mitchellhum

[mitchellhum]

This course has been a great journey for me. In posting my blogs for the course I have started to see a theme growing. So, the theme I chose to go with for my manifesto is “Lifes journey”. I know this can be a overused theme but it seems accurate to me. All people change with life and can be different journeys for everyone.  

When looking at the first post I did. It was the picture of the northern lights and of a single mountain. Seeing this picture brings me back to my childhood. back when I first saw the northern lights. This picture always brings forth great emotions from me. The love of nature and the solitude and strength of the mountain. The beauty and magnificence of the northern lights. This was my favorite post I did this semester. It is the one that I feel hits home the most. No matter how many times I look at this picture the effect is always the same. I still to this day love being outside in nature primarily in more northern parts of the world. I never mind being alone when I was growing up, I feel comfortable not being in large crowds.  

The next post I want to look at is that featuring the painting “Starry Night”. My mom is a painter and has tried showing me and teaching me the artistic form of painting. This was one of the pictures I remember her showing me to help get me interested in painting. So, this is another good memory from my life. This painting also brings up a sense of sadness. This is something I am familiar with and relate to with the painter Van Gogh. He had made this painting while in the psychiatric facility when his depression had gotten too overwhelming. How he imbues the painting with these deep emotions is amazing and I am still awed by how well he does it. Especially since even today this painting is still heralded as one of the greats.  

The next post I would like to look at will be the photographer's eye post. For this post I had done pictures of my dogs and my wife. As I go through life you start with a family then strike out on your own for a while then to start a family of your own. The previous posts help show my childhood and this one shows me as I am now. My dogs are my kids they each have their very own personalities and each one is part of my wife and I. One takes more after me and the other little more after my wife. They bring us so much joy and happiness. No matter what happens they will always love you. They also keep us both the wife and I busy playing with them and exercising with them.  

Another post I did is the poetic license which looked at the poem “New Math” by Nicki Grimes. Growing up I have always loved math. It comes easily to me, and it always makes sense. That is why I have chosen to go into a field where math is highly prevalent. That is something I absolutely love about mathematics and the application of mathematics. I have always struggled with subjects that deal with a more ambiguity but through the course of this class I believe I have understood and grown in my ability to see and understand the ambiguity of art in all its forms.  

So I really see this class as sort of taking a journey through my life and looking in at different moments of my life. Each moment different yet all joining together to make up one person. It is like the pieces of a puzzle, one piece by itself you see a glimpse but put all the pieces together and you see a grand picture.  

[mitchellhum]

“Starry Night” is a well known painting by Vincent Van Gogh made in 1889. Even to today this painting is highly popular and still acclaimed as one of the best paintings. In 1888 he had started to go through a time of depression where he ended up cutting off his own ear. He had then checked himself into a psychiatric facility. This is where he ended up painting this famous piece of artwork. This was the view of his ground floor studio there. But he didn’t just paint a simple painting that was lifeless. This painting has such a deep base of emotions that run through it. From the colors he chooses to use and how he paints each object. The dark colors portray a sadness to the painting. which makes the moon and stars contrast with the blue sky. You can even see the flow of the air in the sky the tranquility this painting also invokes in its observers. When looking at this picture I at peace and I can feel the amount of emotions he was feeling the day he painted it. That is something that is remarkable to be able to do. Being able to truly paint your emotions and give them life. So when in the future people look on it they truly feel how you felt.  

[mitchellhum]

For the assignment today I chose to write about is the short video Re-enactment by Francis Alys and Rafael Ortega. We start off with Alys illegally purchasing a gun in Mexico City. He then goes ahead and loads it and proceeds out of the shop into the streets of Mexico City. Once leaving the shop he walks the streets with loaded gun in hand and continues walking until being pursued and eventually apprehended by the police. Once the police catch him, they slam him against their car to search him then take him into custody downtown. Now this first video brings the viewer close but still at a distance from Alys. The reenactment of the original video with the police cooperation brings the tension of the short video more to the foreground with having a more up-close point of view. These videos show to the viewer how easily it is to get an illegal gun and walk around in Mexico. Seeing how long he could of walked around and done anything with the gun if he actually had any intentions of using it. Having the “real” and “reenactment” videos juxtaposed together you can really see and feel the difference each video gives off. Just a change in point of view can make the same video seem like it has so much more tension

