sonicprodigy55

[sonicprodigy55]

Journal Entry #15 - Commencement

The end of something and the beginning of something new. I would like to take the time to look back at the beginnings and future of New Media Art. According to the Defining New Media article, computers are what began the revolution in New Media Art. With the mass production of computers and the internet, artists were no longer just limited to a pen, pencil, brush, and paper. A full wave of opportunities came through as artists also became connected with other artists on the internet as they shared their work with the world like never before. “Net Art”, as New Media Art was dubbed in the mid-1990s, had a huge effect towards expanding the minds and art of many old and new artists at the time. Soon, the internet would lead to the creation of several art sharing websites and outlets never seen before in the 1900s. Examples include Blogs, YouTube, DeviantArt, Paigee World, and of course, Tumblr. As the format of art evolved into more technological methods and formats, we as artists saw this as a way to not only share our work, but to learn and adapt to this new generation of art styles.

[sonicprodigy55]

Journal Entry #14 - Prayer in Art

God has always been a part of my life. Even when times I didn’t truly believe as a child, I learned and fully understood the power and majesty of my Lord and Savior as I grew up. I’m sure there are many who believe in God, know there’s a God, or refuse to believe in a God. Regardless, I believe the Lord has had a purpose in the older and newer forms of art.

I recently looked back at the identity article from “Defining New Media” and another theme I forgot to look to was my faith in God. God is part of me and all of humanity and I truly would like to believe Christianity would be a great asset to New Media Art. With new methods of spreading the gospel such as videos, music, or abstract paintings/objects, it would be quite a sight to see. We could also spread some bible verses from the major books of the Bible and using them to craft works of art based on their meanings. There are many media formats that either support or challenge the word of God, but those kinds of outlets are very interesting in how they present the religion.

[sonicprodigy55]

Journal #13 - The Movement

Progress. Moving Forward. Ever Changing. This is Life. This is Art. Never ending and ever changing.

With New Media art changing the way people view and critique art, it is truly a new and exciting time to be involved in this movement. Art can now be seen or posted anywhere on the internet and critiqued by anyone in the world. This movement toward a new age of art means a whole new wave of opportunity of great, fresh works of art to be seen. Videos, 3d models, new forms of surrealism, music, dance, etc. have all been new and interesting forms of art that signal change and variety to how artists present their work.

We as artists are always looking for inspiration, something to keep us going as we create our work. New Media brings us new adventure. It’s time to explore and find out what motivates in this new age of art.

[sonicprodigy55]

Journal #12 - Express Yourself

People ask me what I want to be when I graduate all the time. Sometimes, I tell them I want to be a voice actor. Sometimes, I want to be a game designer. Sometimes, I want to be a story writer. But for the ones I hold close to my heart, I tell them: “I want to inspire others any way I can.” With my voice, my hands, or my mind, I want to inspire someone in a positive light. With voice acting, I could land a huge role and inspire someone to do voice acting as well. With gaming, I can inspire gamers across the world to create even bigger and better games than me. With writing, I could touch the heart of someone who truly enjoyed reading my stories.

Growing as a sensitive, insecure introvert, it took a lot of motivation and support to help me realize my own talents and learn what I can and can’t do. With our upcoming project, I would turn my attention to my talents, what kept me from believing in myself, and how it felt when I broke out of my shell. Expressing myself is the best way to keep my confidence up in my art and with my dreams for the future. Taking all that made me who I am and combining it with a media format will surely help me grow even more as an artist.

[sonicprodigy55]

Journal Entry #11 - Identity/Abstraction

New media artists find other means of telling an audience about their art through videos, animations, body movement, and other methods. While these are quite helpful, many old-school artists choose to identify themselves and their art through a picture or object. Sometimes a picture is worth a thousand words and an object is perfect for describing a person or telling a story. For my final project, I would like to return to this theme of identity and abstraction to show my growth as a human being. Focusing on my metamorphosis from a closeted introvert into a caring and positive human being was my plan all along for this course. I will be making progress as I create my draft of the final project and looking back on my very first project. Expressing yourself through materials and objects was the reason I was so proud of my first artwork, but now I must be prepared to take and expand that idea into a video/animation for the audience to question and ponder.

[sonicprodigy55]

Journal Entry #10 - VR and the Human Connection

You. Me. All of us in this world. We all have something in common. A shared bond to grow and go beyond. In this world of innovation, we can become more connected than ever with the art of expanding VR into a juggernaut of media entertainment and world exploring. I’ve already talked about the possibilities of technology and travel that VR could have, but I’d like to expand on a more personal matter when it comes to VR.

As a child, I had felt so distant and so out of touch with others and I couldn’t fit into the big puzzle of my own world. A piece that doesn’t belong in a certain puzzle cannot fit in no matter how many times you try to push it in. But, now that I’m past that low point in my life, I have seen a beautiful opportunity to connect the world on a whole new level!

