Intermedia - 380

I Need a Name!

2006-05-16T20:57:00.000-07:00

There is a good chance that I am going to be playing some blues (term used loosely) for my Creative project for my Music 112 class. I would like to introduce myself with a "blues" name. The visiting musician to our classes stagename was Little Miss Higgins and Foy Taylor. I found a blues name generator but the best thing I could produce was Muddy Fingers McGee. I like that one because I play pretty sloppy.

I need suggestions. If you know me, base it on characteristics of my personality. If you don't, try to offer up something unique and intriguing. If I like it, I might stick with it if I actually persue this style of music and playing it live.

Thanks,
No-name musician.

Music 112 - Tired Brain - I Am Canadian

2006-05-12T13:11:00.000-07:00

I finished up the first week of classes for my World Music class yesterday. Crap. I don't know if I should feel liberated or guilty. The course is really shedding some light on what makes up Canadian culture and how we've been trained to buy into multiculturalism without giving it any real thought. Moreso, it's amazing how many things we accept as "common knowledge" or "the way it is" without ever critically thinking about where these concepts originated from. I'm not going to go into too much detail about it, because I still have a lot of conflicting/contradicting thoughts to really put them down as of yet. The class has been pretty intense in the amount of concepts that we've covered in an incredibly short amount of time. I now realize why it might be a good thing to space classes a couple days apart and have them an hour or so long. Getting bombarded with all this new information is hard to analyze and get straight in the noggin and to me becomes physically tiring. The other problem is that because my brain is churning through all of this discussion in and out of class, I get stuck thinking about it and not being able to sleep. I also have to realize that what I'm being told in this class is coming from a very specific point of view and I can't rely on it as absolute truth (and I don't believe the Prof. believes that either). The really wonderful thing about this class is not that we are studying music from across the planet, but that it is raising larger issues about Canadian culture that Canadian's don't even think about (because on the surface it seems morally and ethically "right").

As an art student, I've been told that artists produce and shape their cultural environment. They should also reflect this environment as well. If this is in fact the case, I better get myself much more educated about the culture I live in. The views that I have about Canada are not so much incorrect or fundamentally wrong, but dangerously uninformed and full of contradictions. I look at being contradictory not as a bad thing either or inherently coming out of ignorance. I view it as seeing more than one angle, but just not at the point where those angles can be joined (or able to eliminate the necessary angles that are causing the idea not to fit together). Hopefully, this can be somewhat remedied by taking a few more humanity classes by the time I'm out of here and also provide me with a better sense of what it takes to be a shaper of the culture I exist in.

New Studio, New Amp.

2006-05-04T20:54:00.000-07:00

I think I'm pretty much settled into my new studio now. I'm happy with my furniture arrangement, my tool box, and that the space just feels comfortable to me. It's a little bigger than my Intermedia space, a little darker, and a little noisier. I sit directly under a ventilation duct that provides a constant low whooshing noise. A little annoying, but it blends into the background after a while. Hopefully I can keep this space for the rest of my time at the U of R. Moving sucks even if it is only 50 feet away.

I also got a fish tank from Sylvia a couple months ago and put the fish in about a month after that. I originally planned on getting tropical fish (possibly Tiger Barbs), but went with good old fancy goldfish instead. I think goldfish are highly underrated. They are fairly easy to keep, can handle variations in temperature and tank quality, and are just as enjoyable to watch and care for. I haven't named them and I don't plan to. Out of 50 or so fish I've ever owned I've really only ever named three or four of them. One is a betta named Al (which is on my desk), one is a pleco named Barney (which is one of the original fish I ever got when I got into the aquariums again a little over four years ago), and Clyde the snail (who passed quite some time ago). I think there may be another gourami or two that may have had names, but I can't remember. I like these goldfish. I hope they don't outgrow the tank too quickly.

Last pic to share is my new Marshall amp. It's only a 10 watt practice amp, but shit! This little box can rock! The built in distortion sounds sweet and is quite versatile ranging from a light gritty blues to fuzzed out power metal. On top of that, fidgeting with my toggle switch on the guitar multiplies my options substantially. If anyone is looking for a little amp for personal jamming (or small groups without drums) I give this guy two riffin thumbs way the fuck up! Now I just need a non-piece-of-shit guitar. Anyone have a nice Gibson or PRS that they don't need anymore?

