sleeping, as usual. I am coming to the end of my first year now which astounds me.  I never thought it would go by so quickly. From the early days of essay writing / reading and note taking workshops, to tearing my hair out over group work and web based coding tutorials. I feel I have done OK this year, much room for improvement but hey, that’s the point is it not. I have been surprised at my written results I must say, seeing as that was my main fear to start with, but it’s been 70+ all the way so I cant complain. I feel I have learned a lot on the production side but am still not brilliant at critically analysing my work so I need to work on that. My spelling is still an abomination but I have been working on that since I was 5 so I think I may have hit a threshold there! It’s strange reading back through my old posts, the time has flown but seems so long ago, I feel older somehow. Probably the hideous natureof ‘the summer project’ which has done that though. I know that one area I really must work on is building my confidence as a person, my overwhelming sense of self-s**tness does get in the way somewhat. Although I have had the perfect opportunity to do that over the last project and unfortunately haven’t. Mental note to self you must be more assertive. I do like to sit in the shadows… I am looking forward to getting back in to the theory next term, I have missed my lectures [is that really weird]. I have set myself some projects over the summer, both theory and production, so I do hope I have the discipline to stick to them. I am looking forward to learning some more ActionScript especially. I kinda hope it rains, then I can shut my self in my nice, quiet little office and study away. Right, enough already, going to bed take two – lets hope for a favourable result

Censorship revisited

So, I have just read ‘Letter to Europeans’ by George Mangakis, and I have a tear in my eye. If this is what censorship is about, then it is an abomination before humanity. The humility with which he deals with his incarceration is astounding, the objective of which is to humiliate him and break his spirit; or in his own words to ‘annihilate’ him.

He speaks of his incarceration as just, as he is truly committed to his cause. What is unjust, he goes on to say, is the fact that his prison exists at all. This, considering the circumstances, is an extremely pragmatic view. He expresses no anger toward his torturers, only pity. He is humiliated; however he is not forced to abandon his own sense of humanity in order to humiliate others.

Fear is one of our most powerful instincts, a survival tactic which predates our so called ‘sensibilities’. It is fear that drives dictatorship to such abominable acts of torture. As  Foucault  would have it, knowledge is intrinsically linked to power and discourse. Without information, one can have no knowledge and therefore no power. Fear of losing power and control is apparently a very dangerous thing, if it will drive human beings to such blindness, to cause such suffering to those who merely want for freedom and to speak their minds.

…they strut around in their uniforms… intoxicated with the power in their hands. Their intoxication is nothing other than the degradation of humanity.

George Mangakis 1972

This is a strange form of procrastination, considering I put today aside to start my essay

Identity tourism

I have been asked to choose an identity which is alien to me and write a short piece from that perspective. As a confirmed atheist, I thought it would be interesting to write from the point of view of someone with fundamental religious views. I have chosen the Southern Baptist convention and their stance on homosexuality:

The foundational beliefs of the Southern Baptist Convention are based around the Holy Bible. We believe that it was written by men who were divinely inspired and it is through the bible that God reveals himself to man. The scripture is totally true and trust worthy. Through the Holy Bible, God has revealed the principles by which man will be judged, and set the standards by which all human conduct and religious opinion should be tried.

Homosexuality is denounced by the bible; therefore it is sinful. Sexual orientation is a matter of choice and can therefore be overcome. It is not caused by hormonal imbalance or genetic factors, but through an unhealthy relationship with ones parents. As set out in the scriptures, the family unit is comprised of those related through marriage, blood or adoption. Marriage is the sacred union between man and women in covenant commitment for life. It is this union that provides the foundations for the procreation of the species. To condone homosexuality through the legalization of same sex marriage conveys societal approval; this poses a danger not only to the individuals involved but to society as a whole. Homosexuality is a reflection of a general moral decline in America; this can only be exacerbated by a social acceptance of homosexual marriage, as future generations will grow up without proper family values.

