Final project video

Each time I watch this video now I come up with a different meaning behind it depending on the mood I'm in, and that is exactly the reaction I want from my viewers; to question what they are doing at that very moment and everything leading up to that moment. Life has endless meanings that change on the daily, but one thing is true and that is the fact that life is a progression. Some times are going to pass by faster than others but there will always be a point, or several points, in our life when we look back and question where time has gone. In the fast paced world we live in always focusing on the next thing we rarely take the time to stop and reflect. We are always looking for the next greatest thing which I realized is what I do. But I do not take this as a bad thing, I view it as a good thing because I am never okay to settle with average. I am constantly looking for new ways to improve my life and push myself to the next level. After making this video I realized all of the great things I have accomplished in life and what struggles I have worked through and each of those things has led me to exactly where I am now, sitting at Starbucks at UT, 1,356 miles away from home.
I have realized that life is so precious and it can be taken away at any second, and with this I have made it my mission to leave my mark on this world wherever I go for that simple fact. I believe we are all put on this earth for a reason and is our duty to discover that and manifest in that. It is the little things in life that mean the most, from telling my parents I love them to smiling to strangers. If you are content with yourself and happy with your accomplishments, you can help others to do the same. There is no time in life to take a time out for you will miss out on too much. Although always working towards a goal is tiring, but it sure as hell will be worth it. I believe we should always be striving to become the best versions of us because there is just not enough time to not strive for greatness. If you go through life settling for mediocre, then what will you have when you look back on life? There will always be people who doubt you, but all you need in life is to believe in yourself because with that, anything is possible.
We will not always get the outcomes we hope for but that doesn't mean it is a fail, rather it means it is a learning process. The ability to get back up when life kicks you down builds strength and every time you get kicked down you will be able to come back stronger than the time before. There are ups and downs in life but hard work should be consistent throughout. I have learned that hard work always beats talent which shows so much about your character. Playing sports and being dedicated to my fitness has taught me that results won't come overnight, but the dedication and consistency over time will create change and being able to look back and give yourself 100% of the credit for achieving your goal is the greatest feeling in the world. The desire for greatness must come from within, no one else can want it for you, so light that fire inside and go change the world.

https://vimeo.com/195042278

Music movements

After looking at the various music movements, I decided that dubstep, hardcore, electro-clash, techno, and electronic-producer/DJ culture are all related and could be grouped together. One thing I noticed throughout these movements is that lyrics aren't the main point of the song which is not typically what we think when we think of music, but music does not have to be lyrics that are sung. It can be such a wide variety of things, but I believe that music is anything that stimulates our ears. Sounds are all around us and that's all songs are, different sounds being put together to form one larger piece of sound. These various movements sound different than other typical music because it doesn't sound like they are using conventional instruments, when in reality they are just using instruments in a different way to create unconventional sounds. When listening to the different musicians within each category it was clear to me that although they all sounded slightly different, they applied the same basic principles to produce music. These musicians organize sounds in certain patterns that make the listeners want to dance because of the constant rhythm throughout.
These movements are definitely types of music that would be played at a club or party. The technology these artists use is unique because they have to use instruments in ways that make them sound different than ordinary instruments. Today, computers are heavily used to create this type of music which I think is really interesting. I like how music has evolved into something much larger than just regular instruments. Using computer technology to create sound is unique because every sound can be altered in the slightest bit making each sound different from one another. In addition to computers, they use drums and keyboards to produce sound. I like how the sounds are deceiving, but these artists are using instruments, just like other artists, in a different way to produce unique sounds.  The way they set up different sequences of sounds before the beat drops is exactly what people dancing in a club want.
After looking at all of the different movements, I would add Zedd to these categories. His work fits perfectly with these other music producers. Although dubstep has changed over the years, current dubstep artists still use the basic principles of sound that Stephen Gurley and Menta used. Their sounds use minimal lyrics and overlap sounds in certain ways that produce a song. These sounds have a constant beat throughout and most of the time are repeated continuously for the entire duration of the song. These sounds form a pattern in which people are still able to dance to just like they are today. I found it very interesting to listen to hardcore, techno, dubstep and electronic because I could clearly hear the connection between all of them. Each movement built off of one another and slightly changed the speed and sound to make something new. Zedd definitely fits in the category of dubstep and electronic-DJ producer, but I can hear that his work has evolved from the older hardcore and techno movements. I like how newer songs, like Zedd's, change the sounds more frequently than older ones because it keeps the listeners into the song and keeps them dancing which is what these types of music make people want to do!
I can tell that the basic principles of these movements are still used in Zedd's work because although his songs sound different, if you really listen you are able to hear the same types of sounds that were used years ago by Daft Punk and Delerium. The only difference is that Zedd uses lyrics so initially it's hard to tell if the sounds are really the same, but by closely listening you can tell that the technology that is used today is the same as what was used back then. If the same technology was not used the sounds would be different. The major difference I noticed in the technology Zedd uses and the older songs is the speed of the sounds being put together, making it sound like different technologies are being used. By Zedd putting lyrics to his songs while using the hardcore, electronic principles, he is building off of these other movements as well. I like how he is using the computerized sounds and lyrics to produce music, making it slightly different than the movement before. This type of music is very interesting because no matter what time period it is from, or how fast-paced the music is, it always makes people want to dance because of the constant upbeat rhythm that is carried throughout. I appreciate these movements because it is producing music that sounds unconventional even though its just using instruments in a unique and creative way which is much harder than playing a guitar and singing.
Zedd-Clarity
Zedd-Addicted to a Memory