Rock on! Anyone who wants to come jam, meet me in my studio.
Later.

Life Changing Decision.

2006-05-03T17:09:00.000-07:00

Some new changes for me in my art/school life. I've finally decided on a major, and that major is in Printmaking. Why printmaking? Well, cause I like it and it's cool. That's the short answer, but I'll give the long one too. I've always loved drawing, and been relatively good at it, but lately I'm becoming a little bored with it. Now, I don't want to sound too big-headed (even though I am a little egotistic and more comes later) when I say that I have kind of plateaued with drawing. My skill level has gotten fairly advanced in a short time and will hopefully only get better with Drawing II and III. I personally see areas where I can improve both technically and conceptually, but why spend most of my University time focusing on something I already feel comfortable with and still have a few more classes to work on what I think is lacking. Printmaking is still drawing at its core the way I look at it. I see it as very specific and somewhat specialized drawing style with a few cool tricks that can enhance the image I intend to create. The instructor, Jack Cowin, is also an amazing person. Not only is his art incredible, but also his teaching method. He's a different guy to get used to with a interesting humor, kind of a tough egg to crack, but even the tiniest seepage of knowledge propels your abilities into a whole new realm. He's got years of experience and technically amazing. He knows his shit. The real crappy deal is that he is most likely retiring at the end of next year and I have no idea who will fill his place (if anyone could).

Another deciding factor, to be honest, is the ability to make a profit. Even though prints may tend to sell for a little less, I can produce multiples that in the end will mean more $$$ for me. Painting is outright expensive if you plan on doing anything large scale, and drawing, for me, is very time consuming. If I spend 40 hours on a large drawing and sell it for $500, that means I make a $12.50/hr. That's before taxes and whatever gallery commission is taken off. I do have to consider that people buying art probably have more money than I do and can sell work for more cash, but without an established name, it's hard to sell your work in the first place and secondly it's hard to price your work to make it a sustainable endeavour. I love making Intermedia art, but I have no idea how I could sell it or create it without suckling on the artistic teat known as government grants. Art in my life isn't ultimately about the bottom dollar. I chose this career path because I love what I do. What I don't love is starving. I don't believe an artist must starve and struggle and live with nothing but his materials in a cardboard box. Printmaking to me just makes sense as a viable income which still allows me to be the artist I want to be. There also is a good number of professors in our department that graduated as Printmakers, whatever that means.

Next item on this post's agenda is to query my small readership on whether another blog change is in order. Intermedia 380, as you probably have guessed, was the course I took semester. I am no longer in Intermedia, so the name doesn't make any sense. I also like making new graphics for the template too. It didn't seem like there was much of a hiccup when I switched over from Subablomic. I might even just go back there. If you could leave a comment whether or not a jump is stupid, I'd appreciate that.

Oh yes, one more item to type. It is somewhat ego-stroking self-indulgent-honking-of-my-own-horn, but damnit, I'm proud of myself. I have (unofficially) finally cracked the Dean's List this semester. I kicked ass on CS100 (big surprise) and did very well in my art history and studio classes. I'll proudly declare that I pulled off an average of 86.6% for the semester, which is above and beyond the 85% mark requirement that gets you a slot on the List (as far as I've been told). I don't think that I receive any great parade, but I can hold my head proud and say that I got there at least once.

Yippee for me and more on my new studio and amp tomorrow...

Take Your Thumb...

2006-05-01T21:11:00.000-07:00

... and hold it a half inch away from your index finger. That's how close I am to making a real post.

I've been a very busy little bee up until last weekend. And even with my time off I seem to be keeping busy anyway. I'm slowly becoming less lazy all the time. What the hell happened to me?

Well, tomorrow I have to get back into the trenches and repair two of my computers (God Damn Power Surge) and hopefully put up a real post on Wednesday. I've got some news to share with ya'll and it will hopefully include pictures.

