Introductions

1.) My favorite class was IGWD - "Intergalactic Weapons Design." It was an intense tech - theatre class that focused on props building techniques, and the results were awesome portfolio projects. I now have a light saber, a "Harry Potter" wand, a 6' Death Ray, and a replica of a battle axe called "The Greataxe of the Ebon Blade" (a weapon in a computer game).

2.) The longest paper I've had to write was 10 pages, and it included a bibliography.

3.) My favorite paper was an artist research assignment for a sculpture class, on hyper-realistic sculptor Ron Mueck (one of my favorites--I mentioned his name in the 1st assignment). The more I learned about him, the more intrigued I was. Before creating the incredible sculptures he is known for today, he worked on the movie "The Labyrinth," building some of the creatures and providing the voice of Ludo. I was stunned to realize that this primarily self-taught artist is on a path that I aspire to follow.

4.) Most of the books I've read recently are course-related, although I try to read up on electronics and robotics when I find some time.

5.) An artist who really impresses me - See #3

6.) Most of my interests are arts-related. As I've mentioned in class, animatronics and robotics are my new-found interest (borderline obsession). I also like cooking and wandering aimlessly.

7.) I haven't had time to read a newspaper or magazine in a long time.

8.) I recently saw an article online about facebook obsession that made me more aware of the culture I live in. The article stated that there are 500,000,000 active facebook users, which means that roughly 1 in 13 people worldwide use the site. It also said that 57% of people talk to people more online than in real life. The numbers were surprising to me. While I'll admit I check mine once or twice a day, I definitely don't use it as a primary means of communication the way most people do, mostly because I don't feel compelled what I'm thinking/doing/hungry for every minute of the day with the rest of the world.

9.) A cultural event that has made a negative impression on me lately is the technological disaster surrounding "Spiderman: The Musical" on Broadway. The show seems to have been a nightmare to produce due to the nature of the effects they're using and the related technical difficulties. It has also been incredibly dangerous to the cast on a regular basis. Several actors have been caught in the flying mechanisms and broken limbs. The issue of keeping theatre fresh and drawing new audiences means that theatre may need to compete with the movies, but this is an example of that attempt gone horribly wrong.

10.) A few years ago I read a book called "How to Survive and Prosper as an Arist Without Selling Your Soul" and it truly expanded my intellectual horizon. This book offers a variety of tips and interesting insight for anyone who wants to avoid the "starving artist" lifestyle. One key point in particular rocked my world and opened a new level of awareness in my life: in art classes at the college level, there is sometimes a sense of selfishness or fear on the part of teaching because the students will become extra competition for gallery spaces and showings. As such, some teaching professionals may be holding back some of their trade secrets rather than exposing what they know for the enrichment of the fledgling student artist.