[mitchellhum]

I have chosen the work “The Tragedy of Hamlet, Prince of Denmark”. After reading the work through Act 1 scene 5 is one that captured my attention. This scene is where Hamlet ends up talking to his late father. He ends up revealing to his son that he was murdered by his brother. Claudius didn’t just simply kill him but took his throne and the newly widowed queen Gertrude. This was an ultimate betrayal of siblings. He then told his son to get revenge for him against Claudius. When reading this passage you can sort of see everything happening in your mind get sort of a picture of what is going on during the passage. Now when watching a staging of the scene you can fully see the depth of emotions when the lines where read aloud. seeing the anger and hatred in the face of Hamlet when explaining his death. Now moving away from the characters themselves you look at the stage and how they use certain visuals to help enhance the scene. The use of fog and dark lighting gives an eerie feeling to the whole scene. Which is a perfect affect for a dark night talking with a ghost. So in conclusion reading and seeing is very different experiences. neither way is bad but seeing the scene gives such a performance on multiple levels that can’t quite be beat in my opinion.  

[mitchellhum]

So from the lists to choose from for this assignment. I have decided to choose “the piano” and “Lost in translation”. The one I have decided to not analyze is “the piano”. It was filmed in 1993 by Jane Companian. It was considered a dramatic period piece and was critically acclaimed. This movie is about a scottish woman named Ada McGrath who was sold to a man in new zealand along with her daughter Flora. Now this film follows a slower pace to really allow the view to capture the beautiful nature of new zealand. Ada has a special connection to her piano that she came to new zealand with. Her new husband ended up selling the piano away to their neighbor named George. At first Ada hates George but as the movie goes on she ends up falling in love with him. Till they eventually have and affair which her husband ends up finding out about it.  

So the second movie I chose is “lost in translation” which is a romantic comedy made in 2003. It was written and filmed by Sofia Cappola. This movie is about Bob Harris ( Bill Murray) and Charlotte (Scarlett Johanson as they meet and form a friendship while both being in a new and strange country. Bob is there for shooting a commercial and Charlotte is there with her husband who is a photographer. The scene I want to analyze is that of their first meeting. The first thing I notice is that it stays still and focused on the two people. It is what really allows for the dialog to take precedence. It starts with Charlotte sitting down and being asked what she wants to drink. Then bob starts with a line from the commercial he is there shooting. With the soft lighting it gives a very calm ambience to the whole scene. They continue to talk and learn about each other. In the rest of the movie their friendship grows into something more than just friendship. The movie ends with them sharing their only kiss in the movie just before they go their separate ways.  

[mitchellhum]

The poem I chose to write about is “New Math” by Nicki Grimes. I am not one who usually reads poems and tries to understand poems. I love mathematics and so in searching for a poem I chose to look for one on mathematics a bit. There were a few but this one I like most out of all of them. Now this poem is not a long one or one that is hard to understand. Which is good for me who is a novice in reading poems. The synopsis of this poem is the change in life of a child where their inside and outside begin to change. Starting life and adding some of your interests and family. Then going on to the rest of the poem, it tells of when a person starts to change on the outside. It calls to invoke a feeling of empathy for others as we all have gone through this feeling of change. Then further on in the future to upcoming changes both on the outside and inside of oneself. I really like this poem because it is easy to understand. I don’t have to spend tons of time thinking about it.  

[mitchellhum]

The theme I am going to be using for this set of pictures is family. Yes I know they are our actual kids but to us they are like our kids. They have bits of our own personalities and each like a mini version of us. The GSD is a lot like me and the Husky is a lot like my wife. And even though they are not from the same liter they love and care about each other. You will often find them resting next to each other. But just like most siblings they don't always get along. Amethyst(GSD) is so very gentle and sweet. She loves people and gets very excited for people to pet her. But she ends up scarying people more than anything now. You can see that at times she gets sad about it. This goes to show that just like us they can feel a range of emotions. Now Revan(Husky) is couple years younger than Amethyst and is far more energetic. He can be like a wrecking ball in the house when he slides into the walls and doors. He doesn't howl like you see most huskies do. But if you howl to him he will end up pouncing on you playfullly. They love to run and play together in the back yard and love to play fetch. One of their favorite past times is also to play wrestle. they both like to gang up on me and try and pin me down.

