Reflection on PtM

When I think about this class I look back to when I was selecting classes for this semester trying to find something that would catch my eye for Pathways 6d. Something about this stuck out to me the description of it seemed interesting. I had no idea what I was really getting into though when I first came to this class.

I remember when we did the photography project. I really liked that as I already enjoy doing photography, primarily on cars though. I walked all over campus just after a snowy day with my camera taking picture after picture. Its posted on this blog earlier but ill post some here when I can get my camera.

Starting from the first drawing project (Which I unfortunately no longer have pictures of) when we first met in person at Moss after having missed the previous class. I remember panicking in the lobby of the nearby Zaxby’s before I walked over to the UPS store to ask for paper and came up with a quick and as you all may remember, very rough 2d composition. Seeing everyone else amazing art at the time made me feel rather outclassed.  The art that you all showcased to me was honestly amazing. Though I believe my second attempts at it were better some were no where close to the things you all created but I’m very lucky to have gotten to see such art.

The next project I thought was really interesting was the bookmaking project, I really liked the class session where we crafted and bound books and had a lot of fun. Though when it came to making my own project of a 3D composition of a book I was stuck for a bit figuring out where to start. However after much looking I found a picture of a book with a heart cut into the pages and attempted to recreate that to I what I think was some good success. The book turned out fantastic in my opinion. I really liked how it looks and it was really fun to make.

The next project was the film project and honestly it stumped me. Initially I had a lot of fun making the video about drifting and thought it was really interesting to do. It helped expand some of my skills in video editing. Here’s that video:

On the last in person day of class when we sat together making the music makers and listening to our playlist was a really fun and necessary relaxation time for me honestly. I’ve spent this whole semester stressed about one thing or the other and continue to do so until finals are over. But the time sitting there on a nice day was so nice, I felt really connected to my classmates for the first time in a long time thanks to Covid, it was nice to interact with people outside of zoom and work together to make these interesting things. I had a great time in class. Ill post a picture of my music maker once I get it soon:

If I were to add any kind of assignment to the class, honestly? I’d have a project where each student takes something they’re really interested in or passionate about and create something with it to present to class, be it a musical composition with a guitar, a video showcasing a sports car, or even pottery. I think it would be really interesting to have a time where everyone can express themselves in a way they really like and to share a part of themselves. It would be something they could genuinely enjoy doing that may not really feel like an assignment or school work, but as something fun and interesting for them. I think that would be really really unique and fun.

I have to say I’ve enjoyed my time in this class more than I ever thought I would. At first, taking an art and design class seemed like it wouldn’t be that interesting to me as a Stem major (CMDA). But honestly my expectations were blown away and seeing everyone’s take on how they create their projects was really fun to me and how they expressed themselves in their work. I feel closer to everyone in this class more than I do most classes and being here was a fun time I’ll always remember, while listening to the Spotify playlist, looking back at this blog, or even while just looking at things in a different light. It’s been a truly unique experience so I have no regrets about taking this class. You’ve been awesome by the way Ms. Sullivan, thanks for an amazing class.

Response to Spotify Playlist and Guest Speaker.

I really like the idea of a collaborative playlist with this class, it allows all of us to connect through an amazingly diverse medium of music. The members of our class are very diverse and so is our music taste so allowing it to all culminate together in a playlist is something special. Also it allows us to all have a piece of this class whenever we want just by listening, and remembering the memories of this class.

When it comes to the guest speaker I thought he was really interesting and showcased a lot of really interesting things. The idea of coding music seemed really neat to me as someone in a very CS heavy major and a background in programming. Another program that caught my attention was Pure Data as it was so simple like a blank piece of paper yet you could put things onto it and create different sounds and it was so interesting to me. It really gives you room to be creative and express yourself and I really like that.

Its so unique how it can be both really simple and really complicated but both ways can make really interesting music and sounds entirely from a computer.

Favorite Music and First Concert.

In a previous post I mentioned how one of my favorite songs and artist are the Lumineers and the concert I went too. The concert I went too was at John Paul Jones Arena in Charlottesville (Ew I know.) and was an amazing time. I listened to every one of their songs on the drive there and it was so nice to hear them all live. My favorite was their playing of Ho Hey. They’re such a diverse band with their use of instruments and follow a typically indie and folk feel that is so relaxing. I love listening to their music and do so all the time. The stories their albums tell are so interesting as well.

