Weekly Report 2/20 to 2/26
There are a few things that I could talk about this week, but I will forgo doing so. I much rather talk about the painting I did this weekend. In two days, I painted twenty paintings and filmed most of the process. Never before have I painted in such a way. It felt different. I was not creating a painting. No, I was instead developing myself and living the life of an artist. There is no doubt about it, the quest to complete my final product has finally begun. On Saturday I painted my first ten paintings. For the first six I only painted the value (I plan on finishing them after I finish the rest). The other four I painted with only my largest brush. It was actually quite interesting. The process of learning how to paint the same object ten times is feels challenging, but the repetition helps me see my weaknesses more clearly. Surprisingly, it only took me four hours. This led me to naively think that if I could finish the first ten in fours hours, then the rest should be completed the the same pace. I was completely wrong. I believe that because I painted with a smaller brush and colored all of my paintings, it took me much longer to complete the next ten paintings. On Sunday, my creativity and endurance were truly tested. I needed a new angle to paint from, but I needed to find different places to paint said angle. On the other hand, I struggled to find different ways to paint. I began with a semi-realistic approach, then began dabbing the next few with a large brush, and I finished the last few with a more block-like style. Dabbing as a form of painting did not feel natural in such a small scale especially because I used a large brush, so I plan to try it again with a smaller brush. I actually learned quite a few things from doing these. Firstly, I need to keep a solid pace. Seven hours to create ten paintings is unacceptable. Secondly, I should take ten minute breaks every hour. Painting like this is taxing. Taking breaks will make me more efficient in my work and it will help nurture creativity. Lastly, but most importantly, I have to accept whatever I create. Every minute I waste redoing something is precious time I could be using to start on a new painting. It is much more important to learn from the mistake I made on one of my paintings and avoid it in future paintings than to recreate the same paintings. In all honesty, every mistake adds to my final product. The mistakes show to all, including myself, that I am still developing and learning. I am not a professional, so I should not regard myself as one. Of course, I am trying to live as a professional. The goal, however, is not to become a painter, it is to learn if I want to be a painter. For that reason, I will embrace mistakes as platforms for improvement.
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Weekly Report 2/13 to 2/19
This week I mainly worked on my final product. I finally have an official way to fulfill my goal for the semester: to test my passion. To my surprise, working on my final product did just that. As I began working on my final product, I questioned why art is so important to me. What is it about art that attracts me so much? Why do I pursue this career? Does art really matter to me? These are important questions to answer because, in reality, they define my passion, which is exactly what I seek to do this semester. My best attempt at an answer for the first question is simple. Art attracts me because it is fun. Drawing and painting feels exciting and challenging in a way math, english, and science cannot begin compare. The joy of seeing improvement in my art as I develop is practically unparalleled. In short, art, painting feels right. The answer to the next question ties nicely to the first. I believe my pursuit of art stems from my drive to feel enjoyment and fulfillment. All my choices are based upon if something makes me happy, and art does just that. It gives me joy to paint and I yearn for joy; I always have. The answer to the next question is more complex than the last two. I believe I have mentioned my faith a few times in these reports. It might not seem like it, but faith is something important in my life. God is important to me, and fulfilling the life he seeks to give me is just as important. Honestly, I just want to make him proud. I believe God has given me the gift of art and I have to make the best of this gift. Just as I need to use the opportunities I have been given in this course, I need to use the opportunities I have been gifted by what I believe is God. So, to answer the question, art is important to me because God is. Answering these questions help me prepare for questions others may have about my topic and my choices. They help me cement my feelings on painting and on what message I wish to transmit in my final product. Aside from that, thinking about why art matters to me gives me closure. It helps me identify what I seek to do in my future. My passions could change in the future, but identifying a plan now helps me feel secure. Weekly Report 2/06 to 2/12
Despite the fluctuating highs and lows, I believe my general trend of development in ISM has been positive. I have had amazing weeks and rough weeks, but throughout the whole journey I am inclined to say I have improved massively. Why am I mentioning this? Well, this week Mr. Speice had some ISM students from Frisco High come over and discuss how they deal with the workload that comes from the course. Mr. Speice has been noticing a general trend of procrastination and he hoped those students could give the class an idea if how to stay ahead of the curve. It is really quite simple, complete assignments as they come: after a mentor visit, log it down, write an assessment over it, and write a weekly report. It allows one to feel more comfortable and it gives one’s mentor more time to do whatever needs to be done for the course. Luckily, I feel ahead of the curve, I have been addressing my procrastination for the past two weeks. For example, I mentioned last week that I needed to work harder for my mentor. This last week I believe I have done so. I attended to of her classes, the second on an incredibly busy day, and to be honest, it was incredibly rewarding. The total of six hours I spent learning with Ms. Vernon seemed to have more weight than before. I am positively making the best of the opportunity she has given me. Now I just have to continue doing so. Another large accomplishment is that I have been planning ahead for two weeks rather than one. It might not seem like it, but that is a large leap. I have always struggled to plan too far ahead, it gives me anxiety and the stress takes over me. I begin slowly breaking down and my grades, work ethic, my confidence- everything starts falling apart. So for me to be able to break the one week limit that has governed me is a large feat. However, that does not mean I am at my peak, not yet. I still have room to improve. As Mr. Speice noted I usually turn my assignments on the day they are due. Ideally, most of them should be turned in early. This is important because I need to begin working on my Final Product. For that I need to buy the supplies this next week and after that begin the ten day process of painting. Honestly, I am excited to begin, I feel it will be a real test of mettle. |