Research and Process

WS:8 TAKE TWO (finally...)

2009-11-11T17:03:00.000-08:00

Call to action:

Find your human identity. Connect yourself to history and community through your interests.

Topic:

I want to show people why I am so interested about how history has effected my current life and how my human identity comes into play. My example for the audience is my experience with homebrewing (and the process: hop harvest) and how I used that experience to contextualize myself within human history. To do this, my audience will be urged to ask themselves questions; WHO, what, when, where, why AM I?

What Interests you about your topic:

Well, the hops idea was brought to me-- I didn't go to it. This summer I participated in a collective that my friends and I organized. The idea is that we would pool our money and do projects that we wanted to do, facilitating our own learning. We did many projects such as canning food, making wine, planting garlic, and harvesting hops.

I felt almost sublime, doing these little projects. Okay, maybe sublime is a little bit over exaggerated, but it felt good. So I asked myself, why does it feel good? At first, I thought that it was the fact that I was connecting myself with the earth, which is definitely important, but maybe not a universal value.

What about the DIY culture? The idea that making things yourself is suddenly better than buying it at the store. Now, even people that aren't biased toward making (like my roommate), place value in doing things yourself.

I kept asking myself why, why, why do I care and why should other people care? I took apart my experience with the TSA project and I mapped the history behind it with the timeline. These projects also made me feel good.

Now, I'm not exactly a history buff, in fact, I don't really even like history. All those dates and memorization, not exactly my thing. But I loved making that timeline and I was sincerely interested and amazed. I was amazed to find out how prohibition of alcohol led up to the popularity of homebrewing and, ultimately, my experience with hop harvesting. So, again, why do I care?

I care because my timeline connected me and my current human experience with the past. Why do I care about the past? Because it has effected my human Identity. The attitudes, thoughts, fears, emotions, and actions of past humans has shaped who I am today. I saw that direct connection when I made my timeline.

Caring about people who have shaped who you are, there's a word for that: Community. Here are some words others say about community:

"With our society moving at a faster and more detached manner due to technology, busy schedules and the frequency at which we change jobs, homes and locations, it makes it harder and harder to feel any sense of community." Source.

"Usually community refers to a group of people living in a common geographical location. This group of people obeys some social norms and some common value among themselves. As such, there are so many communities the world over, separated by languages, cultures, or geographical locations. However, they are related to each other in some way or other, thus making entire world a one, single community.

In a community people live by associating with one another. The feeling of association is a common human feeling. This helps in establishing peace and harmony within a community. Without a feeling of association there will be chaos and disharmony in the society or community. Hence, this point plays an important role in making a lively and vibrant community." -Ajanta Bhattacharyya

List all the possible variables associated with your topic:

(Since I'm so far along, I'm listing the important aspects)

People

Community

History

Fun

Learning

The experience

Human Identity

What sources will you gather data from:

The internet, personal experience, my (homebrew expert) friends, my women's studies prof, family friends, my community.

What solutions exist to solve issues or problems related to your topic:

Community can kind of be a loaded word, so I need to be sure to define exactly what I mean. Even so, there are lots of studies that have to do with community and human identity. But, really, I have already solved the problem. I have already felt that deep connection to my community of humans through both my study on my learning process (hop TSA) and the history behind my experience (timeline).

The additional problems I have is getting people to care. I am making the assumption that people care about people and that may be a bit optimistic. I think I am going to stick with optimism though. I am also making the assumption that, as humans, we need human connection, so I need to fins some good sources on that as well.

What solutions do you propose and how can you motivate your audience to consider the solutions:

I hope that my audience is moved by my experience. Im not sure how to ensure that. I don't want to appear selfish, like it's all about me. Really, it's all about humans. I want to stress the idea of people and their unique identities and community.

The handmade look and hands on approach to format is important to say, "this project is more than me and my experience." I also want to make paper dolls of some people from my community to stress humanity and individuality.

I want to make an installation in a gallery (probably faked with a model or photoshop, but it's the idea that counts). I want to make invitations to a gallery event to get people to come together and interact. Though, so far, my timeline and tsa are somewhat large, I also want to make smaller, precious objects that people will take away with them; they are something tangible, which emphasizes human touch and connection.

Audience:

What is their age?

Where do they live?

What mode of transportation do they use?

Where do they shop for groceries?

What do they do in their spare time?

What is their socio-economic status?

Everyone is my audience. I suppose to do research and ask questions you need time, so the socio-econ status needs to allow that.

Where and How can the audience be reached?

I want to send out an invitation (see my basic sketches). On the invitation there would be a link to a website where you can invite more people; Just enter their address and I'll send an invite. The website will be really basic (ie google).

What are the desired goals or results of the project?

To get people to think differently and to consider their human community and its history in a world where it's easy to isolate yourself from others.

Form:

TSA, Timeline, mapping my immediate community, invite website, playing cards, mobiles, invitation wheel. All in a gallery space where people can convene.

Distribution:

Invitation, internet presence, word of mouth. But I want to keep it people-centric.

320 WS pg 8

2009-11-11T14:49:00.000-08:00

A lot of life has happened this term and I'm behind in 320 infoD. Here is a compilation of some of the things I was supposed to turn in:

W/S pg 8

Call to action:

Connect yourself with what you consume!

Topic:

My personal exploration with what I consume (hops through homebrew beer) can inform others on how to make this sacred connection that seems to be lost in our modern world. Mostly, I want people to think, at the very least, about what they put in their bodies.

What Interests you about your topic:

I felt almost sublime, doing these little projects. Okay, maybe sublime is a little bit over exaggerated, but it felt good. This knowledge of harvesting and preserving used to be so common, but it got lost. Maybe it isn't necessary for me to know that I can steam juice grapes and pasteurize them in my own kitchen, but it is necessary to know to make a connection to the earth. Maybe, if everyone connected to the earth in some small way, we would care more about stopping what we do to destroy it.