VR can give people the connections they been looking for, especially when they want to know how to fit it, talk to others, or break out of their shells. Creating games/simulations that tackle these sort of issues and making sure they can learn from these experiences. The ideas of seeing new worlds is wonderful in VR, but learning to make friends and have relationships with other people is a dream come true for most introverted gamers. Focusing our efforts on connecting with people through the art of VR will be quite essential into helping human beings break out of their introverted shells and embrace the world around them.

[sonicprodigy55]

Journal Entry #9 - Virtual Reality (A New Kind of Travel)

If you could go on vacation anywhere, where would you go?

An island, a famous city, a landmark, an amusement park, or another planet?

Traveling to new exciting places could be even more interactive and life-changing with the help of Virtual Reality. The possibility of creating a new form transportation with VR could be a huge step in sending the gaming industry to all new heights and successes never before seen. Using technology as a art form, VR could literally be able to help people see the world with the help of a device ready and willing to take them anywhere at anytime.

This new, innovative technology has really helped me dive into art even more than before. Admittedly, I was struggling with finding a single art influence to help in my research and project work, but thanks to the help of my Game Design knowledge, I was able to come across a new kind of media art. Making a virtual simulation of a personal favorite place or an imaginary world of limitless possibilities was too good of a new media art to pass up.

I’ve always dreamed of creating or viewing worlds in video games humans could only dream of. To craft the perfect dream world, it would be simply wonderful to be the artist of that realm.

[sonicprodigy55]

Journal Entry #8 - Exploring VR

As a game designer first and a techno nerd second, Virtual Reality has always been a bucket list dream for me. The idea of transporting into a world of limitless possibilities, seeing a brand new world created by hard working artists/developers come to life in rich detail, and becoming a part of something only people could dream of. The world we live in is not perfect, but the beauty and freedom in the world is very apparent. With VR gaming, Our own world and our horizons can be expanded with viewing breathtaking locations and interacting with other objects in the simulation. For my art, I would really love to focus my efforts on creating a piece that celebrates and respects the uses of VR gaming, I would like people to view VR as a positive leap towards the future in gaming and possibly for technology as well.

[sonicprodigy55]

Journal Entry #7 - Steal Like An Artist (Nothing is Original)

What you all are looking at is the first image I found when I typed in “Sonic OC” in Google Images. My goodness, what have I done? Sonic OC refers to “Original Characters” made by the Sonic the Hedgehog Fanbase/Community. However, many of these “original characters” take a huge step backwards when making these so-called “original Sonic characters”. As we all know, nothing is original in the world of art. We all gain our skills, knowledge, and/or art direction thanks to the influence of other artists. This image is a good and bad example of taking an influence and making it into your own.

Many Sonic OC’s are simply recolors, gender-swaps, and various other strange and non age-appropriate themes not fit for this portfolio. However this image/character screams so many issues with how it steals from various sources. There have been various examples of characters with a tragic orphaned past, wielding a mystical soul-stealing blade, and having a thirst for vengeance such as.....

Dante from Devil May Cry....

Katana from Suicide Squad...

and Rin Okumura from the Blue Exorcist.

It’s good to learn and be inspired by the influence of these other diverse and well-designed characters from video games, movies, and anime respectively. However, they should not be carbon copies of popular characters. You can use your influences that involve having characters with dark pasts or magic powers in a way that doesn’t completely rip off or plagiarize their work. These Sonic OC’s taught me to try and be more careful how I use my inspirations to create my art and have helped me focus on art that is more personal and realistic in my upbringing. Instead of making a total rip off of a beloved franchise.

[sonicprodigy55]

Journal Entry #6 - Simulacra and Simulation by Baudrillard

I love the Matrix. Not only is it one of my all-time favorite movies, but it had fans and people around the world questioning their own existence. I always thought asking the question “Am I real?” was another of asking “Who am I?” Or “Why was I put on this world?” Are the feelings you feel towards others real? Are dreams you have for the future considered real? Do you feel pain? Do you feel love? So many questions that relate to the big question: “Am I real?”

In the Matrix, the fake world of Earth was nothing but a simulation in which not all things were possible and the real world was the program known as the Matrix in which all things are possible. A simulation is simply a dream-like experience that feels real but is not. A simulacra is the process of imitating a “real” behavior or feelings in order to feel realistic. Perhaps, this whole world we live in is just that. A Simulacra. A Simulation. An Illusion. A dream-like experience to help imagine what's it’s like to be human or real. Movies are illusions of entertainment that we hold for their takes on how the real world operates. Video Games, TV, Books, and other forms of media create their own images of reality.

You know, Maybe I’m diving into this too much. I’m a 19 year old, African-American Christian. I know my purpose in this life that my parents and God have given to me. To know one’s purpose is to know reality. At least that’s what I figure.

[sonicprodigy55]

Journal Entry #5 - How to critique art like a pro.

