Giving

I am full of thoughts this morning; aching to write as I make my coffee. I was thinking about Christmas and family controversy. Issues thrive whether there is a holiday or not, but I think it is interesting how those issues are less tameable around Christmas. Anyway, that really is not what I wanted to talk about. What I was thinking about was what someone told me this past week. I was sitting in on a conversation about someone who is claimed to be a selfish person. The conversation was concluded with the comment, "She should think of someone other than herself. She should try giving to others and she would not be so selfish." I have been thinking about that comment for the past few days. I think that comment is very true. We can remove ourselves out of our head by giving. This liberation from inner-thought could surely be a concoction for happiness. The problem with this ideal advice is that not everyone has the ability to give.

What if a key element to being happy was to give to others? How many of us are excluded from this cure? If someone is constantly consumed with making ends meet, how are they possibly expected to give to others? When people are in survival mode, stretching to make ends meet, they are stricken with selfishness. Can you blame them? I think it is also very easy for this comment to be declared if the person declaring has never struggled.

Giving is more than handing a concrete object to someone else. It is the feeling of contributing to the whole idea, making a difference. Having the ability to give is a result of fortune. More than anything the act of giving shows the existence of choice. When someone gives they had the opportunity to choose. It all comes down to free will and having the ability to utilize it. As an individual if forced to battle through the everyday, they are unable to employ free will. This disadvantage inevitability hinders happiness.

In With the New and Out with the Old

I went in the Apple store this past weekend. I have never seen a retail store actually shine from the outside. As I slowly wandered (and drooled) around in awe of the macs, I felt as if I was at Olympus resting at the feet of deities. With each step I took in the luminous environment, the idols became larger and larger until I found myself fiddling with 24 inch iMac. I have a G5 at home and I remember thinking I had it made when I bought it roughly four years ago. Now I feel like I should be squinting as I type this.

There is so much to know, so many devices and programs out there. How am I suppose to get my hands on them? I am a student, a mother, an artist and an office manager. How can I afford to keep up with the Joneses, or should I say Jobses. I suppose a good way of looking at it is that new technology can only take us so far and individual creativity takes us the rest of the way. It sure would be nice to have both though.

Impact of Technology

Our focus throughout this semester has been the impact of technology on all different aspects of our lives. I have customized my approach to these repercussions to analyze the artistic world. My investigation has probed art's place on the Internet. It is amazing to think about art in its most primitive sense. Try to imagine Durer carving crevasses in wood blocks to create his masterpieces, or Michelangelo chipping away at his stone. Artwork exemplified patience and dedication during the time of these two geniuses. Being an artist can certainly still require these traits, but our processes have surely sped up. Not only did the execution of a piece become more timely, but the artist's message can now reach millions through the World Wide Web.

For an artist to communicate efficiently they must think of a consistent way to group their work for a website. The artist's own personal style and technique should resonate through the site. Unlike artwork, however, the website needs to be clear and understandable even if the work is not. The conversion time of a visitor opening a page and deciding whether to enter or leave is rapid. The site must be enticing and easily applicable. The present day visitor has no time to waste. The unfortunate truth of the matter is when it comes to the web, there are millions of other voices trying to be heard and a message can easily be muted.

I have created this brief video to show the basic fundamentals to creating a website. The journey begins with the idea, the epiphany. The concept must make it to paper where all thoughts and travel are mapped out. Correct copy must be written for the site, because text is everything. The description should be simple, direct, original and plentiful. Images are suggested, but they must also be modest and careful. It can be very difficult for anyone who is artist to abide by the rules of the web. The Internet is governed by code and is very precise. All text, images and design is constructed by this code. Once everything is as it should be, the website can be published for all to view. A website should never be thought of as "complete". As Michelangelo dedicated his life to his creations, the web designer always needs to analyze and reconstruct.

Some things I like..

