my collage

This is my collage from the collage exercise we did in class. I really enjoyed this exercise because we didn't have to create a collage based on anything in particular; we were just free to make whatever we wanted.    I especially like the gold that Dr. Specht added at the end, right before he pressed it together.  I enjoyed making it so much that I'd like to find art stores that sell supplies so that I could make more.  In fact, I'd like to take a class in collage art at some point.

 I haven't gotten around to framing this yet, but I will be very soon. 

drawing

I'm posting the drawing that I did when we had the exercise that Dr. Specht talked us through.  This drawing is what I saw the elderly woman-my late grandmother-put in my hand.

So, I imagined her to give me this illuminated cross because she was the one who taught me about the Catholic faith and why I have continued to be faithful to this day.  She had a difficult life but she never lost her faith, even as she was terminally ill with cancer.

I'm the first to admit that I'm not an artist-I'm an admirer of artists.  However, I really think that art is subjective, anyone has the potential to create art.  Some people may look at this drawing and think it's awful, some may think it's ok for someone who isn't an artist, and there may even be a few people who look at this and think it's decent artwork. 

creativity in gratitude

Yesterday morning, I gave a present to a classmate who helped me with work throughout the semester.  I had been considering giving her a gift before the semester ended, and fortunately I knew what she liked: monkeys. She had monkey stickers, monkey key chains, etc.  So, I found this ceramic monkey bank and knew that she'd like it. And, sure enough, she did.  She kept thanking me over and over.

I would say that gift-giving in general requires some creativity.  I would also say that I have picked up the ability to notice what people like, and therefore I am able to pick out gifts that suit people's tastes. My mom and grandma taught me that ability:  they knew exactly who in our family liked what.  We had one relative who decorated her whole house with watermelons, another one who loved cows, another one who loved cats...

I would say that I took creativity and gift-giving a step further after I took History of Puppetry last semester.  After the semester ended, I still had a lot of puppet-making supplies left, so I used them to make puppets and give them out as Christmas gifts.  I would say that crafts are always good for gifts because they're enjoyable, relaxing, and affordable to put together and give out.

Ad for show

This was a promo that was made for a show that Paula (the woman in the bottom picture) and I were in a few years back.  She was a musician and I was a poet.  We performed at Virgo Bat and Leo Phrog's on Genesee Street.  I posted this because it's an example of what people can do with their creativity when they work together.  Not just in the show, but in this ad.  My photo was taken by a friend who was a photography student. I took Paula's photo and the picture of the flower. My brother made the candle with the date on it and he put the whole thing together using Photoshop.  We were all pleased with the result. 

creativity in public speaking

About a week ago, I purchased an audio lecture called "Praying The Rosary Like Never Before."  The lecturer is Dr. Edward Sri, who is a Catholic speaker who is also a Theology professor.  He began his lecture by discussing how people cannot tell what nationality he is by his name or even by his appearance.  He then told an anecdote about a Benedictine priest who could tell anyone's nationality by looking at them.  However, he was also stumped by Dr. Sri's nationality at first.  He examined his profile, and determined that he was Italian (Dr. Sri is half Italian) and he determined his Thai heritage by looking at his incisors (teeth). And, lo and behold, Dr. Sri is also half Thai.
I enjoyed this introduction because, first of all, I enjoy hearing anecdotes at lectures because they make the atmosphere less formal and they help both the speaker and audience relax and enjoy the lecture.  Secondly, I have had the similar problem as Dr. Sri.  People look at me and they can't tell my nationality.  I'm actually half Italian on my mother's side and I'm half Jewish on my father's side.  Some people recognize "Lowenkopf" as a German name, in fact some people even know that it's German for "Lion's Head."  However, people see me and they think I'm either Native American (because of my hair and the shape of my eyes), or that I have some Hispanic or Asian blood.  Anyway, I found Dr. Sri's anecdote to be interesting and relatable.

So, the real reason that I purchased this lecture is because I wanted to learn more about the meaning of the rosary.  I say it from time to time, but, like many others, I get distracted or lose my place often.  Dr. Sri addressed this issue in his lecture, and he said that many people get discouraged or worry that messing up the rosary may somehow anger God.

Dr. Sri related the difficulty of the rosary prayer by talking about his daughter when she was two years old.  She started drawing pictures and she would give him these pictures when he'd come home from work. He'd ask her, "What is it a picture of?"  And she'd reply, "That's you, daddy!"  Dr. Sri said that the picture was just a bunch of scribbles and therefore, he couldn't recognize that it was actually a drawing of him.  However, he was moved by his daughter's heart; she had been thinking of him and she showed it to him by drawing him a picture.  It didn't matter how good or bad the art was, it was the thought that counted.  He then explained that God does not get angry with us for messing up the rosary, as long as our intentions of praying it are sincere.  Dr. Sri continued that God sees us all as works in progress, so there's nothing wrong with making mistakes as we pray, as long as we have a sincere desire to improve with time.