For those who come here everyday to check out the blog, well, whoops. Maybe I'll become a good blogger like Pilot someday. Maybe.

What's Going On?

2006-04-01T14:14:00.000-08:00

I don't really know actually. I am, at this very moment, burning a DVD of a bunch of clips for my video, but before I get to that, let me back this wreck up a bit.

I was, only a few weeks ago, plugging happily away at my chroma key video tediously masking out arms and chip bags and so on until I got to a point in which I needed my "gut" video. This gut is actually a plastic pail cut vertically in half, sprayed back, and then caulked (hee hee) to a window pane. I also added a whole in the bottom that attatched to a flexible hose. What this whole crazy contraption was for, was to represent my stomach as food fell into it.

March 23, with the help of a couple of Intermedia students (thank you Chad and Ashley and others), the gut film was shot. I used blended food to stand in for prechewed food. Some of these food items were popcorn, bagels and cream cheese (perogies), Goodie rings (chocolate bar), and dog food (steak and pork chop) to name just a few. As Chad hollered what he saw on the video moniter (which was playing my binging), I tossed the various food stuffs into the pail. Now, you may be wondering what the hose was for. It was to produce a gurgle in the in corrospondance with almost wretching after taking a swig of whiskey. And I'll let you know, a pail full of blended up food (including dog food) smells pretty bad, and the stink coming out of the hose was worse. But Ashley did her best and got the gurgle.

After clean up (which was disgusting) I previewed the video. This is probably one of the grossest things I've had to watch. But that's good. That's exactly what I wanted. But hereinlies the problem: the video is too good. I think it might be the piece in itself. I spent a lot of eye-crossing time and carpal-tunnel inducing effort to mask out my video, but really, who cares. These things happen in art. You don't always get what you set out to do because in the process, what you create may dictate what the finished product is. I know some people who love that. For me, I'm not so sure. I like planning and execution. But, my motto this semester is to just let things be what they is.

My DVD is almost done burning, so I guess I'll see what I have on the big screen.

Oh, and the other thing is I have to show on Tuesday April 4th. That's 3 days away. *sigh*

Wish me luck,
Later.

New Project Pics / Working on Video

2006-03-10T19:11:00.000-08:00

I'm tired. I woke up really early to edit my video this morning. Damn, is it a slow tedious process. I'm working on my third mask and I'm about two-and-a-half minutes through the five minute video. It takes about an hour and a bit to go through each minute of video. I'm still going to have to have to add at least one more mask layer on it, and I know it won't be perfect even then. I guess I need to tell my obsessive, perfectionist brain that Hollywood productions would have a team of people working on what I'm trying to do myself. They probably would have also used a different color on the belly as well (my blue paint dried really dark). I think it will still work in the end once I get all the masking and color keying done, however, I may have to go and get my eyes uncrossed afterwords.

Don't forget to check out the new pics in the project section. It has a few shots of getting ready for the shoot. Unfortunately, I forgot to make sure someone snapped a few pics while filming, but I think everyone was a little too grossed out. But, that's what the video is for I guess. The goal is to have this thing wrapped up by next week so I can start on my next project. The next one shouldn't be quite as labour intensive, but will hopefully turn out really cool.

Later.

Shooting Tomorrow

2006-03-08T09:04:00.000-08:00

The first of a series of videos will be shot tomorrow. It will be a different experience to say the least. I'm going to be experimenting with greenscreen (or chromakey) effects to make a somewhat disgusting video about consumption. The greenscreen is going to be some green paint on my abdomen. The video to be filled in will hopefully be able to be shot on Friday so I can get on editing as soon as possible.

The biggest trick with my goals I set out for myself is to not get behind. I've budgeted enough time to produce a short video every week. This on top of my drawing class is going to have me busier than I would like to be, but what can a guy do. What sucks is that I don't think my Intermedia class will suffer but that my Drawing class won't be as developed as I would like it to be. I'm not too worried about it though, I just have to approach how I set out to do my Drawing assignments a little differently. Usually, I take a very long time deliberating each stroke of the pencil. I need to let go of some of my obsessive drawing traits, and just let my hand and pencil (or conte, charcoal, ink etc.) do the work for me. And I also need to let go of striving to achieve photorealism. Can I represent a crumpled piece of paper any other way? I hope so, cause what I'm doing right now is taking WAY too long.

