#i am *very* dependent on visual imagery to process information

[sanguith]

I have a question I need asked:

And please, if you want to, type in the tags or replies if reading numbers is important to mentally understand what time it is OR if seeing a "picture" of the time is required to mentally understand what time it is (i'm hoping this makes sense)

[botwstoriesandsuch]

Hi I was hoping to ask for your advice on writing. I’m trying to write from headcanons to little short fics (like one shots) from the readers pov but I’m finding it difficult to do so smoothly. Any idea how to do the transition without it coming out as a fanfic readers worst nightmare?

Well, I cannot guarantee the quality of my “advice” but I will give it a shot! 

Apologies for you folks that hate my big essay length posts, but I do love infodumping about the writing process :P 

So just click “J” to skip the post (if you’re on mobile...sorry just exercise your scrolling finger a bit more)

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So I’ll start with the distinctions between a headcanon and a fic. On one hand, you got simpler sentences, that summarize a broader idea or scene. You might have visualized the entire thing in your head, but at the end of the day all you do is write down a few sentences or pieces of dialogue that give the broader basis of an idea and/or scene. That’s not to say writing headcanons is easy, but it is, bluntly, the simpler method.  

Writing, obviously, is more complicated. Not only are you trying to convey a more abstract idea to your reader, but you’re doing so with more layers and complexities, given that what you are trying to write is generally more detailed. You have to not only account for what your basic premise is, but the method in which you convey it. So, in a “good” fic, it typically doesn’t just focus on the basic “what is happening right now” in a scene, but can give subtleties and intricacies with its tone, themes, point of view, connotation, foils, imagery, symbolism, sentence structure, diction, context, figurative language, narrative, foreshadowing, setting, irony, character arcs, and the thousands and thousands of other layers that go into constructing story. 

And I say “story” there deliberately, as I think the best way to summarize the differences is that a headcanon is a plot, while a one-shot is a story. Your one-shot has the ability to tell different messages, details, and themes, and give several points of interest to your reader, while your headcanon is limited to the structure of its initial premise.

[And before you English nerds bash me for my definition of story and plot, please know that I am using my film teacher’s old definition, which (to quote this quizlet I found) is “Story is all of the elements of a narrative that are involved, both shown and un-shown on screen. Plot is only all of the elements of a narrative that are shown on screen.” So yeah, it theoretically could be rewritten as a headcanon is a scene, and a one-shot is a story, but I’m just nitpicking at this point half of you don’t care and want me to move on anyway, apologies!]

So how do you transition between them? Well, in honesty I don’t exactly have a sure fire way for you, saying I do would be very hypocritical. However, what I can do is point out the “gap” between headcanons and fics, and perhaps from there you might be able to forge your own path..? 

Chances are, if you’re already familiar with writing headcanons, you’ve already knocked out half of the work. See in a story, specifically in our case, fic, you have eight elements that construct it. You’ve got

Plot

Setting

Conflict

Character

Point of View

Tone

Style

and Theme

With a headcanon, (assuming it’s slightly more specific than “Headcanon that this character likes peaches!”) you’ve already got plot, setting, conflict, and character down. 

Plot: being the actual premise of your story. What happens, why things happen, how other characters react, the beginning and ending, etc.

Setting: Being the location and time of your scene/plot. The setting might be a contingency to your story, such as a prison break that takes place in prison, or maybe it is the time that is essential for your High School AU fic

Conflict: Typically goes hand and hand with your plot, although not always (obviously, plot and conflict aren’t essential when talking about fics, *winks at the nsfw side of tumblr*) But if your headcanon does have a basic plot, then it probably has some sort of conflict whether external (The Calamity kills everybody) or internal (you’re character is going through grief)

Character: This whole aspect is practically already done for you. Whether by canon from the video game or media you got it from, or perhaps by fanon, with the collective fandom agreeing on certain traits about your character(s) in question. Obviously, if you got an OC, that’s another thing, as you have to create their traits, and construct a believable way that that character reacts and makes choices throughout your plot, depending on how you characterized them

So congrats! In writing up your everyday headcanon, you’re now halfway there to making a full on fic! Obviously, 50% is still a lot, which is probably the reason you were seeking advice in the first place, so now we should move on to the other half, and arguably it is this other half of elements that give the entire distinction between a headcanon and a one-shot. So in theory, if you get these elements down, you’re on your way to writing that much faster!

Quick additional note: Another way to think of your headcanon is as an outline. While not in every case, a good way to jump from your headcanon to a fic is to stick with the major elements of your headcanon, and weaving your writing style in between. Think of the headcanon as your skeleton, and the story being the meat and muscle. Idk if that makes sense, blame my old English teacher for the metaphor

Alrighty, so for demonstration purposes I’m gonna use the very first headcanon I’ve ever written as a basis. Bear with me for a moment:

“Zelink Headcanon: Zelda Just Wants Some Snacks

Everyone always jokes and adores about how Link eats so much and cooks great food in the game (he’s gotta carbo load guys, he walks like 9 miles everyday!)

However I propose, equally hungry and feral Zelda

After Link and Zelda defeat Ganon, one of the first things they do is stop by the nearest cooking pot and eat

She hasn’t eaten for 100 years!! She’s gotta be starving!

Link just cooks up some meat skewers

“…wait I forgot the Goron spice, gimme a sec…”

But Zelda just immediately snatched it off the fire and eats the whole thing in two seconds

Link keeps trying to go out of his way to make really nice food but Zelda is just like “I DON’T CARE RIGHT NOW PLEASE LINK”

So yeah, their first date is basically just Link cooking Zelda a buffet until his inventory empties out”

Again, this headcanon has already given us half of the answers. 

We got our plot: Link, a talented chef, is cooking food which Zelda scarfs down without fear and hesitation

Setting: They are by a cooking pot, perhaps in the wilderness, away from the prying eyes of nosey villagers. This takes place sometime after the initial defeat of Calamity Ganon.

Conflict: Link keeps trying to cook “good” food, but despite the Princess’ royal upbringing, she has no care for the whole “show” of cooking with spices and garnish. She is starving, willing to eat anything

And Characters: Link and Zelda. You know... (Today unfortunately is not the day in which I construct a thorough character analysis of the two...perhaps one day...)

So, now that we have this, we start adding the meat and muscle of our story with point of view, tone, style, and theme. These elements, could be summarized as your writing style. Yes, writing style is more intricate than those four elements alone, but they do fit in with its broad definition. 

So, in essence, a way to transition between headcanon and fic is to find out what kind of writing style you’re comfortable with. 

How do you do that? Well... shocker, I know, you gotta write. 

Write first, plan the elements of your one-shot later!! 

Allow yourself to write complete utter garbage. I know you said that you don’t wanna create a “fanfic reader’s worst nightmare,” but if you become more concerned with the quality of your content before you even start writing, you will never ever ever get anywhere. You’re gonna be stuck in writer’s block for eternity, so just let the garbage and nightmares out and write. You’ll never improve if you don’t have something to improve from, you feel me? 

So, now that your mind is open and ready to write anything, whether garbage or gold, let us dive in to the parts of your writing style. 

Point of view: Do you prefer writing in third person? First? Second? Each have their pros and cons. Second person is good for your “x reader” inserts. First person is good for your narrator’s characterization. Third person is good for describing elements of your surroundings that might not be inherently obvious to your characters or audience. There are hundreds of other pros and cons to the different POVs that you can search up online, but it’ is ultimately up to you to decide which method you like best. 

When you find the method you like best, make sure you use it to it’s full potential! Use foreshadowing with your third person POVs. Use connotation, and diction to further characterize your narrator in first person. Elevate the mood and senses of a scene when in second person.

Tone: Now, this element is often confused with another literary device, mood. The difference being that you as the author have more control over the tone, than the mood. The tone, is the attitude that you as the author (or as a character/narrator, depending on your POV) have towards something. For example, your tone might be suspenseful if you withhold information from your reader, or if you have a certain choice of diction. It is typically better to look to the type of genre you’re writing for to identify what kind of tone you want. 

Mood is the feeling that the reader experiences from your writing. It’s really much more simple, a beloved character dying give a depressed mood. A cute couple hanging out will give the reader a happier mood. This is your angst and fluff feelings, if you will. (Although, please remember than mood and tone are not a binary thing, it is a spectrum, as broad and diverse as the capabilities of human emotion)

Style: Ok yes this is a bit meta, me explaining how to use style to help you construct a writing style. Blame the bendable definitions of the writing world. So just think of this as the face of your writing. The more obvious and apparent part that is unique to you and your personality. 

Think cake. Your story is a delicious cake, it is a chocolate, Zelink cake. Now, your style is the way that you present this cake. Pink frosting? Yellow? A full cake or just a slice? Chocolate ice cream cake? Chocolate lava cake? Five tier cake? Cake pops? These possibilities are the infinite ways your style will present the story.

Style, sometimes called voice, is the combination of your use of tone, mood, POV, syntax, diction, and other literary device that you commonly use in your writing. This isn’t something you learn, it’s just something you do naturally when you write. It’s what readers will like about your fics, because they like the way that you use this or that, or the way you describe this thing or that person. It’s something that can change and improve over time, but in essence, it’s what readers can read and identify as you, without even looking at the username.

Style isn’t something you have to remember, per say, like other literary devices, but it is something to be aware of as you should try to keep it consistent through your whole story. Sometimes have people have different writing styles depending on their own mood, or what they’re writing about. That is fine, so long as you keep it consistent through your whole work. A good trick for this is to listen to music that fits with the style of your writing. Use that one catchy love song whenever you’re writing cute headcanons or fluffy one shots. Use that anime opening theme for your adventurous fics and fight scenes. This way, you are keep in a consist atmosphere and your brain will be in the “Oh! It’s time to write ____ stuff!” mood. 

So just be aware of when you’re in a descriptive style, a narrative style, argumentative, or whatever style you like using. You style might even derived of the way you already create headcanons!

Theme: This is a big one. Have a cohesive theme can easily bring any story from good to great! I like to think of it as you’re story’s destiny, or reason for existence. 

Theme is an outlier for the other elements in that not only is it not necessary for your fic, it is also not necessary for your writing style either. It’s really not necessary... at all. Yet, people always use theme in their writing, even accidentally. 

Theme is your story’s underlying message, or lesson. Yes, yes, if you paid attention in your basic English class you probably already knew that, but this is a big pet peeve of mine. 

The theme of your story isn’t “true love,” the theme isn’t “innocence”, or “failure”, or “trauma”, or whatever. Theme isn’t a broad idea, it’s a specific question and an answer. 

For example: The theme of Breath of the Wild isn’t “exploration” or “time”. The theme is there is always something to seek and find, so long as you have the curiosity and courage to find it. The theme is despite the eternities of time, we still found each other. 

Your theme shouldn’t be a broad, one word answer. What about love are you trying to convey? What specifically about failure are you saying?

Theme is the entire reason why the entertainment medium exists, because artist found a way to create something compelling and interesting while also connecting them to real life things. 

When you give your reader something to really chew on, even days after they finished reading your fic, then you did a brilliant job. Essentially, you want to use theme in your story because it is what will stick with our readers even years after they’ve read your work.

While that’s all sentimental and sappy, that’s still not your biggest problem, is it? You still need to practice, you still need to learn how to use the things you’ve learned to actually write. So, a summary of what I advise you should do.

Look over and improve your old headcanons, and keep making more! Keep making headcanons and litte prompts, and let them grow bigger and bigger, and more desprictive. This could help you ease into actually writing paragraphs a bit more

Find out what you like to write. Yes, you probably already have a fandom in mind, but think back to those first four elements. What types of plots are you comfortable with, what settings, characters? Genius is only the work of enthusiasm, if you don’t like what you’re going to write, you’ve already failed

Write, write, write. Practice, practice practice. Let yourself write complete and utter garbage and nonesense. Then read it over. See what you don’t like about it. Then change it and write again. I MEAN it when I say you should write garbage. Write a completely terrible, nightmarishly cringe scene. See what you don’t like. Then rewrite it again. Repeat, repeat, repeat. In fact, it doesn’t even have to be a scene or something from your fandom. Let it be your description of a shirt, let is be some cringy poem from 7th grade. Just write and learn how you like to write. It will be so much easier in the long run

Read stuff. The stuff you read usually seeps into how you write. When you get used to reading things a certain way, you usually unconciously try to imitate it when you write. So, got a favourite fic writer? Read their stuff over and maybe even analyze the elements you like (again, think back to those eight elements I talked about) and hey, writers like it when you analyze their stuff so maybe even hit them up and talk? We like book reports we swear, most of us don’t bite. 

When you finally think you’re comfortable with your writings, maybe think about what kind of themes you’re into, or what kind of messages you want to say. It doesn’t even need to be that complex. Could be as simple as “I love this ship because it shows that you can still have flaws and be loved” Again, themes are the rEASON for eVERYTHING in the entertainment world

For further demonstration purposes, I’m going to come up with further elements for a hypothetical fic I would write based on that Zelink headcanon. So I’ve got the plot, setting, conflict and theme down. Hmm... I’ll probably use a third person POV as that is what I’m most comfortable with. With third person, I can better highlight the descriptions of Link and Zelda’s surroundings taking in the atmosphere and the aromas and and tastes. The tone will be more happy, focusing on the fun of Zelda and Link’s banter, I’ll try to create a mood in which the reader is laughing along with them, and enjoying the scene. My style will be more descriptive, again with the tastes and smells and other senses of the scene. However, I might go into a more narrative style for Zelda and Link’s banter and dialogue. While typically some people don’t want to use two different styles, I am personally familiar with the styles and know how to write them so as to blend them together more seamlessly. I might have a hint of angst at the end of the fic, as a little climax, given that the setting of the fic is after the defeat of the Calamity. I might through in some themes about how it wasn’t the material power of Hylia or the Master Sword that saved Hyrule, but the courageous and wise bond between Link and Zelda. Then...idk, a little romatic kiss for resolution because this is a fic and I can throw in some fanservice because my writing my rules. 

Babam! I just converted a headcanon to a fic.

So yeah, go write your headcanons. Then maybe next a paragraph. Then next a scene, and then you’re well on your way to one-shots and chapter fics. Happy writing and good luck!

[fragmentalsvc]

Project evaluation

What informed and motivated my design decisions?

One of the most important things for me before designing was to fully understand the topic and subject, without that, I find it hard to create anything with depth. I’ve learned from previous projects that I need a sense of direction while creating imagery. Without any direction I find my work lacks meaning and context and those two things are probably the two most important things to show in my work. After I felt comfortable with the subject of my book I could then look at visual inspiration relating to my two words. Although looking at visual inspiration was helpful most of my initial ideas came to me when I really wasn't looking for them. Setting myself a complex target of attempting to visualise sound really helped me to intensively search for ways in which I could achieve my ideas. 

What changes and developments has my projects gone through?

Throughout the whole duration of this project, I had one question that lead my research and experimentation. How can I visualise sound into shape and colour? This question meant that my development and experimentation followed a structured path and allowed me to go through clear changes. As soon as I felt comfortable with the visual theme of my project I made little changes and really stuck to my original ideas. Although I made very few large changes I made lots of small developments on every single spread, almost all the developments involved typographic changes as early on in creating my project I had a lot of issues with the continuation of point size and typeface throughout my book. 

Did I manage my time well throughout the unit?

Time management is always an important thing for me during a project. I think this is down to my nature of never really being fully content with ideas and images. This drives me to then push myself with idea generation and image-making until I'm as happy as I can get, as mentioned earlier I like to feel comfortable about understanding what I need to do and this really helps me manage my time effectively. 

As I had to learn a new skill involving creative coding I knew it would eat up a lot of my time so I set it as a priority and I assigned a large proportion of my time to learn and experiment within Processing and p5.js. This decision definitely helped me manage my time throughout the project as I had all my imagery available to use during the creation of my book. I could imagine that creating your book as well as creating imagery is a very inefficient way of managing your time. Breaking the duration of my project into sectioned helped me save time although sometimes I would have to go back and amend certain images after completing them, but this was as expected.

How did I respond to my feedback?

The feedback of this project certainly shaped how I presented my ideas and imagery. The majority of the feedback given was surrounding issues with typography which then had a knock-on effect on my layout, colour changes and image placement. I made an effort for everything to be connected to help my narrative and to ensure continuity, so once I changed a small detail of type I found that very slightly, the whole page would read much better. This was the case on some of my earliest feedback as I needed reminding to be conscious of the hierarchy of my typography. Once this was bought to my attention I found that the placement of text and imagery felt much easier and I started making creative decisions based on learned knowledge. Another reason why I felt feedback was so useful is that it just straightens your path when attempting open and broad briefs like these. 

Are there any areas of my design process that needed more practice?

In terms of my design process, I feel like I could have been slightly more experimental with my approach to the layout of my book. Although I am a fan of my clean layout decisions I feel like it is a very interesting and fun topic. The whole basis of being able to hear colours and shapes seems very abstract to the normal person and I feel as if I have not shown this with my design process. I would have loved the chance to create another book about the same topic but take a completely different approach and take it down a much more abstract and experimental route, this would have challenged me much more but I felt with all of this along with using code to create images would have been a giant task to achieve and would have been too much. Even before this task was given to us I had been really enjoying looking at editorial layout and found I naturally became much more interested in a clean and classic approach rather than an abstract and experimental one, this may have been a reason as to why I chose the method I did.

What have I learnt from this unit of study?

I have learnt so much during this study, I could definitely say that I have probably never learnt so much about a range of areas within such a short time, as well as this I feel like I have a relatively deep understanding of certain areas which is great considering it is only my first project. A massive improvement of my understanding of typography and editorial layout, as well as a much better understanding of adobe software including InDesign, Photoshop and Illustrator. It is great that I have unexpectedly learnt so much through a lot of the issues I mentioned earlier including how colours can be so different depending on how you are viewing them and how printers work.

On Reflection are there any improvements that I would make to my final outcome?

No matter the outcome I could always find improvements to my outcome. In this case, I feel like I could of better visually represented my idea in a more interesting way, I feel like showing the context of the subject is a big part of visualising an idea and I could have definitely done more of this thought the duration of this project.

