Thursday, February 11, 2010

Reflection of First Critique

Assignment 1
Hand detail
Door Detail

Ok.

A summary? I think I'd prefer a drink, but I know I need to do this while it's fresh.

I feel like the critique of my drawing went well. People seemed to like what I did and didn't have a lot of bad things to pick apart in my drawing. That was the good part of it. The discussion after I felt could have gone better.

At one point I thought a line was going to be drawn in the center of the room with studio artists on one side and designers on the other and we were going to have it out West Side Story style. It seemed to me that the way I talked about my drawing and presented myself was disappointing to some of the fine artists in the class. I believe disheartening was one of the words used. Multiple people said things along the lines of I don't have any confidence in my work and I was afraid to defend it. I don't believe that at all. And I think it is unfair to make that assumption when most of the class has only seen me defend my work in this critique. I have no problem fighting for my work. In my design classes I have had numerous critiques where I had to fight for my work and show my conviction. Now I may not fight with the same conviction in my studio classes, but honestly that's because I like my design classes more and the work I do there more. I enjoy drawing, art metals, and ceramics (which are the studios I have taken) but I know that they are not something I would want to do for a living. I do not want to be a studio artist. Not that there is anything wrong with being one I just enjoy my edit>undo way too much.

Another question that was asked to me was how do I know whether it's a hit or a miss, and how do you know if your instinct is right. How do I know I am going into the right profession and that I will be successful. To that I say I don't know. I like my work, and I feel it is good enough that I could make it as a graphic designer. When I am working on a design project hours feel like minutes. My dad always told me that the trick to being successful and happy is to find something you love and get good enough at it that someone will pay you to do it. I love to design and so that is the road I am on now, but if down the road I find that I am not as good as I thought I was or that I'm not enjoying it as much as I used to then I will move onto a different road and see where that takes me.

In the end I know that some of what I said probably offended or upset some of the studio artists in the class and I'm sorry they feel that way.

Monday, February 1, 2010

Art Lessons Summary

In the first chapter of Art Lessons the author basically gives us an in depth definition of what she believes the word artist means. She explains how some people believe only a few people can really call themselves artists, and how others believe that everyone is an artist in some way.

The second chapter focuses mainly on 5 things the author believes are crucial for aesthetic education. The simplest being learn to write and develop your technical skills. The others were a little more about relating to your audience and being aware of your environment.

The third chapter explains how school is not the only way to become an artist. There are many paths you can take on the road and most of them intertwine and connect to back to each other. You don't have to pick one and feel like it's the only way.

I guess the thing that hit me hardest from the reading was the comment at the beginning of the third chapter about taking an active role in your learning. There are so many outlets for learning out there and school is just one of those. To truly excel at anything you need be aware of all the teachings around you and soak up as much as you can get and go back for more if you want to succeed.