“When I say artist I mean the man who is building things -- creating molding the earth -- whether it be the plains of the west -- or the iron ore of Penn. It's all a big game of construction -- some with a brush -- some with a shovel -- some choose a pen.”
-Jackson Pollock

A Utensil for Every Hunger

Tonight in class we talked about the Fork and how it changes in different situations. My personal take on the Fork is that there is a specific Fork for distict purposes, as there is a unique utensil for each meal. I see the Fork resembling a medium. Every artist has his or her own vehicle to project art. I put together a small video to examine how there is medium for every artist as there is a utensil for every hunger.

Ode to Layers

Today is my "Ode to Layers" posting. Our physical world is abundant with all types of layers. Professor Moss brought in the book that is about the surface of objects, but an object without layers does not exist. There is of course the exterior of all substances, but an entire world lives and breathes beneath what is seen that is an essential part of the whole. There are layers within our skin, layers that construct our bodies. Layers encompass the earth, it is a buried system at work.

Layers are very important when it comes to art as well. Obvious examples of this would be a background and a foreground that establishes a sense of depth in a piece. Layers in art also offer a richness that is neglected by flat compositions. Having mentioned what an important aspect layers are in artwork, I am confused why layers are looked down upon in website design. Website design seems to be the one exception to using layers in design. The elements in web design are suppose to be thought of as all being on the same plane, existing side-by-side. This concept is very hard to succumb to, especially if you are used to using layers like I am. I long for the web to be as organic and layered as the rest of the world, and I hope I can find a way to do so.

Daily Technology

"Technology is a broad concept that deals with a species' usage and knowledge of tools and crafts, and how it affects a species' ability to control and adapt to its environment." Going forth after knowing this definition, I sift through my day and those who I spoke with on North Campus regarding the technology they regularly come in contact with. I use every piece of technology that was mentioned (except an MP3 Player and I do not ride the bus) so I began to mentally commute through my day. I hit my alarm clock, adjust the heater in my house, warm my son's milk up in a microwave, take a shower, curl my hair, make espresso, start my car, talk on my phone, stop at a stoplight, ride an elevator, live on the internet, scan images, print those images, design with Adobe, add on my calculator, park in a garage, swipe my school ID, correspond with my fellow students via email, take priceless photos of my family, watch a movie after I have popped my popcorn in the microwave and then I turn out the lights and go to bed...which I can't wait to do.

The Modesty Card

Modesty, according to Wikipedia, "comprises a set of culturally or religiously determined values that relate to the presentation of the self to others." So, in a sense is it having integrity in that it is forming principles within oneself. These are principles that are not instilled upon an individual, but they are values established by the individual. When it comes to the web, modesty is challenged where freedom reigns. The web allows a massive amount of publication and distribution, so when utilizing integrity on the web, one should choose wisely in one's administration. As Lessig pointed out, the Internet holds admittance to an alternate life. This liberation of anonymity also lends itself to dishonesty. The Internet numbs the effect in the case of "cause and effect" so the bad deed or thoughtless performance on the Internet escapes its due repercussions. Modesty, integrity and editing oneself are all essential, although not required, attributes when using the Internet. Editing oneself on the web should be just as detailed as manifesting a thesis paper. Participation on the web should be well thought out with the intention of a worthwhile contribution.

Cool Website

I stumbled upon this website and I just had to share it. Go ahead and take a look first: http://www.dredg.com/

The best way for an artist to display their work is through a website. What better way to display one's work artistically. The design of this website jives perfectly with the artist's style. The color scheme is lovely, the cool green and peach has an anatomical feel. With an organic representation, the artist's creatures come to life as Flash allows them to breathe in the corner as you observe. Everything is also so clean, it gives me the feel of something involving laboratory research. Exotics encased in labeled beakers. I love this site, and I am so grateful I found it. When I see sites like this it makes me so excited to learn more. Such an inspiration! Hope you enjoyed it.

What Is Art?