And, Im not just a big hippie or nature freak or whatever you want to call it; I live in a big city, in a crappy apartment and I buy my food from the store. I dont live in a self sustaining commune. I am interested in this topic because I believe in it.

List all the possible variables associated with your topic:

(Since I'm so far along, I'm listing the important aspects)

People

The earth

History

Fun

Learning

The experience

Food

What sources will you gather data from:

The internet, personal experience, my (homebrew expert) friends, people who want to educate others about food (ie people's food co-op).

What solutions exist to solve issues or problems related to your topic:

Food education is not a new idea, people have been trying to do it for a long time. The DIY culture and the overwhelming knowledge of the internet are helpful for facilitating this idea of educating yourself.

What solutions do you propose and how can you motivate your audience to consider the solutions:

Mt solution is to show, by my own experience, that educating yourself about what you consume is necessary. I am definitely having trouble with the motivation part. Money, as we know, is a big motivator, but it isn't what's important for my project. I want people to want to learn.

Angles that could motivate: Learning is fun. I learned, so you can too. Learning benefits you as a person.

Audience:

What is their age? Everyone, specifically, adults.

Where do they live: Anywhere, specifically, the portland area.

What mode of transportation do they use? Anything, bikes, cars, public trans, walking, skating.

Where do they shop for groceries? Anywhere

What do they do in their spare time? Anything

What is their socio-economic status? They have to be able to read. Having a personal computer helps, but libraries have those.

I want my audience to be as wide as possible. People who are affluent, shop at whole foods, and own a prius may be more receptive to my call to action, but anyone can learn. I want everyone to learn.

Finding Experts

2009-11-10T18:46:00.000-08:00

I need to know about where to look for human identity sources! I asked my Womens Studies professor for help.

"Hey Sally!

I know you said you're slow to answer email, but this kinda of has a long explanation.

I was wondering if you knew of any good sources that talk specifically about the influence of community on human identity. I know that sounds broad, but let me give you a quick rundown of my project (for my design class) and what I'm trying to achieve.

My project focuses on my experience with homebrewing, specifically harvesting hops this summer. In one piece, I map how hops have moved into my consciousness. In the other piece, I show how the Prohibition (of alcohol in america) has led to the popularity of homebrewing (and, thus, helped hops come into my consciousness). With my final pieces I want to show how my exploration with homebrewing and hops have connected me to my community and history and contextualized myself within the human timeline.

I want to encourage people (by my example) to connect themselves to history and community through their own interests.

I think that community is important when developing your own identity as a human, but I don't know where to look to find sources to back myself up. Do you have any suggestions?

Thanks so much,

Jasmine Silver

(455U, gender in education)"

Term Long Project

2009-11-10T18:24:00.000-08:00

Im collecting information from my community experts on community!! Here's the first email I sent them:

"Hey everyone,

I feel somewhat disconnected from our collective now that I am distracted by school, but that doesn't mean I haven't been thinking about you all.

I am doing a project (for my design class) that is about my interest in growing, making, preserving, harvesting, and generally doing things myself instead of buying it at the store (which, of course, has been facilitated by you all).

My project focuses on my experience with homebrewing, specifically harvesting hops this summer. In one piece, I map how hops have moved into my consciousness. In the other piece, I show how the Prohibition (of alcohol in america) has led to the popularity of homebrewing (and, thus, helped hops come into my consciousness). With my final pieces I want to show how my exploration with homebrewing and hops have connected me to my community and history. I want to stress the importance of people and community.

You are people who are part of my community, so I want to hear from you! If you would write me a little something about why you want to be apart of "a group of folks dedicated to community, economic independence, health (individual and community), sustainability, an openness to bartering, and eventually opening a storefront retail cooperative," that would be really helpful!

Why are you interested in learning about food? How did you come to this interest? Who in your life has taught you about the importance of community? What community mean to you? Write whatever you want- I wana know about you!

THANKS!!!

Jasmine"

learning by doing

2009-08-16T15:00:00.000-07:00

Okay, so today I did my first screen test to see what the best time to expose the screen would be. 10 to 12 minutes is good for my light box. That is about normal I think.

I was worried that the lights weren't bright enough.

BAD Idea Alert: If you dont have a dark room, dont dry your emulsion-ed screen in a black plastic bag-- it makes the emulsion dry unevenly and crinkly.

Solution: dry screen in an old hard suitcase. Results to come.

Light Box.

Old suitcase to dry screens in.

Some totems

2009-08-13T15:27:00.000-07:00

I made this today

2009-08-13T14:50:00.000-07:00

all because i didnt want to clean my room...

two totems

2009-07-08T22:36:00.000-07:00

So here are the first two friendship totems. They are the story of our relationship; the silly things we do, from my perspective.

I had a hard time picking what friends to make into totems. Im not going to let you know what totem is what, but I still couldnt decide. Im probably going to end up making a lot of them. Ha ha.

Part of the reason for this project is that I have had a hard time feeling connected to people lately. I want to emphasize the connections I DO have with people. These totems are physical proof that Im not alone.

cristina cano

2009-07-05T15:56:00.000-07:00

im going to make an album cover for my friend cristina cano.

i want to put type onto a piece of toast for her.

thats all i got so far.

This is no longer a school blog/ask the internet

2009-07-05T15:07:00.000-07:00

I am starting this blog again because there are things I need to get out of my brain. I half-complete projects all the time, and I feel like at least there should be an archive of my process.

I also frequently have questions for the internet and I want this to be a place where I can post the answers.

Today, for example, I was wondering about totem poles. Im not quite sure what prompted my totem pole thoughts, but I suddenly felt the urge to know about them. Here is what the internet said:

The totem carvings tell a story, revealed only if one knows the meaning assigned to various animals, fish, birds and designs and where they are placed on the pole. There were a number of reasons why a particular figure or design was chosen by a clan. The connection between the clan and the various figures carved into the pole may have been as a result a special gift from the animal, fish or bird spirits. Or, there may have been a recent encounter with that figure. Some clans claimed to be descended from certain totem figures.

