Day 5: Art and time

“It’s not how much time you put into your art, but rather how much art you put into your time.” It’s hard to write about this one, but I really do understand what it means. My interpretation of what it means is, it’s not amount of time you spend on your art that creates the value, it’s the amount of art that you put into what you are trying to create.

In painting, I feel that you aren’t really creating anything if you are spending too much time on it. You aren’t really progressing. If you put more art, more value, more texture, just simple elements and principles into your art, it will make all the difference in the final product. Now not only in painting can you achieve this; dancing, editing as well as filming, writing, designing and even cooking. If you put forth more effort in a small amount of time, you can create something worth more to yourself and to the rest of the world.

When I am focused or totally invested into what I am painting, time seems to stop. The rest of the world stops and nothing else matters. Time is never my enemy but rather my own mind. I always try to incorporate something more, something deeper than just what’s shown on the outside. I remember working on my final concentration project for AP studio Art, not having much time and almost giving up. The clock was ticking in my head and I had one night to complete it. I spent half of my night stressed, not knowing what I was going to do. I began with one small central idea and built upon it. I added lots of elements to my painting as well as mixing up my media a lot more, and I found a true voice in my art work. Walking the next day after not sleeping I handed in one of my greatest pieces of that year, and finally finding my true voice in my art work. From then on all the other small pieces of art I’ve done have one central idea and value to both the viewer and I.

TIME & ART

This weekend when I was thinking to myself about this saying, I don’t know why it stuck to me, but it did. I like to think that I put a lot of art in my time, because acting is only a piece. I think my art is entertainment. At my graduation, our class president went up to the podium to tell her speech on how she viewed our class. In the speech she pointed out a couple people and I was one of them. She said that, actually labeled me as an entertainer. When she said that, I think she made a great point to a lot of people. Although I got kicked out of our school plays, somehow she was able to see that I was still an entertainer. The art of acting just doesn’t come on the stage, it takes practice, and every moment is a chance. That moment when she said my name the crowd started laughing, that’s how I knew my job was accomplished at East. In my head my whole high school career in the drama section was a failure, but not in the halls of our schools. Which let me know just because I didn’t shine in a little area, doesn’t mean I didn’t shine at all.

The statement of me being an entertainer is what I like to take to now, instead of just acting. Everything I do, every second I am trying to entertain, rather it me righting a paper to entertain the teacher, or just me being myself. I like to be the entertainment, but taken seriously, because it is my art. How much art I put in my time, starts out new every time I meet someone. It’s almost like a natural thing to me, but it wasn’t until someone else really pointed out what type of art I was doing that I really noticed. Not just acting but entertaining, being able to keep your attention as well as another person that I know nothing about and still be able to connect with you, because of some way you find me funny but more so entertaining.

When I think about how far my entertaining goes, I think that it started on the corner of Broadway in New York. I was seven years old, and I asked my mom would she buy me a top hat and a cane. She did, and in minutes I was outside on the corner dancing with my cane and top hat. That night within the first two minutes I made two dollars. My mom always talks to me about this story but it’s not till now that I really see how far that story goes. The age of seven I thought I was confident enough to stand on the corner of Broadway alone and dance and entertain. The only thing that comes to mind now is how ambitious I was and still am.

The quote “ It’s not about how time you put in your art, it’s about how much art you put in your time” can go any direction and I think speaks to everyone to inspire them to do as much as they can in their time.

Prized Memory - FCC

            In high school I was in a club called FCC (Fashion Cosmetology Club). A club that a couple friends and I started based off all of our interest in fashion and entertainment. While in the club I planned and directed events that were in relation to fashion. I also did the marketing, and acted as creative director for most of our events. I remember beginning to plan for our first event, which was our ‘Glitz, Glamour & Lovin’ It Premiere’. I was so nervous. Although I didn’t say it, in my mind I was like “why did I do this? Why am I here? What am I doing?” I was so stressed because I wasn’t sure if I really understood my responsibilities and what I was a part of. Since FCC was a club that my friends and I just started, I didn’t really have anyone coaching me on how to handle everything. There were a lot of tasks to complete, even things that I didn’t even know I would be in charge of. The date of the event ended up approaching and I just wished I had one more week. However, we pulled it together and as I watched from backstage and seen that first flashing light and heard that first beat of music I knew that my friends and I had created an amazing event. This is my most prized memory because we knew nothing about planning a fashion show, all we had was the vision. We really took a huge risk to start the club, and showcase the event to the entire school and public to see. For me it made taking risks a thrill for me. I always want to do something that I may not be the most comfortable with but still taking the chance on the idea.