Look at this guy....He looks totally lost. He just stumbled into this art gallery for the free food and now he’s stuck looking at some weird pictures. “What am I looking at?” “Why did someone draw this?” “Why can’t I stop looking at it?” These are in fact great questions when critiquing artwork professionally. The four steps to answering these kinds of questions is through Description, Analysis, Interpretation, and Judgement AKA Dem Apples Is Juicy! :)

Aspen Road by William Hook, 2004

1. Description - What is the artist’s name, background, and type of art style? (I see green, yellow, and orange blended color leaves on tall and slender trees on a winding bicycle road. Season is most likely Autumn within daylight.)

2. Analysis - How does your description come together? (These vibrant and lively color schemes are very good at letting the viewer draw a few people and animals into this artwork in their minds. The drawing brings out a warm and hopeful view to a person walking down this path in the afternoon and feeling at peace with the world and the season of Autumn.)

3. Interpretation - How does this painting make you feel? What does it make you think of? (This painting makes feel sentimental and peaceful about the season of Autumn. I see myself walking on that road in the forest and enjoying the cool breeze of the day.)

4. Judgement Overall, what is your opinion on the picture/art? Original or non-original? (The piece of art is very beautiful in a outdoors setting and it brings out a calming and nostalgic feel. Original? Not really? Impactful? Absolutely.)

[sonicprodigy55]

Journal #4 - Steal Like an Artist

The picture is right. No work of art is Original. Every piece of art that people call “original” and “one-of-a-kind“ is completely NOT original or one-of-a-kind. The hard truth is as artists: We steal. Oh yes, we steal from other works of art to try and perfect our own art. Paintings, Pictures, Movies, Books, Videos, TV, Essays, etc. These are all examples of art that have been improved and adapted by many artists over the years. But why do artists steal? Because we can’t come with good ideas on our own? Because we want to be better than the “original”? No, it’s because we LOVE the work we steal from. George Lucas loved the structure of knighthood and chivalry practiced in the Middle Ages, which led him to adapt the themes of heroism and loyalty for Star Wars. I got this picture from Google because I loved the video it came from and I wanted to use it for my Journal. We take great ideas from great artists and we try our very best to learn and adapt those ideas into our own work. Not to make a copy, but to make a tribute to that work of art we stole from.

[sonicprodigy55]

Journal Entry #3 - Cannibalistic Manifesto

Oswald de Andrade, author of the Cannibalistic Manifesto. In his article, he discusses his own definition of the term “Cannibalism” with powerful themes of colonialism and modernism. Being cannibalistic usually means someone or something craves and eats raw meat/flesh and to a regular person that it viewed as a vile and sick practice. However, this form of cannibalism refers to absorption of influence and knowledge in the world of art and culture. From the article in question, “Everyday love and the capitalist way of life. Cannibalism. Absorption of the sacred enemy” (43). This quote further explains the process of how cannibalism can evolve into a form that involves eating, digesting, and shaping the knowledge of other influences and beliefs to connect it your own culture. I hope with this new outlook on learning about how we as artists take and absorb from others to further our own works and to try and expand my cultural ideas for my first Project/Collage.

[sonicprodigy55]

Journal Entry #2 - Mechanical Reproduction

“Imitation is the sweetest form of flattery.” This saying can also work for the Art of Mechanical Reproduction. Reproduction is common in the fields of art and technology. As humans we create, we are inspired to recreate and improve what has already been made. This example you see is a reflection of how reproduction works. The Cell Phone, the perfect tool for communication has evolved and been reproduced by countless manufacturers. The purpose of reproduction has been to improve and build over what has already been made but also to keep the main directive of the product or art in mind.

[sonicprodigy55]

Journal Entry #1 (New Media Art Introduction - Hacking)

In his 2004 book A Hacker Manifesto, McKenzie Wark extends the notion of hacking to other domains, including the realm of art, and likens it to innovation. He writes, "Whatever code we hack, be it programming language, poetic language, math or music, curves or colourings, we create the possibility of new things entering the world.... In art, in science, in philosophy and culture, in any production of knowledge where data can be gathered, where information can be extracted from it, and where in that information new possibilities for the world are produced, there are hackers hacking the new out of the old."

In this new era of technology, Hacking brings a new style of art into the world of creativity and innovation. Hacking, which is best defined with the quote taken from the study article “New Media Art - Introduction”, is a strong and complicated language of a new form of art. Hacking involves searching, deep research, and re-arranging an already establishing product to change it however you would like. Though it has its limits, hacking a computer, gaming console, or phone could prove to be quite dangerous in the wrong hands. However, to an artistic and curious mind, it could be used to strengthen and improve a piece of technology in much need of an upgrade. Though I’ve seen hacking at its worst, I do believe this is a very interesting albeit dangerous form of art that I hope to explore more of as the semester goes by.