The meaning of many totem poles is lost with time. Even some of today's totem polescan not be understood except from one person - it's owner. Understanding the symbolism and stories hidden within the totem pole is more than a simple exercise in learning the attributed meanings of the figures. It is possible to know the meaning assigned a figure by the people of the Northwest, but it is not always possible to know its significance to the over-all story.

Totem figures are not Gods. Totems are not worshiped like religious icons nor used as a talisman. They were never used to ward off evil spirits and claims of bizarre, magical "totemism" practices are fiction. A totem pole may be compared to the symbolism portrayed in the Great Seal of the United States or a Coat of Arms. These national emblems are roughly equivalent to the meaning bound up in a totem pole except they identified clans not an entire nation.   Totem poles are carved today by both native and non-native people. They have become a highly valued art form and a symbol of pride and tradition for the people of the Pacific Northwest.

http://www.manataka.org/page30.html

I want to make a zine. I have also been wondering about my personal connection to people. My friends, family, acquaintances. I think that it is really interesting that the meaning of totem poles cannot be known for sure because the overall story is important. I like the idea of mapping my own connections with people by making/telling totem pole stories.

One of the things I find interesting about the connection between two people is the unimportant secrets they have together. The secrets are just everyday things that happen- things that people dont think are important enough to tell. They dont necessarily need to be kept secret, but they are never told anyway. I dont have any good examples right now. Just unspoken actions that are seemingly unimportant.

Goals: I want to learn to draw my own totem poles. I want my totem poles to tell a story.

Ideas: What part of the story should I tell? Should it be all inclusive, or super specific? Can music be involved? Can i take all the people i know and make a totem pole that tells the story of us?

PUBLISHED-sort of

2009-01-29T09:55:00.000-08:00

http://my.nowpublic.com/culture/modest-mouse-announce-u-s-tour

2009-01-12T18:10:00.000-08:00

REfined- Mini Narratives

2009-01-07T16:51:00.000-08:00

How She Met She

Sixth and College

It seems so long ago that I lived in a dorm, but really it was just one year ago. I was a freshman. Silly. Scared. Anxious. So anxious. Every day I had a series of debilitating panic attacks. I knew no one, but a few girls that lived on my floor. And even then, I just knew their faces. I knew next to nothing about them- maybe their name.

It was the first week of school. The university was trying to promote its super fun activities. They had a couple bands play one night. All the girls on my floor seemed so excited. Inside I wanted to scream. Scream so loud I would end up at home. But that wasn't going to happen. Portland was a long way away. So I went to the outdoor concert and tried to seem happy. I tried to seem together.

The concert was fun, I guess. I didn't know who was playing. It wasn't rap. It wasn't too extreme in any musical direction, so it was nice for everyone. I noticed one of the girls had slipped away. I would never want to be left out, myself, so I searched for her, just with my eyes. Smoking a cigarette in the designated area is where I spotted her. Sitting on the railing. Skate shoes. Jeans. A sort of college uniform.

Hey man.

Hey.

How's it going.

Alright.

How are you.

Alright.

How could I say, "Oh you know just crippled with anxiety, how are you dear?" I couldn't. At the same time I couldn't stand the typical talk of majors and home towns, dreams and aspirations, but I would. And we did. For a little while. I don't remember who was the first to open up. I don't remember if it was blunt or gradual. But it happened.

Everyone judges me for smoking here.

I don't.

Do you want a drag?

I don't smoke, but all my friends back home do. It's your choice, you know.

Yeah.

Im in the college of art and architecture.

Im from Portland.

Im from Seattle.

Im homesick.

Me too. Oh my god, me too.

And there it was. Two west coast girls missing the west coast. It was a strong bond to have in that small Idaho city of Moscow.

My Little Friend, Anxiety

516 SW College

Everyone feels anxious from time to time. Everyone feels anxious from time to time. Everyone feels anxious from time to time. Everyone feels anxious from time to time. Everyone feels anxious from time to time. About 5% of U.S. adults experience generalized anxiety disorder at some point during their lifetime, and about 3% have it in any given year. 3% have it in any given year. 3% have it in any given year. Affects their body. Worrying is excessive. Worrying is excessive. Worrying is excessive. Everyone feels anxious from time to time. Anxiety is a normal human emotion. Anxiety is a normal human emotion. Anxiety is a normal human emotion. Feelings of terror that strike without warning. Fear and terror. Feeling a loss of control. Extremely anxious and fearful. All-overs, angst, ants in pants, apprehension, botheration, butterflies, care, cold sweat, concern, creeps, disquiet, disquietude, distress, doubt, downer, drag, dread, fidgets, flap, foreboding, fretfulness, fuss, goose bumps, heebie-jeebies, jitters, jumps, misery, misgiving, mistrust, nail-biting, needles, nervousness, panic, pins and needles, restlessness, shakes, shivers, solicitude, suffering, suspense, sweat, trouble, uncertainty, unease, uneasiness, watchfulness, willies, worriment. Everyone feels anxious from time to time. Anxiety is a normal human emotion.

(source webmd.org and dictionary.com)

Home Sweet Home

South Park Blocks

About halfway through my semester in Idaho I decided that I would finish out the term and then go home to Portland. Home was such a loaded word for me. Full of love and joy and happiness. My expectation of home was so great.

When I came back to Portland I moved back in with my dad. Of course, I was so excited for home, home, home, that when I arrived I was devastated by reality. All the progress I had made, emotionally, was destroyed. I was scared again. Scared for what could come next.

Now I live Downtown, in the heart of PSU. And it's finally home. Really home. Home with all the comforts. I still have my bad days, but now I have a home.

Close But Far

Ninth and Montgomery

All night

Movies

Couches

Laughing

Exploring the wilderness-

of fake plants.

Does that reflect?

I suppose

Im leaving

Im preoccupied

I cant

You wont.

Was far

Now close

But I still cant,

If you still wont.

Two Unrealistic Fears

Ninth from Mill to Market

As I approach the streetcar I fear it will ring its bell at me. It makes me feel so guilty.