On another note, I managed to get more server space for my student account at the U of R. I got a whopping 100MB to play with! Yes, I am being sarcastic. However, the difference between 20MB and 100MB when wanting to have video embedded on a web site is a world of difference. I also hope to have the first project of this semester up in the gallery by the end of the week as well. The other videos I may or may not post as I make them. For some reason, I think they should all be hidden away until all of them are complete, but it isn't like they are all part of some long narrative. Each piece is a separate work that loosely fits into an overall theme.

Well, I should go do some work then. Enough reading blogs and wasting time on the internet.

Later.

Need to Post

2006-03-01T14:19:00.000-08:00

Well, I hate when you have a stretch of time when you have nothing to blog about, or too busy to write anything.

I am getting ready to shoot some video for next Thursday. It will be an attempt at lighting and using chromakey techniques (greenscreen). I'll have some pictures in the gallery after I shoot.

The plan, I guess, for the rest of the semester (which there is only a month left!!) is to produce four videos. Basically, shoot & edit one a week. It's going to be hectic, but I feel the need to be able to play with some different ideas/techniques so I can be a little more comfortable in the future planning out larger scale video projects. If these videos turn out to be crap, so be it. I'm not expecting the next masterpiece to come out of this. I'm handing out assignments to myself as a way to focus on skill building. I see way to many professional media artists whose video looks no better than mine. I mean, there concepts and all that junk are better fleshed out, but the video on its own is crap. There is no consideration for lighting, shot composition, tripods, etc. It all looks very amateur to me and that is what I am trying to avoid.

Before I get attacked for flinging mud at other artists, I understand that it isn't "film", and that many of the standards we are used to need not apply. That's fine. My last project looked like crap, but it was intentionally made to look like crap. I had to work on making it look and sound so horrible.

The bottom line is this for me: If I draw a picture, I should take into consideration not only the subject, but the composition, the contrast of values, what type of media (ie. pencil, charcoal, conte, etc.). With video art, I have just gone out and shot stuff. I have considered composition and content, but as for lighting, colors and contrast, much of it is decided for me by the camera and the environment I am in. This comes down to the simple fact that I don't know how to light a shot and other factors that I don't even know that exist.

I don't expect to get a handle on every little aspect of the aesthetics of video and the ability to capture it. I'm sure people have dedicated decades to this and are still figuring stuff out. It's just that I feel that I am at the level of drawing stick figures with video. I'd like to be able to maybe make sausage people by the end of the semester, if you get my drift. This is new media to me. I've only had a few months experience with actual hands on production. I've been playing with pencils and crayons since I was a toddler. I find it's time to not abandon conceptual art, but try an attempt at improving it visually.

The Gallery is Now Open

2006-02-20T13:15:00.000-08:00

After a day of swearing and cursing at my computer and getting confused on more than one occasion, the photo gallery is up and running. Once I actually get my video converted to the proper format, the video gallery shall be open as well. Needless to say, I am once again pleased with my handywork and I hope you all enjoy viewing my gallery.

I have included a last update underneath the photo gallery so you don't have to go and check each section every time you visit my page. But feel free to do so if you insist. Again, because it is new and not thoroughly tested on many computers or browsers, please let me know if any problems with viewing or navigating occur.

Oh, I also adjusted my title graphics if you think something else is different. Now to produce some content!

This is a test.

2006-02-17T12:59:00.000-08:00

Well, the first thing didn't work, but the second idea did.
If you look to your right, you will see "Media Links in Progress". I haven't made a title graphic yet, but the two links underneath work. Now don't get too excited. Those aren't my videos. The videos are "borrowed" from Rob Hillstead. I used his because he already has an active Google Video account with stuff on it. I, however, have still yet to convert movies into an accpetable interweb format (I hope to do that over the break).

For interest sake, I'll let you all in on my round-about way of getting video on my blog.

Set up google video account for a spot to host video clips. (thanks Rob)

Create page to hold video and host it on URegina Web Space.