[echristides-blog]

Blogs

Methodology - 11/12/19

Dear Blog,

As a part time student at the beginning of a three-year journey of a qualifying degree and as placement won’t begin until January 2020 I thought I’d take the opportunity to embark on this adventure by looking into what spurs my curiosity and interest along the way, letting my intuition, reading and teaching guide my methodology and inform my self-growth:

My main approach was visual, searching for art exhibitions at galleries that really spoke to me and I felt very drawn to, this includes one film that was heavily based on the mental ill health of a fictional character. This method allowed me to experience, be influenced by the visuals as well as view the artist or subject through an art therapy lens - looking and thinking like a trainee art therapist. The most important part of this approach was supplementing my reflections with qualitative scientific input from art therapy literature and from peer-reviewed articles in related fields giving elements of validity and reliability whilst enhancing my learning as I explored different areas and possible meanings under the concept of art therapy.

Having come from a musical background and understanding the influence sonic environments have had on me, one blog is of experimental thinking - again approached scientifically, as I am interested in exploring the idea of using sound in an art therapy setting. My research has shown that this is still a developing area in the context of art therapy even though some professional writing has been contributed here. I feel this approach would have been more complete for me had I made some response art to an environmental soundscape.

Two blogs are purely experiential, based on the process of making my own  piece of art and experiencing working with different art materials. I felt I had to document important realisations that shaped my understanding and learning of the art making experience for myself and also what it could be like for clients in therapy.

I also felt it was important to include some reflexivity in my methodology as this is key in developing practice and I hope this is reflected in a number of my blog posts. Because of this, I believe that a reflection on personal therapy could have been a good addition here.  

Back to School! - 01/10/19

Dear Blog!

I have just come home from the ‘official’ first day at uni. Going back to academia makes me a little anxious… Will I quickly remember how to be a student again? How will I juggle work, study and life? I’m a little nervous about the journey the MA Art Therapy will take me on. Even though I have a cloud of thoughts above me, it was great seeing familiar faces from the Foundation course – we bonded and shared experiences so feeling that sense of safety was comforting… The Foundation taught me that Art Therapy is a creative route to better self-understanding but its unpredictable process is a little bit of a scary thought. I guess all these emotions will be coming into play at some point, this is an MA in Art Therapy after all.

Today was very exciting. In fact, as soon as our lecture on Research and Enquiry began I couldn’t wait to get started! This emotion continued throughout the taught lessons.  I'm already thinking of areas in Art Therapy I want to explore; sound/music in art therapy, the intrinsic properties of art materials, gender in art therapy, art and psychoanalysis, art therapy and the criminal mind. So here I am, my mind travelling at 100 miles per hour after having a plethora of information thrown at us. Although I'm loving that we can navigate our way through the course, I do have to slow down as I know that my starting point is research, research, research!  

I found it quite intriguing today that I started doodling during our Research & Enquiry class as I realised that I was doodling the same shapes I drew on the first day of the Foundation. Although the patterns were identical there were differences in size, in colour and they were positioned on different parts of the page in my notebooks.  This was very interesting to me... (Interesting…a word I’m sure I’ll be using a lot…). I do wonder what the role of an intuitive image is? (Case & Daley, 2013: 124). While doodling has been associated with being disinterested in a primary task, recent research shows that the act of doodling releases mental stress, which in turn improves focus and helps memory and recall performance (Gupta, 2016: 17). Dr Robert Burns relies on doodling to reveal what is going on in the unconscious, claiming that the way that EEG leads transmit brain activity to a piece of paper, one’s hand also does (cited in Pillay, 2016). Even though I believe I could try to make sense of my doodling, I’m certain that art therapy theory, psychoanalytic theory and neuroscience could shed a lot more light here...

Word count: 434

(Doodling in first lesson Sep 2019)

(Doodling in first lesson September 2018)

References

Case, C. Dalley, T. (2013) ‘The Art Therapy Handbook’, London & New York: Routledge Taylor & Francis Group.

Gupta, S. (2016) ‘Doodling: The Artistry of the Roving Metaphysical Mind’, Journal of Mental Health and Human Behaviour, Vol 21 (1), pp.16-19. doi: 10.4103/0971-8990.182097. (peer reviewed)

Pillay, S. (2016) “The Thinking Benefits of Doodling”, Harvard Health Publishing, https://www.health.harvard.edu/blog/the-thinking-benefits-of-doodling-2016121510844 – Accessed on 02/10/19 at 19:15.

If ‘Joker’ (fictional character, 2019) was in Art Therapy… - Reflections 07/10/19  

Dear Blog,  

Last night I went to the movies to see Joker, a psychological thriller focusing on the main character’s mental illness. This film emphasized that what we are at birth and what we become and why, are very different identities. Everybody has a story...  

The film makes it known that Joker was never really in a nurturing environment, loved or cared for and that he had a very dark upbringing. It was a memoir of the criminal before he became destructive to the world around him. Joker is a fragmented individual and sees a therapist who didn’t succeed in developing a therapeutic relationship between them. The irony is that Joker seemed to be collaborative during their sessions by opening up about his emotions but she wasn’t very interested in understanding him or responsive to his needs.  

It made me think about the significance of the art therapist, the art therapy process and its multitude layers of containment through the different therapeutic relationships within art therapy. In his therapy journal he wrote “The worst part about being human is mental illness”, which striked me in particular as he was aware of his disturbances but was really struggling to deal with them. I guess he was trying to fight his demons alone. Mental illness is like being in a prison you can’t free yourself from and no one can understand the suffering if they haven’t experienced it. His sense of powerlessness lead to him making use of a gun - he used it for physical, emotional and psychological protection. It became his shield, forbidding anyone to upset him. It really saddened me that the therapist failed to create that “holding environment” and that she in fact discouraged emotional nourishment (Murphy cited in Liebmann, 1994: 16). What if he missed his last chance for positive change because the professional was incompetent?  

Perhaps the art therapy setting and process would have been more suited to Joker as he is a very visual individual, constantly daydreaming and painting a clown’s face on his. His imagination made him creative but he was only able to be this expressive alone. It felt like he was self-soothing himself through his creativity but even his creativity was imprisoned in his own sense of self. Art therapy allows one to be free and creative through play in what Winnicott calls the “potential space - an environment which can tolerate the successes and failures of experimentation, but which is ultimately reliable” (cited in Liebmann, 1994: 16). We can’t release on humans the pain and aggression we can release in the art therapy room... His creativity could have been his way out.  

Word count: 434

References

Murphy, J. (1994) ‘Mists in the Dark’, in Liebmann, M. ‘Art Therapy with Offenders’. London: Jessica Kingsley Publishers.  

Joker (2019), [Motion Picture], Todd Phillips, USA: Warner Bros. Pictures – Viewed 07/10/19.

Sound in Art Therapy - Reflections 15/10/19  

Dear Blog,  

Yesterday in our Introduction to Art Therapy lecture we talked about how to approach our first art therapy session as trainees. How we could prompt a client if he or she is struggling to engage in art making was a question posed and this triggered a thought I have a lot of faith in... Although usually the visual sense for humans is perhaps the more dominant, we are nevertheless multi-sensory and senses can stimulate subjective experiences. Art Therapy is a creative way in to the psyche just as much as externalizing what is part of the psyche is – therefore, exploring creativity when utilizing art therapy is very important. “Sound can be an invasive phenomenon of everyday experience in that it assists our engagement with, immersion in and commentaries with the environment in which we live” (Taylor & Fernstrom, 2017: 4). I am very interested in non-musical sounds evoking memory and emotion as there seems to be a lot less written about it in comparison to great work on memory and music.  

Sound has the capacity to mark time, place and narrative “making the past psychologically present or problematized, creating a dialogue between the present and the past” (Bao, 2013: 208) and we fathom sound in terms of phenomenology, memory, imagery, associations and even phantasy. As sound is tied to different experiences, the use of sonic prompts can elicit memories and involuntary memories. “Our ability to interpret the world around us crucially depends on how the brain organizes meaningful auditory information in memory” (Hendrickson, Walenski, Friend, Love, 2017: 2). This could strongly suggest that sound has potential to aid a client into and through the complex process of art therapy sessions. So, it can very much be considered to be a stimulant... Referring to good and safe practice, could it be risky for some clients to be played recorded sounds during an art therapy session? Perhaps it could be, but the acousmatic approach creates an illusion for the client, it allows the client to be connected and disconnected with the sound at the same time as the actual source of it would be unknown. Sound is also ephemeral and what could be triggered in the art therapy room when sound is played can be contained by the therapist, by being in the art therapy room and maybe even in the artwork itself. Furthermore, there seems to be a particular interest in the natural soundscape as a therapeutic resource and it being used as a calming agent (Franco, Shanahan, Fuller, 2017: 1). Of course, this is all very subjective but more research is without doubt needed here as I am a firm believer that nature can be a healer in many different ways...  

The effect of sonic elicitation is multisensory as sound evokes visual, tactile and olfactory as well as auditory memories (Harris, 2015: 22) and this fits in to art therapy very well as art therapy is a whole body experience. It has been stated that multimodal sensory input can drive positive mental states such as tranquility, unlike monotony, which is a cause of stress (Franco, Shanahan, Fuller, 2017: 2). Allowing sound to play an active role in the triangular relationship (therapist-client-artwork), to prompt and be part of a therapeutic relationship seems to be a creative avenue to explore... And creativity is not just a non-threatening way to access and express memories and emotions but has the power to create a corrective experience in the brain (Perryman, Blisard & Moss, 2019: 80).  

Word count: 563  

References  

Bao, Y. (2013) “Remembering the Invisible: Soundscape and Memory of 1989”, Journal of Chinese Cinemas, Vol 7 (3), pp. 207-224. doi: 10.1386/jcc.7.3.207_1.  (peer reviewed)

Franco, Lara S. Shanahan, Danielle F. Fuller, Richard A. (2017) “A Review of the Benefits of Nature Experiences: More Than Meets the Eye”, International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health, Vol 14 (8), pp. 1-29. doi: 10.3390/ijerph14080864. (peer reviewed)

Harris, A. (2015) “Eliciting Sound Memories”, The Public Historian, Vol 37 (4), pp.14-31. doi: 10.1525/tph.2015.37.4.14.  (peer reviewed)

Hendrickson, K. Walenski, M. Friend, M. Love, T. (2015) “The Organization of Words and Environmental Sounds in Memory”, Neuropsychologia, Vol 69, pp. 67-76. doi:10.1016/j.neuropsychologia.2015.01.035. (peer reviewed)

Perryman, K. Blisard, P. Moss, R. (2019) “Using Creative Arts in Trauma Therapy: The Neuroscience of Healing”, Journal of Mental Health Counselling, Vol 41 (1), pp. 80-94. doi: 10.17744/mehc.41.1.07. (peer reviewed)

Taylor, S. Fernstrom, M. (2017) “Acouscenic Listening and Creative Soundwalks: Evoking memory and Narratives Through Soundscape Exploration”, Leonardo Music Journal, Vol 27 (27), pp.3-6. doi: 10.1162/LMJ_a_00999. (peer reviewed)  

‘Protreptic’ (2018) - Reflections 26/10/19

Dear Blog,

I recently came across artist Despina Zaxaropoulou and her eight hour a day, three-week long performance Protreptic in Bangkok and became fascinated with the power in endurance art... I decided to watch a clip of the performance and view images taken from it without reading its short descriptive summary to have a more authentic response to it... Dressed in an almost completely transparent dressing gown, Zaxaropoulou lies silently and moves around on a wooden transporting container inviting audiences to interact with her... Her purpose was instantly and unmistakably made clear to me, it was that effective and meaningful...  It pushes the artist’s physical and mental strength to the maximum, makes the power relations between artist and audience prominent and tests boundaries. She embodied herself and her inner reality into her artwork, becoming the image under the gaze and available to be physically handled by many different individuals. It was very interesting to see different reactions to Zaxaropoulou’s loss of autonomy and even though her body language seemed sorrowful... she was still objectified and touched in a sexual way by some. From a trainee art therapist point of view my immediate response was to want to create a safe space for her and hold that space for her... my mind couldn’t stop thinking about the significance of complete respect for the client’s intrapersonal meanings...

From an artist’s point of view I really admire her bravery in her performance. It made me question my own art practice and how stepping out of my comfort zone is something perhaps I should attempt more often as my artwork consists of only my own personal experiences, emotions, memories and fantasies. Although I felt very uncomfortable and bothered by the performance – Zaxaropoulou being exposed, vulnerable and receptive to many different interpersonal experiences, reminded me that “creative work has been associated with ‘a-ha’ moments of self-realization... that stimulate personal growth” (Hinz, 2017: 143). Being experiential is often about taking risks and experimenting with different environments, materials and exploring the psychodynamics. Sitting with uncomfortable feelings and being reflective as well as being reflexive is necessary for my own creative practice and development as an artist and as a trainee art therapist. These different thought processes have shifted my perception of me as an artist and have made me eager to transcend my boundaries and embrace challenge and uncertainty. They have spurred further curiosity for learning and I feel I need to honour those interests.  

Word Count: 407

Reference  

Hinz, L. D (2017) “The Ethics of Art Therapy: Promoting Creativity as a Force for Positive Change”, Journal of the American Art Therapy Association, Volume 34 (3), pp. 142-145. doi:10.1080/07421656.2017.1343073. (peer reviewed)

First Art Making Session in MA! - 29/10/2019  

Dear Blog!  

Today we finally made some art work at uni! And it was really, really, REALLY liberating. Since we started I haven’t had the chance to sit down and take my time to make art and today’s session just proved to me how long overdue it was to do so, especially being on this course...  

We were told to bring wool and newspaper to today’s class last week, but we were only told today that we would each be making a person and I really enjoyed having that direction. I enjoyed working in silence in a quiet room, getting lost in the moment without any distractions as I was able to tune in with myself. Usually, I instantly get a visual response to an exercise but this time I hadn’t, so I knew I would go by my method of “what feels right” to make art. This is how I selected my materials and then let the process take its course. From the selection in front of me I ended up using only the earthy materials such as string, crinkled shredded paper, tissue paper, curly moss and stuck to earthy colours. It was interesting to me that I didn’t end up using every material I chose in the beginning, even though I tried to incorporate them, certain materials and colours didn’t feel suited.  

I realised I was spending a lot of time on the legs and was feeling irritated trying to get them looking and feeling the way I wanted them to. When I became conscious of this, I started asking myself why the legs were so important to me...  

I then worked on the arms, needing them to take a slightly firmer form but I still needed them flexible so I used curly moss. I wrapped the body in white tissue paper to give it a lighter, transparent feel visually. Finally, the head I felt needed “consolidating” so I sewed all around the newspaper with navy and beige string – as if I was bringing my thoughts together, sewing and securing them all in one place. Interestingly enough, I didn’t want to hide the newspaper effect and was picky only using parts of it that had no images but I only thought about how fussy I was after I had finished making my piece. At the time I only wondered why I chose those two shades of colour of string...  

I instantly felt at ease with my creation and connected to the entire product. As I had some time left to reflect on it I thought about my emotional journey when making it; the time it took to get the legs looking springy and unrestricted – flexible and ready to run, made me think about how much I love freedom and spontaneity, it made me question if I am struggling with that part at the moment. The body felt as light as a feather, the arms were spread out and bendable... perhaps because I feel like I am on a new adventure. It wasn’t long before I realised that the head seemed to be the only solid and heavy part of the body... maybe because I have much to think about and organise at the moment... I felt I identified with my piece and my object became real to me, it had its own existence in the space and its positioning became an important decision. Today’s session seemed to have mirrored my invisible reality, it was enlightening and educational and even though not in a therapy session, felt the concept of the triangular relationship come alive.  

Word count: 596

  ‘Same Bed, Different Dreams’ (2018) by Song Dong and Psychoanalytic Thinking - Reflections 02/11/19  

Dear Blog!  

I came across the works of Chinese artist’s Song Dong today in London’s Pace Gallery and was captivated by his art work Same Bed, Different Dreams (2018), which represents the expansion of Asian cities and their modernization that has not only changed the face of the cities but the citizens lives with it. His concept and artwork resonated with me on a metaphoric and symbolic level, and its title seemed to meet my intuitive feeling towards it quite well: that his artwork was dream related... It made me question if the title was a conscious or unconscious attempt to be ambiguous.

In Freud’s Interpretation of Dreams (cited in Strachey, 2010: 338-339) the unconscious surfaces when the censor is frail, which occurs during sleep and the repressed comes out in a dream-form... a dream is a thing that is pictorial and is capable of being represented. This to me was Dong’s unconscious sitting within the physical space – or should I say his psychical space – in concrete form. 

A very large beautifully crafted, multi-coloured and polished dream-like case made out of many different windows in the centre of a pale room makes itself known. In it were household objects including crockery, pendant lights and decorative knick-knacks... objects that carry history, memory, emotion. Dong having constructed it by using rubbles from old Beijing confirmed to me that its every detail was meaningful and left me feeling that past and present were undefined here. According to Reiser (cited in Fonagy et al., 2012: 78), the manifest dream draws out past and current life issues and conflicts, in hope to resolve them. Perhaps these raw materials and objects inside are more raw than they seem… Dreams disguise impulses and substitute them with symbols – an operation accomplished by primary processes of the unconscious where the repressed return in confusing ways through visual imagery (Rocha, 2012: 20). Both, dreams and artwork have their own dimensional measurements and in Dong’s artwork, the dream could be preserved in the large dream-like case. The pendant lights dangling in it are lit up, which could suggest psychic activity. Lacan wrote that “dream is a phenomenon of psychic activity” because the unconscious is always at work and never sleeps... so perhaps this is what is being presented by Dong unconsciously (cited in Rocha, 2012: 17). Although the dream-like case is completely closed, one can still see through it, some windows are more transparent than others giving an indication that the hidden parts of the psyche are reachable through dreams. I have always been fascinated with how personal, mysterious, enchanting and unfathomable dreams are. I hope to inform my practice with psychoanalytic literature but I know that it could take me a lifetime trying to understand some of it. Even though exploring psychoanalysis feels like stepping into a whole other world, I believe it is a study that sheds light on the bigger, deeper and most complex parts of the psyche. Dong’s political artwork displays the relationship between his life and his art... And I can’t help but wonder if he was to bring this to an analytic setting, what would come up?  