Art in Everyday Life

We create art in our lives everyday. I suppose a definition of art would be appropriate at this point. However, I am viewing art as an expression of oneself. I am not narrowing art down into a medium or training, I am simply stating that art flows from us even if we are unaware. For instance we create art through the way we decorate our house. By choosing the beige color in our living room or by picking out the lamp next to our bed, we are aesthetically acting out. Another way in which we promote art on a daily basis is by listening to the type of music we gravitate toward. Music, whatever it may be for each of us, resonates within us and again gives us a vehicle to create art. We also use art when we dress or wear our hair a certain way. Our taste in fashion relays to the world what sort of person we are and what appeals to us visually. One last interesting utilization of art in everyday live can be as simple as our daily routine. We all establish our own personal ambiance in our lives. Whether we brush our teeth in the shower or out, sleep on our side or our stomach, even whether we write with our right hand verses the left; these qualities are unique to us all and are ways to which we represent ourselves artistically.

Voice

I have mentioned in a previous post that artists acquire their own voice and through that voice their artwork becomes recognizable as their own. Many artists are aware of where their particular style comes from, whether it be their home town, or from studying under a particular genre of art or artist. Some artists have no idea where their style derived from, and it can be an interesting inner-journey for them to discover that. I have chosen an artist by the name of Sharon Cummings to use as an example to show how an artist's work becomes like a family. It became apparent to me that somewhere along the way Sharon has gravitated toward a sort of circular design. Even though each piece is unique, most of them share a orbital quality. This element in Sharon's work could resemble a sort of harmony within her, for circles are very powerful in art and design as a symbol of completeness. I think I fancied Sharon's work because I tend to incorporate circular features in my own work. It is important for a working artist to be aware and embrace their voice in order to be successful.

Found Art

I want to share some examples of what I consider "Found Art". In everyday life beautiful art can reveal itself. Some art does not even need to be intentional. Far and few between rocks may be arranged in a certain manner, paint will be peeling in a particular way, even telephone lines will crisscross in a specific fashion. These are just examples of events that can happen in life that give a viewer an opportunity to notice or to overlook. This junction in time is the precise moment a test arises and a conclusion is derived. The result is whether or not one is observant to one's world. These are the little things in life and my hope in sharing them with you is that maybe next time you'll pay attention.

Art Exhibits

I went to a couple of art openings this past Friday. I actually have not been to as many as I would like due to my toddler needing all my extra time. I have a piece in a show at the Ann Arbor Art Center. The show is called "The Annual: All Media Exhibition". A show with such a diverse offering, permitted one to see how wonderful being an artist is. I was standing on the second floor looking at a large photograph that had been extremely saturated and I was thinking about what a clever idea the piece was. I would have never thought to do what that artist did, but the artist found their voice and now whenever I see an image like that I will know it must be them. Artwork is like fingerprints, every one is unique. An artist's work becomes their own personal identity. Some may absorb a style of another artist through inspriation, but it could never possibly be the same. My piece was on the first floor of the gallery. Such a small creation next to larger manifestations. It looked so meek and could perhaps even get glanced over. As I stared at it, I could envision the years ahead of me consisting of progress and work. I have been chipping away at this for as long as I can remember, and I love every minute of it. I once read that "art is a journey, not a destination." This quote may seem cliche, but its sincerely is undeniable. I have no endpoint in mind for my work, I do it for the process and for the revelations that unveil themselves with each piece. Something else that I want to share with anyone who reads this (if anyone even reads this) is the other artist I went to see Friday night at the Washington Street Gallery. I have included an image of one of the pieces that is on display there currently. The artist, Alvey Jones, shares beautiful and laborous pieces. His artwork reminds me of shadow boxes filled with secrets and memories. I especially appreciate the mixing of medium. He reaches out to all the senses with his piece. He paints the water and includes actual sand to bring forth the actual presence and texture of the beach. The colors are careful and specific, creating a sense of reflection and nostalgia. There is something very private, yet public, about this piece. Each little container holds a piece of the puzzle, and together they make a statement about the world and life as a whole. I would love to know what he was thinking, but then again I don't. Constructing one's own personal relationship with a piece of art is the point of the experience. For a second I can feel as if that piece and I found each and something beautiful was shared.
For more information on these two shows please click here.