Change blogger template to call on some JavaScript code to launch video page in a little window.

There are far easier ways to embed video on a web page, but you need a bunch of server space to do so. The other problem is that as easy as blogger makes blogging, it sometimes restricts you from web design. If this were just your standard web page, I'd simply create a little "media page" and have all of my links available there. But that would also require server space and so on and so forth which all costs money to get if you can't make it yourself. So, being a cheap bastard, I chose to make my life difficult and produce these round-about solutions for relatively simple problems.

Oh well, it works, don't it?

I should also add that those videos will be coming down as soon as I get my own to fill in the spaces. I just wanted to get the basics in place.

Next development may be a link to a photo gallery thingy. Might get that done to over the break. Might not. But it'll happen eventually. That will be done again with a combo of uregina space (for small html files) and flickr (for hosting bigger pictures). I only get 20MB of space with the University account, and I don't want to fill it up with junk at the moment.

Anything but Mac is Whack

2006-02-16T19:11:00.000-08:00

Just to announce to the world, I got a job as an Apple Campus Rep. I believe that my main duty is to give Apple computers a presence at the U of R and that great Apple products are available for educational prices at PC Place -which conveniently has a location on campus). So, even though I'm not technically employed by either PC Place or Apple (it's kind of confusing), I'm going to be working very closely with both companies. The pay is good, and I get a few perks to boot. There are definitely some things I'm going to have to figure out before I really get into the swing of the job, but I think I'll have a lot of fun with it. I'm just happy that it's not a direct sales type of job. I had no desire to do that again anytime soon.

I also have to add that there is a little comfort in providing myself a small source of income again. Living off of loans is fine and all, but I cringe everytime I look at that debt load. It's going to take awhile to pay off once I'm done here. I do, however, look at my debt as an investment though. There are no regrets whatsoever for choosing to go for a Visual Arts degree. I haven't been this happy with what I'm doing for God knows how long.

It is finished.

2006-02-13T13:08:00.000-08:00

After some good old fashioned hard work this weekend, Sylvia and I have gotten our project done. I am quite happy with the results. What I am more pleased with, was actually embarking on a collaborative process with another artist. This is something I have never done, and it was definitely a different way of working.

Generally, I control every little aspect of the project from concept to completion, but letting go of that control was probably one of the most important lessons to date that I have learned at University. Even more so, in most endeavours in which I have to work "as a team", I do like to have my say, and if it comes down to a squabble, my say is the final say. This time, I chose to step back. Sylvia was definitely the leader of this project, yet in no way did she hinder my creativity. It's a fine line between compromise and control. When it came down to the wire, Sylvia said "Jump!" I didn't respond, "How high?" however. She just provided the push to get something done.

The downside, that I could see in a collaborative, lies in the fact that it could be easy to spin your wheels. We both had great ideas separately, and we tried to explore each idea openly. The exploration then led to other ideas, which we would then go off on a tangent yet again. Sylvia did remain an anchor point and kept us on task, forcing us to answer what had to be answered. But, if I was more reluctant to commit to an idea, we could have kept discussing forever. Ideas are great, but the idea alone does not make art (and I'm sure many people can debate that). We had to produce something in a relatively short amount of time. There are ideas that we had discussed that if we had more time, I would've liked to have played with. Even if they were dead end ideas. But that takes time, and time was something that we didn't have a lot of. But even with the time constriction, I am ultimately pleased with the work that was produced.

The piece voices both of our concerns in a new and interesting way. It will make the viewer think about what is happening. It is not necessarily a what-you-see-is-what-you-get type of piece (which I am fairly prone to making). It is a piece that the average person can relate to, yet might demand further discussion. These are elements that, in my opinion, make up a strong artwork. The fact that two people that have known each other for a fairly short time can come together and create anything without emotions flaring, feelings getting hurt, eyes being gouged, etc., is simply amazing in its own right. I think the process and the product (although not necessarily reflected in the piece itself) reflects the flexibility as an artist in both Sylvia and myself.

Will this lead to more collaborations? That is hard to say in the near future. I am definitely open to it now and if the opportunity arises again, I will not be so timid about plunging in and creating. But I'm sure each collaborative process with each individual artist or group will bring its own set of challenges. But I'm always up for that.