I like to be efficient when walking around town. If there are no cars, I cross even when the signal says not to walk. I stop, I look, I listen, and I fear I will be pulled over for jaywalking.

Inside Joke

Tenth and Main

In the summer a group of old people sit outside their decorative, but worn, apartment building. They smoke and talk and tan. It's really sweet. They remind me of the mother's story in Requiem for a Dream. I think about it every time I pass that building.

The Dog And The Bell

Tenth and Yamhill

A psychologist rang a bell and then gave the dog it's food everyday for a while. They dog would salivate and eat it's food. One day the psychologist rang the bell, but did not give the dog it's food. The dog salivated without smell or sight of the food. The dog salivated to the sound of the bell. The End.

Uncomfortable Unemployment

Tenth and Stark

"Could you sign that one for me."

"Hi, how are you guys doing tonight?"

"Seven dollars before five, nine dollars after, and six dollars for students, seniors, and teachers."

"No, we don't validate parking, I'm sorry."

"Yeah, let me take you back. So we have six screens, which I think is pretty substantial for the space we have here. They are all digital projection. Here we are, this is one of our mid-size theaters, we range from 38-62 seats in each theater. There are cocktail tables in the back and the front, then there's the more regular theater seating in the middle- kind of like first class. We have trays, so even if there is no room to get a table you can still eat while you watch. We have a full bar and restaurant menu, as well as espresso and concession items."

"We can actually help you inside."

"Let me check for you, hold on."

"There are about six minutes of previews"

"Have a good night."

Emily

1022 SW Stark

I miss you like bananas miss their peel.

-Emily

I miss you like I miss a water buffalo in a drought.

-Jasmine

Routine Narrative

2009-01-07T11:49:00.000-08:00

Routine: Walking to Stumptown and The Ace to brainstorm.

Start 351pm

Getting ready to leave, I'm always running late- I noticed the clock and I would like so say that I left that very moment, but really I had to grab a few more things before I was out the door.

Immediately outside my door I look across the street. It's the fire station. I can see a big screen TV through the window. Someone is watching TV.

I turn towards sixth street and I am briefly serenaded by the music next door- the PSU outdoor center. It's a garage filled with outdoor equipment. They are always playing loud music, but it's ok because it's usually good music.

As I turn onto sixth I am walking toward the Ondine dorm. It seems like there are always really young kids outside that dorm. Even though they are probably not more than a year younger than me, it seems so long ago when I lived in a dorm. But I was one of those "kids." I always have memories of the university of idaho when I walk past that dorm.

Along my entire walk I notice the bikes. I have my mom's old mountain bike. I'm kind of self conscious about it because everyone in Portland is all about bikes. So I compare my bike to all the other bikes along my way. It's kind of like window shopping.

As I walk down sixth I notice all the sounds. I don't really like to walk with my ipod because I like to listen to the sounds of the world. Ha. But it's true. On my left there is the sound of bikes and cars passing. In front and behind me I can hear clicking heals, trudging boots, and swishing clothes.

I walk past the nicest McDonalds ever and then I get annoyed because I have to unnecessarily cross the street because of construction. I'm big on walking efficiently, but the construction make me walk inefficiently.

I am also annoyed by the drizzly rain that makes my hair extra frizzy.

One of the reasons I walk to Stumptown is because I've had some anxiety problems and one of the solutions is to get out of my house. So as I am walking I can actually feel my chest loosen as the anxiety disappears.

I turn up toward Broadway and I notice the beautiful old PSU buildings. The upper walkways play with the light. I love the shadows that they cast.

I love this area, from my house to the park blocks. It is the area where I run into people I know. It feels really busy during school. Everyone is making progress, it seems. I like the way that feels.

I walk up through campus (from broadway to park), under the walkways. Its a brief escape from the rain.

In the park blocks. I pass the view, where my old friend Kristy lives. We had a falling out, so it kind of hurts to be reminded of her. We live so close.

I can feel the cobble stones beneath my feet. It reminds me that I have poorly made shoes.

I have several unreasonable anxieties. One of them is that whenever I walk across the street car tracks I worry that it will ring its bell at me. So when I walk through the park blocks and across the tracks, I half hope I will see the street car (so I wouldn't have to walk the whole way), but I half hope I wont (so it wont ring its bell at me). It is a ridiculous internal conflict that I have all the time.

I also have a semi-irrational fear about being ticketed for jay walking. In the park blocks I go exactly to the white striped crosswalk. It brings to mind the scenario I often play out in my head while walking. A lot of the time I cross the street before the signal portrays the walk signal, but I cross from corner to corner and I look both ways. My friend once told me that he got stopped for jay walking, which probably triggered my irrational fear of getting ticketed for jay walking. In my head I plan out what I would say to the cop that stopped me. I would want to be condescending and say something like "Well my mother taught me to stop, look, and listen before crossing from corner to corner." But in reality I would be super polite.

As I keep walking I pass the art museum. I love the art museum, for the most part, but I really don't like one of the out door sculptures. It is out front and really colorful in a cartoony way. It reminds me of colorful bacon. I think that it makes the museum look stupid because the sculpture is not visually pleasing- in my opinion.

After I pass the museum, I often look to my right- over the Schnitz- to look at the Hilton peeking out over the top. I can see the Hilton from many places around Portland. I love the Hilton sign. Its neon lights makes it look old-ish, like the typography of old hollywood or something.

407p

At the end of the park blocks I turn up to tenth. There is an old apartment building that reminds me of the movie Requiem for a Dream because during the summer a group of old people sit outside smoking cigarettes, like the Mother and her friends in the movie. I haven't seen them out there in a long time, though, because of the weather.

I hear the street car and I hope it doesn't ring its bell at me. A wave of anxiety comes over me.

Taylor and Tenth

Outside the Central Library smells like cigarettes. There are trees out front, but no grass at the base of the trees. I always wonder why they city doesn't plant some. It would make the library look so much better. Maybe it gets ruined too quickly by the sidewalk traffic. Maybe they city doesn't want homeless people sleeping there. That would be a sad reason in my opinion. I notice the dirty bikes. There are always dirty bikes in front of the library. It makes me feel less self conscious about my own bike.

