Tuesday, May 3, 2011

Why should you take Seeing Sideways??


When my academic advisor suggested I take Seeing Sideways, my first question was “What the heck is Seeing Sideways??” Although my advisor wasn’t sure how to describe the class, I knew I would learn a lot from another class with Beth Lykins.

Now that I’ve completed the course, I can tell you the class is for anyone that is interested in learning how to (or remembering how to) think outside the box. While the concept may seem slight, that is not at all how I would describe what I’ve gained from the class.

From grade school through college, we are told exactly what the guidelines are for our assignments and exactly how to complete them. Over the years it is easy to forget how to be creative or think outside the box. Seeing Sideways is a great way to, once again, find the creativity within you.

My one piece of advice I have for prospective students is do not take this class because you believe it is a blow off class, you will learn so much more if you take each assignment seriously and strive to become a better. I wish I understood this better at the beginning of the semester because I feel like I did not step outside of the box enough to grow as a designer. I remember one assignment where everyone in the class described an object they saw at the School of Informatics building. Then, each student was to pick one of the other student’s descriptions and bring it to life using our imagination. I struggled with this assignment because I had a difficult time creating something interesting from an ordinary description.

If you are one of the students planning on enrolling in Seeing Sideways, I would really recommend using every assignment as an opportunity to strive to become a better Designer/Artist/New Media Student.

Seeing Sideways gave me such an incredible opportunity to relearn how to think outside of the box and to become more aware of my design process.

Friday, April 29, 2011

Final Project: A Thousand Words

For my research project I chose the topic Typography. According to the dictionary, Typography is the art of arranging type. I read a lot about the history and how it has evolved from punches and dies in ancient times to what it is now in the Digital Age. However, reading about the arrangement of type, typefaces, leading and line length is not nearly as interesting as seeing it. For my project I illustrated the keywords that define typography. Here's a sneak peek :)








Citations:
Kyrnin, Jennifer. "What Is Typography? - Typography Basics." Web Design - HTML XML - Web Development - Web Site Design. About.com Guide. Web. 25 Apr. 2011. <http://webdesign.about.com/od/fonts/qt/typography-basics.htm>.
"typography." Dictionary.com Unabridged. Random House, Inc. 29 Apr. 2011. <Dictionary.comhttp://dictionary.reference.com/browse/typography>.
A Thousand Words. Savage Garden. Affirmation, 1997.



Sunday, April 17, 2011

Class Reaction: 4/11

This week's class was very touching. My classmates shared their thoughts on why they were here. Many of the projects were interesting, but one especially stood out to me.

The girl that expressed her discouragement and confusion about not knowing why she was here was something I feel many of us could relate to. She said she feels like she lost a lot of inspiration and connection to her creativity. She isn't sure New Media is the best major for her, but she feels it is too late to change since she is paying for school her self. 

Personally, I was at that same stage 2.5 years ago. I was at IU in Bloomington majoring in Management in the school SPEA. I dreaded every class and struggled to become interested in the topics we were discussing. Thankfully, my parents were very understanding when I came to them and expressed my frustration and sadness. I told them this track wasn't for me and I want to explore what else is out there. 

I received a flyer in the mail from IUPUI about an event they were holding to give prospective students an introduction to what they have to offer. This is where I learned about the New Media program in the School of Informatics. I knew this is where I was meant to be. I love being able to express myself and be creative while working with technology. 

I hope the girl in our class understands that she is not alone. Hopefully some personal reflection will help guide her the way it helped me.

Plate of Ideas

When I feel like my ideas are going stale or I can't get my creativity flowing, I like to take a bubble bath. It feels so good to be by myself in a quiet room, and let the inspiration come to me.

For this week's assignment, we were to do something based on our own personal wellspring of creativity. I created a place to document my ideas when I'm sitting in my bubble bath.



I designed a plate that has two layers of chalkboard paint in the center. Previously, when ideas came to me when I was relaxing in the bath tub, I would either have to write on a piece of paper and try not to get it wet or I would have to remember each thought. Now, when I feel inspired by an idea, I can write it down on the chalkboard.

The plate is framed with colorful marbles that are flat on one side. I hot glue-gunned each piece to make it more visually appealing. I also thought the variety of pretty colors might inspire more ideas.

Want to make one?

You will need: Large plate with thick rim, chalkboard spray paint, colorful marbles, and a hot glue gun.

