Dear Possible Seeing Sideways Students,
Greetings! I have just completed the experience that is Seeing Sideways. I say experience, because that's what it truly is. Calling it a class, does not do it justice.
We faced our fears, shared our passions and dreams, created some awesome things and had a lot of fun. It wasn't all just a bunch of goofing off though. We really grew as individuals and as a class. The first few classes, we didn't know what to expect. We would raise our hands if we had a question or something to say. We were pretty quiet and mild mannered. Beth was the teacher and the ultimate authority.
The last few weeks, you wouldn't even know we were the same class. We spoke when we wanted to and were eager to present our projects. We were loud and uproarious. Beth was merely an observer and sometimes a participant in what had become OUR class. We had literally become different people. Better, more creative people.
I wasn't too sure about Beth and this class when I first arrived. Some of you will be just as skeptical I am sure. My best advice to you: Trust that this class does have the power to enhance your creativity and help you produce some awesome things. All you have to do is let go of what is holding you back and embrace it.
This class has really shaped me into a different creative individual. My original capstone idea was tossed out the window and replaced with a handful of much better ideas. I stepped out of my comfort zone and did things I have never done. I built a bookcase for crying out loud! Never, in my life, have I ever built something out of wood and nails... But it was honestly one of the coolest things I have done.
Classes that I take from this point on will be approached with a very different mindset. Projects will be warped and twisted into something that interests me and keeps my creative juices pumping. This class, without trying to sound like a brown-nosing, ass-kissing, suck up, is a must take class for New Media students.
It's hard to explain what the class entails, what you should expect, or what you will gain from this class; You just have to take it for yourself. I can promise you this one thing: You WILL get something out of it and you WILL be glad you signed up for it.
-Helmet
Saturday, May 14, 2011
Sunday, May 1, 2011
N385 - Seeing Sideways - Research Project
For my research project, I decided to read up on one of my favorite writers, Edgar Allan Poe.I myself, really enjoy reading and writing and my style if influenced tremendously by Edgar Allan Poe, Stephen King, and H.P. Lovecraft. I think what I like about them is their ability to write about the odd or the weird or the mundane and make them absolutely terrifying and interesting.
I already knew quite a bit about Poe, but I did some more research and reread some of my favorite pieces by him. I then decided to make a poster in Photoshop that would tell anyone looking at it quite a bit about Poe at a glance. Furthermore, I tried to do so in a style that was Poe-esque so that people could get a feel for his niche and possible become intrigued.
Quotes used in the poster can be found in the following works:
The Raven, by Edgar Allan Poe
The Bells, by Edgar Allan Poe
The Cask of Amontillado, by Edgar Allan Poe
The Pit and the Pendulum, by Edgar Allan Poe
The Masque of the Red Death, by Edgar Allan Poe
Research sources I used were the following:
http://www.eapoe.org/
http://www.poemuseum.org/index.php
http://www.nps.gov/edal/index.htm
http://worldcat.org/identities/lccn-n79-29745
Monday, April 25, 2011
N385 - Seeing Sideways - The Secret Library
As promised, this is my "Wellspring of Creativity" assignment.
Allow me to preface this by saying that I was very much inspired by Mr. Glasscock who only a few weeks ago built a large spinning animation rig (which I can no longer remember the name of and Google refuses to help...)
As a New Media student, I don't do very much building that doesn't involve a computer. However, I really enjoy working with my hands and making things. So, I decided to do just that for this project.
I didn't just want to build something though. I wanted to build something that A.) I would use, B.) I could do with a little help from others as possible, and C.) I would think was clever and original and funny.
I decided on this:
Tada! A bookcase that looks like a giant book!
I know, I know. I'm awesome. I am also an avid reader, so I can't wait to bring this home from my parent's garage tonight and fill it with all my books. I'll upload pictures once it is filled. ;)
Helmet's Helpful Hints (Or Rather, Something Helmet Noticed in this Entry): This entry is brough to you by the letter 'A.' I don't really know why, but it just seemed to me like I used the letter 'A' alot...
Allow me to preface this by saying that I was very much inspired by Mr. Glasscock who only a few weeks ago built a large spinning animation rig (which I can no longer remember the name of and Google refuses to help...)
As a New Media student, I don't do very much building that doesn't involve a computer. However, I really enjoy working with my hands and making things. So, I decided to do just that for this project.
