Let me get started by saying that I am not a creative person. I have an analytical mind. I'm totally a left-brained person and sometimes that makes it difficult to find the deeper meaning in things because I tend to take them at face value. So I can totally get behind Kleon's idea that "our work doesn't speak for itself". I've been to art museums, and when I look at a piece often my first assessment is "Oh, that's neat-looking" or "People actually paid money for this thing?" (but hey, I guess it's like Kleon said- one's man's trash is another man's treasure). So I find them boring. I want to be told about the piece of work, I want to know why the artist was passionate about it. I want a reason, and I think that's a very human reaction.
The idea that everything has a story behind it reminds me a lot of a British Literature class I'm taking. Our professor focuses a lot on historical context because she feels that it will give us a better understanding of the literature that we read. I enjoy this method of teaching because I agree that in order to understand the importance of a piece of work, you must first understand it's background.
So, in order to understand my work (or why I feel that it's special), you must first understand the context - and that is that I am NOT creative. I would classify myself as artistically challenged. So when I accomplish something remotely aesthetically pleasing, I'm so proud. So I apologize in advance for being ~basic~ but here's a picture of probably the only thing I've painted since middle school.
Oh and here's a cool picture I took in my hometown. Because photoshop and Instagram filters are the only way my creativity manifests, apparently.
Comments
Lauren! You seem pretty
Submitted by kgthoma on
Lauren! You seem pretty creative to me! I love that painting and that picture is beautiful! I do understand where you are coming from about understanding with some context. Part of me likes close reading without any prior knowledge but most of the time I perfect some context. Who do you have for Brit Lit?
nice post
Submitted by kglasso on
That's the coolest side of a cooler I've ever seen, looks just like the TTT's shirts! You seem to be really artistic!
TI really like your painting!
Submitted by clscott on
TI really like your painting! And I don't judge a book by the cover, but I judge the author and what they're trying to present with the book cover, like tattoos. You put it there, so what message are you trying to send and do you think it'll be interpreted that way? I like the more ambiguous covers, like Catcher in the Rye. It's beautiful, but it doesn't completely give away what the book is about. I also like the symbolic covers, like how the cover of Twilight is hands holding an apple to symbolize temptation.
First of all, your painting
Submitted by Gavin Oliver on
First of all, your painting is great!
I took a British Lit class last semester and am in an American Lit class this semester, and the professors made/make detailing the historical contexts of the works in them a priority. A lot of the readings in my American Lit class are about Europeans' encounters with Native Americans, and accounts of slaves. It is must to know the historical context of these works, while the readings go hand-in-hand with them to provide influential insight.
That photo is so cool! I
Submitted by mamores on
That photo is so cool! I totally think filters and photoshop count as creative outlets. We can't really make nature look the way we want in real life, so we use our imaginations and technology to make look a little cooler.
Hey Lauren! I really love
Submitted by briana.993 on
Hey Lauren! I really love your artwork! It's so neat to be able to see what other people in the class are up to creatively!