Sketches

Some recent sketches; lots inspired by my bird, Moby! One of my personal favorites is the bird with the bell on the bottom of the first page spread... :)

Other than that, some are pretty messy still, but I'm working with only ink. I'm trying to get back into the swing of sketching as often as possible by forcing myself not to be too precious with sketches. No pencils allowed! And no references just yet, other than looking at my bird...

Media Dream Sequences Video

This video was an assignment for my Power of the Image class; a "Media Dream Sequence."

The prompt was to find about a minute of audio, and put both videos and images to its track in a way that created a message/paradox.

To me, this sequence supports Elizabeth Gilbert's (speaking) ideas about creativity and how we can't consider ourselves, as mere humans, the source of creativity. (That maybe creativity is like an external sense of genius on loan to us every now and then...)

But I also think my imagery, in conjunction with what Gilbert says, add a layer of intrigue. I used a lot of the masters' work (really a lot of art from the Renaissance and forward in time): artists who had adapted that mentality of "being a genius" vs. "having a genius."

We have come to truly admire and work after these artists; is it possible that we could have some balance of thinking we are the source of creativity but also that it could be a random, almost "otherworldly" thing on loan to us? 

That to a certain degree, we are responsible for honing our creativity, and for actively using it: but that we also cannot expect to be "geniuses" 100% of the time?

Thesis: Family Creativity Book (Dummy?) Done!!

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Dedication/Title Pages

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So my Thesis Book (Dummy) "Family Creativity" has been sent out for publishing! Not without a hitch, however; I learned the hard way that as great as Lulu.com is, it's really "what you see is what you get." I didn't realize I had to add my own blank pages into the format, nor did I realize before I ordered the (first) set of 4 copies that the first uploaded file (other than the cover) is positioned on the right, as a single-page spread. That messed up all of my 2-page spreads after and including the dedication/title page. So I guess when I get that set, I will be cutting it apart to frame for gifts. :) No harm done; just didn't expect to be getting my Christmas shopping done yet!

Overall, I'm really happy with how these pages look. They certainly are not final to the point that I would sell this book yet, but they are getting there. For now, I really went with the 2-page spreads, but I might mix up some of the images as single-page spreads in the future. (Some of the images don't really need to be 2-page spreads...) Also, I plan on making all aspects of the cover mine as well: no Photoshop shapes. Just have yet to sketch up those heart and frame aspects to a point I would put them on the cover; the shapes are placeholders for now.

As is, if it prints like we see it here (cross your fingers!), I will be proud to present this to my Thesis class and committee for graduation. Beyond graduation, I can be picky and work heavier into making it its "final" edition. :)

(By the way, this book was a documentation of family creativity research I did a couple semesters ago; I interviewed about 30 of my family members to find out how they are creative and where my creativity might come from. Distilling as much of my research as possible, I came up with this storyline: "We are all creative in some way: it's all in how you define it. In addition, creativity starts in the home, with family.")

MEd in Community Arts, HERE I COME!! (Now, it's just to finish that monster thesis PAPER...)