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."