Link to article: Brainwashed
1: Acknowledge The Lizard
What Godin is stating here is that we need to start to realize what our society expects and tries to force us to do, acknowledge it, then ignore it. That is one of the key's to being creative, and no falling into the brain-washing traditions our culture tries to impose on us. We need to learn how to ignore "the resistance", or the part of our brain that makes us put our heads down and follow instructions. The key is to realize it is the sole barrier between an artist and their art, and in order to break out of this creative barrier, you need to learn how to ignore it.
2: Learning
Godin says that the old habits of going to school, learning a trade, and then doing that job in the same place, for the rest of your work-life is over. if you go by that mindset, it is almost certain failure. Everyday is school, and you learn from blog posts, experiments, failure, almost anything that you do. And in order to continue, you need to discard the idea that you already know everything you need, and realize that school takes place everyday. And this way, you will learn what you need to learn, every day.
Response
I think these ideas that i summarized, and all seven as a whole, can tie into our blog assignments in many good ways. These teach us to formulate our own ideas, and by giving us the templates and resources to do so, this can help further our creative abilities. It's hard to follow a certain prompt sometimes, so by making them broad, it gives us the opportunity to really explore the article, sound, etc., in our own way and give our true, unhindered responses. this ties in with "acknowledge the lizard" mostly, but it can also relate to "learning" too. Since we're not being told what to learn, we are learning ideas that will help us find and learn what we will need to know later in life, and thats what Godin was trying to encapsulate with his ideas of learning.
Monday, April 25, 2011
Song/Critiques 4B
1) Critique of Steven Martin's song Written Comment/Audio Critique
2) Xian Xiao Song Not Yet Posted
3) Critique of Adam Martinelli's song Written Comment/Audio Critique
4) Critique of Joshua Powell's song Written Comment/Audio Critique
Sunday, April 17, 2011
Cover Song - Umbrella
Cover songs are very popular in our culture today, with hundreds of thousands posted on Youtube by fans and fellow musicians alike. A lot of my favorite cover songs are when someone takes a pop song and throws a little rock into it, giving it a little more meaning and feeling to it. When Rihanna release "Umbrella" back in 2007, it was a very popular song, but i didn't like it that much. Then when Train released Save Me San Francisco in 2009, they included a cover of "Umbrella" and it was one of my favorite songs on the album. And while it is a cover of the song, it is changed in the way of lyrics and musical quality.
In Rhianna's version of the song, she features Jay-Z, who has lyrical parts in the song at the beginning of the song, lasting about 30 seconds into the song before Rhianna starts to sing. In the Train version of the song, they ditch Jay-Z's part and use some introductory instrumentals. Other than Jay-Z's part, the lyric's are almost identical, a true cover in the lyrical sense. All of the choruses are the same, verses lined up just the same also. One thing that Train does different is extended the end of the song longer than Rhianna did, using the same ending lyrics, but repeating them a few more times.
Where this song truly differentiates itself from the original though, is the change in musical quality. Rhianna's version uses drums, synthesizers and a barely noticeable piano as its established beat. Typical instruments for a pop song, and while Trains version stays with same melody, their cover has a totally different harmony. They use the same drums, but make them more apparent. The pitch of the piano is also higher than Rhianna's making it more distinct, especially during the chorus. As the song escalates, Train puts in an acoustic guitar, and adds some background vocals. The organization of the song is different from the original instrumentally; instead of sticking with the same instruments they build up more and more, tone it down to only a guitar during the bridge before the last chorus, then bring them all back at the end. The rhythm of both the songs is regular, though Trains is slightly varied than Rhianna's, making it irregular in some areas. The overall musical quality of Train's version gives it a more upbeat and happy feeling than Rhianna's, creating a totally different feeling while sticking to the same rhythm and lyrical quality of the original.
As i stated in my opening paragraph, i like the Train version alot more, because it has a more up beat feeling. And with the different uses of instruments it gives the impression that Trains version has more heart than Rhianna's. It is one of my favorite covers, and shows that even terrible pop songs can be made into something entertaining and heartfelt.
In Rhianna's version of the song, she features Jay-Z, who has lyrical parts in the song at the beginning of the song, lasting about 30 seconds into the song before Rhianna starts to sing. In the Train version of the song, they ditch Jay-Z's part and use some introductory instrumentals. Other than Jay-Z's part, the lyric's are almost identical, a true cover in the lyrical sense. All of the choruses are the same, verses lined up just the same also. One thing that Train does different is extended the end of the song longer than Rhianna did, using the same ending lyrics, but repeating them a few more times.