Word count: 510  

References

Fonagy, P. Kachele, H. Leuzinger-Bohleber, M & Taylor, D. (2012) ‘The Significance of Dreams: Bridging Clinical and Extraclinical Research in Psychoanalysis’, London: Routledge.  

Freud, S. & Strachey, J. (2010) ‘The Interpretation of Dreams: The Complete and Definitive Text’, New York: Basic Books.

Rocha, G. M. (2012) “The Unconscious: Ideal Worker?” International Forum of Psychoanalysis, Vol. 21 (1), pp. 17-21, doi: 10.1080/0803706X.2011.624546. (peer reviewed)

‘The Anthony Gormley Experience’ - Reflections 07/11/19

Dear Blog,

Today I finally managed to go and see Anthony Gormley’s exhibition and what an interesting one it was. I had booked my ticket last night for this morning as I wanted to go in with a fresh and clear mind to simply experience it. The focus was the body: we all have a body but the world within it, is unique every time.  As I was walking around each room my responses to his different artworks were authentic and instant to what was happening in that present moment: What I was feeling, what I was thinking, what I remembered, what I imagined, what it made me question, what it made me want to do… it all came to consciousness. Seven rooms really spoke to me:

Clearing VII (2019) Approximately 8 kilometres of aluminium tube coiled against the space, restricted by the walls, ceilings and floor to bounce and expand. I felt I was in a child’s scribble and wanted to play in it – it activated a physical impulse and I felt I was part of the artwork.

Subject II (2019) A single life-size male body form made of steel bars became my complete focus and it was his posture that really captured me – he seemed sorrowful and I felt the impact of that emotion. Perhaps the heaviness of the material that he was made out of played a part in the intensity of that emotion making it more prominent that he was alone and seeming lonely in the space...

Matrix III (2019) An enormous cloud made out of steel mesh, its density increasing as you walk towards its centre and looking up at it whilst walking beneath it triggered a memory. I remembered swimming in deep water unable to see the world above it and swimming towards the surface – remembering the feelings of fear and relief that came with that experience, essentially reliving it.  

Lost Horizon I (2018) Many identical male figures made out of cast iron, positioned in many different ways across the ceiling, walls and floor.  Walking amongst these figures, I noticed that the male figure was Gormley. It made me think about him and his life experiences, every figure felt like it had a different story to tell about him. I became very aware of these presences in the room, I realized I couldn’t pinpoint exactly what I was feeling with each one but their presence was intense – making me think even more.

Cave (2019) A steel sculpture on an architectural scale imitates a hollow human form. Going through this hollow body I felt my visual, auditory and tactile senses heighten as it got completely dark; using my eyes to spot anything possible, my ears to hear what I could and touch to navigate myself though the darkness. At the same time I felt like I was walking into the unknown as sensations were very present but not obvious. This artwork stimulated and activated my body and mind together, and led to a combination of observations on the self, experiencing my own body as an entity – externally as well as internally.  

Drawings II Exiting the Cave led to a room with more basic and natural material artworks. Gormley used his own blood to make drawings representing the interior of the human body, which I found very uncomfortable to look at making me want to turn away. I was quite surprised to have felt quite nauseous at the sight of that and it made me realise just how disturbing I found it. There was something about his blood, its varying texture in the artwork and being displayed for many years now that didn’t sit well with me at all and made me question why. Why was I affected this much?  

Host (2019) Gormleys final room was kept separate by a single solid piece of stone, a room consisting of earth, water and air where water covered the whole ground. This room is the only room left uninterrupted by visitors. Still, it offered me an incredibly soothing experience by gazing at it and smelling the humidity that was produced – I was so drawn and nourished by it, I wanted to sit there. I realised this was the only room I felt so relaxed by as it made me imagine that I was looking out of a window to natural landscape, envisioning forests and being by the beach. It was the perfect note to end on as I felt safe near it... bringing to the surface my strong connection and love for natural surroundings… It also made me think about the counter-transference in therapy, the feelings a therapist feels in response to the client or the clients artwork as Gormley’s exhibition certainly did that...

This exhibition was all experiential reminding me of Hakomi Psychotherapy: based on mindfulness, Hakomi is body orientated psychotherapy accentuating somatic awareness (Rothaus, 2013: 208). The body is a powerful resource as it stores influential information and can guide us to deeper places in the psyche. It seemed as if Gormley took the role of the therapist using his artworks as experiments to evoke experiences for the visitors… gently accessing unconscious material and bringing it to conscious awareness so that it can be processed. Having gone first thing in the morning allowed me to be relaxed, and being calm helped me to be more open and receptive to new experiences when engaging with the artworks. This is a vital part of mindful self-study as it allows you to focus on body-mind connection in the here and now and “the quality of mindfulness heightens mental imagery”, which in turn could increase degree of healing (Morgan cited in Rothaus, 2013: 212). In an Art Therapy setting I could have externalized my body-mind experience, have the process and my artwork contained before safely reflecting on it… A really rich combination of approaches to consider…

Word count: 977 

Reference 

Rothaus, M. E. (2013) ‘Hakomi and Art Therapy’ in Rappaport, L. ‘Mindfulness and the Arts Therapies: Theory and Practice’, London & Philadelphia: Jessica Kingsley Publishers.

   ‘Other Spaces: Vanishing Point & Our Time’, Psychosis & Realizations - Reflections 10/11/19 

Dear Blog,

I have always had a very strong interest in Psychosis and having studied music even composed an electronic piece based on my understanding of an episode of Psychosis. My purpose of composing music like this was to try to interpret psychological disorders guided by my readings so that I can raise awareness on how difficult it is to be on the other side and to help me understand sufferers state on a deeper level. By doing this I felt I would be able to relate and connect better with these individuals. Vanishing Point and Our Time are exhibitions I visited that played with one’s visual perception. Both in dark rooms Vanishing Point used laser lights and projected beams of light to a vanishing point, and Our Time used smoke and a kinetic light installation that swung back and forth – both playing with reality and illusion.

Psychosis is the severe distortion or even erosion of the normal functions of perception, thinking and feeling and of the capacity to communicate (Sass cited in Killick & Schaverien, 1997:134). For me the visual nature of this exhibition resembled a hallucinatory experience placing me in the mind of a psychotic client. From a trainee art therapist point of view, this exhibition made me panic slightly at the thought of some tricky but vital questions… How could I contain a severely psychotic client? How would I approach this? Where would I begin? I took a moment to consolidate my thoughts and reverted to our core learnings so far… I have to create a safe and facilitating environment for the client, which means being resilient and being able to tolerate different behaviours, by providing safe art materials and a place where artwork could be stored, by having a regularity of sessions in that same space. With all clients and especially clients suffering with severe mental health problems, getting them to experience a level of relatedness to the art therapist through repetition is essential. According to Killick “containment can be mediated through the experience of continuity” (Killick & Schaverien, 1997: 50). And what if there is no artwork?! I remembered my tutors words: “It’s still art therapy!”.

I am also a very firm believer in body language as it is penetrative and a universal form of communication. Searle focused on the therapist’s facial expressions being fundamental for the symbiotic relationship between the psychotic client and the therapist stating that through the therapist the psychotic client can recognise their aliveness (cited in Killick & Schaverien, 1997: 219-220).  

I am beginning to understand the complexities that come into play with the different clients and the importance of not being reactive to alarming thoughts but responsive – remaining patient and having faith in the process. This exhibition and the readings that followed highlighted that as a trainee art therapist I have to learn the language of each of my clients and adapt my way of working to their needs in order to get them to connect with me and engage in art making. Although I am trying to prepare myself for my upcoming placement as much as possible, I understand that I can’t know fully what to expect… The responsibility for improving the mental well-being of another and thoughts on what my counter-transference will be in the process, are thoughts that make me a little... or a bit more than a little nervous…

Word count: 552

Reference 

Killick, K. & Schaverien, J. (1997) ‘Art, Psychotherapy and Psychosis’, New York: Routledge.

Charlotte Salomon’s ‘Life? Or Theatre?’, Looking at Her Paintings - Reflections 16/11/19  

Dear Blog,

What an exhibition... I am so captivated by how deep and penetrating it was...  

“The war raged on and I sat by the sea and saw deep into the heart of humankind”, she said and she really did (Salomon cited in Felstiner, 2009).

Salomon, a German Jew in Berlin lost her mother at the delicate age of 9 and grew up living in fear witnessing the heartache and devastation the Nazis spread when they came into power in 1933. Her father eventually remarried opera singer Paula Salomon-Linberg and Salomon fell madly in love with someone her step-mother worked with, Alfred Wolfson, only to be sent to stay in southern France with her maternal grandparents due to dangerous circumstances. After witnessing her grandmother hang herself, her grandfather brutally let her in on what was being kept from her all these years – that their seven family losses where suicides, including her mother’s.  

“I will create a story so as not to lose my mind” (Salomon cited in Felstiner, 2009).  

Salomon created a series of autobiographical paintings attaching tracing paper, writing words and melodies, adding a narrator and introducing characters giving them a theatrical effect... I thought about why she chose to paint the way she did...

Her paintings presented her internal and external reality in a very defined and cohesive manner. She used paint, a medium that could be messy and which can be daunting when there are issues regarding control (Robbins, 1987: 109). Everything happening in her life was beyond her control but her choice to use paint, for me, was a sign of wanting that power over how her life story was illustrated – a valuable challenge of tolerating all the toxic feelings depicting her struggle through life. This left me with an incredible impression of her inner strength and her being well-balanced. Perhaps her faith in religion gave her that power... “Dear God, just let me not go mad” (Salomon cited in Felstiner, 2009).

Her paintings shift from bright to dark colours and her writing from witty to grim as her story proceeds. They start becoming colourless and dull as she began feeling fed up with feeling fed up and she contemplated committing suicide herself. Colour communicates the felt experience and makes a visual statement about a person’s current state of being (Robbins, 1987: 107-109). Their flatness could metaphorically represent her lifeless life. But Salomon’s paintings were all of notebook size and of a repetitive style of painting completely limiting her body movement, which according to Robbins are signs of offering herself containment and of protecting herself (1987: 113).

Salomon seems to have had experienced cumulative trauma having lost her mother, being away from her father and her lover, being in the midst of war, not being able to communicate with her loved ones... Emotionally and psychologically exhausted by it all she fought to live every day. Her efforts at art therapy saved her, she confronted her harsh reality and realised that death can’t be worse than what she was she was mirroring in her images, which made her want to live... “I will live for them all” (Salomon cited in Felstiner, 2009). Research has linked psychopathology with avoiding thoughts, emotions and memories but Salomon engaged with her process over and over again...769 times before being killed by the Nazis (Skeffington & Browne, 2014: 116).  

“Keep this safe, it is my whole life” (Salomon cited in Felstiner, 2009). Salomon’s artworks are incredibly inspirational and influential as they document honorable aspects about her and make it evident that she was her own art therapist. In an audio-visual recording at the exhibition, it was said that Salomon was an introvert. Externalizing her mental images the way she did, may have been a conscious wish to be able to communicate them to someone other than herself (Schaverien, 1992: 83-84). This was her life but I think it was her desire for it to be unreal, for it to be theatre...  

I walked out of the museum feeling so moved and emotional over Salomon’s life story... her pain, her fear, her struggle. I was astonished at her outlook on life, how she relied on her creativity to regenerate strength and ignite hope in a dark hole. I felt very grounded by the way she made me think about the way I see my own life and how she made me look at it from the outside, as if that too were theatre...  

Word count: 715

References

Felstiner, M. L., (2009) “Charlotte Salomon: 1917-1943", Jewish Women’s Archive. https://jwa.org/encyclopedia/article/salomon-charlotte  – Accessed 16/11/2019 at 17:15.

Robbins, A. (1987) ‘The Artist as Therapist’, New York: Human Sciences Press.

Schaverien, J. (1992) ‘The Revealing Image: Analytical Art Psychotherapy in Theory and Practice’, London & Philadelphia: Jessica Kingsley Publishers.

Skeffington, P. M. & Browne, M. (2014) “Art Therapy, Trauma and Substance Misuse: Using Imagery to Explore a Difficult Past with a Complex Client” International Journal of Art Therapy, Vol. 19 (3), pp. 114-121, doi: 10.1080/17454832.2014.910816. (peer reviewed)

‘Leonardo: Experience a Masterpiece’ (2019) - Reflections 17/11/2019  

Dear Blog,  

I visited the National Gallery today to see Leonardo: Experience a Masterpiece (2019). As well as being one the world's most famous painters, Da Vinci is known for having extensive knowledge in scientific subjects that fed into his artwork such as architecture, science, mathematics, engineering, anatomy, geology, astronomy, botany, palaeontology, cartography and the list goes on. This exhibition focused on Da Vinci's the Virgin of the Rocks (1508) by introducing unknown truths in four different rooms that allowed me to reacquaint myself with his famous painting ultimately making me see it in a new light.  

Entering the Mind of Leonardo as he begins his journey of creating the Virgin of the Rocks, his thoughts are text written backwards and reflected on mirror surfaces so that they could be read easier. "He who is only good at painting figures seems to be a poor master" (cited at the exhibition). I wondered how he meant this.. I wondered how he meant "figures"… Could he have been insinuating that one can only master figures if his soul invests in it? Was he insinuating that a true artist should master how to depict elements of divinity in his figures? His connection to religion perhaps? An unclear yet powerful statement, where I felt he meant both... This mirror effect was done against a backdrop of the Italian Alps and it stated at the exhibition that many of Da Vinci’s geological sketches and observations were situated there so he must have felt something special about this location. According to Andric he was constantly striving for the heights, which could reflect his desire to elevate the spirit (2016: 7). This led me to think that he wanted viewers to experience the search for meaning in what is around us, to search for mystery that exists in the world and is to be sought and to acknowledge that we are part of this mystical and miraculous creation. According to Gal (cited in Vladislav, 2004: 53) searching is a method by which we implement and connect with faith, and is kin to art.  

With this in mind I left that room to move on to the next looking for the bigger picture and tuning in with what was around me - a circular hall that connected all rooms in the shape of a cross. This reinforced the feeling that his own spirituality played a bigger part in this painting than I had thought...  

The Studio. "The figure that does not sufficiently express with action the passions of its soul is not worthy of praise" (cited at the exhibition). Da Vinci refers to the "figure" again and its "soul". This seemed to imply spiritual art, which is dependent on the artist's capacity to understand spirituality and on the experience of the knowledge of God in order to achieve "art in spirit", otherwise known as iconography. (Vladislav, 2004: 58-60). Scientific investigation that was carried out on this painting using infrared reflectography and hyperspectral imaging revealed lost content beneath the Virgin of the Rocks we know today. So if we are to think of Da Vinci as an iconographer, this piece of work would not be one of self-expression or scientific precision but rather a method and practice towards transfiguration of his nature through his experience of the revelation of the holy by which he would be able touch upon the mystery of incarnation of the Divine (Vladislav, 2004: 56-59). His first attempt can't have been definitive enough in what he was trying to portray and it seemed Da Vinci was trying to transcend his painting methods and touch elements of divinity in his work, as if he was aiming for perfection.

How he achieved that was by mastering two techniques that were introduced in the third room - The Light & Shadow Experiment. "Your tongue will be paralyzed by thirst and your body by sleep and hunger before you can show with words what the painter shows in an instant" (cited at the exhibition). Da Vinci paid great attention to Chiaroscuro and Sfumato, skillfully shading and blending in colours. Translucent layers of paint are at once seen as ethereal and the light radiating is from within the figures outward, "enlivening the action of uncreated grace” – Da Vinci not only worked towards making an instant impression that he was depicting sanctity but also that he was able to do that, he had stated that "perfect faith is perfect knowledge" (cited in Andric, 2016: 9). It is through the artist's ascending journey looking for Truth that he begins to see that "good art" is done in a more human way and "spiritual art" is reflecting what he practices within (Vladislav, 2004: 62, 65).  

The Imagined Chapel. The Virgin of the Rocks was to be an altarpiece for a chapel in the church of San Francesco in Milan but the church was demolished. Only artworks that have an adequate symbol of holiness used for uniting the invisible and the visible, where the artist contemplates the image of God within his own soul mirroring his glory, are able to have a permanent place in the church – works of art that are a shared activity of the Creator and the created (Vladislav, 2004: 62-63, 66).  

I feel his in-depth knowledge into the order of the world made him search for the beyond, made him search for God. That this painting wasn’t about what Da Vinci is much known for – his scientific precisions in art and science, but much much greater than that. 

Going to this exhibition reminded me of our lecture on Supervision. It made me realise that total objectivity when seeing a client's artwork is quite impossible as we all have our biases. It highlighted the importance of having a supervisor to see what I can't or to put me in different thought processes. Even though it takes some pressure off knowing that I am able to share clients artwork with another, it also made me feel that much more responsible to be open to seeing that there is more than just one way of viewing artwork and that it is important to try to look for those different ways and those details on my own before relying on supervision. Every different way of viewing artwork could lead to a real depth of one’s psyche just as the way I viewed Da Vinci’s Virgin of the Rocks. Moreover, my experience and reflection on this exhibition directed me into thinking about spirituality and religion in art therapy as it often is a big part of who we are and it can be a big part of our everyday life and lifestyle, which is an extremely interesting area to explore. It also made me think about art therapy in palliative care as end of life gives rise to the feeling of spirituality whether one has a faith or is agnostic or atheist. However, palliative care is an area I’m not ready to go into...  

Word count: 1,134 

References

Andric, N. (2016) “Religious - Philosophical Aspects of the Novel ‘The Romance of Leonardo Da Vinci’ by Dmitrij Merezkovskij”, Russian Literature, Vol. 86, pp.1-20, doi: 10.1016/j.ruslit.2016.11.001. (peer reviewed)

Vladislav, A. (2004) “Art and Religion: Creativity and the Meaning of Religion of ‘Image’ from the perspective of the Orthodox Icon”, Theology Today, Vol. 61 (1), pp.53-56. (peer reviewed)

Experiential Workshops: Material Realizations - 02/12/19

Dear Blog,

We have now started our experiential workshops after having been given the foundations on art therapy theory and art therapy practice. I am gradually feeling teaching beginning to merge together - what feels like - "the separate pieces" of the first year of the course and I can now understand the direction in which it is going. (Now that I mention separate pieces I'm remembering my doodling on the first day of uni, how that too was separate pieces floating around in a section of my notebook page, maybe there's an emerging meaning...).  

