Discussion Time 2/23/12

I would call this back this backwards day. Professor Moss comes in and tells the whole class to move on the other side of the table and instead of facing the white board he made us face the windows. He starts writing on the windows with washable markers and begins his lesson. I don't think there was much of a point to doing so, but I think he did it to start off the day differently and capture our attention and as always make class enjoyable. Class went on and we had a group activity. Each one of us had a turn to speak which allowed everyone to participate in class which is one main thing professor Moss wants us to do. When we were discussing Moss asked me a question. "What is it that holds you back or what do you need or do in order to start on a project?" I answered by saying that I like to see others past work and their solutions to their problem and why it didn't work. I like seen what has been done, so I can fix it. His response to me was have you ever thought that by seeing others work limits you to do beyond what you think you can do. That response made me think very hard in long. I never really thought like that. I always thought to myself by seeing others work it would only benefit me, but now that he mentions that I second guess myself. What if by me not seen others work and just starting everything up from scratch would take me further. Since I don't have a clue to what my solution is suppose to look at I can think outside the box and actually go beyond my own expectations. I could easily create a whole new solution to a problem and even a better one that has already been created. I could approach my project from many different angles instead of sticking to some that have already been done before. Its not a bad thing to look at what solutions have been created already, but its also not the best way to do things. As a designer one must have their own techniques to approaching a problem and coming up with a solution, seen others work is a good back up resource if one is lost, but always try to do your own work first and see if that way works better. Finally towards the end of class he mentioned our last project. Now that is gan a have me thinking long and hard on what I present on my one minute video.

Adjectives:
1) Sarcastic- to mock someone, or over exaggerating
2) Appealing- pleasant to look at
3) Flamboyant- attracting attention for a certain aspect of someone or something such as, confidence, style

Team work!! 2/21/12

Different! is what I would call this day. First off we handed our game briefs and a one to two page report on the Gauge speaker Kali Nikitas. Let start off by saying her presentation was very reading. I enjoyed everything she had to say about her choice in career and what let her to doing what she does now. Th greatest outcome I got from her was to do what I love and I'm good at. That will be a reward itself she said. Now back to class. So, in class today we had a group activity. Much different from the others, we were split into two groups. The game involved two objects being past around in the opposite directions of each other, but you couldn't pass the object till the name of that object was brought back to you saying yes that is so in so. This game was much harder than I expected it to be. As a group we ran into many problems. For example, once the object intersected one another, since it was sent in the opposite direction in a circle, students would get confused and we would have to start from the begging. We tried many solutions, such as changing the name of the objects from this is a "what" to this is a "who" to even calling them he and she. As well, as even changing the arrangements of the students so the object could intersect different people. That seemed to work for a bit, but yet for some reason we seemed to still mess up towards the middle. Professor Moss shows back into class and starts to tell us to pay attention more. Don't worry about what the name of the object is, but listen to when it is being passed to you. I didn't get what he meant, but he explained more. Moss mentioned to listen to the person who is next to you. Try not to remember what your suppose to say next, or when your turn is, but to listen when your spoken to. It took us a few more tries, but at the end we succeeded.

As always there is a catch to what professor Moss does to teach you something. He always seems to make it very fun for me. In the game exercise what I benefited off was learning how to listen and that making a something a habit can be bad. Each time we would pass around the object we would get use to the names and every time we would change the names we would get confused, so by us listening instead of making something a habit works much better. By us listening to each other when spoken to by your side partner we were able to get both objects all the way around in a complete circle. It can get confusing at times because to many things can be said at once, but I believe it is possible if one really pays attention to what is being said instead of thinking you already think you know what is going to be said then intact you will gather the information that was said.

Adjectives:
1) Capable- something or some one that can active a certain quality
2) Lacking- not having much, missing something
3) Mature- someone or something that has fully developed

Presentation Day 2- 2/16/2012

Todays class was a continuation on tuesday with game presentation. Today was not so much on learning something new, but reemphasizing on what I learned last class. That is, a group critique is a good form of learning what one should change to give a better presentation in the future. In fact, not only a presentation, but in general. Such as, art pieces, speeches, sculptures, etc... The rest of the student went up and did very well. I believe this happened because they were able to absorb the information from last class and use it for themselves. Students and myself were able to tell other students what they could do or should do when giving a presentation, but in a positive form. For example, last class most of our remarks were nice, such as, I like the way you presented, or good job, but this class was more different. This class I noticed students were more responsive and actually giving a good critique for other students to learn from. So you can say I did learn something and that is how to be a better critic to help other students, artist, or anyone in general get better, or do better with their presentations, or any type of art work. For those who don't understand the point of criticism here is my word of advice. Listen to what others have to say, but be optimistic and find good in what ever it is that is said bad about you or your work.