[mitchellhum]

Plotting

Yesterday I was woken up by my German shepherd trying to roll me off the bed. It was 6:30 am, but normally I get up at 6am to let them out. I got up out of bed Amethyst running all around the room. She was so excited to finally be getting me up out of bed. Revan was completely ok with sleeping a little longer until it was time to walk downstairs to open the back door to the yard. He came flying down the stairs ramming into the walls on his way down. They all went outside and ran around the yard checking on their domain. making sure there are no pesky squirrels trying to encroach on the yard. As they were outside, I decided to make some breakfast. After that I thought I would start getting my homework done. I got my laptop setup and started to work. All of a sudden it dawned on me that I was forgetting something. I decided to check my work schedule and was appalled when I saw that I was supposed to be at work at 7 am and it was currently 7:30 am. So I rushed to get ready for work and then ran downstairs to get the dogs inside. Once they were in their kennels I sped to work. Thankfully I ended up hitting all the traffic lights green. That allowed me to get to work in good time. This is normally not like me. I am never late or forget when I work. Since I don't normally show up late my store manager wasn't even upset with me.

[mitchellhum]

This is the analysis of the artwork through sensa for "Artillery", by Roger de la Fresnaye.  

The title is what first drew me to this artwork.  I have always enjoyed battles and the stratagems that go along with them.  Then once I started looking at the painting, I started to look at the painting as a whole which gave me a feeling of power and strength.  That is when I started to look at the individual sensas that lead to the overall feeling I got from this artwork.  The darker color to me helps lend to a stronger feeling to the artwork.  Which in my opinion is great given the subject matter of the artwork.  The spacing of the individual subjects in this artwork helps bring a sort of order to it.  The artillery is what first grabs your attention. Then you go to the move onto the officer in black riding a white horse.  Then looking at the geometric shapes gives sense of strength and order to it.  I have always been more appreciative of geometric shapes.  When ever seeing strong geometric shapes, it always makes me think of mathematics which is an area I absolutely love.  The primary sense of direction helps make you think of the impeding battle the officers, artillery, and the military band is going.  What makes a painting or any piece of artwork truly impressive is if it can invoke deep feelings in those who see it.  That is what this painting has done for me.  I have not always been one for abstract art but this artwork has changed my mind and made me appreciate this form of painting more. 

[mitchellhum]

I have had this image as my background on my computers ever since I was a kid. That is when I had first seen northern lights and was astonished by it. This picture in particular has always meant more to me than others I have seen. There are many aspects of this picture that speak to me. It ranges from the darker colors to the simplicity of nature. The lone mountain with the northern lights surrounding resonates with me.

I have always felt more at ease camping outside and looking at pictures of the beauty of nature. I love seeing the interconnection of everything. Everything being in harmony with one another. The beauty in simplicity is also what draws me to it. Then there are the northern lights that raise up feelings of wonder and awe. That nature can produce something so beautiful is just a wonder to me. The sheer power of nature is amazing.

I prefer the darker colors in this picture simply because I have always liked darker colors. They always seemed more calming to me. Which is one of the reasons I enjoy this one picture. It has many aspects that appeal to me.

When I look at it, I always feel like any problems I have aren't that important. It grounds me and helps me from getting overwhelmed from problems in one's life. Just one image can do so much is what makes it truly amazing. I know some people will not get the same feeling from this image but that is what is great. One thing can mean so many different things to so many people. There is one thing that tends to speak to all people and that is the beauty of mother nature.

[mitchellhum]

Mitchell

Hello, my name is Mitchell. I am 32 years old. I am going back to school for cyber security. Right out of high school I went to college for computer engineering. It didn't quite work out for me then. 9 years ago, is when I came down to Florida. I have been working full time with Publix and have decided to start taking next step in life and get my degree. I have lots of support from my wife who I had met at Publix. We have now been married for 5 years. Since then, we have gotten 2 dogs. Our oldest is 4.5-year-old GSD named Amethyst and a 2.5-year-old Husky named Revan. We plan on moving back up north. We love the winter, and we know our dogs will love the snow. I have 1 sister who lives in Des Moines Iowa. So that is probably where we will be moving to eventually.