April 27

Games, games, games! Today was a lot of fun.  I haven't played board games in years! I enjoyed every minute of it, because I was taken back to my childhood.  I realized that I need to make more time for play.  All work and no play make Cheryl a dull girl.  

Our homework was to bring a game to class.  The games that were brought to class were Sponge Bob Monopoly, Scrabble, Taboo, Mad Gab, Perfection, Connect 4, Uno, Trivial Pursuit, Boggle, and a game that involved communicating through drawing.  I had never heard of Mad Gab but it seemed like fun becasue the student who got to play it were laughing a lot.  Come to think of it, everyone was laughing a lot. 

What made the game fun?  Scrabble is easy to understand but challenges the mind because not only do have to think about words but you have work with what you have and all the while trying to earn the most points by arranging your tiles carefully on the board.  I personally like Scrabble because I love words and learning new words, and maybe becasue I'm not too bad at it.
What was the theme?  I learned that Monopoly is about greed and capitalism and can turn friends against one another.  HAHA! Just kidding, sort of.  Sponge Bob Monopoly was interesting because of the whole involvement of money, buying property, owing rent, going to jail and such.  We laughed a lot.  The property names made it all the more interesting becasue we were saying wait, who owns Bikini Water? Also, the game pieces were the characters of the cartoon, I was Squidworm and Jessica was SpongeBob, but Sandy who's game piece was actually Sandy Squirrel owned both of our homes, haha!

Monopoly and Scrabble both require strategy, some sort of strategic plan to win, the most points, or everyone's money, Monopoly money, that is.  For any game to be interesting there needs to be a challenge mixed with fun.

Homework is fun, HOMEWORK is fun, homework is FUN! I think it was vital that Professor Jimmy mention this to class, to me especially, because I forget this.  I forget that the assignments are more about the learning process than to just earn credit.  What is my creative process, again?  It is always about the experience and what can you take from it.  I realize I am most happy when I feel the most creative.  Which leads me to question my purpose in life.  Was I born to create?  I think I am but, of course I always find the urge and need to become better at whatever I am set out to do in this life.  I'm almost a mid-twenty year old and I already feel like I need to get the ball rolling.  

April 25

I like the view of the classroom better when we face the windows; the beautiful bright, natural light woke me from a futile morning state. I had a wonderful holiday weekend with my family so it was somewhat difficult to return to the student life, away from family.  But I always try and remind myself of why I am here and that is to better myself.


Games Growing up as a child, my siblings, cousins and I would always play boards games, from Scrabble, to Life, to Twister, Badminton, to Hide and Seek.  Games played a large part of my childhood, and I think it also does for many people's childhoods.  (I was so good at hiding that once it i I didn't come out till sunset becasue they couldn't find me).  Come to think of it, a lot of my favorite memories are playing games.  Games teach you strategy, and for children to learn games, I think it teaches them also about life.  I think everything we learn about anything can be ultimately tied to life.  Parents like to get their children into sports so that they may learn about working and participating with others, or so I would like to think.

I have never put much thought into how games were made and why.  As a child I loved our games that were vibrantly colored like Hungry-Hungry-Hippos and Candyland, and even Monopoly.  But of course, different games are aimed towards a particular age range.  But I think designing a game is very interesting because you have to consider many things like what is the theme or goal, and why?  Why should people invest their time in this game? What are the players going to get out of this? Is it fun?

Google "Ask and you shall receive!"  But as I learned today, especially when searching for images, it strips you of any creativity.  Think about it: you type in palm tree and it gives you thousands of images of palm trees! I also learned that there are good and generic images.  
Personally, I wish the assignment was for us to photograph the Seven Deadly Sins.  The assignment seemed simple at first, almost too simple, but pride and envy were the hardest for me to find an image that depicted that, but I liked that they were difficult becasue I really had to think about it.  I googled, "Greed" but the images seemed too generic, so I tried to think of someone greedy.  I loved watching Ducktales when I was younger and I immediately remembered Uncle Scrooge.  So I asked Google and received.

On a side note, it's kind of weird, creepy, amazing,  that Google is now in our vocabulary.  I asked my brother, "What the hell are you talking about?" and he told me to "Google it."  I use Google almost everyday.  Again, I am reminded of our culture's need for immediacy.  It's everywhere! Fast food restaurants, Starbucks drive through, if I don't get my pizza within the 45 minute time frame, it's free, , I can now check my email, facebook, twitter, etc on my phone, this internet is slow, faster, faster, faster!  Wait, am I on the late train? My eyes are opened. 