I didn't just want to build something though. I wanted to build something that A.) I would use, B.) I could do with a little help from others as possible, and C.) I would think was clever and original and funny.
I decided on this:
Tada! A bookcase that looks like a giant book!
I know, I know. I'm awesome. I am also an avid reader, so I can't wait to bring this home from my parent's garage tonight and fill it with all my books. I'll upload pictures once it is filled. ;)
Helmet's Helpful Hints (Or Rather, Something Helmet Noticed in this Entry): This entry is brough to you by the letter 'A.' I don't really know why, but it just seemed to me like I used the letter 'A' alot...
Monday, April 18, 2011
N385 - Seeing Sideways - Day 8?
I haven't done one of these in awhile. They have kind of been merged with the assignment posts. This week was no exception. We talked about what gets our creative juices flowing and that's what I talked about in great detail in my last post.
One class member shared about how she felt like she had lost her creativity. I know exactly how she feels. I think every creative person goes through that many times in their life. Creativity comes and goes and you can't force it to come to you. The best you can do is try to coax it back out, but even that won't always work.
It is definitely a frustrating feeling, but all I can suggest is that you just keep trying and just keep your head up. You never know what is going to inspire you, so just live life! See a movie every week, read a book, try new types of food, learn a new language, meet new people! The more I take in, the easier it is for me to put out. (No sexual innuendo intended... God, that sounds bad. But you get the idea, perverts!)
One class member shared about how she felt like she had lost her creativity. I know exactly how she feels. I think every creative person goes through that many times in their life. Creativity comes and goes and you can't force it to come to you. The best you can do is try to coax it back out, but even that won't always work.
It is definitely a frustrating feeling, but all I can suggest is that you just keep trying and just keep your head up. You never know what is going to inspire you, so just live life! See a movie every week, read a book, try new types of food, learn a new language, meet new people! The more I take in, the easier it is for me to put out. (No sexual innuendo intended... God, that sounds bad. But you get the idea, perverts!)
N385 - Wellspring of Creativity
Creativity for me stems from two main things: Emotion and Limitation.
The first part is very simple and, I believe, quite common for most people. My emotional state plays a big part in how creative I can be. Sometimes when I am sad or angry, it puts a complete block on my creative state. There have been times when I have been getting awesome work done on a project or assignment just to have it come to a screeching halt because of some outside factor putting me in a crappy mood.
This isn't always the case, however. There have been times when my work is actually improved when I am angry or sad or depressed. For me, it really depends on what I am working on and what happened that put me in that mood, but emotions play a big part in whether or not my work is any good or whether or not I can even get it done!
The second part is a bit odd, but without a doubt it is my biggest wellspring of creativity. As long as I can remember I have worked well under limitations. Before I had Photoshop, I would create things in Paint. Anyone who has worked in Paint knows that it is severely limited compared to Photoshop, but I was able to find ways to do many of the things that people believed it was impossible to do without Photoshop.
I always felt most creative doing homework assignments in school where the teacher would tell me what I had to do. Working within the parameters of the assignment while still making it something that I would enjoy doing was challenging and exciting to me. I like to write sequels and prequels to books and movies because I am limited to keeping it within the boundaries set forth already.
The lack of freedom makes me think of things I wouldn't normally think of, because I want to make it something entertaining to me, but I will abide by the limitations unwaveringly.
I've really struggled coming up with what to do in this class on most assignments because there has been a HUGE lack of limitations. Beth is not one to set down rules for what should be done or how it should be done. She will give you a parameter like, "Look at fear" or "Use this egg," but within that, there is a vast amount of wiggle room.
I think this is good for me, because it makes me work much harder to come up with something just as creative even though it isn't playing into my strengths. I've definitely had to sit around for hours at a time trying to hash out what my project for that week was going to be.
For this week, we are supposed to examine our "Wellspring of Creativity" and immerse ourselves in it. Then create something memorable and share it with the class. Unfortunately, I am currently in the middle of a weird transitional period occupationally and got slammed with two full-time jobs for the last couple of weeks. I had to work 40 hours this week and 32 hours this weekend!
Needless to say, I didn't have much free time (that I didn't spend sleeping). Therefore, I do not feel that I had adequate time to give this project the effort that it deserves. So, I have decided to skip class today and create something awesome and memorable that I will show during next weeks class.