What makes you happy?

Happiness is different for everyone. No two definitions of 'happy' are the same and that is what makes happiness so unique. When thinking about this project, I wanted to do something that reflected me and my happiness. There isn't just one thing that makes me happy, its a culmination of many things that contribute to my happiness. I truly enjoyed doing this project and seeing what makes other people happy. Some things varied from money, to animals, or even writing on people, and that is what made this project so interesting. At first, many people didn't react to my experiment they just looked at the piece of paper I was holding and looked at the writing I had on my body and gave me a weird look. Some people did enjoy it though, they yelled out what makes them happy and I replied with "then write it!" Just the simple act of acknowledging where their happiness comes from made me happy.
As I walked up and down the riverwalk I didn't get the initial reaction I was hoping for, but eventually people caught on and my arms and legs started to become filled with words and phrases. Watching the sun set along the water, I found something else that makes me happy, sunsets. That is whats so cool about the question I am asking, the list of happiness is forever growing. We discover new things every day that contribute to our happiness to make those lists endless. I run along the riverwalk quite often and that is where I do my thinking, but this time I was able to slow down my thoughts and reflect a bit. I learned that one thing that makes me happy is seeing others happy. By doing this project I was allowing people to acknowledge those things that make them happy and put it out there for the world to see. Happiness should not be hidden from others, it should be embraced to the fullest. If you stop focusing on what others think of you and truly focus on yourself, I guarantee you will find more happiness within yourself.
I have noticed many times people staring at me and at first that really bothered me, but now I have learned to ignore it because I really don't care what they think about me. All that really matters is what I think of myself and my happiness. When I was doing this project there were many times people were staring at me, but I didn't let that affect me because at that moment I was happy and thats all that mattered. We must be happy within ourselves to be able to show happiness outwards and that is one thing I have learned. Also, we must ignore the negativity that surrounds us everyday because being happy looks better than being angry. Each of us is unique in our own way and we should not hide that from the world.
Choosing the song for this video was very easy. I remember when that song first came out and it was my favorite song because, like the title, it just made me happy and thats all that mattered. I would sing and dance like a fool without caring what others thought about me because I was happy and thats all that mattered. Once I started to put the video together I was really excited to see the final product. I am happy (no pun intended) with how it came out, I worked hard on this and I believe my effort was successful. Although embarrassing at times, I learned a lot by doing this project.

https://vimeo.com/193981302

What makes you happy?

Happiness is different for everyone. No two definitions of 'happy' are the same and that is what makes happiness so unique. When thinking about this project, I wanted to do something that reflected me and my happiness. There isn't just one thing that makes me happy, its a culmination of many things that contribute to my happiness. I truly enjoyed doing this project and seeing what makes other people happy. Some things varied from money, to animals, or even writing on people, and that is what made this project so interesting. At first, many people didn't react to my experiment they just looked at the piece of paper I was holding and looked at the writing I had on my body and gave me a weird look. Some people did enjoy it though, they yelled out what makes them happy and I replied with "then write it!" Just the simple act of acknowledging where their happiness comes from made me happy.
As I walked up and down the riverwalk I didn't get the initial reaction I was hoping for, but eventually people caught on and my arms and legs started to become filled with words and phrases. Watching the sun set along the water, I found something else that makes me happy, sunsets. That is whats so cool about the question I am asking, the list of happiness is forever growing. We discover new things every day that contribute to our happiness to make those lists endless. I run along the riverwalk quite often and that is where I do my thinking, but this time I was able to slow down my thoughts and reflect a bit. I learned that one thing that makes me happy is seeing others happy. By doing this project I was allowing people to acknowledge those things that make them happy and put it out there for the world to see. Happiness should not be hidden from others, it should be embraced to the fullest. If you stop focusing on what others think of you and truly focus on yourself, I guarantee you will find more happiness within yourself.
I have noticed many times people staring at me and at first that really bothered me, but now I have learned to ignore it because I really don't care what they think about me. All that really matters is what I think of myself and my happiness. When I was doing this project there were many times people were staring at me, but I didn't let that affect me because at that moment I was happy and thats all that mattered. We must be happy within ourselves to be able to show happiness outwards and that is one thing I have learned. Also, we must ignore the negativity that surrounds us everyday because being happy looks better than being angry. Each of us is unique in our own way and we should not hide that from the world.
Choosing the song for this video was very easy. I remember when that song first came out and it was my favorite song because, like the title, it just made me happy and thats all that mattered. I would sing and dance like a fool without caring what others thought about me because I was happy and thats all that mattered. Once I started to put the video together I was really excited to see the final product. I am happy (no pun intended) with how it came out, I worked hard on this and I believe my effort was successful. Although embarrassing at times, I learned a lot by doing this project.https://vimeo.com/191391163