April 11

I want a refund for the RedBull I drank this morning because it did not give me wings. 

Today in Concept Development Class: 

Disney Parodies.  I had never put much thought into Disney, particularly their message in the stories they tell in the movies and such.  I mean, I was aware of the high dose of fantasy and morals, and lessons learned and inspiration juice in the mix, but I hadn't really thought of why they do this.  Jimmy made a point that Disney employs the most creative people in the whole world.  They're everywhere, and I haven't met someone who hasn't heard of Disney.  So, back to what I realized in class.  I realized that Disney is all about exhibiting a positive message, lessons learned, about life, so that children can learn from this, and relate in their own way, and to never forget so when they grow up, they can pass this on to their children.  They have a durable concept to their creations, because the movies, theme parks, merchandise, etc. have entered the homes and histories of many families, and after all, Disneyland is the "Happiest place one Earth." But is Disney secretly evil?  I don't think so, but growing up I started hearing people talking about hidden, controversial, erotic messages planted into their movies, so all in all, who knows!  
I googled images of Disney parody and the visual irony is entertaining to me.  As an adult, I can now appreciate it. But if I was younger I think I wouldn't see it the same way.  

Creativity Professor Jimmy showed us  two TED talks by writers Amy Tan and Elizabeth Gilbert.

I knew who Amy Tan was at first glance of her name, she is a writer who wrote several books like the Joy Luck Club, and I specifically remember her for her short story/essays like "Broken English".  Amy's talk was amusing and her sort of literal humor made it all the more interesting.
 "Hints from the universe" I can't remember when exactly I figured this out, but I remember my mom always telling me that everything happens for a reason, good or bad.  And I never really understood what she was talking about until after I graduated high school.  "Creating something out of nothing"
"With everything in life, there is a place of balance." Everyone has a different muse for creation and her's was her Yorkshire terrier, which was calmly hidden inside the bag the entire talk. 

Elizabeth Gilbert is known for writing "Eat, Pray, Love" which I regrettably have yet to see, but it is on my Netflix queue so I will be watching it soon.  I also found many things that Elizabeth said to be very useful.  I think that talking about the creative process and what inspires us in the world today will always be a topic of interest to me, probably becasue there is no definite answer and everyone's creative process is different.  I think it's interesting for me as a young artist/designer/student to hear creative, inspired people talk about this experience that they go through when they are in the moment, in the presence of their muse.  It inspires me.  She brought up muses form the ancients Greeks, "Damons" and "Geniuses" from the Romans.  I think of the word genius differently now, because I don't necessarily see it only as someone who is highly intelligent but also someone who is high creative.  "Don't be afraid, don't be daunted, continue to show up and do your job."

Stage 1: Inspiration

The first stop on the map of the creative journey in Karl Aspelund's book The Design Process is Inspiration.  I found this chapter very informative in that it broke down different aspects of inspiration, gave us insight to a fashion designer's inspirations, and provided questions we may ask ourselves so that we may find inspiration.

I, as a young artist, have been inspired by many things but I never really put much thought into the very act of inspiration and the technicalities of it, or even the history.

"Inspiration is something that cannot be waited for--- designers should always actively seek it."  Well, what do you know? I have always done the opposite, until recently of course.  My usual ways to get started on a project were to wait for it to fall out of the sky.  It wasted so much time.  To get inspired, you have to actually search for it, becasue it can come in any shape or form like someone's shirt, or a leaf blowing in the wind or even a mandarin orange.  I liked how Aspelund referenced Greek myths and how "inspiration was bestowed by one of the nine Muses."  I love the feeling of inspiration, becasue whatever it may be it actually feels like a presence is with you when you feel it, it's an actual thing that allows you to explore, broaden your horizons, be in the zone.  But as said in the book, "Genies don't return to bottles".

Taking the Momentum to the right heights.  While inspired you have to be careful to take it in the right direction, always, because a lot of time can be wasted.  I have often found inspiration by looking at other artists' and designers' work, and I was reminded of the positive and negative effects this can have on the finished product.  Getting inspiration from other people's work can be toxic if you copy everything that they did and don't even bother to put any of your own creativity to it.  I think what makes an art piece, invention, design, or any creation is that it is a part of the person who created it.  And, I believe, creativity shows.