The first part is very simple and, I believe, quite common for most people. My emotional state plays a big part in how creative I can be. Sometimes when I am sad or angry, it puts a complete block on my creative state. There have been times when I have been getting awesome work done on a project or assignment just to have it come to a screeching halt because of some outside factor putting me in a crappy mood.
This isn't always the case, however. There have been times when my work is actually improved when I am angry or sad or depressed. For me, it really depends on what I am working on and what happened that put me in that mood, but emotions play a big part in whether or not my work is any good or whether or not I can even get it done!
The second part is a bit odd, but without a doubt it is my biggest wellspring of creativity. As long as I can remember I have worked well under limitations. Before I had Photoshop, I would create things in Paint. Anyone who has worked in Paint knows that it is severely limited compared to Photoshop, but I was able to find ways to do many of the things that people believed it was impossible to do without Photoshop.
I always felt most creative doing homework assignments in school where the teacher would tell me what I had to do. Working within the parameters of the assignment while still making it something that I would enjoy doing was challenging and exciting to me. I like to write sequels and prequels to books and movies because I am limited to keeping it within the boundaries set forth already.
The lack of freedom makes me think of things I wouldn't normally think of, because I want to make it something entertaining to me, but I will abide by the limitations unwaveringly.
I've really struggled coming up with what to do in this class on most assignments because there has been a HUGE lack of limitations. Beth is not one to set down rules for what should be done or how it should be done. She will give you a parameter like, "Look at fear" or "Use this egg," but within that, there is a vast amount of wiggle room.
I think this is good for me, because it makes me work much harder to come up with something just as creative even though it isn't playing into my strengths. I've definitely had to sit around for hours at a time trying to hash out what my project for that week was going to be.
For this week, we are supposed to examine our "Wellspring of Creativity" and immerse ourselves in it. Then create something memorable and share it with the class. Unfortunately, I am currently in the middle of a weird transitional period occupationally and got slammed with two full-time jobs for the last couple of weeks. I had to work 40 hours this week and 32 hours this weekend!
Needless to say, I didn't have much free time (that I didn't spend sleeping). Therefore, I do not feel that I had adequate time to give this project the effort that it deserves. So, I have decided to skip class today and create something awesome and memorable that I will show during next weeks class.
Monday, April 11, 2011
N385 - Why are you here?
I am going to assume that we are asking this question on a philosophical basis and that you don't want to know why I am sitting on my couch drinking Mountain Dew and eating Funyuns waiting for the next episode of Family Guy to start. (Or maybe you do. I like to think I could make my fairly boring life seem interesting through the magic of words.)
Anyways, why am I here?
Well, I don't have any religious beliefs, so I can't say that I am here to serve God's will or to find Nirvana or anything like that. I can only say how I am choosing to live my life, which I believe says a lot about what I think my reason for being here is.
I try to live my life with no regrets. To be the best man that I can be. I go to bed every night, knowing that I did the right things that day. I can honestly look back on my life and say that I am proud of the way I've lived it thus far.
I don't know what happens to us when we die, but I do know that no matter what, I will have lived a life that I know was full of good deeds and void of poor moral decisions. No matter what the afterlife (or lack thereof) holds for me, I will have the knowledge that I stuck to my guns and stood up for what I believed to be right and true.
So, why am I here?
I guess I am here because I want to show the world that you can be moral and just without conforming to the norm or leaning on religion. I want people to understand that it is up to you to make the right decisions whether someone is watching you or not. You can't live your life trying to please others. You need to do what makes you happy. Be you!
Anyways, why am I here?
Well, I don't have any religious beliefs, so I can't say that I am here to serve God's will or to find Nirvana or anything like that. I can only say how I am choosing to live my life, which I believe says a lot about what I think my reason for being here is.
I try to live my life with no regrets. To be the best man that I can be. I go to bed every night, knowing that I did the right things that day. I can honestly look back on my life and say that I am proud of the way I've lived it thus far.
I don't know what happens to us when we die, but I do know that no matter what, I will have lived a life that I know was full of good deeds and void of poor moral decisions. No matter what the afterlife (or lack thereof) holds for me, I will have the knowledge that I stuck to my guns and stood up for what I believed to be right and true.
So, why am I here?
I guess I am here because I want to show the world that you can be moral and just without conforming to the norm or leaning on religion. I want people to understand that it is up to you to make the right decisions whether someone is watching you or not. You can't live your life trying to please others. You need to do what makes you happy. Be you!