I hear the max bell. It signals some anxiety because there are many times when I've had to run for the max. The bell means I'm too late.

I hear yelling. It is a woman. She looks homeless. She is screaming at the top of her lungs. It makes me a little uncomfortable. But what makes me the most uncomfortable is that I can't do anything about it. I feel annoyed by her yelling, but also guilty for feeling annoyed. The woman probably cant do anything about her situation.

Jake's restaurant smells so good at all hours of the day. It's such a contrast to the smell of the transient filled central library area, but they are so close in vicinity. I wonder if that is morally wrong.

413p

I notice my bag with computer in tow is becoming a burden to my shoulder. I can see pita pit, so I'm almost there.

10th and Stark

I used to love this street corner. But now when I walk by it I feel a pang of pain. I used to work at the Living Room Theaters. I loved that place and a worked really hard, going above and beyond my job description to make it look nice. Business-wise they are a little unorganized, but that allowed me to have more freedom to help them get organized. One day I was fired. I was fired because someone told the owner that they heard me say that I let my friends in to see free movie all the time. Which isn't true. Either someone made it up, or the owner just needed a reason to fire me and he made it up. There was no discussion, I was just fired. No solid reason, no closure. I try not to see me reflection in the theater's glassy windows.

I built my whole Portland world around my job there. Now it hurts to even walk by it.

I turn away from LRT toward The Ace Hotel and Stumptown coffee- my destination for brainstorming. As I walk inside the taint of the theater memories and anxiety disappear. It smells like roasting coffee and the lighting is dim. It's such a comforting environment. I cant wait to sit and think for a while.

416p

ART 200!

2009-01-07T11:45:00.000-08:00

New Term, Same blog URL.

Inspiration to come-

2008-12-20T12:46:00.001-08:00

This is Alyssa's very detailed blog of her time in Ghana:
http://happyyourselfspot.blogspot.com/

News from Africa

2008-12-20T12:41:00.000-08:00

One of my good friends from high school is on student exchange in Ghana. This was her reaction to my postcard:

Awesome postcard.  I'm all for it.  I have firsthand accounts of
that stuff.  It's terrible, and it's incredibly overlooked,
especially in Africa.  There are villages in Ghana that have
just one well, and it's next to the pit that everyone uses
as a toilet.  I know it's worse in other countries, but it's
still not good.  What's more, there are no waste disposal
plants.  In Accra maybe, but definitely not in Ho, even though
it's the capital of the Volta Region.  So all the trash either
goes in the gutter or it gets burnt.  It's terrible.  I want
to cry every time I see a burning pile of trash.  And the
river that goes through Accra... I've never seen more rubbish
in a river. Ugh.  But I'm making myself sad.  So I'm gonna
stop.  But awesome postcard.  I love the design.

Other works.

2008-12-10T11:55:00.001-08:00

Portland Community College. Spring '08

University of Idaho. Fall '07
Birthday gift for the boyfriend, Brian. Dec '07
Portland State University. Fall '08
Portland State University. Fall '08

charity:paper and charity:images

2008-12-10T11:48:00.000-08:00

Im Sorry, these are really bad photographs. Above is the postcard. Below is the Poster. I forgot to save them in file format smaller than a tiff at school and I don't have photoshop at home so I can't resave them as jpegs. Sorry again, but you can get the design idea.

Thank you, Luke. Thank you for an eye opening term.

Jasmine Silver
Bertus MW
Art 118 630-920
“charity: water is a non profit organization bringing clean, safe drinking water to people in developing nations. They give 100% of the money raised to direct project costs, funding sustainable clean water solutions in areas of greatest need. They also work to raise awareness of the water crisis through events, fundraising exhibitions and other public awareness campaigns. Right now, 1.1 billion people on the planet don't have access to safe, clean drinking water. That's one in six of us…”

Charity is not something I have ever considered to be a “real” job. It just has never really crossed my mind. I don’t know anyone who has worked in charity, so it’ not something that has been positively reinforced in my life. When I think of charity I think of the people who force contact with me in hopes that I will sponsor a child in a developing country or donate to a worthy cause. I spot them from afar. Their white notebooks give them away. Then I try to avoid them. It’s not like what I think they’re doing is wrong, I commend them for trying to get the message out, but I am still very annoyed at their tactics.

As I was walking to Stumptown Coffee to work on this paper I was forced into an over enthusiastic handshake and hello by a white notebook person. Not to shake hands with her is extremely rude, while to shake hands with her is to invite unwanted charitable solicitation. So I tried to go for the in between. I shook her hand and said “sorry not today.”

Once, I had I had some time to kill so I decided to find out what their charity was all about. It was so easy to contribute. Basically, they just take X amount of dollars out of your account every month to help send children to schools overseas. “Great,” I thought, “I can do eight dollars a month. I just have to not eat out for one meal.” But then it turned out that you have to be 21 to donate. Age is one thing I’m definitely lacking in.

When I found out that we were going to be working with a charity in class, all these preconceived notions about charity flooded my mind. I would like to say that I was excited to be doing something real. I would like to say I was stoked, but that would be a lie. I just wanted to do something “normal,” to tell you the truth.

Then there was the water bottle chandelier idea and I was instantly on board. I felt guilty for not liking the Charity project, so I wanted to create something to make up for my selfish thoughts. Over the weekend I planned and collected and created, but, when I was finished, I wasn’t happy with the results. I showed my chandelier to Heather and Laura from class who told me that that they really liked it, even though I didn’t. They gave me enough courage to bring it to class. In class, my chandelier was shot down. Not even some recognition for the hours I laid down to produce it. I was immediately cynical again, but tried not to be mad because I didn’t even like it.