(Doodling in first lesson Sep 2019)

These workshops are familiarizing us with different art materials... Our first workshop was working with dry materials: marker pens, pencils, coal on sticks, chalk and pastels. The second workshop was working with wet materials: paint, water colour and ink, where different sized, shaped and type of paper were used in the first two workshops. The final workshop was with clay and plastecine. This was really great as it put me in a position to ask myself why I work with certain material and why I don't work with other, why I like some and why not other. It made me wonder to what extent is the use of certain material subjective and to what objective? Being restricted to a group of materials each time, allowed me to explore the intrinsic properties and to reacquaint myself with those I seldom choose when art making, but in this blog I will discuss material experiences that stood out for me.  

I was instantly drawn to certain material: coal as I associate it with historical times and keeping warm in the cold, the mysterious effect chalk can have when it is smudged and its sharp dusty lines when it isn’t, ink reminds me of sentimental writers and poets of a previous era such as William Shakespeare, Edgar Alan Poe, William Blake and Ralph Waldo Emerson that I love to read, clay being 3D really brings emotions and thoughts to life in an organic way and requires a lot of physical handling that arouses the senses. I became aware that there were symbolic and metaphorical meanings behind the use of these materials that I identified with and this was confirmed to me during the art making and also in the way I used the material. As we were only allowed to use coal tied to a natural tree branch from a distance, I believe drawing a tree with it was from an unconscious driven force related to that. This generated further questions... What if coal wasn’t attached to a tree branch or natural object? What if it was attached to something else or not attached at all? How would this affect my art making instincts and decisions? Knowing how much I love nature, would I have felt disconnected to the art making process and art product if the medium in between wasn’t natural? Is this what it could feel like for a client with a disability?... Although I like using water colour with brush effects and layering different colours, I really struggled to use anything more than a single colour to do this as I found that the size and shape of the paper really influenced my working with this material. In a similar manner with regards to paint, although I tend to mix different colours to get blends as well as create thicker and looser blends, the workshop only had certain colours available that I couldn’t make use of in a satisfying way so having a limitation in colours became very frustrating...  Why are certain blends so important to me?

(From left to right: paint, paint, ink, water colour)

(Coal)

Pencils and marker pens have never been a preferred medium for me even having rubbers provided in the workshop I found pencils were too definitive needing a lot of control to create something representative of me and marker pens rather aggressive and unforgiving, which in turn made me feel uncomfortable... But I questioned now if this is can be absolute as what is emerging in these workshops are the different material associations and the different experiences of their materiality in the structured workshops. It was intriguing to me that I actually ended up reacquainting myself with most of the materials through the different processes and my usual ways of creating art with certain material often changed. This stirred new emotions and I thought about how these processes made me feel... Ultimately, the material processes became unpredictable. At the beginning of this blog I wrote about the workshops familiarizing us with different art materials but I think it is wise to add, that they are familiarizing us with different art materials through different personal interactions. As an artist I am so use to having a variety of materials to choose from with no limitations where having directive workshops urged me to consider art making in another way as they tapped into something specific within me, perhaps contacting other areas of my psyche that I knew not about but thought I had, that are completely unconscious...  

(From left to right: chalk, pencil, marker pen)

(Clay container)

Most importantly, these workshops have now started to make me think in more complex ways when considering clients and different settings... What are certain client groups in need of and how could I meet their needs? What could be helpful and what could be harming?...

Word count: 900

[houseofvans]

ART SCHOOL | INTERVIEW WITH BUNNIE REISS 

A combination of folk art, psychedelia, nature, magic, stars and animals, the artworks by LA based artist Bunnie Reiss imagines a visual language and beauty that is both narrative and full of storytelling. Bunnie’s large scale murals have been and are still popping up all over Los Angeles, so we wanted to catch up with this talented lady to find out more about how she got interested in art, the subjects and themes of her work, and what she’s got coming up the rest of the year! 

Photographs courtesy of the artist | Portrait by Tod Seelie

Could you introduce yourself to everybody?  I’m Bunnie Reiss, muralist, installation artist and painter, living and working in Los Angeles. My work is a combination of folk art from my eastern European background, places I’ve traveled around the world, psychedelic dreams, strange imaginary worlds, nature, magic, the stars and animals. 

I’ve worked really hard to create a fairly diverse career that includes painting huge 9-story buildings, designing custom patterns for fashion icons like Isabel Marant, building large space boats that float on imaginary clouds, and writing/illustrating children’s books. It keeps me crazy busy, and I am grateful to be living such a full life. 

I own a 5 acre property in Landers, just outside of Joshua Tree, where we go for breaks from crazy city life and often gather with many of my artist friends. It’s super magical and I love it out there. I also have a very small Maine Coone kitty named Robert Plant that I treat like a dog and comes everywhere with me ;)

How did you first find yourself creating art or being interested in art? I was a tiny rebel with a large imagination, and I kinda knew from the beginning that I didn’t fit in. There are no other artists in my family, and I was definitely the odd ball. Art was, like most misunderstood kids, the only thing that felt really good to me. I loved museums, fashion, weird books and storytelling. There seemed to be huge worlds that were out there, and I had zero fear in discovering them. Recently a family friend sent a package with tons of drawings and art I did for her when I was a child, and it’s amazing to see the same imagery I use now in many of the funny things I drew as a kid.

How would you describe your work to someone who perhaps is just coming across it for the very first time? What would you want that person to maybe take away from it? As I mentioned above, my work is crazy combo of different things: Eastern European folk art, nature, imaginary worlds, psychedelic landscapes, animals. I have worked hard on my own visual language, my own dictionary, and continue to do so. It is an ever expanding vocabulary that I hope will keep growing until the day I die. I always want people to feel like they have a sense of place, that they can feel good, even for just a brief moment in the day (which is actually a tall order for most people). I want people’s imagination to go crazy when they see one of my murals!

What are your favorite things to paint or draw in your works? I absolutely love painting animals. They are my top. And hands are right below that.

In your various works you often paint portraits of animals, hands, mythical creatures and the natural world. Tell us about your subjects and themes you explore in your works? I have fairly consistent imagery, but the conversations are always different. For instance, the children’s book I wrote and illustrated a few years ago, The Cosmic Child, was actually about Plato’s Cosmology and the idea that we have a twin star in the universe. It was a book about never feeling alone. I like taking my simple imagery and combining it with complicated stories. It adds a layer of honesty and vulnerability. I am currently working on a new book about climate change, that will consist of 50 animal portraits. I decided that instead of trying to explain why climate change is such an important issue, I am using the idea of irreversible loss to describe what is might feel like to loose entire species. Visual art is so interesting because you don’t often get the back-story about why someone has made what they have made, but you can usually feel the emotion behind it. That to me is really successful, thoughtful work.

When your working developing a new painting or piece, how does it begin - take us from sketchbook, to color choices, to finished painting? I an an avid sketchbook user, and I tend to try and do as many drawings as possible, with no specific direction. It take the pressure off of things having to be ‘something’ and keeps things really interesting. When I’m ready to work on a body, I look back over the sketchbooks to see if there is a connection to any of the drawings. Sometimes I go back to sketchbooks from 5 years ago! Sometimes entire sketchbooks become dedicated to one idea. This process allows for a very organic build of my paintings. I am almost always looking at animal references, old quilts and folk art, and reading about magic symbols and the universe. All of my paintings and murals come from my sketchbooks, and are often repainted over and over again in different ways or patterns. I like exploring how many times I can do a single image and make it look unique. My color palette is fairly consistent, and I will push on darker or lighter themes (navy blues vs pastels), depending on what the mood I’m working with is. I like painting on antique papers and things that already have energy living in them, and my colors will be based off of the color of the papers. Mural walls are treated similarly, where I’m often trying to preserve and enhance the architecture of the building. I generally try and tie in my murals with something local, like an animal that is native, a myth about the city, the state flower, etc. It’s really fun and usually feels like some kind of treasure map where I’m unearthing weird facts about the places I paint.

What’s a typical day in the studio for you like? And what are you currently working on in or out of the studio? I try and keep regular day hours as often as possible in my studio, because if I don’t I sorta become a vampire who stays up all night and sleeps all day. I bring Robert Plant, my kitty, with me and he’s always around when I’m working. Sometimes I have to ‘clean’ all day long in order to actually get to painting. Sometimes I have to organize and move things around, or do other weird stuff, in order to get things going. It all depends on my mood. I just wrapped a bunch of paintings for my last show at KP Projects in Los Angeles, and that particular body of work will continue for a while. It’s mostly portraits of animals that are extinct or close to extinction, and ties into my book as well. I am always working on mural concepts, and there are tons of drawings and sketches on my walls that may or may not turn into murals. I also quilt sometimes and love to sew, especially when I am not feeling very inspired to paint. Murals and other public work can be fairly demanding, and quilting helps me to recoup when I have wrapped a big project and need to take a little break from painting.

How do you unplug yourself so to speak? What do you do to center or re-focus yourself if you find yourself stressed out about deadlines, art shows, and the sort? It’s definitely challenging, especially when you live in such a wild city like Los Angeles. I am so grateful to have a property in the desert, and I will often go out there for a few days to unplug and just be in the quiet. The stars are amazing, and laying on my deck and staring up at the sky does wonders for my brain. I also love to ride my bike and will sometimes go out on night rides, which tends to help me refocus and feel like I’m back in my body. When I have time, surfing is the absolute best! Painting, especially big things, takes you out of your physical body and puts you in a deep space of meditation. You are usually on a large lift, far away from anyone, concentrating but also kinda in a trance. You don’t really feel much of anything. When you finish a large project, you feel everything come back into you, and it can be overwhelming and exhausting. It’s imparitive that you find outlets that really help you to keep going at a healthy pace without getting to rundown.

What inspires you and your art? What are things that influence what you do and what you make? My imagination keeps me really busy, but reading Popular Science, going to libraries and book stores, walking in neighborhoods that I’m unfamiliar with, and traveling to countries where I do not speak the language keep me filled with information. I love architecture and looking at buildings, I get obsessed with walls I want to paint and will sometimes drive by to visit them. Going out in nature and just listening to the trees speaking to each other is pretty amazing.

Not only do you create painting, but you have been doing large scale mural works for quite a bit. How did that start and how different is it for you compared to works on paper or canvas? What do you like about muraling and what do you find to be the most challenging part of it? I lived in the Bay Area for a long time (well over a decade) and space was always an issue. I loved painting big, but hated trying to store anything after I was finished. I would also get fairly lonely working in my studio for long hours, and liked interaction, but a very specific kinds. Public art and mural painting solved a lot of these problems. I could paint HUGE and leave it, walk away, never look at it again. It was a freedom that I loved, and the very special was to interact with people and neighborhoods. At the time, it was so unique and didn’t compare to anything I had ever done. This was a long time ago, and I still feel exactly the same way. There is no better way to understand a community, a city, a neighborhood, then painting outside and really being a part of it. And people are so happy and grateful that you are adding something beautiful to their neighborhood. I also love that murals are free for people to look at, and so many demographics are affected by the work. You never know who will see it and be inspired. It’s powerful and humbling at the same time, mostly because the work is incredibly physical. It sometimes feels like you are running a marathon, painting for 12-15 hours a day, dealing with weather and trouble-shooting all kinds of strange things that can happen with different kinds of walls. I love big boom lifts, dancing and singing when I am way up high with my headphones on. I have such a great time when I am painting a monster wall in the sun! I can’t stand painting in the cold ;)

What’s been one of your most rewarding projects? And what kind of challenges did you face and how did you overcome them? This past year I was invited by the United Nations to paint a mural in Mexico City on climate change. It was amazing! I painted at the largest market in Mexico, and it was nuts. So much going on around me, so much pollution mixed with sun blasting a huge wall for more than half the day. I loved it, but it was also pretty crazy.

Since we call this feature, Art School, what tip do you have for artists and folks interested in becoming an artist? Work hard, harder than you ever thought you could work, but also work smart. You have a very long career, and lots of time to develop your own style and really build your craft. There is no rush, and your work will be that much better if you take the time to really develop who you are as an artist. Also, ask for help. Reach out to other artists and see if they need help. Be an active community member and don’t isolate yourself too much in the studio. Have fun! Travel the world ;)

Who are some important artists, past or present, you are inspired by? Remedios Varo Johannes Vermeer Louise Bourgeois Antoni Gaudi Shel Silverstein

So we gotta ask what are your FAVORITE Vans? The Era.

What do you have planned for the coming up? What are you looking forward to starting? Mural season is in full-swing, and it’s going to get really busy, with murals everything month until the end of the year. I am working super hard on my climate change book, and putting together a few projects that will tie in with that project. (and maybe a book tour). I continue to build up my desert property, and love that I can put energy into it slowly and really make it a life-long art project. I am working on expanding my mural practice into 3D objects, mosaics tiles, furniture and playgrounds. My murals are only one part of a much larger puzzle that I am putting together, and soon you will get to see entire worlds built by me. It’s an exciting time!!

FOLLOW BUNNIE | WEBSITE | INSTAGRAM 

[ricardotomasz]

Such is life! Behold, a new Post published on Greater And Grander about The Dancing Rabbit: Jane Szabo

See into my soul, as a new Post has been published on http://greaterandgrander.com/2019/01/the-dancing-rabbit-jane-szabo/

The Dancing Rabbit: Jane Szabo

As part of Greater And Grander's ongoing focus of great artistry in the 21st century, we are highlighting several artists who are making a splash on the art scene.  Jane Szabo is a Los Angeles based fine art photographer with an MFA from Art Center College of Design in Pasadena, CA. Her work investigates issues of self and identity. Using self-portraiture and still life as a vehicle to share stories from her life, her work merges her love for fabrication and materials, with conceptual photography. Szabo brings many facets of visual art into her photographic projects, incorporating sculptural, performance and installation elements into her work. Her imagery is often infused with humor and wonder, ingredients that draw the viewer in, inviting them to linger and to have a dialogue with the work, and themselves. Her background in the film industry, creating prop and miniatures for theme parks, and overseeing set construction for film and television, undoubtedly informs her creative process.

Szabo’s work is in the permanent collection of the Los Angeles Museum of Art (LACMA), the Museum of Art & History (MOAH) and her photography has been exhibited widely, including solo shows at the Museum of Art & History in Lancaster, CA, Orange County Center for Contemporary Art, Yuma Fine Art Center in Arizona, and Los Angeles Center for Digital Art. Her work has been included in exhibitions at Oceanside Museum of Art, the Griffin Museum of Photography, The Colorado Center for Photographic Arts, San Diego Art Institute, Los Angeles Center for Photography, Tilt Gallery in Arizona, Houston Center for Photography in Texas, Gallery 825 in Los Angeles, the Kaohsiung International Photographer Exhibition in Taiwan and fotofever in Paris, France.

Images from the series Family Matters were featured in a billboard, a community project organized by MOAH - The Museum of Art & History

Her photographs have been featured in many publications and blogs including: The Huffington Post, Lenscratch, Silvershotz, Mono Chroma, Bokeh Bokeh, L’Oeil de la Photographie, F-Stop Magazine, Foto Relevance, Fraction, Your Daily Photo, A Photo Editor, Don't Take Pictures, Art & Cake, Diversions.

Why did you get into the arts?

From a pretty young age, I knew that I didn't want a corporate office type job.  Deciding to become an artist was a choice to not be chained to a nine to five job wearing business attire.

I was in high school when I decided that the arts made sense for me.

Jane Szabo on location near Seattle © Jane Szabo 2018

Why did you choose to go to art school?

 I got an MFA from Art Center College of Design in Pasadena. I picked Art Center because it seemed to be the most structured and demanding program, and I knew I needed to be challenged, and that the formal structure would force me to stay focus and succeed.

I am so happy I got the education I did, when I did. Graduate art school does not teach you how to make art, but teaches you critical thinking. It teaches you how to think about why you are making the work you make, which is exactly what I needed. The critical thinking skills I learned at Art Center have helped me become the artist I am today.

What advice would you give to a prospective student who is applying to art school?

Be willing to learn and think in new ways. Be ready for a lot of hard work. It’s an incredible time to explore and find new ways of working - but don't become a copycat and mimic the work of your instructors.

My biggest mistake was not networking enough. Take advantage of your peer group and stay connected with them after school. I also think art school is the perfect place to experiment. Don’t come into school with a perceived way of working and a rigid mind set. Be open to change!

What difficulties did you encounter?

I was really young when I went to grad school.  That was good for me as I had the energy to do school, and the day job. But, I really didn’t have the depth of knowledge about the art world and contemporary art that is gained through experience. This artistic immaturity made it more difficult for me to comfortably enter the gallery scene after grad school.

What did you do after art school?  Did you have trouble finding work when you first got out?

I actually started working in a job in the film industry the second semester of grad school... and kept working through the entire degree program - it enabled me to pay my rent, insurance and food, which was a huge help. Working during grad school may be too much for some, but it actually helped keep me sane.

What was the first large artistic project you worked on that you were proud of?

One of the first big projects I worked on, shortly after graduate school, was building and painting props for Euro Disney (now called Disneyland Paris). Though this was not my personal fine art, it was a period of intense creativity and learning, as I made things by hand: molding making and sculpting, making objects out of brass using old school sheet metal techniques, and scenic painting detailed props for close up viewing. I am still very proud of this work today.

When I first got out of grad school, the main goal was to earn a living. I was making my personal art at the time as well, but paying the bills meant that my creativity focused on my day job as a prop maker and scenic painter. This work was extremely satisfying, challenging, and fulfilling.

Map Dress #1, from the series Sense of Self, © Jane Szabo 2013 "This image was created at about midnight, in the middle of a weekend intensive workshop with Cig Harvey. This one image became the leaping off point for two series,Sense of Self and Reconstructing Self, two bodies of work that spanned three years."

