“The First Time I Picked Up That Crayon”

Going back a few years, I have always known one thing about myself and that is that I love using my artistic abilities and working on creative projects. The first time in my life that I started to draw was as soon as I was physically capable of holding on to a crayon in my little hands.
Mind you, all it was at first was me scribbling and experimenting with different colours to see if I could understand the difference in colour variation between each crayon. It wasn’t until I was older that my mom pointed out, when I was younger, that she had to stop me from potentially ruining all my classic Disney books because some of them had been slightly ruined.

When I was younger I had a raving imagination. When it came to drawing, I hadn’t a care how the drawings looked, nor was I as fixated on my work as I am now. I must have done at least hundreds of drawings or more, but the difference was they were done quicker. There was always something I was illustrating in my head or visualizing, whether someone told me the story of it, I saw it, or it came to my head. Whatever I visualized, I instantly drew. I even went through a phase of drawing big crowds and groups of people in clusters.

About a year ago, I recall my father mentioning drawings that I had drawn for both my parents. They seemed to be significant to him because it displayed a new side to my imagination. Ever since this was mentioned to me, it has stuck in my mind. He told me about the time that he and my mom attended a Peter Gabriel concert. It wasn’t until the next day, when they got back home, that my dad told me all about what the concert was like in great detail. The next thing I did was take out printer paper and all my colouring utensils to start drawing and interpreting my impressions of what my dad had just told me. Even though I wasn’t there to experience the show and he didn’t cover every aspect of what the show was like or looked like, I still imagined on my own the things he didn’t say about the show. Ever since I was in diapers, I have danced to Peter Gabriel’s music.  

Re-cap of the Peter Gabriel concert in 4 images!

All through public school, art class was an enjoyable class for me. I was able to try my own different techniques and styles with art. Then when I went to high school I really started to learn about the different art periods, famous artists, the history behind art, and I got the chance to critique the work of artists. This was when I really started to find and see a bigger passion for art that I had in myself. Before high school I didn’t take art so literally. I was just someone who liked to draw, and I drew anything, really.

I’ll admit part of me has lost my inner, creative side, which is really unfortunate to me. However, there are still moments that come up when I break out and I am inspired to write something, draw, paint, etc. I am at a different stage in my life and these kinds of things have lost their momentum. However, I am aware that this is a time for me to do some soul searching. I do believe these passions will slowly, over time, come back to me and give the joy they did when I was a child.

Here is a link to a website I designed when I was younger:

The Rob Ford Show

Revelations about Rob Ford’s lifestyle and some of the people whom he associates with who are known criminals, have created a controversy that is putting his own reputation and the reputation of the city of Toronto at stake!

The media across North America and around the world have made Ford a household name. Saturday Night Live, a number of late night T.V. hosts, and many other media outlets have made Ford the butt of jokes.

This distraction has limited productivity at City Hall. Ford has done nothing but defend himself recently and has apologized countless times over his illegal drug habits, public drunkenness, and comments that offend most people. In spite of that, recent polls suggest there are still many in the “Ford Nation” who still support him. Because he has not been charged with a criminal offence, he cannot be removed from office. However, other members of Toronto City Council have voted overwhelmingly to strip him of almost all of his powers as mayor. One would hope that Toronto City Council will soon be able to get back to running the affairs of the city of Toronto and that Rob Ford will get the help he needs to straighten out his life. His family, Torontonians, and Canadians deserve better from the mayor of the largest city of our country. It’s sad, disturbing, and embarrassing to see what he is doing to the reputation of Toronto and to his health.

Here is a link to an article that I thought relates to the YouTube parody Video of Rob Ford that I have uploaded, just below this article link.
http://www.huffingtonpost.ca/2013/11/29/rob-ford-youtube-show_n_4358667.html

How March Break is Advertised to Parents and Children

Movie time = 3D Glasses!!

In Canada, March Break is a one week holiday that occurs from the end of February to the beginning of April. It can also be referred to as spring break, winter break or mid-winter break, but its most commonly referred to as March Break. March break is a great opportunity that’s all about spending quality time together with your family as well as having the kids at home for a week.
For the most part families with kids attending school have special plans of some kind that are arranged for their March Break. Most parents take time off work and travel to warm and sunny destinations during the break. Another option for parents is to plan a special getaway closer to home, which includes ski resorts, registering their kids in local camps and special programs, in which plenty are offered during the break. Hotels in major cities as well as ski resorts are typically busier and more expansive than usual.
March Break is a perfect opportunity for businesses to market themselves to the public by advertising an event or service that that business offers to consumers/customers. A few examples of ways that businesses advertise to children is when they offer things like:
• Arts and Crafts Workshops – Michaels (arts and craft store) offers the option for parents to book a “craft party” for their children and their children’s friends to attend.