With all of these factors in mind, discrimination against homosexuals will be deemed proper in the interests of protecting the heterosexual family. The Southern Baptist Convention will continue to stand against homosexual marriages. We will however, demonstrate our love for those practicing homosexuality through prayer. That they may be shown the forgiving and transforming power of the gospel and receive ultimate salvation.

midnight academic ponderings – censorship

So, I should be asleep, but no dice. I have been taking a great deal of interest in the subject of censorship and free speech, mainly because every time I think about it I challenge my own opinions. On one hand, we have to allow individuals to express their opinions, if they are not able to do so, it doesn’t mean they change their values, it just means the majority do not get to hear them. Surely it must be beneficial for an adult to be exposed to a complete picture of their own and other’s culture. In hearing opinion, one can either choose to accept or reject certain ideologies; it is after all how we build our identities within society. However, one could also argue that what is socially acceptable is a cultural issue, and people have every right to hold their own values. Is it therefore tyrannical to expect people to accept that they could be offended on a daily basis? Is censorship nothing more than a means of showing tolerance to your fellow human beings? This raises the question of course, who draws the line, and what authority do they have to do so. The pragmatist in me believes that there are reasonably common ideologies within a certain society, and we need to be democratic about it. However, ideologies change constantly so ‘the line’ needs to be monitored and moved.

Being that ideologies are constantly changing, does this mean that high exposure to ‘shocking’ material erodes cultural taboos? Apparently in ancient Greece, it was acceptable for men to have sex with 13 year old boys (thanks Joe, more research needed). Bearing this in mind, does this mean that what is culturally acceptable is in constant flux, regardless of humanitarian ‘core values’, if so, what is the catalyst for change? This leads me in to a whole debate surrounding audience dominated by media vs media dominated by audience which I will censor my brain from considering just now J

There is of course the issue of minors, they are after all impressionable, I for one wouldn’t want to hear my children (should I have any) swearing, even though I often say f**k like some people say umm. I also wouldn’t like them watching anything pornographic or overly violent. Bearing internet use in mind, I would be happier that there was software available so that I could censor them myself, this would give them the freedom to roam without constant supervision.

There’s a great deal more I need to consider re this, but it’s getting very late. In conclusion to what I have said, I do believe that a certain amount of censorship within public spaces is necessary, for the sake of those traversing those spaces. However, I do feel that there should be places where one can voice ones opinion, even if they have a ‘come here if you dare’ style warning .

Soooo, Audiences and animation

Our next project is to design a short animation, designed for a specific audience. The animation I am creating is designed for an adult audience and specifically those in the arts community.

Here are my preliminary drawings:

This is the main character

 

This is the (as yet unfinished) render

 

This is a key pose from the animation

 

 

This is the other character

My participation on the internet

I have been asked to write a short peice on my own participation on the internet. I have found it a little tricky as there isn’t a lot to be said about it. I have a facebook account which I use for keeping in touch with my friends and family, especially those who I do not get to see very often. My main area of participation is through Flickr. I upload my favourite pictures, mainly so my family and friends can look at them, but I also find it a therapeutic way of expressing myself. I really like to spend time browsing other people’s pictures, as it inspires me and makes me smile. On reflection, I don’t use Flickr as much as I could, for instance one of my friends goes to Flickr meets, which I think is a great idea. I haven’t been a member for long so there are still a lot of pictures I would like to upload. If you would like to check out my stuff, browse away! http://www.flickr.com/photos/31228983@N02/

Back again

So, it has been a good few weeks since I have posted anything. I am really enjoing the thory side of the narratives unit. I have done loads of reading and become engrossed in the concepts. I am starting to feel that I could spend my life in this library and be very happy. I have to say that a MA has crossed my mind on several occassions, but lets not run before we can walk ay? As far as writing is concerned, I have completley lost my sense of dread, I am really starting to look forward to writing my next essay, the only thing that does concern me is how I’ll keep it to 2000 words! I am enjoying the production and feel that I have really learned a lot, especially where programming is concerned. I am enjoying working in a group, they have brought some good ideas to the project, however they can be a little flaky at times.