Where this song truly differentiates itself from the original though, is the change in musical quality. Rhianna's version uses drums, synthesizers and a barely noticeable piano as its established beat. Typical instruments for a pop song, and while Trains version stays with same melody, their cover has a totally different harmony. They use the same drums, but make them more apparent. The pitch of the piano is also higher than Rhianna's making it more distinct, especially during the chorus. As the song escalates, Train puts in an acoustic guitar, and adds some background vocals. The organization of the song is different from the original instrumentally; instead of sticking with the same instruments they build up more and more, tone it down to only a guitar during the bridge before the last chorus, then bring them all back at the end. The rhythm of both the songs is regular, though Trains is slightly varied than Rhianna's, making it irregular in some areas. The overall musical quality of Train's version gives it a more upbeat and happy feeling than Rhianna's, creating a totally different feeling while sticking to the same rhythm and lyrical quality of the original.
As i stated in my opening paragraph, i like the Train version alot more, because it has a more up beat feeling. And with the different uses of instruments it gives the impression that Trains version has more heart than Rhianna's. It is one of my favorite covers, and shows that even terrible pop songs can be made into something entertaining and heartfelt.
Friday, April 15, 2011
Monday, April 11, 2011
Finding Your Howl (Blog 2)
In the article above, Jonathan Flaum's tale about one's journey to find their "howl" is truly inspirational.
The story is about one of the last remaining red wolves in existence, Mumon. In the 1970's their species was extinct so they took the remaining 14 into captivity. When they had their offspring, they were released into the wild as an experiment. But the one thing that was wrong with them was that they forgot how to howl. And without this ability, their was no leader, and therefore they didn't have any guide and didn't know how to work as a normal and efficient pack. So because of this inability, Mumon, on of the members of the wold pack, goes on a journey into the forest to find his howl. As he journey's he starts to become hungry but cant find food. He see's a deer and starts to chase after it, eventually catching it. he doesn't know how he did it because he's used to his food being given to him. as he eats the deer he can feel the natural instinct coming to him, and as he runs into other animals in the forrest, they exchange inspirational thoughts with him as he is determined to find his howl. his journey ends when he meets a hunter who shoots him, but then is surrounded by his wolf pack, as this symbolizes him becoming the leader of his pack, as he finally finds his howl after his toil through the forrest.
From this story, Flaum stresses the point that we need to differentiate from the norm in order to find our howl, or our true inspiration and purpose in life. Mumon could've starved and sat around until he was taken back into captivity, but he journey'd into the forrest, with no idea or direction to where he was going. Yet what he was looking for came to him, as he let his instincts take over his actions. Flaum wants us to find what is holding us back, be it our job, marriage, or overall identity, and break away from it. Go do something that you normally wouldn't, because it could lead you down the path to success and happiness.
One quote that really speaks to me is one from a song that i have referenced in another blog post of mine, "Bullet" by Hollywood Undead. "If you can't dream then whats life mean?", is the line, and it reminds me of one of my other big inspirations, Walt Disney. If you have a goal in life, you've dreamnt about it before, fascinated about what it'd be like if you reached that goal. And if you can't picture yourself reaching that goal and being in that place, you'll never reach it. It's hard to come up with ideas if you can't dream, and dreaming helps separate you from reality, something that a lot of people need to do every now and then.
Sunday, April 3, 2011
Ways To Get Ideas - 1B
Article To Read
An idea can blossom many ways, and in "Ways To Get Ideas", a lot of different options and techniques are given to help the reader formulate new and innovative ideas. The author lists 14 different ways to try and come up with ideas, and these are three that i think are the best.
1: Follow Your Fascination (1)
Defiantly a top one in my opinion. When someone comes up with an idea of some sort, it usually involves something the creator is fascinated with or enjoys. Thomas Edison was fascinated with light, and after 800 tries, he created the light bulb. Albert Einstein was fascinated with science, and he came up with one of the greatest equations in history, E=MC^2. So if you want to come up with a new and creative idea, your best bet is to involve yourself in something you love. If you film, study how other popular directors create and weave camera angles and story into something immersive, learn from it, and think about how it can be done better. But if you're not into film and like biology, study film isn't going to give you a great and new idea, at least its not very likely to. I am into film and video-games, so by watching movies carefully and studying how the camera moves depending on the mood and tone of a certain scene, i can learn what works and what doesn't and maybe come up with a new camera angle that highlights the emotions of the characters better. Or by playing a certain video-game, i could find what works and doesn't and maybe spark my own idea for a new cool video-game. If you're willing enough, you can do this with whatever topic you choose, but it will be less stressful and feel easier if you involve yourself with something you enjoy.