My natural draw to leadership pushed me out of my negative little world. When it was time to research other non-profits, I pulled a small group of people who expressed interest in building a chandelier together. We compiled a list of materials to get the class thinking about what they had at home that could help make a better chandelier than mine.

“Unsafe water and lack of basic sanitation cause 80% of all sickness and disease, and kill more people every year than all forms of violence, including war. Many people in the developing world, usually women and children, walk more than three hours every day to fetch water that is likely to make them sick. Those hours are crucial, preventing many from working or attending school. Additionally, collecting water puts them at greater risk of sexual harassment and assault. Children are especially vulnerable to the consequences of unsafe water. Of the 42,000 deaths that occur every week from unsafe water and a lack of basic sanitation, 90% are children under 5 years old…”

My career goals are to design for Advertising. I made that decision when I was a junior in high school. Now I’m a sophomore in college and I haven’t looked back. Have you ever seen a TV commercial so good that you felt emotionally affected afterwards? Have you ever turned a page in a magazine and gasped at the brilliance of the photography or the creativity of the design? I have. Maybe it’s just the music, Simon and Garfunkel, they have playing at this coffee shop, but I am getting emotional just thinking about it. I consider myself a smart shopper, but I also acknowledge the fact that I am much more inclined to buy a product who’s packaging visually stimulates me, than one that doesn’t. I know advertising works.

It interests me that I would love that job that Scott Harrison, the founder of charity:water, gave up. It’s not as though I would reject a job at a nonprofit, I have just never considered it as an option before. Design, for me, is not about the money. As long as I can live comfortably and be surrounded by design, I will be happy. I sincerely love it.

Maybe I will design for the other 90%, and maybe I won’t. What’s important is that I now know an alternative to advertising for a large wealthy company. Working for a charity had never crossed my mind before. I think that life is all about gaining new perspectives, which is exactly what learning about charity:water has done.

Me.

2008-11-29T19:33:00.000-08:00

I think it is important to know yourself. I think it is especially important for an artist. But to know thy self is such a challenging task. So let me rephrase- I think that it is important to be in pursuit of knowing yourself. Especially for an artist. I think that it helps to create if you know how you like to create. I mean, that is the point of this process book, right? To learn ones own process. Because everyone works differently. More than a few professors have told me to go out and look. Look at what you like. Look a design you like. Look at type you like.

Design, for me, is fusing what I like with MY process.

It seems to be all about me. Ha ha. Of course it's not. It's not that simple. But myself is a very important aspect to how I design.

So I wanted to talk a little about my life story. Or my recent life story anyway. The reason I am into knowing myself is because of therapy. For a long time I was very opposed to seeing any psyciatrists/psycologists/shrinks/therapists/councilors because my parents made me see different forms of them for years after they got divorced. Basically I played with toys for a half an hour and went back to school. From what I knew about therapy (via TV) was that it was expensive. So it really bugged me, even at the ages of 8-11, that my parents were paying money for that.

Long story short I started to have major anxiety problems and panic attacks when I moved to the University of Idaho. Eventually the severity forced me to seek professional help. Through disscusion and self discovery I was able to completely stop the panic attacks and majorly improve the severity of my anxiety.

This is why I now value trying to really know myself.

Now I have been back in portland for almost a year and some of my more severe anxieties have resurfaced. I deal with it by thinking about things in my life critically. Analyzing my urges, my actions and my thoughts. I think a lot.

To come full circle, my process is a lot in my head. I will think about a major project a hundred times before I start it.

Right now I am working on a gross project. I am only in the collection stage. I am collecting my own hair and laundry lint. When I have enough I am going to felt the hair and the lint together to make a gross fabric. I want to make a gross dress, a gross sweater, and a gross scarf.

Recyling is such an abstract concept. Every day I collect my paper, plastic, metal, etc. and put it in a green dumpster that exclaims "All together!" Then it is taken away to a magical place and somehow made into pretty recycled things that are (generally) more expensive than new things.

So why not collect my hair and lint? I want it to be gross. I want it to be dirty. Anyway-- that's all I got so far.

I learn more everyday. About myself and my art. Both are a process. Both develop over time.

Book Pages + Explanation

2008-11-12T16:22:00.000-08:00

"Unique"

This image was crafted using some of the ideas of seriality that Andy Warhol (and many others!) played with. It is not just the seriality of what is portrayed in these nine images, but also the seriality that is created by using a digital camera.

I didnt create the lamps, I just documented them.

Andy Warhol repeated popular icons in his work, which made the actual person portrayed loose their meaning. I repeated these lamps not to make them loose their meaning, but to create a new meaning.

In reality, each of these lamps are different. I photographed nine lamps at sunset transit center, in Beaverton. Each of the lamps were probably made in a factory out of a mold, so essentially they are the same. But once they were put outside in the world they each experienced something different.

maybe someone kicked one lamp, maybe one lamp got hit by a bicycle, maybe another has a crack in it from a cold winter, maybe one is close to a tree and gets less sun and is less faded, maybe one got graffitied on.

There are an unlimited number of variables even in the small vicinity of the transit center.

But the point is, each lamp is both the same and unique. I think that fact is an interesting contradiction to think about. Especially in relation to humans and their lives. Sure the lamps are an oversimplification, but analogies often are.

"Depression"

I love it when nature conveys emotion.

This tree was photographed during the rainy period between beautiful fall and barren winter in a Target parking lot.

The interesting thing is that this tree was trimmed (or hacked) to be pleasing to the eye during the spring and summer months when it has leaves. Its upward growth has been stunted so that it will forever look like a young tree.

This tree is made to seem youthful, but in the winter it is just a depressing sight.

"My Very Own Garbage"

Waste is sort of a hot topic, especially in a city known to be "green" like Portland.

So I wanted to know about the waste that is in my vicinity. Of course, not all this garbage is "mine." The photographs are from shared receptacles, but I just wanted to know what waste I see everyday. So I compiled the photos to just lay it in front of myself. I guess as proof. Proof that I contribute to a lot of waste.

I didn't necessarily want to judge the situation. I wanted to display facts.

