weaveshadows

[weaveshadows]

Questions of the Week 15

The art that is most challenging for me would have to be abstract art. I believe that this is because I have more of a mathematical and hard-facts brain, so looking at something and having to come up with your own complete meaning, isn’t exactly the easiest activity for me to do. I truly admire the people who make this type of art, and those who love and appreciate it for what it is, but I have always struggled with actually taking the time to sit and truly look at a piece and try to understand the emotions that I am feeling from it. I am sure that if I took a full day to go to an art museum and actually paid attention to each of the abstract art pieces, I would find a deeper understanding and appreciation for them, instead of just stating how they look cool and continuing on my way to the next piece.

I believe that an artwork can be good or bad based on the artist’s intentions. For me, specifically, even if the art itself is amazing, I cannot look at or take the time to appreciate nude art. This may sound somewhat immature, but I tend to have a hard time appreciating a painting of a woman’s naked body because I sometimes get the feeling that the artist may not have completely had pure intentions with the art. Now, don’t get me wrong, and woman’s body is absolutely beautiful from head to toe and God has made every single woman absolutely beautiful, but, there are some artists or viewers that may not always have pure intentions with this kind of art and so I try to steer away from these specific pieces in order to avoid any of those uncomfortable situations.

[weaveshadows]

Questions of the Week 14

The artwork that I tend to be most drawn to would be any kind of music, however, I love looking at different art pieces that are done with paints, charcoal, or any other type of drawing tool. I am typically drawn to anything that I can see that had a great amount of effort put into it, and I believe that it is very clear when an artist pours their heart and soul into their work. I truly love and appreciate anything that someone is passionate about and loves to share with others. But, the art that I tend to spend the most time enjoying would have to be many different genres of music. I love listening to people’s words and truly hearing their emotions in their work. It is much easier for me to understand and share empathy with a person when I can see and hear their meanings behind their art.

I wouldn’t necessarily say that an artwork has changed my mind on something, however, I would say that art has caused me to look at a situation from a different perspective. For example, the old folk song that begins with “this land is your land, this land is my land” has been around for hundreds of years, and I’ve always known it as more of a United States song, where people think of the beauty and unity of our nation. However, on tik tok, a woman who is Native American recently did a cover of this song, and changed the words to how this land used to be their land before it was ripped away from them, along with many of their important symbols and sacred animals and lands. Hearing these words and the emotion in her and her family’s voice was enough for me to realize that a lot of these old US folk songs are all happy and proud, however we typically fail to look at what the cost of these things were.

[weaveshadows]

Question of the Week 13

I believe that every person has their own definition of what makes art successful, and it truly depends on the artist if an art piece is successful or not. Every artist has their own intentions with their art, and that may vary from piece to piece and person to person. For example, one artist may be hoping to sell their piece of art for thousands of dollars, and, even though they worked hard and made a beautiful piece of art, if it only sold for a hundred dollars, they would still see it as a failure. However, some artists simply make art in order for others (or maybe even just themselves!) to enjoy, and even if they only see one person who enjoyed it, they would still see their art as successful. So, personally, I believe that my own art is successful when it has brought joy to another person’s life. Therefore, there is no “successful” art, I believe that success is in the eye of the creator, and that depends on each and every individual to decide.

[weaveshadows]

Question of the Week 12

I believe that art that is made in the glory of God should be to praise God, and the artist’s intentions of this art should be to show God’s glory and praise His wonderful name. This art should also reflect love, truth, and peace among our world of sin. Also, the artist should intend for their art to show their own sense of being humble, authentic, vulnerable, and humility. If an artist is intending to make art that is made in the glory of God, they should not be expecting to receive praise for their talents or abilities, but they should be hoping that their art will help others see God in a glorifying way and others will praise Him through their art and see who He really is.