  1. Cover the rim of the plate with tape to avoid spraying with the chalkboard paint.
  2. Spray paint the center of the plate with chalkboard paint. Let the paint dry. Repeat this step 1-2 more times to create a thicker board.
  3. Plug in the hot glue gun.
  4. Lay out the marbles in whatever design you like the best.
  5. Hot glue each piece and place the marble on the rim of the plate.
  6. Continue glueing each marble until the entire rim of the plate is covered.
  7. Let dry and you're ready to go!


Tuesday, March 29, 2011

Favorite Fear Experiment

While many of my classmates projects were interesting, one truly spoke to me. Brian's presentation of his fear of losing everything he knows to be true was so incredibly honest and real I had chills as I listened to him speak.

His presentation was by far one of the most brave displays of truthfulness I have ever witnessed.

This project touched me more than anyone else's, because while I am often shy in class about sharing my projects, I cannot even imagine sharing my most personal thoughts on my personal life to some people that feel like strangers to me. I truly admire his openness, candor, and sincerity.

My project was true in that taking tests is one of my most debilitating fears, but I was not concerned about being judged by the content. Brian was courageous enough to express his deepest fear in such an honest way, despite the possibility of someone judging him. I hope he knows his presentation only reflects admirable attributes I would be blessed to have more of.

Experiment Tested!

Last class I shared my fear of taking tests with my classmates. Before I conducted the experiment I explained to the class the way I feel when I take tests and why it is a fear of mine. This is what I said to the class.

"Since I was an elementary school student I can recall feelings of horrible test anxiety. To this day, the night before a test I am can’t sleep because of all of the concerns about the test consume my thoughts. Then when I sit down to take the test, I can feel the fear overcome me. I feel my heart start to race, my body gets hot, and my mind is so overwhelmed with possible bad outcomes that I find it very difficult to simply focus on a question long enough to finish the sentence. Usually I leave feeling frustrated because I might have done better if I had just relaxed and not let myself feel overwhelmed.
For my Fear Experiment, I will be attempting to get you guys to understand why taking tests is a fear of mine. My hope for the experiment is that you all may be able to immerse yourselves in the experience just for a moment so that it feels real to you. I made up a test of general knowledge questions from the website TEFLGames.com and added some distractions to the page to symbolize my fear and frustration when I take a test. You will have 5 minutes to complete as many questions as you can. To put a little pressure on the outcome of the test, the person that gets the most questions correct will win a $5 gift card to McDonalds."



I was really excited to see the urgency most of the classmates showed when they were answering the questions on my test. I heard several people say "It is so difficult to read through the entire question!" and "This is hard!"  I feel like the urgency and frustration to complete the test in the five minutes I allotted was likely fueled by competitiveness but I think it did a good job giving them an idea of how frantic I feel when I take tests. 

I think next time I would like to try to have a longer test and extend the time to about 15 minutes. I would like to see if the 15 minute time limit and more questions would breed more frustration. The reason I left the experiment to only 5 minutes is because I was concerned it would be too difficult to get people to care long enough for it to still feel relevant and worthy of the time they were putting into it. 

Overall, I was pleasantly surprised at the effort my classmates used to try to understand my fear. I felt like the experiment was successful in creating frustration, anxiety, and a sense of urgency. Even if it was just for a gift card to McDonalds...   :)


First Attempt at Fear

This week's class was incredibly interesting!

Walking into class I had no idea what to expect. The tone was soon set when a tarantula in a tupperware was thrown in my direction. While my fear experiment had nothing to do with spiders, they are actually my NUMBER ONE fear!!!! I was crying before I even realized what happened!

Once I was able to calm myself from the flying spider mishap, I knew there was no way it could get worse so I felt ready for anything.

It was interesting to see and try to understand what some of the fears my classmates have. I felt especially moved by Brian's presentation of his greatest fear. It was unbelievably honest and real. That was incredibly brave of him.

Sunday, March 27, 2011

Class Reflection (3-21)

I had such a nice time last class. The sun was warm and bright and I was so excited when Beth wrote on the white board to meet on the balcony.

After we spent some time chatting about our spring break, Beth told us to close our eyes. I didn't know what to expect but I trusted it would be an interesting experience so I obliged. Beth's voice was so soft and calm as she performed  somewhat of a meditative experience. She had us focus on the sounds around us. Normally, I feel I am so busy that I that I don't stop to be calm. It was really interesting to stop and focus on the small sounds around me. I thought it was interesting when one of my classmates said he didn't like the way he felt like he was loosing control because I loved the way it felt! I felt so relaxed and in the present. I would love to try some more meditative experiences again.