"Play"

In my compilation of pages I wanted to include innocent play. So I took a photo shoot with my cat Oz.

Ha ha. I dont know what else to say. It seems that innocence doesn't need much explanation.

"Pig Girl"

This is sort of a self-portrait. Sort of not.

It's like a snapshot of emotion at one moment in one single day.

It deals with body image, as well as my inability to draw a nose that doesn't look like a pig nose.

"Pantry"

This is a comment on foods that are cheap and bad for you. Gluttony combined with nessecity.

"Untitled"

This is part of my cat photo shoot. My idea was playful innocence, but this photograph came out a bit ghostly.

I really enjoy working with contradictions.

It is playful, but I feel as though the playfulness (signified by the string and the cat) is slipping away. The cat is only a tail and the string is almost transparent. If play=youth, then this photo represents the loss of youth.

"Friends"

The more I age (ha ha, I got a whole nineteen and a half years behind me) the more I find that everything is connected and everyone has their problems.

I created these little characters to kind of embody that (I dont know what to call it) revelation.

All the characters fit together and they are all kind of weird in their own way.

When I have anxiety attacks I feel so Isolated, so Alone. But I know those feelings are a lie. Im not alone at all. In fact I couldn't be alone even if I tried. Everything is connected. Everyone has their problems.

I don't know what to call this one. I've been through a couple titles. Ambiguous. Untitled. Gender.

I guess I could call it- "Stairwell"

I have always been curious about gender and sexual orientation. I dont question my own gender or sexual orientation, which is why I want to know how people who are gay, lesbian, bi, transgendered, etc. feel about being themselves in a society riddled with predjudice against them.

I mean, as a recent example, proposition 8 prohibits gay marrage in california. Prop 8 makes me so angry. Why would anyone think that it's nessesary to take someone's rights away? It makes me sick and sad that that could be passed.

Most of all I don't want to offend. Which is why I dont go around asking such personal questions. And I dont even really know how to ask either. I have gay and lesbian friends and so in being close with them I have gotten some of my questions answered.

I dont want to make anyone feel uncomfortable. I am just naiive. So I keep my mouth shut and express my questions visually.

Paper

2008-10-26T23:55:00.000-07:00

Jasmine Silver
Bertus 118 MW 630-920

Fluxus

If you asked me a year ago if I liked art history I would have told you no. Since the graphic design degree requires art history, I have now taken two different classes. I have fallen in love with it. To know about the history of art is so important because it can serve as a starting place for one’s own work. When you see good design and recognize it, I believe that become imprinted in you. One art movement that I feel is strongly pertinent to contemporary design is Fluxus because it is all inclusive, playful, and thrives in a setting of globalization.

Calling Fluxus an art movement would probably humor its participants. Fluxus is a way of doing things. It’s a way of thinking. It’s a philosophy. With Fluxus everything is art and everything should be considered as art, if you put forth the effort to think about it in that way. Though, it is ultimately without a definable purpose, the process of Fluxus is available to everyone and anyone. It is anti-elitist. Light a match and watch it burn to the end. Anyone can do that. The experience of doing is what Fluxus tries to embody.

I was initially drawn to Fluxus because of its playful nature. I think that Fluxus really personifies my outlook on life. I have some very strong tendencies toward debilitating episodes of anxiety. To be able to function like a normal person I just have to view things positively. Now, I’m not suggesting that I am the only one with problems. Everyone has some issue that they have to deal with on an everyday basis. But that is the point. Fluxus is a way of looking at the world and at life positively and playfully. The point is that everyone can look at life with the philosophy of Fluxus in mind.

While researching Fluxus, I found that Fluxus is currently a clothing brand commonly worn by celebrities. Their website states “Fluxus celebrates the relationship between everyday life and art. Creating it is an art, wearing it is an art.” They specialize in simple knits. This is an interesting manifestation of the ideas of Fluxus, but, besides the celebrity prices, it makes sense. Wearing clothing is an art experience. Feeling it on your body. Appreciating how it looks. For me, Fluxus is really about valuing everyday experiences and recognizing them as art because they deserve it. Fluxus is all about equality. Everything can be art and everyone can be an artist. All it takes is thought.

The all inclusive nature of Fluxus provides room for discussion and transformation. Not just the transformation of art, but also the transformation of art traditions. The definitions of paining or sculpting are fluid. They are not Greenbergian. Fluxus makes room for intermedia and globalization. It literally obliterates the line between art and life. Life is art and art is life. It’s all connected. Everything works together to create the reality that we live in.

Globalization is a word that gets thrown around a great deal in our world of fast transportation, cell phones, and the world wide web. Fluxus grew from a global tradition. It put importance on ideas rather than individuals. Today, globalization has been essentially achieved, so Fluxus has a better setting than ever to thrive again. The idea that everyone has the potential to create value and be valued is very attractive. And it’s not only attractive, but meaningful. Fluxus philosophy is so difficult to describe. When using Fluxus to consider life, a person gets to create and recognize meaning. And in that action is a feeling of empowerment. Not in a dictatorship sense of power, but in a humbling way. Like discovering something so obvious that seems like common sense, but you feel enlighten, not ignorant. Fluxus is gaining a new perspective.

Adding new perspective and new ways of looking at the world is the daily goal of my life. Fluxus lets me expand on that principal. With Fluxus in the background of my mind I can apply design to everything that I do. When I look at things I make compositions with my frame of view. If everything can be viewed as art then an artist is working everywhere all the time. That’s what I strive for. Everyday of my life I am practicing. I think that using the ideas of Fluxus helps me to be a better designer, a better artist, because I never stop viewing things as art.

Type Compositions

2008-10-20T18:11:00.000-07:00

Playing with type. Playing with type was really fun, but I don't think that this result is anything to be proud of. It is whimsical and fun, but not anywhere close to a masterpiece. This composition was more of an experiment with illustrator and the type tool. It was just to see what I could do.

I have always though that Q's look like quails and G's look like geese, so that is where this composition got started. It is also another experiment with type and illustrator. Again, it'd alright, but nothing special.