2: Make New Connections (4)
A lot of ideas today aren't brand new: they combine popular things to make something innovative. This is why i think that this technique is one every thinker should utilize. The iPhone is a perfect example of someone using the technique of Making New Connections. It is a phone that surfs the web, plays music, takes pictures, and does a million other things; yet its one device. And it makes doing all those tasks easier by putting them all in one and giving it the capability to do all those things. Online shopping is another great innovation that came from this technique. It gives the consumer the ability to access a stores whole catalogue from the comfort of their home, and gives them the option of shipping their purchases right to their house, or having it ready for them in the store. Easier and more efficient. So if i was going to try this technique out, i would think about multiple different aspects of film and video-game production and equipment. One example would be a cordless gaming device. It would stream and download content right onto the device, there for eliminating the need for me to go to the store and buy games, or worry about which plug to connect my device to my tv is the right one. I would just plug my device into a power outlet and being playing. that easy. I could also look at cameras and editing software and see if i could incorporate the two together to make an easier and more efficient way of shooting films. The key to Making New Connections is the ability to see two things together, and decide whether or not it would work.
3: Define The Right Challenge (6)
When a new idea or innovation is release onto the public, the intention of the creator, whether purposely or by accident, is to eliminate a problem. A lot of the ideas for energy conservation and a greener earth come from the goal to help sustain our environment and preserve our natural resources. So the main goal when trying to come up with an idea is to figure out what your idea will solve. If i wanted to make social networking easier, i would say to myself "I want to keep track of what all my friends are doing on every single social website." Then i sit down, and decide to create an application or OS that pulls all of your friends from MySpace, Facebook, Twitter, etc. into a pool, sorts them by email and name, and organizes the information into one timeline or address book. Then i would give the user the option to favorite their most contacted friends so their new posts or tweets come up at the top. this is a great technique because a lot of times its easier to accomplish a goal when you have a task to accomplish. So by setting a goal for yourself, you can start to pool together ideas and slowly create a new and innovative idea.
An idea can blossom many ways, and in "Ways To Get Ideas", a lot of different options and techniques are given to help the reader formulate new and innovative ideas. The author lists 14 different ways to try and come up with ideas, and these are three that i think are the best.
1: Follow Your Fascination (1)
Defiantly a top one in my opinion. When someone comes up with an idea of some sort, it usually involves something the creator is fascinated with or enjoys. Thomas Edison was fascinated with light, and after 800 tries, he created the light bulb. Albert Einstein was fascinated with science, and he came up with one of the greatest equations in history, E=MC^2. So if you want to come up with a new and creative idea, your best bet is to involve yourself in something you love. If you film, study how other popular directors create and weave camera angles and story into something immersive, learn from it, and think about how it can be done better. But if you're not into film and like biology, study film isn't going to give you a great and new idea, at least its not very likely to. I am into film and video-games, so by watching movies carefully and studying how the camera moves depending on the mood and tone of a certain scene, i can learn what works and what doesn't and maybe come up with a new camera angle that highlights the emotions of the characters better. Or by playing a certain video-game, i could find what works and doesn't and maybe spark my own idea for a new cool video-game. If you're willing enough, you can do this with whatever topic you choose, but it will be less stressful and feel easier if you involve yourself with something you enjoy.
2: Make New Connections (4)
A lot of ideas today aren't brand new: they combine popular things to make something innovative. This is why i think that this technique is one every thinker should utilize. The iPhone is a perfect example of someone using the technique of Making New Connections. It is a phone that surfs the web, plays music, takes pictures, and does a million other things; yet its one device. And it makes doing all those tasks easier by putting them all in one and giving it the capability to do all those things. Online shopping is another great innovation that came from this technique. It gives the consumer the ability to access a stores whole catalogue from the comfort of their home, and gives them the option of shipping their purchases right to their house, or having it ready for them in the store. Easier and more efficient. So if i was going to try this technique out, i would think about multiple different aspects of film and video-game production and equipment. One example would be a cordless gaming device. It would stream and download content right onto the device, there for eliminating the need for me to go to the store and buy games, or worry about which plug to connect my device to my tv is the right one. I would just plug my device into a power outlet and being playing. that easy. I could also look at cameras and editing software and see if i could incorporate the two together to make an easier and more efficient way of shooting films. The key to Making New Connections is the ability to see two things together, and decide whether or not it would work.