My New Studio Pal

2006-02-09T14:25:00.000-08:00

"Hi, my name is Albrecht, but you can call me Al."

This is my new betta that I got for a pet to keep on my desk at school. Most people are aware that I love fish and I would have huge tanks wherever I spend my time. But, huge tanks cost huge money, so I'll just be happy with my little fish.

As far as news regarding this site, I believe that I have corrected the problems in Mozilla. The problem was within the code that I had made comments in. I didn't do my comments properly. I actually figured it out by viewing the source code through Mozilla and noticed that things were colored green which shouldn't be green. I'm already starting to like that browser an awful lot already, but it's going to take time to automatically go to Mozilla over IE. I've known it's a better browser for a long time, but once you get used to something, it's sometimes a pain to change over. It's the same deal with Macs.

If anyone finds that there are any problems with the page, please leave a comment describing the problem. It doesn't have to be left in any particular comment section as I check them all often.

Busy Hands - Still Mind

2006-02-08T07:37:00.000-08:00

I was asked, as I ponder this question myself on occassion, why am I in art school?

There are simple answers to this question: you basically need a degree to get a good paying job; sick of what I was doing before; because I like creating art, etc. blah blah blah...

But I could have done anything I wanted to here at the U of R. There is no reason I could have gone and got a Computer Science degree, I can handle Physics (although I'd have to brush up on my math), I think I'd enjoy being a teacher as well. So why art. Why was this the big draw? It is one of the few degrees with the stigma of basically no job opportunities directly out of graduating (or so some would like to think). Lots of people love to draw, and they just do it in there own time. They probably draw a hell of a lot more than I do in the first place. So why am I here and not them? Coming from the Weyburn People's Choice awards, it is clear that the average person with a slight knack and the passion to learn the craft can teach themselves without any formal training.

Perhaps the answer of why I am here is because I want to speed up the process. Get better at art quickly, which is what is happening. Also, I wanted to have access and tutilage for many streams of art. Being in an artist community also had its draw. It's nice to be around people of common interests.

Is it more than that? I don't know quite yet. I was asked if I wanted to change the world with my art. Not really. If people accept it and like it, great. I am happy drawing boxes and still lifes. I'm happy making figure drawings. Hell, I'm happy as a pig in muck when I'm prepping a plate for printmaking.

The reason art is such a draw for me, I believe, came from a late night of thinking after helping Chad with some of his electrical work. I had some time to kill to catch the bus, and instead of sitting on my arse, I got my hands busy. I found that the half hour I had to kill was gone in no time and I almost missed the bus again. As I left, Chad thanked me for my help, and I responded, "No problem. Keeping my hands busy stills my mind." I don't know where that reply came from, but I think it's one of the most important things I've said since I've started my studies here. As soon as I get involved in a work, my mind becomes intensely focused, all other extraneous thought stops. Whatever loop of music is stuck in my head will even leave me alone for awhile when I really get into it. No other activity that I've undertaken has given me the same sense of mental accuity and upon completion satisfaction (or complete disdain) with what I had done.

So, is the only reason I pursued art in this way because it keeps my brain in check? No, but I think it's a big part. As time goes on, will it become a vehicle to change minds or express my opinions, probably. That's just the case in contemporary art. Will I become a simple illustrator? Perhaps. But in my view, it is just as honourable of an artform as any other art. I'll just have to wait and see what cards I get dealt in the future.

Later.

Gettin on it.

2006-02-07T15:19:00.000-08:00

Thanks to Sylvia, the discussions have ended. The plans have been set. We are ready to go into production. A few details are up in the air, but what will come out of it should be interesting to say the least, as the final product will be dependant on what we produce within the next few days. But it's a good feeling to be producing something and moving forward with the project. I'll let you all know how the raw footage turns out.