• Local Camps –This provides a great opportunity for parents to sign their children up for a local March Break camp such as Gymnastics classes or a martial arts workshop.

• The Library –Many libraries offer March Break programming for kids, which include writing workshops and craft days.

• The Movie Theatre –There is nothing more enjoyable then having a family outing at the movie theatre. With plenty of choices for movies, there should be a movie suited for the whole family to watch.

One of the most common things you will see closer to the time when March Break rolls around is advertisements for vacation and getaway packages that are sold at a significantly cheaper price, compared to the high prices they usually are sold for at any other time during the year. These advertisements can be seen; online, in magazines, on television, in newspapers and print and even on the telephone (telemarketers). Young parents in their 20’s with young children and middle aged parents in their 30’s and 40’s with or without children are the kind of people that this message is being advertised to.

The Highlight of the Radio Tour Field Trip

This was by far one of the best field trips I have ever attended. I have never before been lucky enough to have the opportunity to visit a radio station for a tour. I have always had a fascination and curiosity for what the Corus building in Kingston looks like inside. After visiting CJAI 92.1 FM on Amherst Island and Corus Kingston’s radio stations: CKWS FM, FM 96 and the television station CKWS TV, I was able to see what the inside of a tv/radio station looks like, what kind of equipment and software the station uses, meet the DJ’s/hosts of the stations, ask informative questions. I was also able to develop a better sense of the DJ’s/host’s personalities after meeting them in person. After meeting one DJ in particular, I noticed that her personality/attitude on the radio is exactly the same as how she carries herself as an individual in real life. Usually when we hear most radio DJ’s/announcers, they portray a certain personality or uniqueness about them that we imagine them to possess, which may be accurate or not. We only know and recognize the voice of the person through the radio, but if we were to go to an event that a radio station was hosting and we were to meet a DJ, the experience might be different. It reminds me of the scene in the movie “Wayne’s World” when Wayne and Garth visit a DJ for an interview at a radio station. The DJ has a very smooth, mellow voice, and by the way he sounds over the radio, one would imagine the DJ to be tall, handsome, and very hip-looking. To Garth and Wayne’s surprise, he is not!

The highlight of my trip was going to the Corus Media building. I have a big interest and fascination for broadcast television, radio and the media. I now have a greater interest in a career in television production.

Wayne’s World – One of the funniest movies out there!

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Reduce, Re-use, Recycle Rant!

Looking after Planet Earth is a responsibility we all share. So what does that responsibility look like in action? For starters, we can reduce, re-use and recycle (the three R’s). We can support companies and corporations that promote and practise care for our environment. Here is a fact worth considering. The average person creates 4.7 pounds of waste every single day, and approximately 60% of the rubbish we throw out could be recycled.

Did you ever notice all the trash on roadsides by stop signs?  It’s like there are drivers out there who just get bored sitting at stop lights or stop signs and look around their cars for trash to throw out. What a great way to pass the time! It drives me nuts. I just want to get out of my car and pick all the garbage up, but if I did, there would likely be somebody behind me blowing his horn with his head out the window yelling, “Hey, get out of the way! Can’t you see that I need to pull up and throw some garbage out?”

What about plastic water bottles? We could live without them, and ditching bottled water would keep our planet and your wallet green.  Worldwide, one hundred billion dollars is spent on bottled water annually. For a fraction of that amount, everyone on the planet could have safe drinking water and proper sanitation. Every hour, nearly 250,000 plastic bottles are dumped. It is not surprising that plastic bottles constitute close to 50% of recyclable waste. It takes close to 700 years for a plastic bottle to decompose.

Doing nothing just doesn’t cut it anymore. We have the technology to clean up the planet. The big question is, do we have the collective will? If we don’t do something about destroying our planet soon, Mother Nature will shut down long enough for us to all die off. Then, she will start the cycle all over again, and hopefully next time the inhabitants of the planet will do a better job than we are doing!

This is a social injustice peice on the environment that I did for my Photography and Design class last semester.

Inventions of the Future

Where are we going with the future in technology and communications? 

Many inventions are all around us and it would be hard to imagine life without them. Inventions such as aluminum foil, adhesive bandages, the ballpoint pen, the computer mouse, and the microwave oven are just a few examples of great innovations that have become essential products that we now take for granted. With new inventions and improvements in technology and communications, life is easier with tasks being achieved in a fraction of the time they used to take and with higher quality.

The affects of marketing with the future in technology and communications.