Structure

I was thinking about what we talked about last week regarding structure. I personally feel as if structure is very important. We discover structure and limits as we grow, which assists in molding us as the individuals we are. It is impossible to succeed at something that does not have structure. Without limits or guidelines, a task seems unnecessary to me. Once a structure has been determined, an amazing array of events reveal themselves. The individual begins to derive a plan to reach the goal set by the structure. Every scheme arranged by each person will be different and vary in such a way that the planner is unique. The plans will either fail or flourish. Even these two consequences allow for such essential effects. When someone fails they get to learn from their mistakes (if they wish). If someone succeeds, they breathe in a air of confidence. When someone bestows structure and guidelines it tells me that they care. A person has given a lot of thought to something that requires guidelines. When this concern is lacking, any secondary effort could possibly be absent as well.

Architecture

I am building a website right now and I am still relatively new at the process. Building a site takes time, patience and planning. Everything must be organized so with each click the viewer gets closer and closer to their destination. The site also has to be clear and understandable. It is difficult because too much information can put off the visitor, but sometimes the amount of information is unavoidably massive and the designer just has to work with it. While I am building I am thinking of Lessig and how he wrote about the "building" and "architecture" elements of the web in Code. In a way building a site can be like a puzzle, where the pieces have a correct placement and the designer must find it. Every choice the designer makes must have a reason, there should not be any decision made without a basis. There can be a lot of maintenance as well, even redundancy. Although, the final product is well worth all the hard work. When the site is up and running on the web, it is cared for like a lit candle on a cake making its way to the birthday boy. The carrier must pay careful attention to their footing as to not blow out the candle. Little adjustments and steps here and there, but after all the trial and error to get the site to work, the designer must be careful not make a mistake since everything is linked together. It is also interesting how even once the site is complete, there is still another challenge to undergo. Every browser system displays and reads code differently. On top of that every server is unique, so a website changes it's skin with every set of eyes. The designer must also make herself mobile and look at the site from every angle possible to make sure everyone can view the site correctly. One last thought about websites, which I love, is that even when all is said and done I still can't help but want to take the site to the next level. Sites were meant to constantly change, spiders on the web ignore stagnant sites. The process is never really finished, and thank God for it.

Streamlining

I have been thinking how I can take this blog thing and veer it in the direction that is most suited for me. Seeing that I am an artist, it seems most appropriate for me to gravitate toward what the web has to offer as far as art is concerned. I began to research the web and art and how the two intertwine. I found definitions of what Internet Art is. I followed a trail until it led me to an artist named Young-Hae Chang who creates Internet Art. I especially thought this piece was appropriate to share with the class. She asks a lot of questions that we have touched on already in Lessig. One thing in particular that resonated with me was when she mentioned that a website is a story of someone's life. How true. I am going to streamline my blog into a discussion about art on the web. Whether it be Internet Art, someone's photography, writing, a website or whatever I deem worthwhile and shareable. Lets start with this.

Lessig's Four Themes

Lessig set up his book by telling the reader four different stories to communicate four themes that he plans on addressing. The first "regulability" was emphasized in the story about gambling and how a leader did not want her people gambling, but the people found a way to do so through the internet, because it was difficult to track down where the servers were. The second theme "regulation by code" describes regulability being capable by code. Each space on the iternet offers its own architecture, which determines its own set of rules. The third theme "latent ambiguity" relays the story of the worm and teeters on the idea as to whether the worm really breaches our rights. We would first need to re-examine the definition of "search" and how it is understood. What the amendment originally meant does not exactly match up with what the worm is doing, so there are quite a few holes to fall through. The last and fourth theme is "competing sovereigns" from the story about Jake from Ann Arbor. This theme discusses how the norms in cyber space are different, and do not necessarily relate or comply with other locations, such as reality.

Internet and Inhibitions

I was reading the article Leslie contributed about the effects the Internet has on social interaction and depression based on the studies of Psychologist Robert Kraut, PhD. As I am reading this article I am relating the unhealthy participation on the web to addiction. The web has taken on the role of a drug, but we will use alcohol for this purpose. Alcohol has a known effect of lifting inhibitions for its users. The freedom this release offers allows for the feeling of confidence, an adrenaline fix or even the feeling of being social when that ability is normally hindered. As the article states, "Like any technology, the World Wide Web can lead to good or bad behaviors." The web becomes an enabler for this addictive behavior. If anyone knows anything about addiction you will also know that addiction is there regardless of the web's presence. These people are looking to the web to offer them something they normally struggle with, therefore they are already conflicted. However, a society that is so significantly based in the web makes recovery for that individual that much more difficult.