3: Define The Right Challenge (6)
When a new idea or innovation is release onto the public, the intention of the creator, whether purposely or by accident, is to eliminate a problem. A lot of the ideas for energy conservation and a greener earth come from the goal to help sustain our environment and preserve our natural resources. So the main goal when trying to come up with an idea is to figure out what your idea will solve. If i wanted to make social networking easier, i would say to myself "I want to keep track of what all my friends are doing on every single social website." Then i sit down, and decide to create an application or OS that pulls all of your friends from MySpace, Facebook, Twitter, etc. into a pool, sorts them by email and name, and organizes the information into one timeline or address book. Then i would give the user the option to favorite their most contacted friends so their new posts or tweets come up at the top. this is a great technique because a lot of times its easier to accomplish a goal when you have a task to accomplish. So by setting a goal for yourself, you can start to pool together ideas and slowly create a new and innovative idea.
State your most inspired challenge or opportunity as a question beginning with words “How can I?” Then write it five different ways. Which is the real question?
Q: How can I make communication between teachers and students easier?
Q1: How can I improve blackboard?
Q2: How can I utilize social networking sites to easily connect with students?
Q3: How can I do away with sending three different messages, three different ways?
Q4: How can I make communication more accessible for students and teachers?
Q5: How can I make sure that a student/teacher has received/read my message right away?
My Creative Inspirations - 1A
Inspiration can come from a lot of different things for a lot of different people. And its not just artists who have "creative inspirations"; anyone can have them and everyone is inspired by someone or somethings. For me, a lot of my inspirations come from people in the media field, because of my interest in film and video-games. And since these things have been a major part of my life and what i am pursuing as a career, I have come across alot of musicians,, films and video-games that have sort-of laid the foundation for what i wish to create. Some of them are more recent than others, but their impact on my creative thinking are still the same.
- Hollywood Undead - Musician
2. City of God - Film
When i sat down to watch City of God for the first time, i wasn't expecting anything that good. My friend had recommended it to me and it was a foreign film, but i was bored and popped it in. After finishing it, i was blown away. It was and still is, one of the most traumatic, violent, saddening, engrossing, and best films i have ever seen. The acting was good, but what did it for me was the mood and tone of the whole film. From start to finish the cinematography was smooth and organic, giving me great and captivating shots of the action unfolding in front of me. One of my favorite scenes in this movie, and quite possibly ever, that takes place in a night club in the City of God in Rio De Janeiro. One of the main characters is killed in a drug related incident, but the lighting in the scene is what makes it special. The way the strobe lights light up the club as the scene gets more and more tense really makes you feel like you're their and the climax of the scene is saddening and heart-wrenching. This film is loaded with great characters, lighting, violence and story that it makes a great tool for me when i want to know how my movie should look, feel, and engross my audience.
3. Uncharted 2: Drakes Fortune - Video-game
When i play a video-game, i'm usually entertained by it while i'm playing it, but after i finish it, i usually don't go back and play through again. Not a lot of games grab my attention and engross me for long periods of time, but there are a few exceptions. One of them is the PS3 game Uncharted 2: Drakes Fortune. Once i started this game, i couldn't stop playing. And even though i've beaten it twice, i still like to play through it because its so good. This game has big-budget movie set pieces, great voice acting, and lifelike and fluid animation. Its a great Adventure game that blends gunfights and puzzle solving to make a fantastic treasure hunt even more fun. But what makes this game special is some of the set pieces, and the tension and release i got from playing through them. There were a few scenes when my palms were sweating and i wasn't sure i was going to survive. One of them deals with a car chase where you are running for your life as a big tank of a car come barreling after you down a narrow alley way. When i played this, i was so frantic that after it was over i was sweating and wondering what the hell just happened. There are other scenes in the game that rely on this tension and release, like the first time you encounter a yeti and when you have to run across a crumbling bridge hundreds of feet above the ground. What these scenes have taught me is the right way to build up tension, whether it be over a drawn out period of time, or in an instant, and how it should make you feel as a player or a viewer in a game or a movie.
Friday, April 1, 2011
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