Inventions in communication change how we market things. With social media, we rely less on traditional media (television, newspaper) and now use the new media to market new products. Some social media sites, such as Facebook and Twitter are being used as a marketing tool. Companies have websites to promote, inform and sell their products online. This can be a more efficient and cheaper way to sell products. Customers are able to find products easily through search engines and are able to make purchases online without leaving their homes.

How does technology bare change in our lives? 

Ten years from now, when we look back on technological advances, we will realize how they have changed drastically over time just as we can now look back ten years and marvel at how life has changed with technological advancements. The new advancements we marvel over now won’t be impressive in the future because something bigger, better and more revolutionary will have come along. Have you heard of Google Glass? In the immediate future, there will be wearable tech also referred to as Google glasses. Google glasses are hands-free device that can be activated by your voice and any commands that you speak. Google glass has similar functions that an I-Phone is capable of doing, such as: play music, take pictures, take videos, provide Facetime, and internet searches commanded by a voice similar to the function of Siri on the I-Phone. Using the voice activated function, you can send a text message to someone by simply saying the message verbally, and with Google maps you can ask for directions to a certain place and a  Google map will appear off to the right side of the screen.

Here are two links for the Google Glasses Invention; http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JSnB06um5r4

  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6BTCoT8ajbI

Here is an extra link; http://science.howstuffworks.com/innovation/inventions/5-awesome-new-inventions-youll-never-hear-about.htm

Flying Bicycle

Tablet (for gamers)

How I Respond to Design in the World

When I think of design, I think of photography, art, patterns, layouts, design of products etc. Each of these things is made in its own way, to look a certain way or be portrayed in a particular way. Everyone looks at design through their own perspective, which includes personal experience. Since everyone sees things differently, they have different interpretations or thoughts on design. When looking at the design of something, I am inclined to spot and look at the elements of design. I tend to pick out lines, colour, shape, value, texture, form, space, and point. I look at the choice of colours used in design, because often that influences my mood and how I feel when I am looking at a design. In design, I look at what shapes stand out to me, if the colours work well together, and if all together it makes for a good composition. Design is all about fulfilling human needs with consideration given to functionality, aesthetics, cost efficiency, ergonomics, and freshness.

From a commercial perspective, new designs are what make people want to buy new products. New designs in fashion, cars, technological gadgets, hairstyles, home construction are just a few examples of how economies are driven by changes in design. Without the art of design, world economies would stagnate, so I find it ironic when people talk about post secondary arts programs as being frivolous or a waste of time.

A question I find hard to figure out is, do trends dictate the style in which designers develop, or do designers dictate trends? It seems obvious to me that fashion designers dictate”from on high,” but popular television shows such as “Mad Men” can also influence fashion. Pop music has also been known to influence fashion trends. When it comes to technological devices (i.e., cell phones, automobile car dashboards), design is often influenced by technological advances. Perhaps the influence works both ways.

Danish Design (chairs)

(Design Master’s Program Banner from Carleton University website)

My Favourite Artist: M.C. Escher

This is a self portrait of M.C. Escher

I would like to talk about a graphic artist by the name M.C. Escher. M.C. Escher is one of the world’s most famous graphic artists. The mediums most of his art pieces were created in were woodcuts, lithographs, and mezzotints, which feature impossible constructions, explorations of infinity, architecture and tessellations. Escher’s early and later works were inspired by mathematical concepts, especially geometry.

Maurits Cornelis Escher was born on June 17^th 1898 in Leeuwarden, the Netherlands, and he died on March 27^th 1972 at the age of 73. He studied architecture, graphic and decorative arts. It can be said that M.C. Escher successfully incorporated all elements of design in is work. His symmetrical designs achieved a strong sense of balance in many of his pieces. His tessellation designs are an excellent example of unity, with their many repeated geometric shapes.

Much of Escher’s work took on a 3-dimensional form and had the illusion of taking up space. He is known for his experimentation with perspective and dimensions with architectural perspectives and challenging spaces. Escher’s creations have expressive qualities, as well. Many pieces represent images of fantasy. His observations of the world through his art showed him to be very astute.

This is a piece I did for an art project, in which I took a piece Escher did and incorporated his styles and techniques with my own style to make my own creation and representation of his work. Enjoy!

I feel his work is unique in nature and sets him apart from many other artists. His style is very appealing for many reasons. One of the many reasons I am attracted to this artist’s work is his choice of a wide range of unique subjects which he uses as sources of inspiration. His choices range from European landscapes and a variety of architectural structures such as buildings, castles, columns and stairs. He incorporates animals in his art, some of which are very unusual, such as reptiles and insects with human-like heads.

One of the strongest attractions I have to his work is how it plays with reality and shows his eccentricity. The graphic nature of his style includes his intricate tessellation patterns that are brilliant. That style and his impeccable attention to detail are all factors that influence my work as an artist.