My third experiment with type I did by hand (and cat paw). I used india ink and a bamboo brush to make two intertwining C's. I also used college in the background and cut windows in the brown paper to create a nice layering effect. My cat also got into my ink halfway through, so used him as well. The result was an intriguing composition and ink splattered all over my face. I think that this compostition was a nice blend of everying I have been working on so far inthis class.

four color compositions

2008-10-20T14:31:00.000-07:00

For this assignment I tried to do less planning. Usually I sketch before. When I finished this first composition I really didn't like it. Now that I have looked at it several times I really like it. I think that it is a little childish because of the construction paper and bright colors. I think that is why I initially didn't really like it. Looking at it now, the childish aspect juxtaposed with the reaching hands has assigned a new meaning to this composition. My response is to think that the hopeful, reaching hands are trying to get a childhood that is now past, but also still present in the current generation. I wonder what this would look like in grey scale.

I dont particulary like of dislike this composition. I think that it works, but it's nothing special to me. My idea was to try and create depth using geometric shapes. In my first one and two color compositions the geometric shapes were on a flat plane, so I wanted to overcome that flattness. I think that goal was a success in this composition, but it is not particularly interesting.

This this composition I wanted to continue my study of makeing a composition and then putting a screen over it to create interest. I think this isn't so much a composition, but an object. Which is fine, but I dont think that I achived the interest that I was trying to create.

Three Color Compositions

2008-10-15T11:33:00.000-07:00

I tried to create space without denying my love for bold cut shapes. It was successful, but a bit bland. I wish the background wasnt white. White is just so "in your face". If I could change it I might leave the white as the background for the bottom right triange, before the red "river." Behind the red dividing line I would change the background to something darker, maybe brown.

This was my second attempt at three color. I really like it. It's just really apealing to me. Maybe it's the use of magazine collage. I dont think that it really creates depth, but it is very interesting.

This was my last attempt. I was rushed for time. All I knew is that I wanted to make a knot in a tree trunk with and "ocean" behind it. I made that, but I didnt really like it, so I covered it up. Fourtunatly, this action made a wonderful composition.

What do I like about this, so I can recreate it in a more planned composition? I think it is the simplicity vs. complexity. Most of the page is pure, white, simple, but then your eye gets to look through the white veil into something much more complex. Your eye wants to figure it out. I think that is why it works.

Two Color Compositions

2008-10-14T13:08:00.000-07:00

For this assignment my sketching wasn't so much a template for final composition, but more of an experiment. I wanted to see how a could play with background and foreground and see how it would come out. I wasn't really impressed or inspired by any of them.

This was my first attempt at creating a two color composition. I wanted to make the brown mountain shape look like it was falling down. I started on the right with organized pieces and proceeded to the left with more fragmented and random pieces. I wanted the green in the background to create a downward motion that instigates the feeling of falling.

I do not think either of my missions were successful. It doesn't have to be a two color composition at all. And that was the assignment: Make a two color composition. If it was all one color the viewer wouldnt feel any different or get any less out of it. But, of course, I didnt realize this until after I had finished all the compositions.

My "make it look like falling" mission was also unsuccessful. When I look at this composition my eyes sweep from the left to the right, so instead of looking like falling-down, the composition looks like building-up.

The second attempt.

For the second composition I stayed on my falling-down mission. I fliped the "mountain" so the eye can go on it's natural path: left to right. I used the vertical lines to try to create a downward motion.

Again the use of two colors was not nessesary. I do think that my crumbling mission was acheived, but the vertical lines could be taken out. They are a bit distracting.

This is my favorite way to work. I love to make flat designs. Is that ok? Designs should be simple, but that doesn't mean they have to be flat. Can they be flat?

My third attempt.

The second color was the most necesary in this composition. It makes a nice horizon line. This composition is boring, in my opinion. It works as a design, but it's nothing special.

Brainstorm with words.

2008-10-06T11:19:00.000-07:00

Next assignment: 3 two color compositions.

This time I will experiment with mixed medium.

I want to explore the layering qualities that can be used by combining paper on top of pastels.

3 one color compositions.

2008-10-06T10:24:00.000-07:00

When I make my compositions I like to start out with a few sketches to get me started. It provides me with some options and the convenience to be able to pick and choose what I like verses what I don't like. This first sketch is one that I decided against. It rings empty for me. But I included it because there are things I like about it. It is grounded because of the two shapes on the bottom, yet your eye is drawn upward by the thin shape on the top of the frame. i also like the element of three I didn't enlarge this sketch because I felt it was unresolved.

This is the sketch that I chose to enlarge. I love to make long, whimsical characters. My favorite thing is that even though the "characters" aren't really characters, they are abstract shapes, the majority of people will identify them as characters. It is so interesting that people will try to relate anything and everything to the human form. Just because these little guys have a mouth shape they suddenly are a character.

Here is the final image that I presented to the class. My classmates rotated it in almost every direction, but this is the way I think that is works the best. The idea behind this design is ancient asian artists used positive and negative space in their portrayal waves.

This is my favorite. Even though the majority of the composition is white, the viewer gets a dark feeling. I created motion from left to right by trying to unify the angle of the implied diagonal line that reached toward the dark area on the right. This gives the composition a dark overall tone, because the lines point toward the dark.

This was my least favorite. This was the best direction for the composition, although it started 180 degrees in the other direction. While I was making it I couldn't see to make it resolved. I feel like it is still just teetering around, not sure what to do. Maybe another color could have saved it.

First Three Compositions

2008-09-30T12:35:00.000-07:00

Make three compositions.

One color.

this is so open ended. which makes it harder. because i dont want to do it wrong. so im just going to do it. Does one color mean black and white plus a color, or does it mean black and white, or does it mean one color on white?

one- black construction paper on white paper
two- purple ball point pen
three- pencil

Process

2008-09-29T20:21:00.000-07:00

I took a class at the University of Idaho that was focused on process. I loved it.