[weaveshadows]

Week 13+14 Discussion Response

In our class discussion, we began by discussing Christians’ roles in society, and specifically in the entertainment industry. We talked about what specific types of art and examples that we probably should and shouldn’t be supporting as Christians, which I realized that I should really give more thought to. Growing up, I went to a Christian elementary school, and many of my classmates were extremely sheltered by their parents regarding the types of music, shows, and movies they were allowed to watch. So, when these kids gained more freedom in high school, most of them were the ones to go the craziest and found themselves taking part in things that they probably shouldn’t have. For me, my parents wanted to protect us from the outside world and make sure that we weren’t being exposed to anything inappropriate, however, they also didn’t want to completely shelter us so that one day we would be completely shocked when we got into the real world. I’ve had many discussions with my parents that reflected what we talked about today, that of living in the world and not of the world and how to do that. I always called my elementary school a “bubble” for Christians, where they decided what we learned and what we watched, and almost all of the parents were extremely strict with the school and what they could and couldn’t teach us about. This was a perfect example of Christians sometimes taking being “not of the world” too far, and completely separating themselves from the world. Chrtistian artists sometimes also forget how to be of the world, and many don’t understand that we have to be a part of the world in order to understand the things going on around us and to know how God wants us to shine His light in these dark times.

[weaveshadows]

Reading Response Week 14

This week’s reading contained many different ideas that we haven’t exactly discussed before, and society tends to shy away from discussing as well. First, in the video that we watched, the speaker focused on discussing the actions of artists, and how that may affect how people view their art. While watching this video, the artist that came to mind was Chris Brown. In the early 2000s and 2010s, he was an amazing singer and dancer, however, I somewhat tanked his career after he physically abused his girlfriend at the time, Rihanna. Now, it is very hard for me to support him as an artist and his art knowing the type of person he is behind the scenes. The speaker of this video brought up a great point about how we must be aware of what we are revealing to ourselves, and how the things that we are consuming may affect us and those around us. Specifically, if someone is consuming art that someone else may consider racist, sexist, or offensive, and then they go around talking about this art to all people, you may not realize how you are negatively impacting people, just because you may not share the same perspective as them. This video made me realize that I do have a hard time separating the art from the artist, because to me, supporting the art, or paying for a song or to see a movie of an artist or actor that I don’t like, is simply supporting them and putting money straight into their pockets, which I sometimes just can’t bring myself to do. As a Christian, we also should have morals regarding certain things and should always be aware of the things we are consuming and how they may be affecting our mindset or if they are pulling us away from God.

This weekend I went to a farmer’s market and got some beautiful fresh cut flowers!! and then we found a beautiful mural on a side of a building, and it was too awesome of a background to pass up!

[weaveshadows]

discussion reflection week 15

I really loved today’s discussion about the two readings because when I first read them, I didn’t really understand what the authors were trying to say. However, after today, I realized that I probably really didn’t give the articles enough of a chance to make sense to me. I tend to move on from something when I don’t understand it, which is exactly what the readings were trying to tell me not to do. I loved the points people brought up about how you have to give art a real chance, and you have to sit in the uncomfortable confusion of a piece before it starts to make sense. When specifically talking about abstract art, I really liked the points about nature also being abstract art because I have never thought about it that way. Someone gave an analogy about a pile of dirt and sticks in a gallery is, in theory, the same thing as a forest, and that connection really opened my eyes to the fact that art really is all in the eyes of the viewer. We also talked about how art helps you engage deeply in conversations and how sometimes a lack of understanding comes from a lack of effort to understand. The point stating that if you don’t spend time on something, then you’ll never learn how to appreciate it, resonated with me a lot more than I expected. In life, it is too easy to walk away from something that doesn’t make sense or is too hard to understand. However, it is extremely important to understand that you have to learn about something to be able to participate in it. I believe that if everyone took the time to learn and understand that point, then the world would be a much better place.

[weaveshadows]

Reading Response Week 15

For this week’s reading, we first read “Art as a Twenty-First Century Calling”. In this article, the author focused on how some Christian artists tend to wear two different pairs of worldview “spectacles”. When discussing this, the author talked about how a lot of Christians are Christian in church, but then are just artists in their art space. The more I thought about this, the more I realized how many Christians fall into this “stereotype”. Because we go to a Christian school, it is much easier to see when someone has an alter-ego of sorts, who they are in the Christian class, chapel, and then who they are with their friends. As I think about this, I also have to take a look at how I fit into this description. Throughout high school and now college, I struggle at times with staying consistent with being the same person in church and in school where I’m around my friends. It is sometimes too easy to fall into the ways of the world, especially depending on the people I am surrounded by. Some other points that I loved from the reading this week were things such as how abstract art really isn’t a puzzle, even though I am still working on seeing it that way since I haven’t taken the time to really appreciate and understand that form of art. Also, in “How to Look at Abstract Art”, I specifically loved the quote “An artwork is not about an idea, it is an idea”. This specific quote has really stuck with me the last few days. I love the idea that art is completely in and of itself its OWN thing. It is not based on anything or a piece of anything else except what the artist wants it to be a part of.