Gains and Losses

I have began thinking about the question "what have we lost and gained with the presence of the internet?" So, I thought I would make a list...

Gains:

Locating Family Members: http://www.familysearch.org/
Finding Old Friends: http://www.myspace.com/
Getting Dates: http://www.match.com/home/mymatch.aspx?
Obtaining Directions: http://www.mapquest.com/
Discovering if there are Sex Offenders in your Area: http://www.familywatchdog.us/
Hearing Local Opinions: http://annarbor.craigslist.org/rnr/
Ordering Movies to your Doorstep: http://www.blockbuster.com/
Buy and Sell: http://www.ebay.com/

Not to mention one can find whatever they want. Go ahead try it: http://www.google.com/

I find it harder to list things that we have lost. Let see...

Losses:

We talked about this: http://www.stefangeens.com/graphics/blog/letter-cover-front-s.jpg
Maybe less of this: http://www.nuim.ie/location/tour/photos/south_library02.jpg
Less of these: http://www.learntoplaymusic.com/US/images/CD-Case-6000-6.jpg
Not so many of these: http://sleepygi.setupmyblog.com/wp-content/uploads/2007/03/WindowsLiveWriter/postittable_1101F/post-it-table%5B4%5D.jpg

I am having a difficult time thinking of anything worthwhile that has been lost due to the internet. If anyone can think of anything feel free to chime in.

Fellow Students' Blogs

Evan: http://plisner.blogspot.com/
Kimberly: http://mblog.lib.umich.edu/eng280kim
Leslie: http://mblog.lib.umich.edu/Eng280Leslie
Elizabeth: http://mblog.lib.umich.edu/eng280elizabeth/
Scott: http://racevoelkleng280.wordpress.com/
David: http://mblog.lib.umich.edu/~melnick
Michael: http://mike-eng280.blogspot.com/
Thomas: eng280farce.blogspot.com

Code 2.0 Response 1

I never thought about government and the internet in the same connotation. Although, now that I think about it there are many governing entities outside of the traditional ideals one might refer to when thinking about "government". I think one particular entity that comes to mind is Google. Now, I love Google for being in Ann Arbor, but you have to go through them first if you ever want to be found on the internet. They determine which web sites are worthy enough to be featured above others and this is exhibited in their "page rank" that they distribute. There are certain rules that must be followed, criteria that must be met if one wants to be found on the internet. If you have the money and the right words, AdWords or proper SEO will do the trick.

Lessig also asks the question "Why is cyberspace incapable of regulation?" Of course it is though. Web sites are categorized, ranked, bought, advertised and lost on the internet. This last placement of web sites interests me, the "lost" aspect. When I Google something and click further and further down the listed results, I may stumble upon an abandoned web site. A haven of information that just sits there, possibly from years ago. It is easy to get lost on the internet, perhaps see something one day and never be able to find it the next. There are massive amounts of information on here, a file cabinet that stretches and grows. I love it.

Lessig speaks of the act of building and thats all the Internet does is build and build, but to no such destination. The internet is an example of the way we think, one thought to the next, and speed matters. Information must not only go through the appropriate channels on the internet to be found, but it has to be quickly accessible. If a site stutters and takes a second too long to open, forget it. The viewer is gone. This brings me to another of Lessig's points: privacy or access. I believe there is no privacy, and access is the core objective here on the internet. To even go one step further I would think access and contribution are the two main elements of the internet. I can access any bit of information that exists in the world and I can also contribute to that database.

My final thought here is that as different as online and offline are, they are very much the same. The two have merged with one another so much now since the internet has taken on such an impacting place in our society. The internet is not a secret within a small community, it is a fundamental way of our life. When something is so significant it will never extend beyond government's control but rather it becomes a matter of interest.