Radiating Hands xerox art

Xerox Art

Creating this project was embarrassing at some times, but I am happy with the final product. I chose to keep it basic and appropriate using my hands and face. I initially was going to remake the monkeys of 'hear no evil, speak no evil, see no evil,' but my face did not copy so well in some of them so only speak and see came out clear enough. As I started copying, I was surprised at how well things were showing up like my fingerprints and the creases on my hands. After I had everything copied I wasn't sure of what I was going to do to make it all come together. Then as I cut it out, I just started to piece things together in different places. I knew I wanted my hands to be pointing outwards on the edges so I started there and just began putting things together and rearranging them.
I came up with two different designs and I took pictures of them with my phone. One of them, the one I decided on, had my hands radiating outwards with various other things on the inside. The other idea was to group the copies by color, ranging from white to black, and put it together like a gradient. But I didn't like the way that looked so I stuck to the radiating hands. When I went to the store to buy a poster to put it on I saw red and was hesitant at first then thought it would be really cool to have the pop of color coming from the background.
When I finished the project and stepped back and looked at it, I was very pleased with how it came out. Having the red background adds a whole other element to the piece that makes it stronger. I really like how, depending where you look on the poster, there is a different emotion or feeling. In one area you have my hands flipping off the audience, but right below that you have my hands in the shape of a heart. Certain copies of my face look extremely dark and creepy while others look like my face is smushed against a window. At first I didn't like how my eyes were just black holes, but looking at it now I think it adds to the confusion of this piece while still representing something that makes total sense. I look at this piece as different emotions we feel on a daily basis; there is love, hate, neutrality, confusion, peace, and intellect within this whole piece and that is why I think this comes together so beautifully even though initially it didn't seem like the pieces were going to fit at all. Although we are emotional human beings, somehow all of those emotions combine together to make a much larger piece, us.

Flip Book videos

Flip book videos

Flip book

When creating this project I could not think of any ideas that would be able to last 200 frames, so that is why I made 2 separate visuals. As you flip the book in chronological order one story develops, then as you flip through it upside down and backwards, there is a totally different visual created. My inspiration for each creation came from my love for nature. The beach is one of my favorite places which is why I decided to make a fish being eaten by a shark and a sailboat sailing across the water for the first part. I had planned to have a shark eat the fish from the beginning because I wanted to show movement across the pages. Then, as I started to draw it I realized it was somewhat boring so I decided for a tragedy to occur which is how I decided to have the boat crash into a rock. My inspiration for that part also came from the Titanic; having a ship peacefully go across the ocean when disaster strikes and the boat goes down.
Once that piece was complete I still needed more, so being in Florida I decided to draw a palm tree, but there aren't any palm trees in the middle of the ocean so I had to figure out a way to get to land. My vision for this was just to have the pictures scan across the ocean until they reached landfall. After a few pages of the ocean levels decreasing, I got to land and found a palm tree with coconuts! Then I remembered in cartoons coconuts always fall from trees and hit people on the head, but decided to have a man who is stranded on this island shake the tree for coconuts. I enjoyed this part of the project because I liked how the movement of the tree came out. Once the man had shaken the tree and picked up the coconuts I was almost to the end, which I then made the man walk away with hopes of being rescued.
I knew for the second part of my flip book I wanted to show some type of evolution which automatically makes me think of birds and eggs. Showing the mother bird lay the egg, fly away and having the bird hatch was really fun for me to make. When the egg was hatching I tried to make it seem like the picture was zoomed in by making the nest bigger, but I don't think I was successful in portraying that and I would go back and change that if I had the chance to. Once the cute little bird was alive, I wanted to add humor which is where the man on the bench comes in. Again with the stereotypes, creating the bird-pooping-on-head was my humor to this project. I am not a good artist in the least bit, but I tried drawing a bird to the best of my ability. Zooming in on the man's face shows the emotion he was feeling after a bird pooping on his head. Although this project is simple, it is to my fullest potential and effort was not lacking.