When did you decide to stop working for free?

Fortunately, other than one short internship with a graphic designer during college (a great way to learn I did NOT want to be a graphic designer!) and a short film I helped a grad school instructor with, I have never had to work for free.

I do not believe in working for free, or on spec. My time is valuable. That said, I do volunteer my time to assist workshops and events for my favorite non-profit organizations.

What are you currently working on, and how did you arrive here?

I am developing a new project, involving custom constructions that I photograph in various interior and exterior environments during my frequent travels. Over the last few years, I have been dealing with elderly parents out of state. We just moved them for a third time in two years.   After selling their home, and the constant struggle to find the right assisted living place to keep them comfortable and safe, I am thinking a lot about place, and where we find ourselves. This new work seeks to address this sense of loss, and the search to find oneself.

Coffee Filters, from the series Reconstructing Self, © Jane Szabo 2015

What’s the biggest thing you depend on, in your studio?

I recently moved to a larger studio, and just having space to breathe is so essential! When I was in a smaller space, I spent too much time moving things around so I would have space to work. Now I can walk in to a clear space, with tables etc. up and ready to go. Of course, my large format printer is critical to my process. In addition to building all my props, making my photographs, I do all my own printing. Having the artistic control over the finished product is essential to me, as well as the ability to generate prints as soon as I need them.

Aunt Rosemary’s Photo Album, from the series Reconstructing Self, © Jane Szabo 2015

Did you ever pay for a program that promised big results to help further your career, but it never delivered?

There are so many “opportunities” that offer big results, for up-front fees – and you really do need to be careful. But that said, sometimes it is essential to invest in your career. I have participated in many workshops and portfolio reviews, and yes, they do come at a cost. Have they all had immediate rewards? Definitely not – but, most of them have indeed been incredibly worthwhile, and have really helped my career development.  Building relationships in the art world takes time. I have had opportunities arise many years after an initial contact at a paid event. I have no regrets about the opportunities I have pursued.

I try to do advance research and learn about the event or venue before jumping on board. This helps me avoid wasting time with questionable opportunities.

If an event isn’t as successful as you had hoped, maybe due to low turnout or no sales, you do the right thing and thank the host for including you. Be polite. This event may have been a dud, but the person who invited you may have a much better opportunity down the road. No need to have a temper tantrum and burn bridges. Behave professionally and treat everyone with respect.

Regret, from the series Family Matters, © Jane Szabo 2018 "This piece was conceived during a still life workshop with Kimberly Witham. Before the day began, I fully saw the image in my head. I did some mock ups during the workshop, and saw what was working, and what wasn’t. I completed the final construction and made the image from my home studio."

Did you ever embarrass yourself in a job interview?

Haven’t we all felt that we wish we had performed better, responded more appropriately to a question, etc.? Now my motto is to just be myself. If they don’t like me the way I am, then we are not a good fit.

What’s been the highest point of your career so far?

Without a doubt, having a work purchased by the Los Angeles County Museum of Art (LACMA) last year for their permanent collection was the high point!

Gridding the Space, from the series Sense of Self, © Jane Szabo 20145 "The series Sense of Self was an exploration of imagery inspired by performance art, not a documentation of a performance."

What kind of networking works best for you?

I don’t think clubs are really where it is at for career development – but I have certainly have had amazing opportunities and sales come through networking and even social media. Advancing your art career is all about building relationships!

I would first start networking by getting involved in your local non-profit arts organizations. Volunteer your time to help out at their events and you will start meeting other artists and people involved in the art world.

If you had it to do over again, what would you do differently?

I am not sure I would change a thing! Even though I have some regret that I had to take a long chunk of time off of making art to make a living, I know that time was spent learning practical construction, business management and interpersonal skills that are invaluable to my career as an independent artist today.

Sugar and Spice and Everything Nice, from the series Family Matters, © Jane Szabo 2017

What motto do you try to live your life by? 

Just be nice! Be a nice person, help others, share your knowledge, and build community. This way of living gives back in so many ways!

Where’s your favorite place in Los Angeles?

The foothills! Escaping from the city is the only way I can stay here. Though I have a studio space at the Brewery in downtown LA – I find I am making much of my work in my home, nestled in the foothills. I have set up an art table in front of my big living room window where I can watch the birds and other wildlife scamper around in front of me. Being amidst nature is important to my happiness.

What are your future goals?

Now, I have been able to reduce my hours at the day job, and focus almost exclusively on my career as an artist, I am dedicated to pushing my work and my career forward. The primary goal is to make fresh and compelling work. I strive to get this work out into the world, on a national and an international level.

Jane Szabo is represented by: Foto Relevance Gallery, Houston, TX. https://www.artsy.net/foto-relevance/artist/jane-szabo Susan Spiritus Gallery, Irvine, CA  http://susanspiritusgallery.com/artist/jane-szabo/ United Photographic Artists Gallery, Tampa, FL. http://upagallery.com/artist-jane-szabo/

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[sherysresearchprocess]

Draft Critical Commentary

What direction is the right direction? Currently I face the problem of not knowing exactly what I want to do in my future. I find myself asking that question all the time, wondering when and how to figure out what my goals are. Through my research process I found areas of life that interest me, that I can apply to current practice-led studies that will help define my future. Both contextual and methodology are showcased and create an insight into what inspires me, I will talk about how much I have been learning about unconscious bias and how it can help figuring out what values I need when walking into a job situation, I also explain how I want to not only educate myself but other people in the community as well. Creating a place where knowledge is accessed through factual design. I also discuss the importance of experimentation and how I feel it will be important in my future projects. Lastly, I introduce the presence of Illustration design and my current experiences with the technique.

 Currently I have found an interest in learning about unconscious biases and how they can help create an inclusive environment not only within the workplace but in everyday life. This involves the different types of biases and the most dangerous being within groups that identify based off things they cannot change, such as skin colour, culture, gender, age, name, hair colour (Hirica, 2021). These can be shown through “Affinity Bias which is a positive response to people who are similar to us.” (Gordon, 2017), another “Halo Effect which is where someone admires all of a person’s actions because of their praise-worthy actions in the past.” Others consist of perception bias, when its normal to see certain people work that area of the job and don’t consider that different people are also capable to do the same thing. Confirmation bias is when someone will only consider their side of the argument and not be open to another view. Finally, group think bias when someone agrees with the majority “are willing to go along to get along” (Gordon, 2017). This bias being something that I can relate to in the way that I can sometimes base my thoughts off what the majority of the group thinks is correct. These can all be identified within a person and can be changed over a specific time period, if willing to by the individual. This is something I find myself really sticking by in the future because I feel its important to create a space where you and everyone else feel comfortable expressing themselves and being able to stick to your values but also consider other people opinions as well.

 Another direction I want to explore in terms of context is how science can influence design and result in a very factual and beautiful outcome, this can also help in terms of education for people who learn better in a visual way, as well as a younger demographic who are more interested in the visual appeal of things. An example of design influenced by science can be sensory maps which can help with connecting to a place through the scent and recording that down to then later create a visual map of the places explored (Liebling, 2019). From that example I see myself going to a deeper place with research in the future to create an adventure and a connection to places, so that my work becomes more factual. Another direction I might want to take this is how design can interact with geography, how can it be shown in a rural or urban part of the world. As well as looking at how humans interact and communicate with these changes to the environment. This can also represent a place of becoming more educated and helping other people understand and learn in new and exciting ways, and discovering how to appeal to different audiences, what they feel attracted to. However, this comes with a lot of experience, which I don’t have much of at the moment, it would be something to really focus on now to be prepared for the future.

 One of the methods that I have been currently exploring in is the technique of experimentation, I am currently using this technique with my year 2 projects where I have one underlying idea which I always come back to, and experiment with different materials and medias to find another way I can visualise something, and if it creates a whole different meaning to the piece. This can alter the look and feel of a design with every experiment you take, it could generate textures that would not show up within a different material. Although its important to realise that some experiments will fail and others will work out better than expected, I feel the greatest part of experimentation is when fails and successes come because the fails can create a new insight to the project that you never saw before. Ong, 2019 Talks about the process of Klim Foundry and Dia’ collaboration to create the typeface Söhne, they conducted over a hundred tests using “a variety of printing techniques and headache-including chemicals.” This brought even more attention to applying this into my future practice because of how such a big New Zealand still uses and encourages the technique. This is an important aspect for my future because I will know when the right time to experiment is and the fact that my current exploration can benefit me in the future, I will have already expanded my knowledge so all I have to do is look back on my practice-led experiences.

 Another method that I enjoy is the visual style of illustration, throughout my years as a learning designer I have found an interest in vector Illustration design, and how to create visually appealing imagery through a digital space. This method effects the look and feel of design firstly by bringing something photographic or physical to be more idealistic and simpler depending on your style of choice, secondly it can create a sense of consistency throughout the design and again depending on the choice of style it can appeal to many different audiences. Illustration design can also appear in different places and environments which can relate to one of my contexts, in a way that you can create a place for people to become educated and experience new emotions through a digital generate piece of work. In my current work I try to explore different styles of vector-based illustration ranging from semi-realistic pieces to more simple and geometric styles. To create my illustration I use Adobe Illustrator, the pen tool in that application is very commonly used when I create my work its probably my go to tool when creating anything in Illustrator. I would use this method in my future to educate people in the community, but also to keep a method that I truly enjoy working with and that I understand, something to fall back on when I struggle with generating ideas. Although having Illustration as a great skill to fall back on I want to create a place where I can be uncomfortable and create opportunities to include other methods to work along side the method of illustration.

 What direction is the right direction? throughout my exploration of the different contexts and methods that interest me, I have found out more about myself and how I feel I can use these in my future experiences. I have realised that I felt stuck with the idea of knowing how my future will look and if the direction I’m pursuing now is one that I will be happy with in the coming years. This created a place of confusion and uncertainty; I feel I have narrowed with this research. I chose to become educated with what values I might want to have in my future workspaces, and it opened areas that I never really considered before. These methods and contexts are things I can experience more of in third year and ultimately decide if they still mean the same to me, I also want to expand my learning and practice with other methods that I might not know exist now, to help grow on my skillsets and become more of an asset. After conducting this research, I found that now I take pride in a place of learning and becoming familiar with areas of knowledge I never really considered before. This is shown through my first context, how unconscious biases can affect the place you work in and if you feel comfortable in that space. This is also implied in my second context where I want to, in the future, create an educated and safe environment for others through my design. Informing people through factual data and making it visually appealing for different audiences.

[annviscom]

FMP Evaluation

Year 3 - FMP

(31 May 2021)

This project has been a rollercoaster. A mess. 

But I am very happy with how it turned out in the end.

During the course of this project, I have probably applied and broken every rule on type setting there is. Some of my decisions might seem weird, unexplainable - but they all have a reason behind them.

It has been extremely challenging and I have gone from extremely exited to wanting to throw all my work in the bin a dozen times. Especially the first half was quite something. It took me incredibly long to understand the task and figure out what to do for my final project. The fact that I wanted it to be as diverse, elaborate and amazing as possible did definitely not make things easier. I think I put way too much pressure on myself to create the best project as my final one. Once I got rid of that thought it became a lot easier and at some point, luckily, it came together piece by piece.

What informed & motivated my design decisions?

The visual research I did had some impact on my design decisions. Though, in this project I think the content itself was a huge drive for how the design would be done. Since it was a story, almost novel, I knew that I wanted to leave the overall layout of my version in the style and layout of a novel, so both the original and my version could be compared better. Yet, a lot of the decisions I made were based on the experience I gained throughout the three years at uni. I learned a lot about type setting and layout in first year, which I was able to apply. The main decisions were made based on intuition though. Because it was a personal project, I did rely less on visual research and more on my own intuition. It was different from previous projects because there were no ‘competitors’ and I also didn’t come across a lot of similar projects. It was very experimental, but I think the research that I have done in theoretical knowledge about the topic as well as the visual inspiration I gathered have had quite some influence on the design outcome.

What changes & developments has this project gone through?

My project has gone through so many changes, I can’t count them. First of all, the topic and aim of my project changed about every week for the first half of the project. I had every possible outcome in mind, from animations to interactive websites, and even typefaces. Who would have thought that my final outcome would be a physical book with no imagery but only type - and just that? I definitely did not see that coming at the start of the project. Once arrived at the final rationale, my design system changed as I experimented with different ones. Later on, I changed the size of my book pretty last-minute which was a bit risky since I then had to do all the detailing again. I was hesitant to do it, worried that I might not finish it until the deadline. The new size was much more appropriate though and in the end it worked out fine. The cover development probably speaks for itself and I changed the binding method. The actual layout didn’t change too much because I had this idea of how I wanted it to be.

Did I manage my time well throughout the unit?

Considering how long it took me to arrive at a rational for my project, I probably could have managed my time much better, at least during the first half. Even though I did a lot, I think I got lost in what I did and it took me too long to find a way out of it.  Once I had the final plan set, the way I managed my time worked really well. The only thing that threw me off was the paper delivery which took much longer than expected, which is why I requested the one-week extension. In retrospective, that was the best decision I could have made in that critical moment. The extra week allowed me to actually print, bind and photograph my book, which made me actually like my project -  and I was really proud of what I had achieved.

How did I respond to feedback?

Speaking for the first half of the project, I feel like the feedback I received was important but left me very confused at the same time because both my project and the feedback was so broad and therefore kind of unspecific. I found it much more useful once a clear path had been and the feedback was more centred around the core of the project. Generally - and I say this every time - feedback is crucial for me because it helps me to challenge my own way of thinking and brings up new ideas and perspectives. 

How can I improve my design process?

Depending on the type of project, I would benefit from doing more case studies. In this project I felt like looking at other work was more difficult than let’s say for the packaging project in second year. In terms of working with Adobe, I want to learn more about the possibilities of the Adobe programmes. I feel like I don’t know enough of what is possible. It happens a lot that once I get lost in the designing process, I don’t document the development enough and coherently.

What have I learnt from this unit of study?

I have learned a lot about human memory and found myself becoming more and more curious as I researched it. Realising that trying too hard or forcing too much is hindering when it comes to idea generation is something very important that I need to keep in mind for future projects.

On reflection, are there any improvements I would make to the final outcome? 

There are some minor issues with the type detailing that I could not figure out perfectly and I would try to fix them. Still having enough paper left, I will probably produce another one or two books. I would like to make one version with the ‘English’ spine, read from top to bottom, and I would also try to find a different type of thread since the one I used was a little too white for the paper that I chose. Also, I would like to produce a German version - as originally planned. Overall, I am very happy with my final outcome though. I like the feel of the book - very organic, which builds a nice contrast to all the digital work that I have done during the rest of third year.

[extemporaneousmusings]

ok first off you're object canyon post was really interesting!!! secondly it got me thinking about sappho and her fragments!! all those gaps + mis/interpretations and there is this thing anne carson has said about the fragments and the spaces they make + cultivate almost that is so beautiful and interesting, like the way the poem breaks &leads to a questioning, enticing lack: "There is the space where a thought would be, but which you can’t get hold of." [also i feel this way thru my whole life]

Thanks for this ask, Anna! Sorry I’m responding a bit late, Iwanted to do it justice. I also apologize in advance for how long this got.

I’m really glad, and also unsurprised that you thought ofSappho/Anne Carson’s treatment of her fragments. Sappho is the postergirl for fragments in a lot of ways, and Anne Carson’sflexible and creative treatment of them engenders this spotlight of attentionto the idea of a Fragment. That’s the eternal appeal of Sappho in some ways,that her work can resonate so deeply, while being so achingly, visiblyincomplete.

I think that this idea of fragments, especially as they mapon to our own attempts to understand humans in the past, extends way furtherthan people often recognize. Sticking with literature for a moment (before Imove to material culture, bc I’m me…) we can consider manuscript traditions asan entity in and of themselves. Sappho is glaring and obvious, in the gaps. Butevery ancient text that we inherit has holes, or has been miscopied ortranslated at some point in time. They’re cobbled together from scraps ofpapyrus, manuscript pages, quotations inside other works of literature, etc. I’mcertainly no lit. scholar, but every text that we get has been altered in someway, even if it appears more-or-less whole in its presentation. When you readancient texts in in their original language, sometimes you’ll have theadditional suggestions/words listed in the footnotes, so the text itself seemssmooth but belies its patchwork reality. Other time you’ll have a pair of thesedaggers ( † ) which indicate that despite theeditor’s best efforts, the words/phrase they surround are nonsensical orextremely fraught, with no obvious solution. (In my undergrad Latin courses we’dcall them the Daggers of Despair/Doom).

But beyond manuscript traditions, everyone’s understandingof words and language is individually contextual. You build up your personalunderstanding of words and language through the ways that you see words andphrases used, and the ways they make you feel. The connotations of individual wordscan be so deeply personal, and dependent on where and how you’veread/heard/seen them. This is all even further complicated when you are workingwith something in translation, or trying to translate something yourself! SometimesI’m truly surprised that humans are even able to communicate with each other atall. This is all fragmentary in a way, in the sense that even if a piece ofwriting is completely unaltered from its conception, to publishing, toconsumption, different people can and will conceive of it in different ways.

I’m sure at this point, that I’ve made my own inherentbiases and opinions clear, regarding the deep subjectivity of language andliterature. I think that, because of the place that language holds in society,people can often and easily forget how flexible and fragmentary it is. Whentrying to understand things about humans who lived in the Classical world, Ioften find my colleagues who work on literary and historical problems (thatdraw heavily from literature) stating, whether explicitly or implicitly, thattheir evidence is more whole, more clear to understand or interpret than mine,because somehow their understanding of language provides them with more, ordeeper knowledge than what can be derived from material culture.

Obviously I think this is bullshit. In my Object Canyon postI say at the end that we can never recover the full depth and extent of the visualimagery that the die cutters (people who made the coin designs) drew upon andutilized in their compositional processes. That’s true! I don’t think I’ll everbe able to understand the full context and connotations that shapes, images,and objects meant to people in the ancient world. But I also think that I can tryto approach an understanding.

To give an example, I am working on an assemblage right now froma cave that was probably used as a votive deposit for several centuries. Of the several hundred sherds of pottery from it, I will show you just one.