Saturday, March 19, 2011

Freakin' Out!


What is fear?

I would describe fear as a feeling of concern, distress, and anxiety about a situation that is either real or imagined.  Fear can cause people to feel panicked, frightened, and alarmed when presented with something or some experience. It seems the word “fear” is applied more specifically to a particular attitude a person may have toward something. For example, simply the thought of spiders triggers feelings of horror and fright in me. I feel the hair on my neck stand up and I squirm at the thought of a spider touching me. Spiders aren’t the only things I find fearful. I also tend to worry and be afraid of things or ideas that have yet to happen to me. For example I have feelings of trepidation when I do not write down my tasks (related to school or otherwise personal plans) or if I know I need to have a difficult conversation with someone.
Fear can significantly affect your life if you are unable to control the thoughts and feelings of apprehension and fright. Since I was an elementary school student I can recall feelings of horrible test anxiety. To this day, the night before a test I am unable to sleep; what-if thoughts and concerns explode in my mind as I struggle to quiet the noise of doubt. When I sit down to take the test, fear consumes my body. I feel my heart start to race, my body gets hot, and my mind is so overwhelmed with possible bad outcomes that I find it very difficult to simply focus on a question long enough to finish the sentence. Rarely am I able to control my anxiety for the length of the test and I always leave feeling frustrated that I might have done better if I had just focused harder on the questions and answers. Maybe this is why I ended up in a mostly project-based major… :)

Fear Experiment

            For my Fear Experiment, I will be exploring what it may be like for an average student to feel test anxiety. To better understand why some students and myself feel test anxiety I looked up some of the common contributing factors. According to WebMD, there are various factors that include prior unpleasant experiences, poor preparation, perfectionism, and a social atmosphere that places excessive importance on test results. My hope for the experiment is that my classmates will be able to immerse themselves in the experience if just for a moment so they will understand why this is a fear of mine. However, it may be difficult to create feelings of concern and anxiety in my classmates because they know at the end of the class my experiment will not affect their grade or overall wellbeing. 

Friday, March 4, 2011

Stuffed Animal Inspiration

In class, Beth gave each of us a stuffed animal from a big trash bag. There were all types of stuffed toys from the wild, television shows, and movies. I did not recognize the stuffed animal that was tossed to me. Other students in class told me it was an angry character from a cartoon television show. 
The goal was to create contradiction and also harmony between the stuffed toy and whatever we would create. I did not know where to begin so I took a picture of the toy and put it into photoshop. I played around with the image, duplicating it, turning it, adding filters to it. Eventually an image resembling a kaleidoscope appeared. I liked the way it was looking so I continued to manipulate it. I created a cutout frame around it to make the image look more complete. 
The contradiction is that I took a stuffed toy that represents an angry mean cartoon character and turned the image of it into a pretty piece of art that is interesting to look at. The harmony is that I used the actual colors of the toy to create a new product. 
The bliss assignment was helpful in this because when I sat down to create something I was very open to whatever may come. The end result is below!

My Bliss



I could not believe my ears when Beth explained the 'Bliss' assignment! I was thrilled to hear I would have 2.5 hours to myself to reflect and to gain inspiration. One of my favorite things to do when I need to clear my mind is to spend time with my dog Regis. I love petting him and taking him for walks. I find I am able to clear my mind and relax when I am with him. I spent about one hour of my bliss time with him.
The rest of the time I spent with my mom drinking coffee and talking. I can talk to my mom for hours but because I am always so busy we don't get together as much as I would like to so I took this opportunity to hang out with her.
I loved this experience because I find when I take time to myself to relax and not thing about all of my obligations I am a more creative person but it is not always easy pulling myself away from all of my commitments.

Wednesday, February 16, 2011

Exotic Feline Rescue Center-Design Process Product

The second portion of our assignment was to use the design process we evaluated and “create something.” I looked through my gallery of images to try to find some inspiration since the assignment was so vague. I came across images from a trip to Indiana’s Exotic Feline Rescue Center that I visited over the summer. There was a beautiful lion that I took a picture of and when I viewed the image I felt the motivation or inspiration to get started. I decided to create a charity brochure to bring people to the Center.

            When I got started, I was conscious of the design equation but I tried not to think too hard about it while I was working. Once I was finished I evaluated my process. I followed the design equation exactly as the it was drawn out, however, before I got to the final product I refined and tried the process NUMEROUS times before I found the fonts, effects, and layout I feel looks best.