Grid Art project

When we first got assigned this project, like many others, I came up blank with no ideas. Then I let the idea sit for a little while and listened to others ideas, and still no inspiration. I am not creative in the least bit so from the start I knew that my finished product was going to be nothing extraordinary. I think that the reason I am so uncreative is because I like things to be in order and organized. I am not good with drawing unique pictures or fancy designs, which is why my project turned out the way it did.
Initially I was trying to think of an object that would be cheap, small, and easy to have 900 pieces, which is how I came up with stickers. Having colorful stickers allowed me to organize my project by that criteria. I did have a sketch but when it came time to actually do the project, I just started sticking down stickers. I started with the black border because I like things to be sharp, defined, and have edges, then tic-tac-toe came to mind. I decided to split up the 30x30 grid into a 3x3 grid. With this I started making a diagonal line that split up two different colors and liked the way that looked. Creating this first box led me to the rest of the project, using vertical and horizontal lines with the same principle. I knew I had to have many different parts to this grid because I had 8 different colors to work with, and from there I just continued to put down stickers and let the pieces come together.
I like how my project came out because it is very organized and neat, which is visually appealing to me. There were some times where it was hard to keep all of the circles in line with each other making sure they matched up with the black border but by the time I came down to the end, everything had lined up. This project reminds me of pop art because of the vibrant colors and many little dots coming together to create a picture. There doesn't seem to be much rhyme or reason to this project because I did not stick with the original template I had created which I guess in some ways is me being creative.

Plus Pool, New York

            In August of 2013, for the first time ever people of New York were given the opportunity to swim in the East River. Swimming has always been prohibited due to the contamination of the river, but the creation of the Plus Pool has changed that forever. This new technology now allows people to experience and enjoy the beautiful nature that surrounds them in New York. As the idea was introduced, creators quickly realized that many people were eager for this new invention and were more than willing to help. Water filtration is such an essential part of life and has been around since the 1700s, but even the ancient Greeks in 2000 BC had ideas of water purification. Clean drinking water is something many people take for granted but is a large issue in other parts of the world. Various technologies that have been created to purify our water which has led to lives being saved and making the world a better place.

            Aqueducts in 7^th century BC created by the Assyrians carried water from one place with water to another place without water. This invention didn’t necessarily purify water, but it did evolve around the basic need for clean water which has led to many other essential inventions. The first water filters were created in the 1700s by using charcoal, sponges, and wool. These materials were used to clean the water and remove any particles that could be harmful to humans drinking it. As time progressed, new materials were used for filtration, such as sand during the 1890s in large filtration systems. Although there are certain chemicals like chlorine, that purify water as well, the basic ways to filter water have continued to be used throughout history.

The Plus Pool is similar to a large strainer, filtering out bacteria and contaminants. This technology, dating back to the 1700s, filters water through materials being tightly woven together to trap particles and leave clean water on the other side. The invention of the Plus Pool opens up a whole new window of opportunity in the world becoming more self-sufficient. If we apply this new technology in other parts of the world, we will be able to give water to many countries who do not have clean drinking water. Being able to provide clean drinking water to all humans on the planet will be possible with the use of the Plus Pool technology in other parts of the world. In the future, technology like this will solve the issue of people not having clean drinking water. This simple technology allows for it to be accessible without having to build a complex structure. By applying technology that has been around for centuries, we are moving in the right direction of living in a healthier planet with proper drinking water for all.

Sources:

http://www.pluspool.org/design/

http://www.lenntech.com/history-water-treatment.htm

Jenůfa

            Opera is a unique art form that never fails to evoke an emotional response within the audience. No matter what the Opera is about there is going to be an emotional reaction from the audience. There is so much more than just sounds that go into an Opera performance, there is light, costume, sets and technology all intricately put together to create something much larger. The thing that sets Operas apart is the intensity of the music coming from a person’s mouth. When watching a performance, it is captivating to think that all of these sounds are purely coming from someone’s vocal cords bouncing off of each other at extreme speeds. But that is just the basics of what goes into an Opera. There are many things that occur behind the curtain, or even done in plain sight, without the audience knowing which I believe is what makes Operas magical to the human eye. The simplicity of Jenůfa was not lacking an emotional response, rather the simplicity of the costumes and sets were effective in revealing the true meaning that laid beneath the performance to grab the audience and receive a reaction.