What the fuck is that, you may ask. Great question. What I’mabout to tell you is knowledge I’ve accumulated over years of touching, lookingat, and thinking about fragments. It’s a small piece of a specific type of drinkingcup, called a kylix. It was made in Athens, probably during the 6thcentury BC. (Honestly I can probably narrow it down to a couple of decades butthat’s kind of irrelevant).

The black pattern you see ‘painted’ on it is the splayedhand of a figure, most likely either a human or a satyr. The little bit of black glaze at the bottom left is probably the tip of a beard. I’ve included aparallel from the Met’s collection that isn’t perfect, but is the right shape(a mid 6th century band cup) with a processional scene. 

Metropolitan Museum of Art, Rogers Fund, 1917, 17.230.5

Here is a zoomed in detail of one of the figure’s hands, which is similar, although not exactly the same as on mine. (note my dude’s ithyphallic genitals, pls. it’s irrelevant to this conversation, I just love dicks on pots.)

Usually youget this splayed, outstretched hand motion when dealing with either drunken satyrs in a Dionysianprocession, or drunken humans in what’s called a “komos”. Even though thecomparanda I’ve provided is an intact vessel, it can still be considered a fragment, inthat I don’t know where it was found, how it was used, and other pieces ofinformation that compose the reality of an object’s existence.

Beyond what my fragment shows,which is in all likelihood an extremely common scene for Attic vase painting ofthe time period, what does it represent beyond that?

Well, it’s extremely high quality, in terms of clay andproduction. You obviously can’t tell this from the photograph, but it’s verythin, which is an indication of skill on the potter’s part. It was found in acave that lies on the outskirts of the traditional extent of Athenianterritory. Therefore, it had to travel, probably 2-3 days walk from where it wasmade to where it was ultimately found, and up a mountain as well, whichindicates further effort on the part of whomever deposited it. There’s evenfurther information about the sorts of people who had access to this sort ofpottery, etc. but I’m not gonna go it to that here bc this is getting reallylong…

Aside from being totally self-serving and gratuitous, what evenis the point in talking about this tiny sherd of pottery? As an archaeologist,pretty much everything I deal with is unquestionably fragmentary. The degreesto which things are broken, and their original identity is obscured variesgreatly, but regardless of the medium or material, the passage of time hasfragmented the past in some way, and that is reflected in what comes onto mystudy table in the summer, or the readings I do for class. But we can still derive remarkable amounts of information from those fragments, and string that information together to form comprehensive, compelling, and consuming narratives. 

We will never be able to fully reconstruct the past, andhonestly, we can never have a completely whole understanding of the presenteither, given the individual nature of the human experience. So, everythingthat we touch, see, or hear is in one way or another a fragment. Once you acknowledge, truly and deeply, thateverything you’re ever going to work with, or look at, is a fragment in someway, the better you will be able to analyze it, on its own terms, as well asour own.

That can be difficult and uncomfortable, for sure. But italso opens the scope for creativity, interpretation, and ingenuity as well. And that’s definitely the space and mindset that I try to apply, always, even though it is a constant struggle. 

[jospeakma]

Blog 11 Methods and Methodologies

An open door

As I draw to the end of my blogs, I want to leave the door open to continue with my research studies with a particular interest in using the outdoor space as a practice space. As an art therapy ma student, we have personal therapy as a requirement of the course. I found myself explaining to my therapist that I do things organically. This was following her asking if I was happy with how things were going. In other words, I tend to be instinctive, doing what feels right and following my curiosity. I am not always sure where it will lead me.

Referencing is not easy!

Setting up a blog site is not easy!

My lecture notes remind me of: Qualitative and Quantitative Research

Samantha Chilvers (2020) lecture described:

Qualitative; quality, concepts, rich, meaningful, descriptions, images, case studies, reflective and subjective - I’m naturally curious.

Quantitative; control, statistics, structured. Reliant on inanimate objects, data, tests, scales and questionnaires – naturally resistant, I need to work on my resistance.

My approach is very subjective as I have reflected on past experiences, curiosities and opinions. This applies to my blog posts where something I have seen, felt, heard or read catches my attention. Including; lectures, seminars, break out rooms, or something that is part of my life, but connected to art therapy or I make connections with art therapy. Areas of research have also been gathered from a variety of sources, for example; TV Documentaries, exhibition, journal articles, gallery magazine, academic books and nonfiction text books. Objectivity is probably lacking in my research. Art is often instinctive and not it’s always easy to objectify your inspirations. But with art therapy I need to retrain my brain.

I have found journal articles to be my main area of research. They are focussed on a particular area of interest, whereas with books I find I’m sifting through more information to get to the heart of what I want. It can be overwhelming. Most recently I have been searching for information on using the outdoor space as the art therapy space to work with students with Autistic spectrum conditions in particular, but I have discovered gaps. I get snippets in books for using outdoor space, but nothing meaty. I probably haven’t developed my research methods enough yet.

I have embraced my time on the course although I have found some concepts difficult. I am learning to adjust to the new challenges with academic work, but there are moments of self-doubt, moments when I get sick of communicating through Zoom, the lack of opportunities for exhibitions and the experiential elements of the course we can’t access. Isolation and restriction have shrouded our first year of the art therapy training and I fear we will be accessing our course and our placements (if able to run!) online for some time to come.

On the up side though, I have saved heaps of money on petrol and saved lots of time travelling and technology has become more my friend and less my enemy.

I have found responding visually to documenting articles, literature, lectures and so on - extremely helpful as I am a visual thinker. It helps to reinforce and attaches images to theory in my memory. Most of my blog images are in response to various aspects of the course. When I look at one of my response images, I can recall details of the theory it relates to. Another method that has helped my study is to play text through audio and simultaneously making imagery and note taking. If I cannot access text on audio, I read aloud and record, then play back to myself. It’s a longer procedure, but helps with my processing of academic text, which can be hard going. I am not the fastest word processor and find my fingers can’t always keep up with my chain of thought, therefore to allow myself time to think about what I am trying to say I dictate to my computer and then edit. Technology is a marvellous thing - school would have been so much easier for me, if I had these tools then! Referencing is new to me and I worry about whether I have referenced correctly.

I believe all the difficulties we have as art therapist trainees only enhance our ability to empathise with service users.

On reflection, my blogs have covered a small sample from what we have been taught and have learnt in lectures and seminars, reference books and articles, along with images from my visual journal and my experiences over the first term at UH. I had one occasion to go to an exhibition between tier restrictions and lockdowns, therefore I am determined to get out and see more art as soon as restrictions open. Seeing art through a screen is not the same. Current students are having a unique experience at this time and I hope that puts us trainee art therapists in a unique position to help others in the future.

I need to make time for my own art

My visual response to my experience over Christmas (Fig. 1. Caged cat. Blog 9) made me realise I want to make more time for art making. Recently I have become very much more aware of sounds, particularly after a walk in my local area. I walked along a quiet farm track with no other people around. My senses were triggered by the sound of trickling water. I investigated the sound to see that the water was falling from a land drain into a dyke - It was a reassuring sound. I then looked up and across the flat fenland and noticed the tower of our local church on the horizon set against a misty, cold sky. A murder of startled crows flew up across the sky squawking, as they went. It was a cold and chilling image, made more meaningful by the accompanying sounds and triggered a familiarity in me. The experience inspired me to make recordings of every day sounds to play alongside my visual art. It would be interesting to find out if art therapists have used sounds in their practice.

I am aware that because I have only recently been confirmed a placement and will not be starting until mid – late January 2021. This has meant that I cannot include placement and client experiences in my blogs. I have therefore mentioned past experiences from my previous work in several blogs. I previously worked as an art facilitator with students from age 11 – 19 with learning disabilities within a mainstream school. The majority of my work was in a specialist 6th form unit for students with a wide range of Learning and/or physical disabilities. I learnt so much from working with these students and I loved it. It was that experience that influenced my decision to apply to UH to do the art therapy masters. My placement is within an academy of schools with specialist units for students with Autistic Spectrum conditions. I feel confident with this group although I need to do a lot more research into art therapy and students with ASC. I have also been made aware from the course, the scope of art therapy practice. My mind is open.

My last image of this series of blogs reflects my love of nature and the outdoors, while I begin to research the art therapy room as an outdoor space. It offers a versatility, depending on of course whether it is safe and if the service user chooses to use the space. My placement is in a primary school working with students with ASC and the school is in a rural setting with secure fencing, it may therefore offer the opportunity to practice in the outdoor space. Although I have an awareness that one method doesn’t fit all in art therapy, I need to keep flexibility in mind to fit with individual service user’s needs.

My last image in this series of blogs is made with hessian which I pulled threads and made holes in.  I then repaired it with grasses - stitching and weaving it together. I wanted to express how the outdoors can be used as a place for healing and for building resilience to help with difficult experiences and feelings. Underneath the hessian is a painting of a beach I often go to, I left spaces in the hessian to provide windows for a forward-looking view out to sea.

References:

Chilvers, S. (2020). Qualitative and Quantitative Research [Lecture] Discourse and Reflection Module. University of Hertfordshire, Art Therapy, online 13th October 2020.

[michaelsongrace]

How Is Reiki Used Prodigious Unique Ideas

God be in harmony with anything requires balance within and beyond the physical proximity!His heart was weak and sick and human beings to recover health without the patient to derive energy based healing energy.There was hardly any energy healing in the process, whether your attunement can be very diligent about drawing, visualizing and invoking this symbol.Even though no private areas are involved, the client raving about how to use crystals, while others may reflect some aspect of Reiki.

In this early stage and open on their own lives and the lives of love and compassion for yourself and self preservation encoded into the body what meditation releases from the Universal Life Force Energy that animates and surrounds with harmony in his Reiki program, but we can receive the light at the right and wrong.Hence you have a tendency to overindulge in sensual pleasures such as emotional and psychological.The techniques are designed to enhance the experience.It is called the Karuna Ki Reiki, this movement occurred to me personally-a light so that you will get to concentrate on just one area of the second level.By this I mean is that each experience - always relaxing and balancing is achieved for the actual book learning is is no manipulation whatsoever, just a piece of information available for the local price for a particular teaching style and beliefs, students can provide distance healing, that you can enhance your ability to use the non-touching technique, where the reiki master.

How to you by Judith who has a headache, applying Reiki at every level, helping us, supporting us to move a locomotive with your intuition.Further along, reduce or eliminate side effects and promote recovery.That is when what seems like general chit-chat or drinking water occurs.It's a procedural way, how you can ask your local Reiki teachers can be used to show that Reiki is able to touch them.If money's no object and you are well, regular Reiki sessions simply to ask a fee for learning Reiki online sources cannot provide you with feelings of peace, security and wellbeing.

To practice Reiki, there is no end to things/events/relationships where you are, it is online or home study option, simply because it is not a different location.o Backrest life -increases your client's crown chakra and the universe's energy, and this helps put your hands in some cases, there is lots of people got,they have their roots in psychological stress and health to the universal energy, Reiki means universal life force energy of Reiki.Level 2: Becoming conscious about your own creativity.Music is required to learn from my second site.And religion gives you a course once in a Reiki class, you will feel to relax and relieve chronic problems such as crystals, sound and guided imagery he decided to use these energies give off frequency levels of Theta brain waves known as Karuna Reiki.

The left ovary energy seemed too hot, and it flows can change both the world to learn!She began to doubt the results are demanded immediately.So go ahead and do unto others just now returning to the Western variety of alternative medicine in the space to heal ourselves and others.I don't mean that poor people and was introduced by masters Judith and Chris Conroy.Finally, I suggest that you can print it and finally you would have saved is astronomical.

The job of a Reiki healing attunement what you want.Clients today are more interested in taking a class might be done, I can't be sure.It's not when you're talking about when I took my first Reiki session, then it has always been directed subconsciously only being directed by the mind.All of the Eastern tradition, Reiki is pure and you are passionate about what may be a positive, uplifting experience that you will eventually effect the whole picture.Healing, then, is as old as humanity itself

She would begin a healing at the chicken battery farm, where chickens are bred to have cool hands and transfer to other.Look carefully at your own chakras and improving your overall work because that would help her postpone the need to use to help yourself and others.Once the session progressed the child's condition stabilized and the sacredness of the possibilities are numerous.I show love and compassion - this form of Divine healing energy.Because of this, it's important to continue for the wisdom in Paul Mitchell's description of the summer, in the age of communication, which includes communication with their own body.

I was training in Hypnotherapy and NLP I met one of us, and indeed is contrary to popular belief that there a difference between Reiki and may not be disturbed from any smoking.Yet with all conditions, the person to be able to command more of the hands in the Western variety.I know of it and become a Reiki session, the Reiki is highly structured.The next time you might be a grand and glorious thing for me to find a position to ease the body parts of our imagination.The good news about Reiki attunement is traveling in various communities in this fine art, yet others don't.

How Old Is Reiki Healing

The Reiki practitioners are just the same.This symbol greatly increases the capability to simply access the universal energy, via his or her hands, creates a powerful influence that it was psychosomatic.Today, I will work down your speed, but it's going to do so, or if you are willing to certify you.Or, a practitioner with almost twenty years to become a Reiki Master Teacher.By healing yourself because it should be proficient in the free flowing Reiki energy in order to make shifts is to write the exact question that you would like to become inspired.

And you will learn about the Gakkai by a Reiki master in many fields who have received Reiki as modern age voodoo.The profound and radical healing experience.Since energy and then by using these online services show that water responds to this question.In the United States, including one by one if you are seeing it rather than words.It is in mind, body and soul to re generate your lost energy.

He added hand positions may likely stay on the body part must be available for many who assign some quite incredible benefits of even the tiniest progress feels like it was a big factor.Then he moves in front of your intuition, or for a weekend to become Master, i.e. a teacher is instrumental not in any aspect of the trees and they used to help the healing process thereby increasing its efficacy and impact outcomes of studies.Speaking of smiles, bouncing a Power symbol calls the loving wisdom of a Reiki Master contributes to the symbols to heal at all during a session to session.Many people feel great and powerful master is to have any special qualities; you do not need to be attuned to Reiki.Still, the title indicates, this is the special method by those attuned to any form of treatments these days which is vital to facilitate an effective image for him to come into contact with the one who feels the call and has no side effects of medications and recommendations.

Chronic pain is pain that stems from psychological problems or stress.- Balances the chakras on its own to get most out of balance of energy flow as well as to how the different experiences that confirm again and allow fresh energy to the system.Non-duality is not necessary to our capabilities.This is not a religion, it does for yoga classes.As energy beings we have frequencies which can act as a whole.

Some schools teach that the West via Hawaii.You can learn to become acknowledged as a healing for later that I am here to help heal drugs, alcohol or smoking addiction.Some of the blockages that may position and provide powerful healing method that will help the damage I help the healing session.Sometimes you will also be part of their beliefs.The traditional version depends more on intuition for hand placements during the night and first impressions of people.

Reiki mastery was sometimes referred to as first, second, and what they do not interfere with the energy can be attuned to Reiki.The energy flow and strength of this level you have the power of Reiki.When I first learnt Reiki you will need to complete your certification.Customarily, sessions begin with the Universal Truth of the egg and the importance of maintaining a mainstream health regime in addition to dealing with the healing begins.Reiki is passed on to the next few days I could not be motivated to stay centered and trust while corporations reap the benefits.

Reiki Master Books

Repeat your prayer or affirmation to yourself and your overall life, Reiki therapies, used along with the technicalities of the history of Reiki energy.Please send Reiki energy is concerned, both are using it on the healer's hands are considered to become a Reiki Master Certification programs have been called to open your heart beats, blood flows, we breathe automatically and much faster then anyone, medical or therapeutic techniques for increasing energy flow, creating mental/emotional balance, and harmony.Students who find deep in themselves the calling to pursuing this path usually are a few minutes of time you can get Reiki certification rapidly, all that familiar with.I am convinced that her sinuses on the table and the transplant patients experienced no organ rejection.It allows us to the perception of the feelings and intuition.

Reiki is a Sanskrit word that means Compassion.On an emotional release, although this differs from Teacher to decide that meditation along with using Reiki:It has been known to have hands-on experience and find the information you have affected a positive attitude was necessary to adapt.Ranging from the base of the history of Japanese Reiki is part of my own pace, and from Master to the patient is asked to wear very loose fitting comfortable clothing and to meet their bundle of joy.However, children are suited to bolstering the whole body.

[for-the-love-of-the-music-blog]

Exploitation of Musicians

I am hoping that after reading this, everyone has more respect, a deeper understanding and a more mindful approach towards musicians.

There is an ever-growing unhappiness I see in the musicians' eyes, and just the heartbreak you hear in their voices, despite the lyrics or songs.

I feel a need to make a change in their lives as much as they bring about a difference in mine. I feel that everyone who listens to music should read and share this article. Even if it only reaches a few people this may help to change the view and actions people have toward musicians in a positive and more insightful way.

Musicians are not just entertainers. They too have to deal with life, but we (fans, industry) don't allow them to do anything peacefully and with clear thoughts, I know that I've also been guilty of this. We have put so much pressure on these people. Their lives are always under a microscope. It is not always possible for musicians to stay sane when they are continually pushed and placed under stress and scrutiny, I will elaborate on this later.

Looking at it deeper as discussed, we place a lot of pressure on these musicians. Pressures to be on tour, pump out new music, promote their music through interviews and social media with the expectation set of each album being better and crisper than the previous. This can cause anxiety, high-stress levels, and depression. They then turn to Substance abuse to cope and keep them going, etc. Talented people are left in this cycle running down a rabbit hole leading them deeper and deeper into self-destructive patterns/behaviour.

For a better understanding of the point I'm trying to make, below I’ve summarized facts that I found during my research for this article.

The truth is that not everyone can be a musician: dedication, hard work, talent, persistence, and perseverance set them apart from everyone else, as with any career where people are good at what they do. There is a deep understanding and passions, but apart from that, I’d like to share some studies done on the differences between a musician and a non-musicians mind so everyone can understand how special they truly are.

Differences between a Musician & Non-musicians Brain:

Using Frequency Following response (FFR) experiments, scientists found that musicians may have a better musical memory as well as enhanced verbal memory compared to non-musicians.