Friday, April 8, 2011
What is fear? (Conclusion)
My Fear Presentation went off pretty flawlessly, if I do say so myself. Thankfully, the topic of caring about what others think/say about you came up as an aside conversation during one of the other presentations, and that made the perfect transition for me to get up and let people publicly take a swing at me on my own blog.
If you scroll down to a few blog posts back you can see what all was said about me. Not unsurprisingly, it started with my personal appearance, quickly turned into a flame war, and ended by questioning my sexuality. Ah, the joys of the internet! I really wasn't offended or upset by anything that was said about me. In fact, the whole thing was a lot of fun. Everyone was laughing, including myself. I kind of expected this. I really didn't think anyone would be seriously "touched" by my presentation, but I do hope that the next time they are worried or upset about what they believe others are saying or feeling about them, they will remember how much fun we had in class when I decided to say, "Here I am, I don't give a fuck!"
One thing happened afterwards though that I did not expect. Two days after class, I was talking with a couple of my buddies on campus when Mr. Glasscock walked by. Without thinking about it, I gave him the head nod, he returned it and I said, "How's it going?" to which he replied, "Not much, you?" and I said, "Same." (Or something to that affect. It was over a week ago so I don't remember our exact words, but I think that's pretty close.)
Ladies you probably are reading this like, "aaaaaaand? So, what?" but what you don't understand is, that that exchange of "Sup?" and "Not much." is something guys do with people they are somewhat friends with. Perhaps it would help to say that Mr. Glasscock and I have never talked at all before that day and that he was one of the big contributors to my blog during my Fear Presentation.
What I am trying to get at is that I believe we inadvertantly connected a little bit that day. I literally told this guy to make fun of me on the internet, he did, we laughed and now we are bros.*
Uhhhh... WTF? Who saw that coming? But it proves my point ultimately; being afraid of what other people say about you or think about you is just silly. If you can let it roll off you or you can laugh about it or just stop caring altogether, you'll be so much happier. And ultimately, that's why the fear doesn't exist for me! I am happy with myself and how I live my life, and I am not going to let anyone's words or thoughts take that away from me!
*I don't know if Mr. Glasscock actually considers us bros. I can't speak for him. I am just going off of what I personally experienced and believe to have happened. Not trying to force you into a bromance, Glasscock. ;)
If you scroll down to a few blog posts back you can see what all was said about me. Not unsurprisingly, it started with my personal appearance, quickly turned into a flame war, and ended by questioning my sexuality. Ah, the joys of the internet! I really wasn't offended or upset by anything that was said about me. In fact, the whole thing was a lot of fun. Everyone was laughing, including myself. I kind of expected this. I really didn't think anyone would be seriously "touched" by my presentation, but I do hope that the next time they are worried or upset about what they believe others are saying or feeling about them, they will remember how much fun we had in class when I decided to say, "Here I am, I don't give a fuck!"
One thing happened afterwards though that I did not expect. Two days after class, I was talking with a couple of my buddies on campus when Mr. Glasscock walked by. Without thinking about it, I gave him the head nod, he returned it and I said, "How's it going?" to which he replied, "Not much, you?" and I said, "Same." (Or something to that affect. It was over a week ago so I don't remember our exact words, but I think that's pretty close.)
Ladies you probably are reading this like, "aaaaaaand? So, what?" but what you don't understand is, that that exchange of "Sup?" and "Not much." is something guys do with people they are somewhat friends with. Perhaps it would help to say that Mr. Glasscock and I have never talked at all before that day and that he was one of the big contributors to my blog during my Fear Presentation.
What I am trying to get at is that I believe we inadvertantly connected a little bit that day. I literally told this guy to make fun of me on the internet, he did, we laughed and now we are bros.*
Uhhhh... WTF? Who saw that coming? But it proves my point ultimately; being afraid of what other people say about you or think about you is just silly. If you can let it roll off you or you can laugh about it or just stop caring altogether, you'll be so much happier. And ultimately, that's why the fear doesn't exist for me! I am happy with myself and how I live my life, and I am not going to let anyone's words or thoughts take that away from me!
*I don't know if Mr. Glasscock actually considers us bros. I can't speak for him. I am just going off of what I personally experienced and believe to have happened. Not trying to force you into a bromance, Glasscock. ;)
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