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Why a Blog?
I’ve always loved sharing my ideas to whoever will listen, especially when it comes to art. A lot of them are horrible or plain goofy, but a couple are worthwhile! This site is a way for me not only to improve my communication and writing skills, but to share my creativity with the world! I hope one day somebody may be inspired by my writing or art and go on to do things greater than I could have ever dreamed of.
Observation, Creation, Communication
"That was a lovely introduction," I started, regarding the words my connection said to the group before I got up to address them, "I'd love to get to know all of you–just a little bit–via a show of hands for just a couple of questions." a couple of nods.
"First, do any of you like art?" and every hand raised.
"Okay, fantastic. Do any of you play an instrument?" A few hands…
"Yeah… instruments actually have nothing to do with this but that's good to know!" a couple chuckles and some smiles. Great start.
"And the last question, are any of you interested in art lessons for your kids?" Only a couple hands went up. That's good to know.
"Alright, that's okay!" and then I went on to explain two things, starting with what people can gain from art and ending with Crate logistics. This first portion I've boiled down to three concepts (though I know from experience there is a WORLD you can learn from art and design). The three are as follow:
En Masse
This summer I had the privilege of working for 7 weeks at a little church camp called Camp Challenge in Bedford, Indiana. It offers 5 day overnight camps for 1st graders up through highschoolers, with attendances ranging from 50-120 in a week. As a member of the summer staff, I resided in a cabin with 8-12 of the campers each week and guided them through the planned activities and discussions (alongside co-counselors). Luckily for this blog, there was some art! Not a lot, but enough for me to mention it. But of course, alongside mentioning the art projects I think it's worth noting how different age groups interacted with both me and each other.
I wish I had taken better notes, but the hectic schedule kept me on my toes both physically and mentally, so here is my attempt at coherent thought.
Ideas? Meet your Makers.
This past Saturday (August 2nd) I had the privilege of pitching The Crate of Curious Things at StartED Up's 2nd Annual State Fair Innovate WithIN Alumni Showcase & Pitch Competition. It's always a blast to share the joy I have in the idea, and the progress I've made towards making it more and more of a reality.
The exciting news is exactly how real it's becoming!
Artistic Autonomy
How much instruction is too much?
"How do these bricks look?" she asked for the 5th time. "Gosh I don't know, probably exactly like the last four groups you painted, which I said looked great!" I wanted to retort. But THAT, ladies and gentlemen, would've been rude of me. So I think I said something like, "I'm sure they're just as good as the first side–I trust your artistic ability."
On the drive back from that project I had to pause and think. How much help is too much? and how little is too little? I don't think I have an answer yet, but here are some ramblings.
Emphasizing Impermanence
Instead of dwelling on the past, I want to encourage moving on, particularly with art.
The Pilot Episode
That's a wrap on the first ever 6 Cardboard Club meetings! I'm exhausted. Drained. And yet so energized and renewed. I'm ready for Fall.
The whole experience felt similar to my workshops with NMPL in that it was preparing me for something greater. Yes, I put all that I knew into each series of workshops, but now I know so much more because of them. This post is an attempt to recap my progress and look to the near future.
Brainstorming some Improvements
I've been thoroughly unable to write down my thoughts about the 4th, 5th, and now 6th Cardboard Club Meetings for weeks now. Whether other things came up, or I sat down to write, only to meet frozen fingers, nothing has been typed until now. I'm almost happy I waited (even though it's been driving me insane) because now I have plenty to talk about…
Prioritizing Creativity
A hobbyist’s observation of priority management.
Asking More Questions Than the Students…
…seems to be a fantastic way to faciliate learning.
Whenever a member of my Cardboard Club asks a question, my first goal is for them to answer it on their own. Of course, I am there to give guidance and provide my expertise… but they are the ones who ultimately do the learning, and my just giving them the answers won’t help grow their curiosity in the long run.
Through leading these workshops (meetings) I am learning more and more about constructive teaching practices; such as leaving room for creativity, constantly adapting, allowing room for a little risk, asking for constant reflections, and encouraging teamwork (to name a few). The list continues to grow as I continue to challenge the group of boys with the medium of cardboard.
“Are you happy with that?”
yes. I am. Quite pleased, in fact.