my sweet puppy who brings me so much joy (:

[weaveshadows]

Reading Response Week 13

This week’s reading from Imagine brought up ideas such as how we are in the times that we are in, and the question of what the difference is between Christian art and art made by Chrisitans. First, the author discussed how artists are typically ahead of their time, or maybe everyone else just isn’t at the same point as them. Then, I really reflected on what I believe the difference is between Christian art and the art that Christians make. As a Chrisitan, this question caused me to look at my own life and truly reflect on the art that I make. As a singer, I love to sing many different genres of music, not just Christian music. However, I have pure intentions with every song that I sing. Therefore, I believe that this difference is found in the artist’s intentions with their art and their personal meaning behind their work. Also, ‘Christian’ art tends to be less of a fan favorite in today’s society as well, which may push more Christian artists towards making other kinds of art so they are able to make a living or portray their art in a different setting. This is a great example of how Christians tend to fall in the ways of the world, rather than being not of this world. Next, in the Manifesto Art Project by Julian Rosefeldt, I really struggled to get into the videos because I simply didn’t understand them. I found these videos very interesting, yet I wasn’t quite sure how it contributed to her overall themes. Each of these videos had similar parts, yet they were all so different and I wasn’t quite sure what her main ideas were in each one.

I love to take time and reflect on my week (and homework) on long car rides!

[weaveshadows]

Discussion Reflection Week 12

In our discussion today, we talked about how we set limits and boundaries for ourselves, specifically with technology. This discussion caused me to really think about the boundaries I have in my life. Regarding technology specifically, I need to get better at putting my phone away when I need to get things done. I am way too easily distracted with social media, and specifically tik tok, to really be able to put my time and energy into things that I need to be getting done. However, I have been working on this and I have found that when I am working on homework, I am much more focused and productive when I simply leave my phone in the other room, and just listen to an instrumental playlist while I get things done. In the rest of my life, I have boundaries for myself regarding when I need my introvert versus extrovert time, and when I just really need to take a nap. This is the first year that I have really worked on setting these boundaries for myself, and I have found that I am much happier when I make the time to participate in the things I want to do and also take the time to get things done so I am able to relax when I need to. We also discussed how we can simplify our lives. Now this is something that I really need to work on. We talked about how we can simplify our lives by prioritizing and shifting our mindsets to be productive and positive. I typically do this by playing specific kinds of music and surrounding myself with my comfort items.

[weaveshadows]

Reading Response Week 12

This week’s reading really resonated with me. First, the chapter “Truth” was something that I really needed to hear. The scripts that this chapter talked about are something that has been a big part of my life, but I didn’t realize it until reading this chapter. I am definitely guilty of constantly making excuses for myself and for others. However, I think it took until reading this chapter for me to realize that those “truths” really are lies that I am just telling myself over and over again. The next chapter, “Usefulness”, was a blow to the chest haha! Being a lukewarm Christian is one of my biggest fears, yet those periods are inevitable at times, and are completely up to me to keep myself out of. The author’s points about technology pulling us away from God was an extremely good point. This world revolves around technology, and now in the world we are currently living in, technology is our entire world. It is how we stay connected and are able to get things done. However, this era of technology and entertainment truly does have an impact on all relationships, especially my relationship with God. It has become too easy to find other things to do and get distracted enough to not spend time with God, and it is too easy to make excuses for those things. Technology and social media is truly warping our ideas of how we should be acting with other people and with ourselves. I need to really take the time to get better at prioritizing my time (haha take the time!), and I need to start working on that now. Time is important and we cannot get it back, so this chapter was a great reminder that I need to be efficient and really take the time to put effort into what I want to be apart of and make a bigger part of my life.

God’s beautiful creation!

[weaveshadows]

Manifesto Project

I made a water color painting to replicate one of the ways I feel God most through the world, which is through His beautiful sunsets! This is a way that I see God’s creativity and beautiful art everyday, which I thought was the perfect way to portray my manifesto!

[weaveshadows]

Yay and Boo Playlists!