                Last week when the other bridge students and I went to the fashion gallery it reminded me so much of the event that my friends and I had planned. Seeing all the fashions, and hearing the curator discuss how the fashion students had to come up with themes and how the space had to be planned out it just took me back to that moment. Just being in that room inspired me again and made me want to get together with my friends again and plan another event. Seeing the gallery made me put on that hat again as a director, while in the space I began to come up with ideas as if it were my space to plan. I can completely connect with the fashion the students and the director of the space. I can imagine how proud they must have felt to have been a part of something so great and being able to live out their passion and turn a dream into something that’s tangible. I know the feeling of being nervous, and no one understanding your vision like you understand it. In the end I know being a part of something like that must have given them so much satisfaction.

- Ryan Harper

Scary Night Goes for Gold

What is my most prized memory? When I think of that question, it is so many moments. I have more than one, multiple favorites. One of my favorite memories would be scoring my first goal in AYSO or scoring my first basket when I played basketball in 4^Th and 5^Th grade. Another favorite memory for me is how I first learned how to snap my fingers. Not surprising I have not been able to stop snapping them ever since. My most prized moment is when I got my first stories published and recognized by other people than my mom.

My mom is a fiction-writing graduate of Columbia College where she earned her master’s. She is currently a professor at Moraine Valley Community College where she teaches Composition I and II. She has been a writing and English teacher at Elmhurst University and Daley College. She is currently working on her own book entitled Mud Pies. I guess you could say I was pretty much born with a writing gene. When I was six, I began to learn how to type. Between the summer of 1^st and 2^Nd grade I started writing short stories entitled Scary Night when my mom sent me to work with my aunt one day. She challenged me to write a short story and not to just sit on my butt all day. I began typing the story because I knew that if I did not she would punish me for it.

Ten minutes pass and I already had two pages down… double spaced of course. As I let my imagination run wild and think of every scary movie or story I had ever even heard of I began to incorporate that into my writing. Since that summer, I began writing short stories. Mostly horror based off things I saw on TV or the Internet. By the time I was in 4^Th grade, I had twenty short stories and my mom encouraged me to put them in a book of short stories. I titled the book Scary Night Ghouls and Mischief. My mom read the finish product and was so impressed with me that she decided to share it with a couple of her colleagues at work and they enjoyed the stories. They liked it even though they nitpicked at the grammar. My mom had to remind them I was only half way through 4^Th grade and just barely passed my last English test.

In Sixth grade, I added another short story to that mix of stories and my school submitted it to the Illinois Young Authors contest. I could not take my entire book down state to Illinois State where the Young Authors convention took place. I decided to take my latest story that I had written and it was an honorable mention. I was so proud of myself and so was everyone else when they found out it had become an honorable mention. Out of almost 600 sixth through eighth graders, I was one of the honorable mentions/ award winners to be recognized. I felt so accomplished and it really got me into writing more and wanting to make a career out of it. This was even better than hitting any game winning goals or basket, this felt a lot better.

Mark the main character in  Lost in Place has many favorite memories he goes into details about. Some memories include star gazing with his dad, being an astronaut in box with his little brother or learning a musical instrument from his mom. Mark although has one particular memory he is very fond of. He loves Kung Fu and can remember staying up at night watching Bruce Lee fight off ninjas at monasteries. Mark goes on through great detail throughout the book about how much he loves his kung fu and Bruce Lee movies. He dedicated his life to being a zen master and learning the ways of karate. He found away to be extraordinary through his kung fu like how I found a way to be extraordinary through my writing.

Do what you love, love what you do

                If you’re going to take the time to do something, you might as well do it right. I have heard this quote many times throughout my whole life. Another one that falls into that category was that practice does not make perfect, perfect practice makes perfect. All of these are getting to the point that the only way you’re going to do the best at something, is if it’s something that you truly care about. Listen to any song anywhere, that was most likely (but not always) made by some who loves playing music, not some guy trying to make money by doing something simple like making a song. When we took a trip to the culture center last week, there were so many beautiful paintings and works of art. The whole time I was thinking that someone who truly cared about art did not think that piece would be on display here. It was not made for the public to critique it, but he just made it to make it. It was made perfect because the person who created it took the time to make sure everything was just the way it was envisioned.