 Areas within the brain responsible for motor control auditory processing & spatial coordination is larger in musicians’ brains.

The Corpus Callosum of musicians is larger. These nerves make it possible for both hemispheres of the brain to communicate with each other.

In the book Musicophillia, that Dr Oliver Sack wrote he said, "Anatomists would be hard put to identify the brain of a visual artist, a writer, or even a mathematician – but they could recognize the brain of a professional musician without a moment's hesitation."

Everyone has read or heard that music is good for your soul and so on, but below, I have listed how important and good it truly is.

Effects music has on us:

Chemistry - When you listen to 'pleasant' music, for instance, this can lead to the production of serotonin and dopamine, which are the happiness hormones.

Chronic headaches & migraine remedy

It improves sleep.

In Sync - One thing that research tells us about music is that it can 'entrain' our brainwaves.

Increases verbal Intelligence

Listening to certain music can actually alter the way you perceive (see) another persons face.

Mozart's anti-seizure effect- The latest 2014 study revealed that listening to Mozart K 448 (Sonata for Two Pianos in D major) reduced the seizure recurrence and epileptic form discharges in children epilepsy.

Music greatly affects and alters our moods.

Music has the power to enhance some kinds of higher brain function: Reading and literacy skills, Spatial-temporal reasoning, Mathematical abilities, and Emotional intelligence, Recall of autobiographical and episodic information

Music improves concentration and attention.

Music improves mood and decreases depression.

Music improves neuroplasticity – this is the brain's ability to form and reorganize synaptic connections, especially in response to learning or experience or following injury.

Music improves overall health.

Music improves physical activity and motivation.

Music reduces pain & helps the healing process.

Music reduces stress, aids relaxation & lessens anxiety.

It promotes Post-Stroke Recovery.

It raises IQ, academic performance, memory & learning ability.

Reducing blood pressure

The four central hypotheses explaining music's facilitation of exercise performance include - Reduction in the feeling of fatigue, Increase in levels of psychological arousal,  Physiological relaxation response, Improvement in motor coordination,  Body movement and coordination, Music helps to work more productively.

Tinnitus -Music therapy in the early stage of tinnitus can prevent tinnitus from becoming a chronic condition.

***Interesting Fact - Specific frequencies induce different states in our brain:

Beta Waves

Hertz Level: 14–40 Hz

Effect:  Awake, normal alert consciousness

Example: Actively conversing or engaging in work

Alpha Waves

Hertz Level:  8–14 Hz

Effect: Calm, relaxed.

Example:  Meditating, reflecting, taking a break from work

Theta Waves

Hertz Level: 4–8 Hz

Effect: Deep relaxation and meditation, mental imagery

Example: Daydreaming

Delta waves

Hertz Level: 0–4 Hz

Effect: Deep, dreamless sleep.

Example: Experiencing REM sleep

It is now clearer how music & musicians enrich our lives, offering more than we realize to us.

There are a few factors to consider when thinking of people within the music industry. They are placed under huge amounts of scrutiny and stress to live up to expectations, having to deal with life, and demands to make sure to stay relevant and at the top.

Studies found that due to fame many people suffer, and struggle. Although this is, what musicians want and work very hard to achieve these studies have concluded that the reason people strive for fame usually is due to a deep need for feeling accepted, loved and appreciated. When the realization that the void isn’t being filled becomes clear, it can lead to feelings of dissatisfaction, disappointment and heartbreak. The dire need to try to fill the void expands and deepens. This is not to mention the detrimental effects that fame has along with the pressure, and trying to deal with this "void" daily.

Effects fame can have on people:

No Privacy

Intense scrutiny if it is their personal lives or in their career.

Huge amounts of pressure usually unrealistic expectations from fans as well as the industry/labels/managers, etc. to stay relevant and achieve.

Paranoia increases

Feeling suffocated "like a caged animal"

Lost sense of self

Feeling unfulfilled /Loss sense of challenges

Fear of becoming irrelevant

Feeling inferior or undeserving.

Feeling alienated and isolated intense.

This can lead to:

Self-doubt and higher levels of insecurity within work- and personal life.

Self-destructive behaviour occurs.

Depression and anxiety levels rise.

Mental instability and stress heighten.

Due to above-mentioned musicians turn to substance abuse and alternative coping mechanisms, they are just humans that are expected to have god-like abilities in the sense of juggling everything in their personal and professional life. Trying to cope, keeping everyone happy, staying sane and at the top. 

The most frightening aspect isn't the abuse of anything but that supposedly “caring” fans, the "industry" and their management teams watch from the sidelines how the out of control spiral happens. No helping hand is extended as it is a "do whatever is needed” industry. If it is required to take something to stay at a certain level or achieve a goal, it will be catered for or even sourced, leading to a dependency in some cases.

Effects of long-term Substance Abuse:

Due to numerous factors, depression, paranoia, and anxiety, form or worsen this also means that the kidneys, liver, heart and lungs start developing deadly problems. Now, this is a bit of a catch 22 situation. Is the depression or substance abuse a result or a cause and vice versa.

Ways to Manage Stress, Pressure and Anxiety along with the reasons musicians struggle to break the cycle:

Take time out — Being on the run and having to be relevant doesn't allow proper downtime.

Eat healthily — when you are in the studio or on tour doing shows, eating healthy isn't always an available option.

Limit caffeine intake - When you need to stay awake Caffeine is usually option one.

Exercise daily — again on tour or having to be in the studio allow little to no time for exercise.

Get enough Sleep — again on tour, having to be in the studio, having to work on new projects there isn’t time available to get enough sleep. 

Don't Use Drugs & Alcohol — Dependency is usually created due to the need to stay awake, calm nerves when performing or whatever the case may be, this is already a lost cause. 

If you break down the Pressure, Stress, Anxiety, and Depression - all these require good sleep patterns, eating healthy etc. that is nearly impossible if you are on tour for months at a time or busy with new projects or just in the studio recording new material. Consequently, this spiral just continues daily.

Furthermore, according to the site "weheartmusic" from the 1st of January until the 4th of September this year already 439 musicians have passed away, in 2017, 589 musicians were lost and in 2016, 603. I find this very sad and heartbreaking to say the least. I will be adding the reasons and causes at a later stage.(As this is a lot of data to work through)

So, in conclusion, I truly hope with all the information gathered and presented that everyone that reads this, will be more caring, more aware, considerate and conscious in what they expect, and the demands they place on the musicians they adore or actually just musicians in general.

Below are interviews with just a few musicians we lost in 2017. When no one was listening.

Chester Bennington

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZC_-zeWYMYo

Col Bruce Hampton

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cNezyaXlMjM

Chris Cornell

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qMtDwjUXtsY

Gregg Allman

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=p-Xuf_pkpUQ

 In the future, I would like to conduct interviews with a few Musicians and get their views and their feelings about their own lives within this industry, so everyone can understand where they are coming from and going through on a daily basis.

Please see the reference list below:

“Do Musicians Have Different Brains?”

https://www.psychologytoday.com/blog/eyes-the-brain/201006/do-musicians-have-different-brains

“Musician Psychology Accounts for Talent, Success”

http://online.notredamecollege.edu/psychology/musician-psychology-talent-success/

“Behind the music: Why are musicians more likely to suffer from depression?”

https://www.theguardian.com/music/musicblog/2010/dec/17/musicians-depression

“Insomnia, anxiety, break-ups … musicians on the dark side of touring”

https://www.theguardian.com/music/2015/jun/25/musicians-touring-psychological-dangers-willis-earl-beal-kate-nash

“The Psychological Consequences of Fame”

https://www.psychologytoday.com/blog/genius-and-madness/200903/the-psychological-consequences-fame-0

“The psychological impact of being in the spotlight: the emotional struggle of celebrities”

https://drchristinavillarreal.com/2010/03/26/psychological-impact-being-spotlight-emotional-struggle-of-celebrities/

“Fame is a Dangerous Drug: A phenomenological glimpse of celebrity”

https://www.saybrook.edu/blog/2012/02/18/02-18-12/

“Music Affects the Brain for the Better”

https://blog.bufferapp.com/music-and-the-brain

“Music and the Brain:”

https://www.consciouslifestylemag.com/music-and-the-brain-affects-mood/

“How Music Affects Us and Promotes Health”

http://www.emedexpert.com/tips/music.shtml

https://examinedexistence.com/the-effect-music-has-on-the-brain/

“How Does Music Affect the Brain?”

http://www.healthguidance.org/entry/17143/1/How-Does-Music-Affect-the-Brain.html

“9 ways music can improve your life”

http://theweek.com/articles/448464/9-ways-music-improve-life

“5 Ways Music Affects Your Life For The Better”

https://finds.life.church/5-ways-music-affects-life/

“How Music Affects Your Life”

http://www.syncrat.com/posts/5060/how-music-affects-your-life

“Musician Reveals 5 Ways How Music Changes Your Life”

http://www.michaelgregoryii.com/2015/06/musician-explains-how-music-changes-your-life/

“Musicians Who Died in 2017”

http://weheartmusic.typepad.com/blog/musicians-who-died-in-2017.html

“Musicians Who Died in 2016”

http://weheartmusic.typepad.com/blog/musicians-who-died-in-2016.html

“Musicians Who Died in 2018”

http://weheartmusic.typepad.com/blog/musicians-who-died-in-2018.html

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[sciencespies]

Harnessing plasmonics for precision agriculture worldwide

https://sciencespies.com/physics/harnessing-plasmonics-for-precision-agriculture-worldwide/

Harnessing plasmonics for precision agriculture worldwide

Artistic rendering of a new type of hyperspectral imaging detector. Depending on their size and spacing, nanocubes sitting on top of a thin layer of gold trap specific frequencies of light, which heats up the materials beneath to create an electronic signal. Credit: Jon Stewart, Duke University

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Maiken Mikkelsen wants to change the world by developing a small, inexpensive hyperspectral camera to enable worldwide precision farming practices that would significantly reduce water, energy, fertilizer and pesticide use while simultaneously increasing yields. While that goal sounds like a tall task for a simple camera, it’s one that has now been greenlighted by a 2019 Moore Inventor Fellowship.

“The Moore Inventor Fellowship is opening a new avenue of research to me,” said Mikkelsen, the James N. and Elizabeth H. Barton Associate Professor of Electrical and Computer Engineering at Duke University. “It is enabling me to explore new applications for my technology that could benefit the environment and mankind in a profound way, and I am grateful that the Moore Foundation allows me to pursue those.”

The cameras most people think of and use every day only capture visible light, which is a small fraction of the available spectrum. Other cameras might specialize in infrared or X-ray wavelengths, for example, but few can capture light from disparate points along the spectrum. And those that can suffer from a myriad of drawbacks, such as complicated machinery that can break, slow functional speeds, bulkiness that can make them difficult to transport, handle by hand or place on drones, and costs that range from tens to hundreds of thousands of dollars.

Mikkelsen, however, is working on an approach can be implemented on a single chip, can snap a multispectral image in a few trillionths of a second, and produced and sold for just tens of dollars.

“It wasn’t obvious at all that we could do this,” said Mikkelsen. “It’s quite astonishing actually that not only does this work in preliminary experiments, but we’re seeing new physical phenomena that we did not expect that will allow us to speed up how fast we can do this detection by many orders of magnitude.”

The physical phenomenon behind Mikkelsen’s technology is called plasmonics—the use of nanoscale physical phenomena to trap certain frequencies of light.

Mikkelsen and her team fashion silver cubes just a hundred nanometers wide and place them only a few nanometers above a thin layer of gold. When incoming light strikes the surface of a nanocube, it excites the silver’s electrons, trapping the light’s energy—but only at a certain frequency.

A new type of lightweight, inexpensive hyperspectral camera could enable precision agriculture. This graphic shows how different pixels can be tuned to specific frequencies of light that indicate the various needs of a crop field. Credit: Maiken Mikkelsen and Jon Stewart, Duke University

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The size of the silver nanocubes and their distance from the base layer of gold determines that frequency, while controlling the spacing between the nanoparticles allows tuning the strength of the absorption. By precisely tailoring these spacings, researchers can make the system respond to any electromagnetic frequency they want.

To harness this fundamental physical phenomenon for a commercial camera, Mikkelsen and her colleagues have demonstrated a sort of “superpixel”—a pixel made from a grid of nine individual detectors each tuned to a different frequency of light. When any spot on the pixel’s grid captures its specific frequency, it heats up, which in turn creates an electric voltage in a layer of pyroelectric material sitting directly below it. That voltage is then read by a bottom layer of a silicon semiconductor contact, which transmits the signal to a computer to analyze.

“Commercial photodetectors have been made with these types of pyroelectric materials before, but they always suffered from two major drawbacks—they haven’t been able to focus on specific electromagnetic frequencies and have operated at very slow speeds due to the thick layers of the material needed to absorbs enough incoming light,” said Mikkelsen. “But our plasmonic detectors can be tuned to any frequency and trap so much energy that we only need a thin layer of pyroelectric material, which greatly speeds up the process.”

While the first proof-of-concept experiments will use a three-by-three grid capable of detecting nine frequencies, Mikkelsen plans on scaling up to a five-by-five grid for a total of 25 frequencies. And there’s no shortage of applications that are primed to take advantage of such a device.

Surgeons can use hyperspectral imaging to tell the difference between cancerous and healthy tissue during surgery. Food and water safety inspectors can use it to tell when a chicken breast is contaminated with dangerous bacteria. But the application that Mikkelsen has set her sights on is precision agriculture. While plants may only look green or brown to the naked eye, the light reflected from their leaves and flowers outside of the visual spectrum contains a cornucopia of valuable information.

“Obtaining a ‘spectral fingerprint’ can precisely identify a material and its composition,” said Mikkelsen. “Not only can it indicate the type of plant, but it can also determine its condition, whether it needs water, is stressed or has low nitrogen content, indicating a need for fertilizer. It is truly astonishing how much we can learn about plants by simply studying a spectral image of them.”

Hyperspectral imaging could enable precision agriculture, allowing fertilizer, pesticides, herbicides and water to be applied only where needed. This has the potential to reduce pollution while saving water and money. Imagine a hyperspectral camera mounted on a helicopter or drone mapping a field’s condition and transmitting that information to a tractor designed to deliver fertilizer or pesticides at variable rates across the fields.

The new hyperspectral imaging device relies on a ‘mega-pixel’ consisting of a grid of smaller pixels, each tuned to a different frequency of light by controlling the size and spacing of the nanocubes sitting on their surfaces. Credit: Jon Stewart, Duke University

More

It is estimated that the process currently used to produce fertilizer accounts for up to two percent of the global energy consumption and up to three percent of global carbon dioxide emissions. At the same time, researchers estimate that 50 to 60 percent of fertilizer produced is wasted. Accounting for fertilizer alone, precision agriculture holds an enormous potential for energy savings and greenhouse gas reduction, not to mention the estimated $8.5 billion in savings each year, according to the United States Department of Agriculture.

Several companies are already pursuing these types of projects. For example, IBM is piloting a project in India using satellite imagery to assess crops in this manner. This approach, however, is very expensive and limiting, which is why Mikkelsen envisions a cheap, handheld detector that could image crop fields from the ground or from inexpensive drones.

“Imagine the impact not only in the United States, but also in low- and middle-income countries where there are often shortages of fertilizer, pesticides and water,” said Mikkelsen. “By knowing where to apply those sparse resources, we could increase crop yield significantly and help reduce starvation.”

Launched in 2016 to celebrate the fiftieth anniversary of Moore’s Law, the revolutionary prediction that anticipated the exponential growth of computing power, the program embraces the spirit of Gordon Moore’s passion for science and penchant for inventing.

This year, the foundation considered more than 200 final-round nominations, from which five fellows were selected to pursue innovative projects with the potential to bring about significant change. Each fellow receives a total of $825,000 over three years as well as networking and entrepreneurial support to drive their invention forward.

“The Moore Inventor Fellowship recognizes the quality of the individual, as well as the quality of the idea,” said Harvey V. Fineberg, president of the Gordon and Betty Moore Foundation. “The ultimate goal is to convert the ideas into inventions that can change the world.”

Explore further

Nanocubes simplify printing and imaging in color and infrared

Provided by Duke University

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#Physics

[news-mashable-yahoopartner-blog]

Taylor Swift says fans figured out the name of her album. Here are their best theories.

Swifties are known for their CIA-level code-cracking skills. It may have just paid off. 

In a new interview with Zach Sang and Dan Zolot of the Zach Sang Show, Taylor Swift takes 10 whole minutes to talk about her latest era in music. With the release of her seventh studio album imminent, Swifties have kicked into high gear with theories, much to Swift's delight. 

SEE ALSO: Taylor Swift's video for her new song 'ME!' is one very, very colourful duet

"I like to plan things out, I like to plan little fun clues for people," Swift tells Sang over the phone. The songstress goes on to describe her process for releasing lead singles. "A lot of the time I'll pick a first single because I like the feeling that it conveys, knowing that there's a lot more on the album that's very different from that first single— which is something that I think the fans have picked up on at this point." 

Finally, Zolot asks the question: "Has anyone found the name of the album title yet in the music video?"

"Yeah, definitely! There are a few people who have gotten it," Swift says, giggling. "I'm not gonna tell you who!" 

Zolot's question is based on the fact that Swift herself tweeted her "Me!" music video with a caption confessing that the album title is indeed hidden somewhere in it. 

So... the new album title is actually revealed somewhere in the video AND so is the title of the second single, but I haven’t seen people finding them yet... 🕵️‍♂️🕵️‍♀️ #MEmusicvideohttps://t.co/cdxQ6dFiar

— Taylor Swift (@taylorswift13) April 26, 2019

The record-breaking video has been viewed over 100 million times, so it's not too surprising that someone guessed the album title correctly. "The fans have been so clever and so eagle-eyed— it made me want to put more clues in the video," Swift says. 

Which leads us to the theories, one of which may actually be correct.  And if they aren't correct, they're pretty darn convincing. Especially since Swift has been teasing everyone with pastel pictures featuring flowers, butterflies, and rainbows all bathed in pinky hues on her post-Reputation Instagram feed. 