As a little teaser:

Moving Onwards and Upwards

2006-02-02T11:32:00.000-08:00

The project is moving forward! Sylvia and I have determined a direction in our project. Basically, it is a conversation between the two of us in a police interrogation room. The conversation is vague and never describes anything specific, but leads the viewer to believe that something has gone very wrong between the fictitious couple. Now we just have to work out the script and shoot it. I'm looking forward to the actual production of this project. It's going to be pretty interesting to see what comes out of this process.

On another note of braggery, I was lucky enough to win the Weyburn People's Choice Award. My mother entered a drawing that I produced over the Christmas break and I guess enough people liked it for me to win the show. When it gets printed up in the Weyburn Review, I'll scan it and put it up here for all to see.

Rock on.

Quote followed by rambling.

2006-01-26T09:31:00.000-08:00

We have a history of people putting Maori under a microscope in the same way a scientis looks at an insect. The ones doing the looking are giving themselves the power to define.
-Merata Mita

Kat passed this quote onto me. This concept of scrutiny of groups of people relates to my second project. We can replace Maori with any specific race, culture, group, etc. and this quote still works. Basically, as soon as we define a person as a part of a set of people, we automatically attribute rules to how they act or what they stand for. It's a classic case of stereotyping.

But how can we describe a group of people with shared qualities or characteristics without creating a stereotype. It would be like trying to explain a rainforest by describing each individual tree, bug, flower, and so on. As soon as you describe one bug, we assume all of those species are the same, but in fact they are not. Each poison dart frog has its own pattern on its skin, but we can still identify it as that species.

Another classification that could be examined is that of dogs. A standard image of a dog might be a lab or a similar mix-breed, but we still recognize a pug or a great dane as dogs as well. It is a huge stretch to classify these variances into the same category, but we easily do it.

Are we even wrong with classifying and defining the world around us? Is it not somewhat natural to clump things together and leave out other information to more easily understand our environment. Our vision automatically eliminates all sorts of extraneous information or we would forever be stuck in details.

We need to approach classifications and stereotypes with the mind set that there will be variances. Not all characteristics can be described by a classification. Only the main outline should be assumed, but can quickly be corrected upon interaction with a subject. Without assumptions and outlines, we would have to rediscover each and every part of our world around us every day.

Why do you hate us?

2006-01-25T13:28:00.000-08:00

Ok, I know I sound like a whiny baby, but seriously, my fingers are burning. They look a lot better today. Yesterday, there were huge white blister like formations, but those started to recede this morning. Oh well, no pain no gain, right?

I'm going to go get some ice.

Slowly Getting Started

2006-01-25T09:03:00.000-08:00

So far the collaborative is going slowly, but I expected that it would take a few sessions of discussions with Sylvia to hammer out the framework of our project. There have been some very strong ideas tossed around, but no decisive plans have been made as of yet.

I did, however, receive some writing from Sylvia the other day that I can definitely get some good starting points to go from for the development of some sound. I think, at the moment, my head is still "inside the box" when it comes to writing music. My natural tendencies when playing guitar leans toward open chord strumming, awkward picking, and slinging classic rock licks (these sound very similar to classics such as Moby Dick and Superstition). Hopefully, once I get all my equipment together, I'll be able to open up how I'm approaching this project.

The other hurdle, other than figuring out what I'm doing, is knocking the rust off my fingers. It's been some time since I seriously played any sort of guitar, and it's been even longer holiday from the six-string. But getting back into playing doesn't take too long, and I already feel more confident on the fret board and my fingers are already loosening up and becoming more fluid. My fingers also hurt really bad.

The problem with taking an extended break from playing guitar is that the body will heal itself. The toughened calluses built up on my fingertips revert back to the squishy pads of flesh the originally were. These fleshy pads are useless when trying to hold down metal strings, for they simply dig in and cause excrutiating pain. Well, maybe not that bad, but it stings. I give it another week and I'll be able to snap boards and frighten women and little children with my hardened fingertips.

Till next time...

The New Blog

2006-01-19T12:49:00.000-08:00

Hello Blogosphere,

This here blog will be dedicated to my research, progress, and process of projects for Intermedia 380.

The planned projects thus far for my class will be a collaboration with Sylvia and a solo installation/performance piece. There are many, many details and ideas to be fleshed out, but come back often to see the work grow (or completely fail).

Nathan.