             
  Time does not matter when you’re doing something you love. I can spend literally all day playing any instrument. It’s so easy to do something you really care about, because you’re doing something you truly and honestly like doing. Whether you’re a the nerd who loves to read, the athletic kid who can run and play all day, the artist making his art or the musician making music, If you find the thing that you can do every day the rest of your life, you found your art.

                Even in books, the characters have a certain art or passion that the author makes sure the readers know so they can grasp the story and relate it to themselves. In the book I choose to read, “Lost in Place”, marks passion is obviously martial arts. Although he is one of the smallest and weakest in his class, he manages to go to class, take the beatings and learn. Doing that takes a lot of willpower and love for your art. It is even said that he hates violence, yet there he is, getting beat up and attacked in class. But he learned from this, and he builds upon it so he can overcome his obstacles in life.

America...the land of the free!

I wouldn’t necessary would want to change the world. I would just want the world to be an open mind, less violence and more jobs for us Americans. Jobs are very hard to come by these days. You have to have at least a bachelors’ degree to work at Burger king. Okay, maybe not burger king, it’s more like Target. However, the job rates need to increase. The new college graduates’ need and should be able to find a job in there field. No one wants a job-they want a career.  To me that would be the American dream. If I could influence just one person who come from struggling their whole life, that to me is changing the world. It only takes one person to make a difference.

I would love to for someone to find a cure for AID/HIVS. Maybe it could be me. That would definitely change the world for the better. Even educate people here, in America and from different countries. There are a lot that is going on in the world that needs to better-know. Another is sex-trafficking in America. When I first heard about it, I thought it was in poor countries. Once I got more educated on this issue, I try my best to donate to the cause as well volunteering for the cause. After I watch a documentary on CNN; I was shocked. Shocked that I was uniform on where this is all taken place. Yes in different countries, but, more so here in America, our own backyard. I don’t know if people aren’t paying attention or just don’t want to say what’s going on, whatever the case may be. Trafficking in America is on the rise and that needs to be address.

          The crime in Chicago needs to stop. Period. It’s all senseless crimes. Chicago is the number one for crime rate. It was four murders last night on the news. There’s no reason for taking someone else’s life.

Everybody wants the American dream. For that, it will be best world changing moment from healing the sick to fixing the crime. The youth is our future for helping to change the world.

Happiness is Free

                 When I look to the future I want to see people in less poverty, I want to hear about how many people are succeeding instead of dying, I want to see everyone treated as an equal human being, I want to walk in cities and not have to listen to begging, I want to hear about how everyone loves their life; I want to spread happiness. I want to show the world that anything can be done with a positive tactic, and a beautiful smile. This world that we live in right now, is nowhere near how it should be; we live in a time where everyone either thinks they’re too good for anybody that doesn’t have money, or too poor and hopeless to reach their dreams. Who made us this way? Why are we becoming enemies with every single human being around us?

The Media; it portrays more than what meets the eye.

To make a change in this world, I want to stop the counterfeit images in magazines; I want to see real sized human beings, not starving Barbie dolls. As a Fashion Major, I will do anything to drop those designers who only see size 000 as the definition of a beautiful woman. Expose the real life fashion and make everyone out there happy and not stressed out because their size isn’t made in the cute red blazer. Whatever it takes, I want to show everyone that we’re all equal, just in different ways.

Opening facilities to help those who need a home, who need help to figure out what they’re purpose on this earth is, or to just make somebody smile; is just next on my list to make this world better. My goal for each day of my life is to make at least one person smile everyday—though it’s not something I tell myself every morning, it’s just who I am and how I function; I want to spread happiness!

This world can be a healthy place, and I want to make it that way. We need to start understanding that everyone is different; not every student in school can comprehend the same way as another—there needs to be acceptance towards each student, towards each individual, towards one another. Bullying needs to be approached in a different way because evidently, showing class videos are not stopping anything in schools around the world. Everyone is capable of making this change and I want to be the first to spread the joy of happiness that I am fortunate enough to hold, to every single person that walks this earth. Happiness is free and all it takes is a simple smile, and a positive attitude.