            The first image is my final product and the second image was my inspiration.



Evaluating the Design Process


Inspiration>Idea>Concept>Trial>Refine>Product

Inspiration
  •   My definition of “inspiration” is a sudden thought that comes to mind that causes me to feel motivated or encouraged to act.
  • When I feel inspired I usually feel overwhelmed with thoughts that need to be brainstormed into ideas.
  • To me, this is a very exciting ‘step’ in the design process. It is what encourages me to complete a project.

Idea
  • My definition of an “idea” is an inspiration that appears in my mind as an image.
  • I feel like an idea needs to process in my mind before I am able to vocalize it as a concept.
  • The idea is the result of brainstorming on an inspiration.

Concept
  • My definition of a “concept” is a general idea or theory that attempts to explain something in my mind.
  • It is a plan to conceive the idea.

Trial
  • My definition of a “trial” is the process of testing a concept.
  • It is my attempt to test the idea I was inspired by.
  • A trial may be successful or unsuccessful.

Refine
  •  If a trial is unsuccessful it will need to be refined.
  • My definition of “refine” is to improve or make a process better to make a more perfect product.
  • The ability to refine a process is very important because a good idea is not worth much if you cannot successfully complete the product.

Product
  • When a process has been successfully refined, a product is the result.
  • My definition of “product” is the end-result of a process.



When I first began to evaluate this design process I thought I started with an idea. The reality of it is I must always have some kind of inspiration even if I do not immediately recognize it as my inspiration for a particular idea. I feel this is exactly the design process I use when I create a product. Although I may repeat “trial” and “refine” multiple times, it is always in that order.

I missed the day we discussed the design process in class. I am unsure of the previous discussion about New Media and Target Audience so I will discuss my opinion about the relation. I believe it is very important to keep the Target Audience in mind when I design New Media products. Different Target Audiences view art in different ways. If I artfully design a very abstract New Media product for a conservative company, they will likely not be happy with the end result because it is not cohesive with their business appearance (and vice versa).

Most of the time, New Media people (especially students) start out with a product or project. We are told what the end result should be. This tends to cause me to have a delay in my design process because, initially, I tend to get stuck in a box. When I am told what the product should be like it changes my design process, but only slightly.  Regardless of the end result, I still need to start with an inspiration. That inspiration needs to be nurtured into an idea and then a concept. That concept will still need to be tried and refined until I feel the process will generate a product I am happy with.

Monday, February 14, 2011

Field Trip!!

Today we spent the day touring the incredible technology that New Media students have available to us. A man named Chancy (I hope I'm not spelling that wrong...) from UITS was the tour guide.

First he took us to the huge 3 screened projection room that provides an immersive 3D experience in any programmer's "world". I have never seen or participated in anything like it. It was awesome! The next room he took us to had a very large television with (I believe) 4 individual screens working as one. He showed us how clear the resolution is by pulling up an image from Google as well as a 4K video on YouTube. It was amazing how clear the resolution is. There was also a 3D television in the room. He showed us an educational video that he created for middle school children. He explained that grabbing the attention of middle school aged kids is typically very difficult, so their idea was to create a video that is fun and interesting for them to watch.

I learned so much from this tour. I had no idea that (1) IUPUI had all of those impressive technologies and (2) that students are able to use them!! As long as a student has a well developed plan, the UITS techs are able to help you use the technology.

Sunday, February 6, 2011

Native American War Paint vs. Catholic Mass


My family and I belong to a very traditional Catholic church in Carmel, Indiana. Although now a written rule in the church-goer’s handbook, it is understood that you present yourself respectfully and purely when in the Lord’s house. From an early age, we are told God made our bodies exactly as he intended and therefore, we should refrain from getting tattoos.

While this is an idea I have grown up with, my heritage has a different way of being. I am of Potawatomi decent where tattoos are a common way of expressing themselves. For this assignment, I looked up several different Native American tribal paints and wore them on my face during Sunday mass.

I told my parents about my plans and I received exactly the response I thought I would. My Dad told me “NO you will not!” He reminded me it would draw unwanted attention to myself and it would likely be seen as disrespectful. I explained to him the whole point of the assignment would be to break the ‘rules’ and see how it goes. While he was not very happy with my decision, he understood what I was trying to accomplish.

The entire mass I felt people staring at me. I felt incredibly uncomfortable. I did my best to keep my head up, act as though everything was normal, and continue to sing the songs and read from along with the Gospel with everyone else.  I do not remember a single word never-the-less the actual message I was supposed to get from the homily because I was so distracted from my Native American face paint!