All work and no play doesn't work.  While reading this i was reminded of being young and the ability to see something for something else.  My older siblings and cousins used to pretend that a box was our barn on our ranch when we played roles on the Nickelodeon show "Hey Dude!"  I remember making my paper dolls and actually envisioning them coming to life.  I looked at them this weekend when I went home and they looked so simple and non life-like.  So in the sense, I need to come back to that imagination, only this time, making by visions come true.

Meditative exercise.  I found the exercises proposed by Aspelund at the end of the chapter to be very helpful.  The questions we must ask ourselves in order to help creative thinking sparked light in my mind becasue some of these things I had already been introduced years ago had been reawakened.

9. Be completely quiet.  I worry about my dependence on my earphones and iPod.  I wear them to zone out background noise becasue I dislike it.  But I'm starting to realize that maybe I'm just zoning out my own thoughts.  "If you cannot be still, you will not see clearly.  By quieting all this mental fidgeting, you can focus on the present and tap into thoughts and impules."  For mental health reasons, I think it's a good idea for everyone to be able to just sit, be completely quiet, and involved in their own present thoughts.

Reading: The Design Process, by Karl Aspelund

Alas, alas, it has arrived!

The cover reminds me of a string project in did in the 6th grade, I can't remember what it's called but it looks like this. (And if someone knows what it's called, PLEASE tell me! I would like to make it again).

Looking through the book, I saw a lot of pictures, so I thought, "This is a GREAT book!" haha
I noticed the table of contents is polychromatic, with colors following the next in a harmonious way.  The chapters in the book correspond to these colors as well.  Each chapter being a stage of the design process.

Exercise: Design Journal

I miss keeping a journal.  I used to keep one where I would frequently write and doodle in it, but I haven't been keeping up with it ever since school started, which I think is ironic in a way because school has always spawned interesting thought processes.  I think lazy, is a better reason.  I looked through my old Sketchbooks and journals and I can't help but miss that mindset of "Anything goes." 

The Design Process: A Relationship

I found it to be very effective to my learning and perspective when Aspelund compared the design process to a relationship.

Inspiration 

Identification

Conceptualization

Exploration/Refinement

Definition/Modeling

Communication

Production

Scott McCloud

Jimmy introduced T.E.D., which stands for Technology, Entertainment, Design and the website to us on Wednesday, April 6th.  Scott McCloud gave a talk on Comics, which was very interesting.
Scott McCloud on TED

I watched Scott's talk on Comics on the TED website three times just so I could take in everything he said and jot down several of the references he made.  I loved how he opened the talk with his family.  I enjoy learning about people's history and roots.  His father being blind and

Charles Babbage Who was the first the ever think of the computer's invention? Charles Babbage.  This was something I did not know, so I googled him.  Babbage was an inventor, philosopher, and a mathmetical engineer.  He is known as "the father of the computer."

Moore's Law

 "The observation made in 1965 by Gordon Moore, co-founder of Intel, that the number of transistors per square inch on integrated circuits had doubled every year since the integrated circuit was invented. Moore predicted that this trend would continue for the foreseeable future. In subsequent years, the pace slowed down a bit, but data density has doubled approximately every 18 months, and this is the current definition of Moore's Law, which Moore himself has blessed. Most experts, including Moore himself, expect Moore's Law to hold for at least another two decades." 

(http://www.webopedia.com/TERM/M/Moores_Law.html)

Look for patterns  I had taken an art history class last quarter and learned about Egyptian hieroglyphics and Roman Columns of Marcus Aurelius and Trajan but I had never made the comparison between those and comics.  They are very much alike in the directional storytelling of images.

 

Roman Column of Trajan

Infinite Canvas  I found his idea of having comics on the computer screen, but "looking at the monitor as a window."  I thought this was a clever idea and I had a chance to look at some of the comics on his website.  I found the presentation of "Mimi's Last Coffee" to be great.  It was totally interactive in that you, the user, had to click to the next comic scene, and there were even different directions in which the story could go.  The story, however, was a bit morbid for.  I guess it was also the use of the color red, black, and white that got me, too. Visit his website if you haven't at http://scottmccloud.com/

At the end of his talk, Scott said, "Media, all media, provide us a window back into our world."  He later explained that media allows us see the world  in different ways, therefore allowing us to reshape it.  I think this tied in well with his idea of using the monitor as a window to view comics because virtually we can now view comics in all directions, which makes them more appealing to the viewer.  Since newspaper are going digital, why not comics? I think it makes them so much more interesting. 
 