I considered this lecture to be very creative because of how Dr. Sri connected with his audience in a personal way.  He isn't just relaying information about the Catholic faith like a person would read off of a clipboard.  As a result, I became more interested in Dr. Sri's teachings.

I have been searching for poems that I'd written a long time ago, and I wanted to share some of them with you.  My reason for sharing them is, if anything, this blog has given me a chance to express my own creativity and to give my opinions on different facets of creativity.  Hopefully, all of you have benefited from your own blogs in a similar way.

I created these short poems online when I would log in to poetry.com.  The site used to have a contest called Poetry in Motion, which gave you letters, words, and phrases and you'd create the poem from them.  It was a lot of fun to do, but unfortunately I never won.

The following poems are all untitled:

Their mothers' families fading like
Time's silky sensations--all embrace
within iron wombs


The moonlight sight
Translucent shadows in the night
Magic Star shimmers so bright


The images of angels light
Raining on our souls
Transparent shadows absorb visions
Of  eternal dreams


Dawn's horizon
brushed away sleep
softly I contemplate
the dreams that claimed my thoughts


Splendorous dreams
Shadow her sleep
And brighten her earthly world

Frolicking in innumerable flowered leafy desire
Brushed with summered sunflowers
An isle of self-exiled warmth


September winds blow up the hillside
Young crowds seek desire
I respond to his tantalizing eyes
With every September wave

cariacture

On a lighter note, I wanted to share with you a caricature that I had done on a trip to Disneyworld in 2009.  I was surprised by his accuracy because I've had other caricatures drawn of my face, and they looked nothing like me.  I'd just assumed that my face was a difficult one for artists to capture accurately.  I really admire (most) caricature artists' work because they can capture a person's essence and their overall disposition in a single drawing.  This is the image of myself that I'd like to share with the world: happy, fun, and friendly. The only part that I don't like is that dot in the middle of my chin which represents the mole.

Dove Experiment

Since we saw the Dove Real Beauty Sketches Experiment on Tuesday, it got me thinking about insecurities and self-esteem issues and how they are connected with creativity.  And, I'd like to start with a personal account.

When I was bullied in junior high, it made me very self conscious.  I was not only self-conscious because of my looks, but also because of my other shortcomings.  I was terrified of doing presentations in front of the class, or even raising my hand to answer a question.  I figured that if I got it wrong, my classmates would find it hilarious and call me an idiot.  I didn't want to try out for any sports because, well, I've never been an athlete, so I figured I'd be a hindrance to any team.  Needless to say, I was not very creative, not even in my private time.  Sometimes, I'd write in a journal to get those negative feelings down on paper, but reading them over and over made me feel more negative.  I had no interest in the arts, but as time went on, I'd soon discover how these can aid in boosting self-esteem.

When you're being creative and enjoying it, your mind is on that and not on how many pimples you have on your face, or how frizzy your hair is.  When I began writing poetry and short stories, I soon felt comfortable enough reading them in coffeehouses or at the local writer's club.  It was really uplifting to hear compliments on my work, in fact it made me realize that something that was personal to me could also be personal for someone else.  When I read something I'd written, people were paying attention to my words and not what I was wearing or how my hair looked.

So, I would say that creativity, in one of its many forms, can help someone feel better about themselves and think less about the stuff that only we ourselves notice.  What I mean by that is, for example: has anyone ever looked at a celebrity that's had a lot of plastic surgery, before and after? Usually, I think that the celebrity looked better before all the work.  An average face that looks natural is much more attractive than a face that looks like a wax figure, in my opinion.   It's ridiculous for people to mutilate their faces and bodies just because of what society says is perfect, because no one's ever going to be perfect, no matter how much surgery they have.

Now, what you might be surprised to know is that I've had work done by a plastic surgeon last August.  I had a mole removed from my face, in fact it was in a really OBVIOUS spot, in the middle of my chin.  I wanted it off so badly, not just for cosmetic reasons, but any mole has the potential to turn cancerous.  The mole turned out to be benign, and my chin healed quickly.  Needless to say, I'm very happy with the result.  When I would look in the mirror before, I'd just see this mole that I wanted to tear off.  Now, I look in the mirror and just see my face, a nice, friendly face.  It has made me a better person also; I used to be really self-conscious because I thought anyone who was talking to me would be fixated on my mole.  But, since I had it removed, I no longer have that insecurity.  I have no plans of having any more surgery, by the way.  My take on plastic surgery is that people should REALLY consider if they want to alter their appearance and if doing so will make them better people before they go under the knife and do something they might regret. 