I was dreading the time when it was my turn to receive Communion. During Communion at a Catholic mass, you walk in a single file line up to the Priest, hold out your hand as he displays the Body of Christ, and then you receive the Sacrament.  As he was holding the Body of Christ, I could feel him looking all over my face, trying to understand why I had the ‘tattoos’ on me. I have never been one to break the rules and while this was not a written in stone ‘rule’ of the church, I could tell he was surprised to see me stray from the conservative ways of the church.

Overall, this was a very interesting experience. I learned how it feels to stray from the pack and be considered as an outsider in this instance. I understand why rules are in place and most of the time I feel they are appropriate. I tested the rules of the church and understood how it feels to be an outsider for an hour of my Sunday. 

Sunday, January 30, 2011

Interpretation - Lime Green Backpack

During class, we were given 15 minutes to go anywhere to find something that we think someone else in the class did not see. On the list was a lime green backpack. I imagine that this backpack was seen in or around our Seeing Sideways class. After I created the lime green backpack, I faintly stamped the words "Seeing Sideways" on the front pouch because I imagined the student saw this backpack in our classroom, however this was not recorded in the class response so I made it soft and less noticeable.

I wonder how closely this resembles the backpack my classmate saw...

Class Response - Frustrated at Fifteen

This class session made me reflect on all of the years I have attended school.

Walking into class, I expected to meet and have some kind of a show-and-tell with all of the students exploring the process of how they came to their final Egg project. Instead, Beth had us sit in a circle and verbally explain their thoughts and results. As many of us visual thinkers began to drift off, Beth interrupted the student's stories and asked us why we all seemed to bored. One of my classmates mentioned it would be more exciting if we could SEE what everyone was talking about while they were explaining the results of their projects. Beth responded with something similar to 'Thank you! Why did no one say that sooner?!' We all were surprised by her question, we are all so used to teachers telling us what to do and we just follow that it never dawned on us to interrupt and ask to stray from her plans.

When I was 15 years-old I thought I knew just about everything a person should know in order to drive. I did not understand why I had to wait until I was 16 to get behind the wheel. I remember asking myself "I am a mature person, how much of a difference could 1 year really make?" If it was up to me, I most definitely would have taken a ride to...just about anywhere! Because I was so eager, my mom would remind me she knows the milage on the car every time she took the other car out to run errands. Whether she actually checked the milage on the car every day or not, it stopped me from any and all of the rebellious thoughts I was having at the time!

Looking back, I understand the reason the rule is set where it is. Honestly, I wouldn't mind if it was raised a year or two seeing how careless many 16-year olds can be. I am happy the drive age is not 15 years old. Despite my frustrations as a young teenager, I understand why the rule is in place.

Sunday, January 23, 2011

Egg Project

My mind went blank the moment Beth gave us the egg with the very vague project guidelines. The purpose was to get our creative juices flowing as she told us to do "something" with the egg. I took the egg home and as I sat with it on my couch, staring at the egg, thinking of the possibilities, my dog Regis came and sat next to me. He stared at me, then at the egg and then back at me. I told him he better not get any funny ideas because it was my homework! Just then, I had an idea. I thought I would put a twist on the old story 'the dog ate my homework'. This is how my project came about.

Monday, January 10, 2011

First day of class

I knew this class was going to be a fun time when Beth told us to move our swivel chairs in a big open circle then turned off the lights.

We spent the class time exploring our definitions of what 'art' is as well as what we believe entails the 'new media' industry. What we found was that defining 'art' is very difficult because many people hold different truths to it. Beth encouraged us to speak openly because no person's definition is right or wrong. In my opinion, I feel that art needs to have the intention of expressing some kind of emotion. The medium can be many different things. Because I have been a dancer for much of my life, I feel that dancing is a great way to express oneself, and therefore, an art form.

To add to this discussion, we watched John Cage's 4' 33" video on YouTube. I felt confused when I watched this video. I had a difficult time reasoning why it is art and I find it understandable why when he finished performing, he was criticized as an artist.

Although I did not have many expectations of what Seeing Sideways would be about, I felt the first day exceeded my expectations.

NewM N385 Expectations

I am very excited to start this New Media course. I have been a student of Beth's in a past semester and I really enjoyed her approachable personality and  her style of teaching. My school counselor has told me many great things about how this class has been received by the students that have taken it.

I hope to grow as a designer by understanding design principles and learning how to better problem solve in my creative endeavors.