Durable Mutation Scott brought up durable durable mutation and at first I did not understand what he was talking about, but I thought about it and to me I think he meant that with the ever growing and changing technological advances, especially with the computer, we as designers, creators and inventors, have to find ways to make things "adaptable to it's environment". Technology will always have to be proven functional for us because it's supposed to make life easier, and sometimes more interesting.  So, any idea or creation that doesn't stick will not last, and therefore is not durable.

Attack of the RadioActive Carrots!

April 6 marks the last class day of the second week of Spring Quarter at Cal State Los Angeles.  Waking up early enough for class depends on how much sleep I get.  I'm working on it, though, and so far I have not been late to class, which is a big improvement compared to my 8a.m class last quarter. 

Mind Maps. Professor Moss introduced us to Mind Maps.  Mind maps are diagrams that allow the mind to explore and excrete all ideas and possibilities we can think of.  He showed us examples of mind maps and I was particularly drawn to the one with the animated, violent looking carrot because it reminded me of a carrot I had drawn who was about to get chopped up, he had an "OH  NO!" expression on his face.  The thought of it still makes me laugh.
We were given 30 minutes to make our own mind maps, I chose to start with the idea of "What if sleep wasn't necessary?" mainly becasue I sometimes wish sleep really wasn't necessary.   It's amazing how the mind travels from one thought to another very quickly. I feel like my sleepy mind chose a boring topic, so I think I'll change it up for our homework, which is a full out Mind Map on 14" x 17" board.

Scott McCloud. Scott McCloud gave a talk on Comics at a T.E.D. Conference.  It was my first time learning about T.E.D. which stands for Technology, Entertainment, Design, and is a "nonprofit devoted to Ideas Worth Spreading".  Scott's talk was very fast pace, and as early in the day as it was, I tried my best to keep up.  In my next blog I will write more on my thoughts on this. 

April 4

Different perspectives.  We are all individual with unique perspectives, as Professor Jimmy Moss said today in our Concept Development class.  Not one person has the same point of view or experiences.

Homework: Comic strip on how we got to college.
I'm not going to lie, and I will admit that I waited last minute to do the homework simply because I did not know how I was going to portray my journey to Cal State Los Angeles, and because I got a new puppy, but that's a different story.  I had pondered for two days what I wanted to include and by Monday morning at 3a.m. I finished it.  When I finished it, I looked at it and remembered everything I had gone through, especially how I wanted to get out of my hometown, Oxnard.  Doing the homework reminded me of why I am in college, why I am majoring in Graphic Design.

Experience.  I remember realizing one day while taking my transfer classes at a community college that homework, projects, and research papers are not punishments that teachers assign to students.  It's all a learning experience and I think that goes a long way, especially when it comes to life.  Jimmy had asked us how we approached the homework assignment "Did you welcome it with open arms, or did you reject it, kicking and screaming?"  I rejected it at first, but then told myself that there has to be a reason why we are doing this.  And I think it was about the experience.  I had to find a way into the assignment, I had to find something it that excited me, and I did.

Class Exercise. Jimmy had asked us to sort the class's comic strips from most likeable to least likeable.  He gave us only 15 minutes and we able to complete it with the allotted time.  What we did was first go through all of them and voted for the 3 we liked the most.  Then for the one's that had a tie or no vote at all, we voted between them to give them a rank.  After 15 minutes was up, Jimmy asked if anyone disagreed with the order and 5 students did, so he asked them to put it in the order which they liked.  It took some debate.  And I think we all realized, as Jimmy had said, that there really was no discussion.  We just wanted to finish the exercise in the amount of time he had given us.  But when the 5 individuals were discussing the order, not everyone agreed.  They each had different reasons why they liked so and so's or why this one over that one.  They each ranked them in different ways, whether it was clarity or creativity.  In the end, they had to agree to disagree on some things, but came up with some changes to the order.
The exercise magnified the topic of individual perspective.  Everyone has their own point of view. When working in a large group there will always be debate because people will have different insights and preferences on whatever the task or project may be.

Seth Johnson.  The students who attended Graphic Designer, Seth Johnson's talk (on Friday, April 1st) led a discussion of what they thought of the lecture series.  Again, everyone had a different perspective, but they provided a lot of insight.  I found Seth's "6 Points" to be most helpful.  They went as follows:

1.It is your job to tell your clients what they need
2. Make your own work
3. Do a lot with a little
4. Shut up and listen
5. You have an obligation to make things better.
6. Be curious and never be satisfied