They even gave out free CD’s of their newest Album with each concert ticket. My copy stays in my car and I listen too it all the time. This album tells the story of a family, the Sparks, with alcoholism. Its concept was actually based on the band members own issues of addiction as well. The music videos for each song are so unique and interesting to watch too I’ve seen all of them several times.

When it comes to my favorite type of music of course I love indie and folk music but I also have a very broad music taste, I listen to rap, rock, alternative, indie, 2000s rock, pop, some country, classics like Frank Sinatra, basically everything. It always changes depending on my mood but I listen to music a lot. Every time I do anything that requires focus as it helps me bring my mind to focus on something. It gives me free room to think and provides a good background to study. I’m even listening to music now writing this. Its a huge part of my life and I’ve been learning to play the guitar as well to play my own music.

Video Link:

Here’s the link to my Video, it discusses issues with US infrastructure for public transportation and the benefits to it as well as to EVs. It also showcases two different types of EVs and how they can be just as nice as any regular car and even affordable.

Annotated Bibliography

Favorite Film (or Films!)

One of my all time favorite movie series is the Star Wars series. The whole concept of Jedi and Sith and lightsaber combat is so interesting to me I love learning about all the space travel and ships too. There’s so much to the whole universe of it and its so cool to me. I could never imagine how George Lucas could come up with this he created a whole new world. The depth of each and every character is so cool and its still being developed today. The reason I chose particularly the Phantom Menace as my favorite movie is because I love the characters that being, Obi-Wan Kenobi, Qui-Gon Jin, Darth Maul, and little Anakin Skywalker. The pod racing scene is so iconic and it was the first one I saw as a kid. This movie was actually the 4th movie they made but its still my favorite. I remember playing the lego games as a kid about this movie and building star wars Lego sets as a I grew up. Even today I’ve got my own lightsaber with a metal hilt and a really strong plastic blade that makes sound and lights up its so cool. Here’s a picture of one just like mine:

How its Made: Bowling Balls

I found this video showcasing how bowling balls are made from a show called How it’s made. I used to watch this show a lot as a kid so it was really interesting to me actually. The video goes into detail explaining how they’re made starting from a core that’s molded with a special material which is then inserted into another mold, that makes it into a sphere. From there its put into yet another mold to give it the final color and shape. Afterwards its repeatedly polished and sanded to meet a performance standard. Its really interesting that they have to be made to specific standards of performance from beginning to end. I also didn’t know they had special cores. The design of the bowling balls are really pretty too as they often come with pretty colors yet still being set to specific performances.

Music

Music has been a huge part of my life for as long as I can remember. I listen to music almost every day of so many different genres. One of my all time favorite bands is The Lumineers they specialize in Indie and Folk music and have some big hits like Ho Hey and Ophelia. Their music is some of the most relaxing music I’ve heard and I love listening to their music. Before the Covid-19 Pandemic I actually got to go to a concert of theirs at the UVA (Oh no!) Stadium and had an amazing time. Their lead singer is actually really really nice and walked through the crowd it was an amazing time. Each of their albums tells a story I even have one of their CDs for their III album. This is some of the bands albums.

My Favorite Book: Ender’s Game

One of my favorite books I’ve read so far its got a really interesting story and main character named Ender. It was originally written by Orson Scott Card. It set in a futuristic version of Earth where they travel into space quite easily while at war with an alien species. It shows the development of Ender as a leader and his training through a program he gets inducted into as a kid. I’d rather not spoil the ending but the story has an amazing plot and really interesting. They have a movie adaptation as well which was mirrored the book quite well in my opinion.

An interesting 2D Fantasy Artist: Irina French

A 2D artist I like quite a lot is digital artist Irina French. She’s a UK based freelance digital artist based upon the game Dungeons and Dragons a game I quite enjoy playing myself. She uses digital art to create images of fantasy characters and maps. Reading her bio on her page she says she claims to tell a story with her artwork which by looking at more and more of her art definitely shows.