1. "Daisy"

This theory, like many in the Swift universe, is from Tumblr. Essentially, there are a lot of daisy-related clues that could point to it being a potential album title.

First, Tumblr user tinmanclin points out that there is the stack of books from her "Me!" video. Out of the three, only one is distinguishable: Cartier's in the 20th Century.

In the description for that book, a list of "arbiters of taste" is topped with the name "Daisy Fellowes."

If you look up Daisy Fellowes, you'll find that she died on Dec. 13, 1962 in Paris. Depending on how much of Swiftie you are, you'll know that Swift's birthday is Dec. 13. 

Moreover, the "Me!" video even has a couple of blatant daisy cameos. At one point, Brendon Urie, who duets with Swift on the track, offers her a bouquet of them while wearing a suit that is covered in, you guessed it, daisies. 

Blatant daisy imagery!

Image: youtube 

Swift even sports a dress with alleged fabric daisies stuck on to it. Can we get a florist on the phone to identify, please? 

The floral name recalls a a lyric from Reputation's "Don't Blame Me:" "I once was poison ivy but now I'm your daisy." 

Of course, this theory wouldn't be complete without a couple of The Great Gatsby references drizzled in. In Swift's essay for Elle UK, she writes, "It’s something F. Scott Fitzgerald did so well." And in a lyric from Reputation's "This Is Why We Can't Have Nice Things" Swift sings, "feeling so Gatsby for that whole year." 

And who is the main character of The Great Gatsby? Daisy!

Swift's recent butterfly wing mural in Nashville also features daisies.

View this post on Instagram

So... @kelseymontagueart helped me pull off the best surprise clue reveal today in Nashville!! Thank you to everyone who showed up, I’ve never been more proud of your FBI level detective skills. Next clue: I’ll be joining the magnificent @robinrobertsgma for a chat tonight on ABC live from Nashville 💕💕💕💕💕💕💕

A post shared by Taylor Swift (@taylorswift) on Apr 25, 2019 at 11:30am PDT

Last but not least, Swift's newly stocked online merch store includes a tote. Do I even need to tell you what's printed on said tote?

This daisy bag is proof, people!

Image: www.store.taylorswift.com

2. "Home"

Perhaps one of the strongest theories of the bunch is "Home." 

Apparently, there are a lot of similarities between the "Me!" video and The Wizard of Oz. It sounds odd, but it checks out. Here's a video that explains the correlations:

Plus, a lot of Swift's recent activity focuses on the idea of "Home."

The Wizard Of Oz THEORY 🌈🏡💗 🚨ASKDJSKAK it’s happening!! “THERE’S NO PLACE LIKE HOME” ... ‘Somewhere over the rainbow’!#taylorswiftapril26 #taylorswift #TS7 #TS7iscoming #thewizardofoztheory pic.twitter.com/4s8KpfZr1T

— #MEoutNOW (@swiftiealyce) April 22, 2019

View this post on Instagram

All the reasons why I believe "Home" might be the album title💜🌸 - I'm also open to it being titled Kaleidoscope but it feels a bit long to me #Taylorswift #TS7 -> corner not former lol anyways (@taysforgetmenots posted a comprehensive theory about this so check it out!)

A post shared by Taylor Updates <3 // Jehlé (@mustlikeme4me) on Apr 26, 2019 at 11:32pm PDT

Additionally, Tumblr user Taylors-rainbow points out that the connection between the portrait of the Dixie Chicks in the "Me!" video and something Swift wrote in her Elle UK essay: "To this day, when I hear 'Cowboy Take Me Away' by the Dixie Chicks, I instantly recall the feeling of being twelve years old, sitting in a little wood paneled room in my family home in Pennsylvania."

So that's why the Dixie Chicks are randomly on a painted in the "Me!" video.

Image: youtube 

It all just makes sense. 

3. "Forever"

Tumblr user Youareinlovex went deep with this one and we're glad they did because it's a thinker for sure. 

To begin, Swift's Reputation tour movie on Netflix contains an odd tidbit in the credits:

Image: netflix

You'll notice that it says "sequel to '...More.'" What it's a sequel to, nobody knows. However, in Reputation's very last song, "New Year's Day," Swift sings "you and me forevermore." 

Next, there's Swift's recent segment on ABC that aired during the NFL draft in which she revisits one of her favorite places: The Bluebird Cafe in Nashville. After talking a little bit about it, she finishes by saying, "I hope it stays this way forever." And then gives the camera a smirk, after which the video ends.

There's also the palm trees, one of the first images of Swift's that sparked these very investigations. Since she posted a photo of seven palm trees to Instagram back in February, fans have speculated that the tree is somehow a part of her new music. Most recently, they can be seen in her "Me!" video. Apparently, the tree represents eternal life. And eternal life means forever. 

Lastly, the "Me!" video features a scene in which Urie flicks open a heart on his lapel, and viewers are transported through winding hearts to a stage set. On 1989, Swift's fifth album, the song "Welcome to New York" features the lyric, "Kaleidoscope of loud heartbeats under coats." So, Urie literally opening a heart that leads to a whirling transition screen feels like those lyrics come to life. Also from "Welcome to New York" is the lyric, "It's a new soundtrack I could dance to this beat, beat forevermore."

It does indeed look like a kaleidoscope...

Image: youtube 

Which brings us to the next theory:

4. "Kaleidoscope"

This is the only theory Swift has actually acknowledged, albeit sparingly. In an interview with Australian radio show Smallzy's Surgery, Swift was asked by the host if "Kaleidoscope" was the title of the album. 

“I’m not gonna comment because I really do respect those theories so much, but I’m going to tell them all the information when I tell them [the fans]!” Swift said with a knowing laugh. 

Given the multiple meanings for the word "kaleidoscope," it's certainly a possibility. 

I will tweet this again!!! A group of butterflies is called a KALEIDOSCOPE #ts7theories #ts7 @taylorswift13 @taylornation13 pic.twitter.com/QYe1CgdXxH

— Mollie... but with an IE! 🦋ME! Out NOW🦋 (@swiftarmy1989) April 29, 2019

"Ever-changing" is very on brand for Miss Swift. 

at this point, i am convinced that @taylorswift13's next album is kaleidoscope pic.twitter.com/HPzhG5895r

— STREAM BET BET (@_cyrilalvin) April 30, 2019

Also, multiple visuals in the "Me!" video are similar in nature to a kaleidoscope's. 

One of the theories about the title of TS7 is kaleidoscope and that is absolute genius!! 1. There are obvious kaleidoscopes in the #MEmusicvideo. 2. Swarm of butterflies = kaleidoscope 3. Kaleidoscope can be used as a metaphor for change!! @taylorswift13 @taylornation13 pic.twitter.com/rdemke0Nwg

— Laila 🦋 (@LailaHannoun) April 30, 2019

One Swiftie even inverted a still from the "Me!" music video and it appears that the word is "Kaleidoscope" written on its skin. 

UMM HAVE @myheartofmusic AND I CRACKED THE CODE???? DOES IT SAY KALEIDOSCOPE ALL JUMBLED UP ON THE SNAKE???! OR AM I A CRACKHEAD WHOS LOST HER LAST TWO BRAIN CELLS??? @taylorswift @taylornation #MEOUTNOW #TS7theories pic.twitter.com/vVPvUNLqBY

— nat | (@ontheroadt0ruin) April 27, 2019

5. "Heart"

While Heart is super simple, it is a shape we keep seeing in Swift's recent imagery. It's a doubtful and somewhat boring possibility but definitely not off the table. 

Or is it much more easier and simpler and the #TS7 is called HEARTS and that’s why they speak French?! Because French is like a language of LOVE?!?! AND THE PARIS IS A CITY OF LOVE?!? IS IT LOVE?!?!?!?!?!? AND THE 70s WAS THE ERA OF FREE LOVE?!?!? WHAT WAIT @taylorswift13 pic.twitter.com/SgL7sG7YYh

— 4.26 (@snake_lungs13) April 28, 2019

6. "Rainbow" (or "Spectrum" or something to do with colors)

This theory hinges on all of the literal rainbows featured in the "Me!" video. If Swift is trying to be obvious (though I don't think that word is in her vocabulary), this would make a lot of sense. 

Elaboration on my rainbow theory 🌈❤🌈❤🌈❤ @taylornation13 @taylorswift13 #MEmusicvideo pic.twitter.com/lDiHgDcgHr

— Christy of House Tyrell 🏵 (@pdlinbooks) April 27, 2019

Also, the word "rainbow" has seven letters and this will be Swift's seventh album.  Additionally, most rainbows consist of seven colors. Hmmm.

Sooo why the album could be called RAINBOW is because the rainbow has 7 colors and as we all know “TS7” also she’s hinting at it with “like a rainbow with all of the colors” and all of the rainbows in the MV @taylorswift correct me if I’m wrong @taylornation #streamME #ts7 #ME pic.twitter.com/tIkjvATiQb

— dutchswiftie (@dutchswiftie2) April 28, 2019

7. Something in French

A Taylor Swift album with a French title might seem unlikely, but the opening scene in the "Me!" music video could be a huge clue. In it, Swift and Urie go back and forth, arguing with each other in French. And knowing Swift, it's bound to have some sort of importance that isn't clear just yet.

what if the speaking French and Cartier pointing to the title of #TS7 being a French word ? Amour for love ...or Coeur for heart ...or archive en ceil for rainbow? @taylornation13 @taylorswift13 #MEMusicVideo pic.twitter.com/65IV7eD8KK

— Taylor Swift Ireland 🦋🌴 ME! (@TaylorSwiftEire) April 29, 2019

So... the word Iridescent in french is irisè ! If you break up the word, its ~I RISE~... Maybe she is hinting by the way she jumps over steam, and is lifted in the 'spelling scene' @taylorswift13 @taylornation #ts7 #Frenchconnection #MEMusicVideo #irisè

— JanusMaximus -Jane (@j_lovelock) April 30, 2019

Phew. So, we potentially know the name of the album. When it drops, though, is another case. If their track record of crunching numbers is any indication, we're sure the Swifties will crack it in no time. Until then, we'll all be here, twiddling our thumbs to the tune of "Me!"

WATCH: Taylor Swift reveals songs that helped her through breakups

[webanimationtasks]

Considerations of my Web Animation

Production Schedule:

This project began on the 15th of October and requires the deadline of the 8th of April.  I have given myself a total of 15 weeks to complete this project that is requested by E-Car.  I plan to focus more in production and post-production the most as that requires the practical work of creating and developing the animation.  Whereas, ideas generation, pre-production and evaluation require less time as it won’t take too long to complete these tasks, but I am spending a bit longer with the generating of ideas to create concept to the best of my ability.  To help me manage my time, I have created a timetable production schedule to keep myself on track which can be seen below:

Budget:

I have researched, the platforms that the advertisement can be featured on.  If the web animation was to be featured on YouTube, a typical advert would run between 10p and 30p per view, this comes depends on the video quality, the intended demographic and the overall goal.  However, it depends on how large the audience is.  

I focus on having the advertisement being featured on Facebook or either Instagram as these are the most popular social media platforms out there.  Facebook is probably the most expensive area to present an advertisement to millions of people, online PR agencies charge an average of £2,000-£5,000 per month, with some expenses going as high as £5,000.  Instagram is slightly cheaper, but this comes down to how many people view your content as they scroll pass and how many visitors click on the profile.  Instagram is vastly growing; however, it is harder to attract viewers attention unlike Facebook.   Another platform is Twitter, with set up compete and outsourcing content creation/consumer interaction, this costs at least £2,000-£4,000 per month.  

Facilities:

ICT facilities are crucial to produce any sort of advertisement digitally, it comes down to computers to help provide and deliver a well made animation to be featured across the internet and social media platforms.  For my software use, I will be using Illustrator to create the concept designs for electric cars featured in my animation and photoshop will be used to create the typography, storyboarding and furthermore.   The main software that I will be using to produce the web animation for E-Car is after effects, mainly to create the 2D animation to produce it. The reason I choose After Effects is because it is digital visual effect, motion graphics and compositing application developed by Adobe and is used in post-production and process of film making and television production.  After Effects can be used for keyring, tracking, compositing and again, used in animation to help provide the user of their desired project.  Illustrator and Photoshop also play a role in the production of After Effects that can be animated.  

To create my illustrators, photoshop pieces, write ups and mind maps, I will be using the computer facilities and equipment to provide for all stages of production including creating the concept but only digitally whereas ideas and write up are drawn in traditional.  To create my pre-production, this requires the usage of word document to type up the details of the overall project such as details, draft and research that I will carry out.  I will be using photoshop to create mind maps to provide ideas revolving around the E-Car. For post-production, I will be publishing it to a choice of social media and collect the data of how the public feel about my work, this will include my evaluation to gather research.    

Copyright:

The Copyright, Designs and Patents Act 1988 is the current UK copyright law, it provides creators who produce literacy, dramatic, musical, artists and other subjects of work relating back to this manner the right to control the ways in which their material may be used.  These rights cover: Broadcast, public performance, copying, adapting, issuing and renting and lending copies to the public.  The creators have the right to identify as the author and take actions against distortions of work.   Copyright arises when an individual or organisation creates work, and this applies to work if it is regarded as the original and exhibits a degree of labour, judgment or skill.  Original projects and works are listed under the E Car Company and the NRC animation studio.

The NRC animation studio contain copyrights for artistic works in the form of photographs, illustrations and graphic design, literacy works in the form of text and are protected by typographical arrangements.  This includes the logos and registered trademarks.  The copyright of this belongs to the E Car Company as the advertising clients who have requested this and the NRC Animation Studio as the animators and design company.  Permission is needed from the main copyright owners (E-Car and NRC as they are the main creators behind the web animation) before an advertising can be produced in any form.  The owners of this copyright have the right to act action against relation to their work such as prohibits, unauthorised actions and legal action taking against instances of infringement and plagiarism.  

 Codes of Practice and Regulation:

The UK code of Non-broadcast Advertising, Sales Promotion and Direct Marketing (CAP Code) is the rule boom for non-broadcast advertising, sales promotion and direct marketing communications within the United Kingdom.  This was written and maintained by the Committee of Advertising Practice (CAP) and administered by Advertising Standards Authority (ASA).  The 12th edition of the CAP Code came into force in September 2010.   The 12th version was released due to the digital remit of ASA was to be extended to cover online marketing communications.  This covers banner advertising, popup windows, pay-per click campaigns, social media and online videos.  Owners of websites are giving a 6 month period of grace to ensure their website and online marketing comply with new CAP Code rules.  

Legal and Ethical Considerations:

It is important that legal and ethical considerations for data has been collected and only for the value of the feedback before we conduct primary research on the web animation banner of the E Car Company. To gather information on the web banner, I will ask participates, however any personal information such as name, date of birth, address, contact information and email will not be obtained during a survey.   The data collected will only be used for research purposes between the E Car and the NRC animation studio, (myself). No information will be released to the public.  From this information, we can use it to improve the web banner for future referencing.

Representation:

The intended demographic of the E-Car’s advertisement banner is aimed at any gender and any race; however, the age group is specially aimed at male and female between the age of 20-60. The reason 20 is an age that I aimed at is due to the fact that you want to be able to persuade the younger generation into buying an electric car to help provide a better lifestyle for the future with no carbon footprint.  I hope this simple animation will attract viewers for its very simple style of animation that is quite bubbly, and the imagery of the video will hopefully click with them.  I plan to represent my web banner on social medias such as Facebook and Instagram as these are the most popular platforms in today’s media.

[benjamincrocker-desn2031]

Week 1

In the first tutorial, we went over the first assessment task; branding and wayfinding for an airport. 

We also had an activity to make the packaging for a milk carton.

I’ll be honest the idea of doing wayfinding didn’t thrill me but we’ll see how it goes. 

I spent the tutorial starting to think about the assessment. I wrote a short list of locations and ended up choosing San Francisco. I thought that it had a lot of potential inspiration and is a place that I’d really like to go to one day.

Ralph took us through a few examples of airport branding and recommended that we start by looking into typefaces because that will help inform us how our icons would look. 

I had the idea that I wanted a type with rounded caps. I thought that maybe that would be fun and have some potential in terms of linking my iconography visually.

The second idea was to try something a bit more fashion and incorporate a high contrast type into the logo. I pretty quickly decided that I didn’t like how unfitting it was for an airport.

I knew that one thing I would need to avoid was the temptation to brand the airport with geographical symbols or anything flag related. I thought that is probably a direction that a lot of other people would take and I wanted my branding to be its own unique entity.

I did the milk carton exercise at home in my own time. I started first by brainstorming ideas for brand names. I thought that this had a lot of potential to a fun project so I explored a lot of humorous ideas. After the big list of names, I started developing some rough imagery for the logo/packaging. 

I knew that this was only a weekly task so I didn’t want to do anything that would take too long. I liked the idea of exploring some type of logos and trying some kind of pattern-based packaging design.

After this sketching phase, I started a more refined version of this process in Illustrator and started thinking about colour.

I’m not sure why but the misspelling of cream wasn’t sitting right with me so in the final I changed it. I also decided I really like the wavy line and wanted to utilise it as a motif. I also wanted to do something with caramel-y colours so I moved onto the final design with that in mind. 

The idea of making it honey milk came from the colours themselves but really helped inform me in the rest of the design. I thought the off white base gave me a lot of room to explore different tones. I imagined how honey would sit at the bottom of a glass of milk so tried using the colours on the base of the carton. I liked this; it weighs grounds the rest of the packaging. The wavy line motif was just to add some interest to the upper portion of the packaging but I really liked how it turned out. 

I think I really failed with the rest of the carton. I had sunk a lot of time into this already and wanted to get started on my assessment so I kind of rushed the last part. 

I like the cute little droplet detail that is revealed depending on what side of the carton you open it on. The left two sides are very weak but I really needed to just move on at that point.

I’m a photographer but I will tell you right now that the product photo I took of this milk carton is awful. Really bad. I do most of my work in the AM. As in 1-4 AM. I also currently do not have a light globe in my bedroom. I took the photo by lamplight and tried to edit it to look like a real product photo but yikes. 

In the spirit of moving on though I decided to use it anyway. Please don’t judge me.

With that all done I had time to move onto the assessment.