            Before watching Jenůfa, I had pictured all Operas being elaborate by using technology in new and creative ways to portray the performance to the audience. Even though costumes and sets are only pieces of the performance, they are two aspects that truly make a difference. Although the costumes in Jenůfa were never elaborate or colorful, they did match the tone of the performance. Wearing mute and monotone colors, such as off-white or black, throughout the entire performance set the tone of the Opera. Having certain characters, such as Jenůfa and her stepmother, in different dress makes the audience pay closer attention to them without even knowing it. By having the Kostelnička in dark dress in the beginning of the performance foreshadows what is to come. The Kostelnička being in dark clothes is like having a dark cloud looming above throughout the whole performance. Dressing her in dark clothes and the other performers in lighter clothes in the beginning, already makes the audience have an emotional reaction before any drama had occurred. This is all due to the simple fact that she did not match the rest of the set which was comprised of warm light colors. Keeping her in dark clothes makes the audience feel uneasy the whole time, representing her evil character even though they did not have any evidence to support this until the very end.

            As the Opera progressed, I was expecting there to be more technology used in the performance. The stage differed only slightly from act to act, but it was the lighting that made the acts stand out from one another. In the first act, the lights were bright and the audience was able to see everything that was going on on stage, which left nothing to the imagination. But in the second act, the lighting was very dark with only a few spotlights. Setting up the stage in this way with the rock being the main focal point, made the audience guess more due to the fact that not everything was easily visible. This caused the audience to question what was happening that they could not see. During this point in the Opera the Kostelnička is acting very suspicious, drugging Jenůfa and lying to her, which pulls the audience in based on curiosity of the unknown. The use of lighting and props in this act is effective in getting the desired reaction from the audience.

            This play kept the audience attention throughout the whole performance because of Kostelnička practically controlling the whole situation, which I would simulate to chess match. In chess you must deceit, lie, and ponder in order to win the game, and that is exactly what occurred in this play. Kostelnička was the chess master, moving the pawns throughout and controlling all things that occurred. The pawns were Jenůfa, Steva, and Laca all being manipulated by Kostelnička. The whole time she had her own agenda and used them to complete her plan. Drugging Jenůfa so she could take her baby away from her was the ultimate move. Jenůfa had no idea what had happened or why she was feeling ill, but Kostelnička did because she was moving the pawns of the chess match but doing it discreetly so no one would ever suspect anything. Kostelnička being the pawn master kept the audience interested because they could see how manipulative she was being but the other characters could not, causing them to ponder the much larger picture that was being created.

            Jenůfa is like Tetris, trying to add up all the pieces together to create a much larger picture. Some do not add up and some fit into the puzzle just like it was meant to be. As the performance is happening, there are many questions that do not make sense to the audience, the largest one being what happened to Jenůfa’s baby? The whole time the audience is trying to figure out this strange situation that is occurring, why is Jenůfa “sick?” and where is her baby? The Tetris pieces have to be moved and rotated in different directions until they fit in with the other pieces, and the audience must think and ponder all of the strange things happening on stage. As time goes on, the pieces are starting to come together making the picture clearer, but it is not until the very end when it all comes together to show how each piece must be perfectly placed to complete the puzzle. Things do not start to become clear until Jenůfa finds out that the Kostelnička is the one who killed her baby, but they still are not clear enough to make the puzzle complete. It is when the Kostelnička explains why she killed the baby, to protect Jenůfa and her baby, that the puzzle is finally complete and all of the pieces perfectly fit into the puzzle. While the performance was happening, the audience was forced to use their imaginations and creativity to try and figure out the puzzle, moving the pieces and trying new options to make it all clear.

            Although the picture was not made clear until the end of Jenůfa, the audience still became emotionally involved with this Opera. The lack of outrageous costumes and set changes kept the audience on their toes leaving them to use their imaginations to sort out the story line as it progressed. Just like in Tetris, they were forced to ponder new options and new configurations to try and answer the questions that loomed overhead throughout. This allowed the audience to have an emotional reaction not just in the end, but every time something would occur in the Opera. The music, costumes and sets were all perfectly put together to allow enough information to be given to the audience, and yet not allow too much information to be given either. By leaving questions for the audience to answer throughout the performance, the director pulled them in and was able to keep them concentrated until the very end when it all came together perfectly, just like the tiles of Tetris being manipulated into one another completing the puzzle.