Page from aforementioned book

Here is a picture from the book Little Mouse's Painting.  Little Mouse is looking at the painting she made, which is of a blueberry bush, a sunrise, and a flower.  But if you look more closely, the three images also resemble her friends.  Bear is the bush, Squirrel is the flower, and Porcupine is the sunrise.  I will bring the book to class Tuesday (4/15) if anyone wants to look at it.

Little Mouse's Painting.  Written by Diane Wolkstein, illustrated by Maryjane Begin.  Text copyright (c)1992 by Diane Wolkstein.  Illustrations copyright (c)1992 by Maryjane Begin. 

Thursday's class discussion

I'll admit that I wasn't entirely comfortable rating creativity levels of other artists' work (especially Andy Warhol's...he's a legend), but it did make think about how I view art in general.  I would agree with the rest of the class that the Campbell's soup can painting wasn't that creative, but I will say that it was beautifully done.  Maybe I don't feel comfortable rating other artists' work because I'm not an artist. 

I thought of my visits to Munson Williams Proctor Institute and why I could stare at some works of art and just bypass others.  I tend to be attracted to the oil paintings, especially if they're religious or Greek Mythology-related.  I also enjoy the furniture and sculptures.  I'm not all that interested in the abstract works or the works with geometrical shapes.  But, now I realize that I like certain artworks more than others because of my personal taste, not because of the creativity level.  One thing that I do like about abstracts is that there's a lot of room for personal interpretation (as it is with collages), but, with paintings of people and scenes, not so much.  I enjoy looking at painting and drawings of people because I,myself, cannot draw people at all.  I get their proportions all wrong.  I will say that many artists, however talented they are, cannot seem to draw children's faces that well.  They just look like smaller, slightly chubbier versions of the adult faces.

Lastly, the class discussion made me think of a children's book that I used when I took Children's Literature a few semesters ago.  It's called Little Mouse's Painting, and it has to do with interpreting a piece of artwork.  I love this book because it's a great way to explain art interpretation to young children.  I borrowed it from a library, and I could scan some pictures onto the blog or I could just bring the book to the next class. 

Open mode?

Since Dr. Specht discussed being in the open mode to allow creativity to flow, it made me remember when I used to take a personal day to enjoy art, music, books, or just driving around.  I would try to get all my errands, work, or anything that was not fun done beforehand so I would have extra time to myself.  I know that we discussed the over-use of cell phones in class and how they interfere with the open mode, but I had to keep mine on in case my mom or grandma needed me for anything.  And, periodically, I would call my grandmother, who I lived with at the time, to let her know I was ok and coming home soon.  She worried about me an awful lot.

What I enjoyed the most about those times was that I could take the worries out of my mind because, usually, there was nothing that needed my urgent attention.  I missed driving around and getting excited when a good song would come on the radio, and that strange, brief "high" that hearing a song that you like gives you. 

One of my frequent stops was Munson-Williams Proctor Institute, especially during fall.  I liked to walk to the Fountain Elms and see all the different-colored leaves in the courtyard.  I'd take a bunch of pictures if I happened to remember my camera.  I'd browse in the gift shop or just pick a random piece of artwork and stare at it for a (seemingly) long time.  And, usually before leaving the gallery, I'd look at "The Voyage of Life", because every time I look at it, it's like I'm seeing it for the first time.  It never gets old.

And after that, I'd go over to the Utica Public Library.  Now, the library is where I have difficulty keeping in the open mode because I usually look for books that I'm interested in.  I love their children's book section. I also enjoy skimming through books about religion and spirituality, but most of all, I enjoy looking at books about animals, especially my favorite animal, the grizzly bear.  I developed an interest in grizzlies after I saw this picture in my science book:

I mean, look at them!  It's a mother bear with her three cubs, posing for a photo just as a human family would!  I have since looked at several pictures of grizzly bears online, and their behavior continues to interest me on many levels. 

Am I engaging in the open mode if I'm thoroughly enjoying something, even if it isn't new to me, or should I put it aside and leave room for something that I know very little about?

collage

This is a two-page collage that I made for English class when I was in the eighth grade. The top photo is the left page, and the bottom photo is the right. The assignment was for each student to find pictures, words, or phrases that we felt described us or that we had an interest in.  It wasn't necessary to put together a collage, but I loved to read women's and teen magazines, and I found so much that I just kept adding to it until it became one.  I remember that I was one of the few students who used so many magazine clippings, and when the teacher saw my collage, she beamed and told me that I did a great job. When I look at this, I remember how optimistic and enthusiastic I was when I was thirteen years old.

I took this photo of a wild turkey during mating season (which, as far as I know, starts in late April and ends in early June).



Erika L

two ducks looking

Here is a photo that I took of two mallard ducks, one male and one female, when I lived in New Hartford a few years ago. It was a rare occurrence to see them walking on land for such a long period of time (they usually swam in the stream that ran behind my old apartment).


Erika L