[weaveshadows]

Who Creative Project

After taking the creative test, I received the result that I am the Innovator. While reading the description of this type, I really resonated with the characteristics and traits that I didn’t even realize I had until I really thought about them. The Innovator is someone who sees things as problems and solutions and enjoys trying to use their creative problem solving skills in order to improve a situation or way of doing things. Also, the innovator is someone who likes to experiment and try new things and ideas. These characteristics really point to how I am in the math world. Part of why I love math so much is because it is an outlet for me to be able to look at a problem, think of every possible outcome and solving opportunity, and continue trying new ways until I figure it out. However, the characteristic of the innovator that states they tend to move on fast and not follow through also relates to me because I sometimes get frustrated with a problem when I am struggling with solving it and then tend to just skip to the next one, which is a downfall of mine because I always succeed when I follow through rather than give up.

The next part of this project was the relabeling. For this part, I relabeled my Bible, my planner, and my journal. These three books are my most important parts of every day and I don’t know where I (or my sanity!) would be without them.

[weaveshadows]

Discussion Reflection Week 10

I really loved the idea this week in both the readings and discussion of accepting our failures. As I discussed in my reading response post for this week, I am currently enduring a situation in which I have, yes, made a mistake with some others, but am now also having to face that mistake in ways that I think is wrong because the people who are making it their business are also in the wrong, and I personally know that I have repented and given this situation to God, so I no longer feel as though these people should be able to continue making the situation a bigger deal and bringing others into it. The author of Emerge brought up the idea this week of having a resume of failures, and I really love that idea of having each of these mistakes so I can grow and see how I have grown from all of my past mistakes. Also, Professor Linville does a great job at explaining to us that it is okay to fail!! In fact, it is good and necessary in order for us to be able to grow and learn from our mistakes! She mentioned that we become who we are today because of our failures, and I really loved that idea, and it gave me comfort that I will come out of this situation stronger and a better person than I was before, because I am mature enough to recognize my mistakes and accept the consequences for my actions.

[weaveshadows]

Discussion Reflection Week 11

I really enjoyed our discussion this week about our readings in Emerge. I loved the points we brought up about embracing the simple life and finding time for art. Professor Linville brought up the great point that we all make excuses for everything else but not for art. If I have learned anything this semester, it is that we should give energy and time to what we want to, not just what we need to. We talked a lot about our intentions, and how we must be intentional about what we give our time and energy towards in order to protect ourselves and our hearts. I loved the analogy that was brought up about spring cleaning, and how we must be mature and recognize what we want to put our energy towards, even if that means needing to say no or disappoint others. We need to partake in spring cleaning physically, emotionally, AND spiritually in order to really grow into who we need to become and become a healthier version of ourselves. I, personally, loved the point in Emerge about how we should just do one task at a time. This was a point that I needed to be reminded of, because I tend to become distracted and put my mind to too many things at once, so I end up giving nothing my full attention and efforts, which is not how I want to live my life. Also, when discussing our Villages, I loved the idea of having people who will boo and yay us. Too often people don’t want to be around people who will call them out, however only true friends will be there for all of the good and the bad times, and they are true friends because they will be beside you helping you figure it out in each situation. Also, the point was brought up that we will be let down multiple times in our lives (which I am currently experiencing the hard way), so you must find a village who will support you and help you stand back up. In these past few weeks, God has truly shown me who my village is, and I am now understanding each person’s role in my life, and my love and appreciation for them is growing more and more each and every day.  

[weaveshadows]

Reading Response Week 11

This week’s readings mostly discussed the idea of our surroundings, and bettering ourselves by surrounding ourselves in ways that will help us grow and succeed in all areas. Specifically, the author discussed how we should surround ourselves with our people, and a habitat where we can succeed and grow in our creativity and work. I loved the idea of each person having their “Village,” and I didn’t realize until recently how important that really is. In the last couple of posts, I have discussed a situation where I am experiencing mistakes and loss. Throughout the situation, I have really found my people, the people who will always be there to support me, emotionally and spiritually, and who will also not be afraid to hold me accountable, but will do it in a loving way while standing beside me the whole time. Also, I have found that having my own space is where I truly thrive in my work and creativity. However, this space for me is my bedroom at home, and so being in the dorms is difficult during school because I tend to procrastinate and get overwhelmed when I don’t have a comfortable working environment. Also, I prefer for my habitat to be quiet or have soft noise when I am working, which is extremely difficult to find while living in college dorms. However, I have learned that despite all of these things, I am much more successful in my work when I have a balance of work and creative time. This semester has really taught me that I need to make it a priority to have creative time and enjoy my hobbies, that way I don’t get as burnt out and overwhelmed throughout the semester.

eruption in Iceland. author: @thrainnko