The first meeting of the Cardboard Club at College Wesleyan Church through WonderSpace (henceforth reffered to as just “Cardboard Club”) was a massive success. It was a “skills workshop” highlighting the four major tools I use in my cardboard endeavors, and I’m happy to say I neither underprepared nor overprepared! I somehow hit it right on the spot with two double-sided documents, including a thorough agenda, and a trifold they could take home and reference…
“So you’re the Cardboard Guy?”
Yup! That’s me!
Even though she seemed a bit hesitant to use the title, I am now ready to fully embrace it.
Blastoff in 3… 2…
Coming into my second semester of my freshman year of college, I feel like I’m on top of things. I went through the ringer of time-management realizations the first semester, almost certain half of the times I was sick were from stress. Re-entering the arena, I’ve reevaluated my degree once again, and redistributed my time accordingly. I’m no longer giving tours at IWU, but the choice to open up my schedule led to it being filled right away with a new, incredible opportunity: WonderSpace
My mom said I should write about the ewok child.
So I’m tempted to discuss anything else out of spite.
Perhaps I could add to the growing number of posts on here discussing the role of social media as an artist, including my recent observation of “reposting” that makes so much sense, but was only noticeable when I finally looked. I could add onto that about the stigma of copying other artists, when that is among the best ways to learn. Or I could pivot and talk about the potential post title that kept me up the other night until I wrote it down: “Shameless Self-promotion and Ignoring the Celebrity Status.” Hey, wait a minute. This is the Christmas Season in America! I could have it all! (Confirming your suspicions: that’s a jab at consumerism) I’ll start with the ewok.
A Checklist Conclusion (Part 2)
If you didn’t read part one, click here for things to make slightly more sense. Read it? Great. Here’s the second part:
A Checklist Conclusion (Part 1)
Finals are this week for my first semester of college, and my Ideation and Interpretation class is taking ours in a way I think fits perfectly with the class, and I might as well talk about it:
We were given three questions to prepare for a one-on-one 30 minute conversation between the professor and each pupil. There is no final essay or big test (the professor said he didn’t even know what he could put on a test) that wouldn’t make sense. Instead—because IWU is a small enough school it’s doable—Prof Soderstrom will conduct an official dialogue with each of us reflecting on the semester and how we have learned and grown as artists and people. We also will construct a detailed portfolio and answer a question regarding the joining of creativity and the kingdom of God throughout, but as a Human Communications Major the conversation is the portion I’m most excited about. (I will post the portfolio pdf on this website following its completion)
I’m writing this post in two parts: The first part (what you’re reading right now) is my form of preparation for the conversation…
SPACESHIP (Visualizing Childlike Wonder and Creativity)
Indiana Wesleyan University held their (I think he said seventh) annual Art & Design runway show this past Tuesday, December 3rd, and I had the privilege of taking part! Out of the 44 submissions, there were awards (via a panel of judges) given for Best in Show, Most Creative Design, Most Structural Design, one other (sorry I forget), and then a People’s Choice Award voted on by the audience. Each of the medals awarded were hand-crafted by our very own Professor Daniel Hall, who did some incredible work, and had the joy of tying each one around a winner’s neck.
Art and “the Media”
There are a few parts to this thought: 1) How I wish art was portrayed, 2) How art is often portrayed, and 3) How I idealize a partnership of media and art (how I think maybe I could make both work) Here it goes:
What Francisco de Goya, Nick Cave, and Nathan Foley have in common.
Since I’m in the academic mindset as I write this, a fun thing to note is the drastic difference in ease of synthesizing topics you already know versus those you don’t. While for classes, I need to research nearly entirely new material for the topics the papers need to address, for this blog I can instead draw from all of the art I am and have already been experiencing. Because I already know so much (relatively, about art), and am actively learning and reflecting so much about art, it’s a whole lot easier to write about. Hence where the strange array of artists comes from…
On Adaptability and Switching Majors
I’ve had to adapt, and need to adapt even more to make the best out of my ever-changing situation. Now that I know more about how life in college operates for me, I should take some time to revisit my goals and plans for reaching those goals—including the ever-present “major” decision.
Meaning in Materials and Autobiographical Art
With college comes a slew of self-reflection, and I have the privilege of being in a class called “Ideation and Interpretation” which prompts this reflection through art. My most recent piece represents a huge part of my life, and while I won’t be sharing the details online for obvious reasons, I will share the generalized takeaways…