Adjectives:
1) Intriguing- something fascinating, captivating
2) Infatuating- to admire, passionate
3) Abstract- something that is not organized or not been able to figure out what it is

Presentation Day!! 2/14/2012

Today was Game Presentation Day. We all went, one by one and gave a brief description of our games that we had developed at home. Each student was given at least five minutes. I was the fifth to sixth person to go up and present. I thought by me waiting a bit would help me better presenting my idea because I would be able to not do the mistakes other student had done before me, but when I went up my presentation wasn't up to his standards or better said wasn't presented well. The game I presented was called Alphabetical Run. The game is about children playing a memorization using the letters from the alphabet in an order sequence, while been active and making it a race. I thought by me using volunteers it would better show and describe what my game was all about and how one plays it. When I went up to present I left one huge part out, the running section, which hurt my presentation a lot. Professor Moss gave me a quick critique, but very harsh in my own words. He said that my presentation was off, that he would of like to see me present it on the board I had created to show my project instead of having others play the role. In fact he mentioned that if I'm going to take a risk I must make sure my risk works. Most of the comments he said were negative and at first it kinda bothered me, but then he told us the reason for such remarks. He explained to us that the reason he is so hard is because he cares about us. If he was just to mention positive things about our presentations there would be no progress on bettering ourselves in the future. Moss mention that students will always be nice to one another and that is not what he's going to do, he was going to tell us all the negative things we do to be able to fix them. A student in class said "I believe there must be a balance of good things and bad things" I thought he was right. I myself believe if one is told nothing but negative remarks about his work it only lowers their self-esteem, but that is not case. Moss  was able to make me understand that in a group critique its good to hear the bad, but on a one on one a balance of good and bad is necessary. After hearing all the ideas and the criticisms from students and Professor Moss I was able to gain a better understanding on how I should absorb the information given to me. As an Artist we should be able to handle all types of criticism wether it is good or bad. It is not a bad thing to be told that your idea didn't work, or that it was missing key elements. Its actually a great form of progress. I learned more on how to listen to others, take in what they said, and later be able to not make the same mistakes and when taking a risk making sure it actually works. For example, if my tittle says "Run" my presentation should have running involved, or else change the name. Critique means to criticize and idea or any type of work, but it is up to the presenter on how they will use the feed back to their benefit. From now on when we have group critique day I won't be so close minded about negative remarks, but I will use them to my advantage and only progress from here on. I will correct all my mistakes as much as possible and hopefully get better feed backs from my audience.

Adjectives:

1) Dull- plain boring, lacking excitement 

2) Delightful- something that is soothing, pleasing

3) Plane- something that is flat, not much detail, boring

Game day Part 2 2/9/12

As soon as class began Professor Moss asked all of us to present our nine games we were assigned to do. I brought only six, but the types of games I chose to do were for young children. Such as, alphabet games, indoor soccer games, and food games. My assignment was incomplete, so I didn't get to present my ideas, but other class mates had some great ideas. For example, one student came up with a four player chest game and how you could built and alliance, or not, but the first one to king the other wins. Another game that grabbed my attention was a sling shot game that was presented by another class mate. The objective was to grab a card and it would tell you what object to hit and the team with more points wins. All games that were presented were great ideas. Professor Moss went over each one he could get to and gave his feed back. Even though he can seem kind of harsh with his remarks one can really benefit from what he says. I learned from him that a bad critic remark is not a negative, but a positive because not only do you know that its a bad idea, but you can fix it before you have a final presentation on your idea for a game. Moss is only trying to prepare us for what lies ahead, if we can't take what he says in class one can only imagine what is going to be said in the "real world." This day wasn't for me as productive as others, but that is my fault since my assignment was incomplete and I couldn't get much feed back on mine. I was able to present one idea and that was my ABC game. He asked me what difference does it have from a vocabulary technique a teacher uses and my response was it had the same concept, but it had to do more with the interaction between the players. He didn't say if that was a good idea or bad, so I was left blank, but by him doing so it helped me asked myself how can I make it better than just an exercise done in class, but really make it a game that is enjoyable for all children to play.

Adjectives:

1) Harsh- something that is rough,blunt, or mean

2) Outstanding- something good, great, successful 

3) Monochromatic- using only one color, it describes the technique used

Game day 2/7/12

Game day in class was quite interesting. We were instructed to bring one game each. It could of been a board game, a math game, building game, etc... The game I brought was Twister, but surprisingly it didn't get played with. I think it was the fact the its a very interacting game and people are shy, but thats just my opinion. We all went around class and picked out one game to play. Professor Moss would leave the class room and allows us to interact with one another by playing these games. When he came back he would ask questions, such as, "what was the game about?," "how did it make you feel,""did it teach you a lesson?" All these questions don't really seem to pop in my head when I'm playing, but when he asked I started to ask myself what that was. I didn't understand much how a simple game can have so much affect on a persons emotions and one can actually learn from them. For example, Monopoly it helps you understand how the economy is ran and how its all about owning property and by having money you yourself can run the show. Another example would be a dice game we played. It teaches you about taking chances and how sometimes by getting greedy you can "crap out" in other words lose it all. One never really stops to think how much of a thought process it takes to come up with a game. In order for a game to be successful it must grab the attention of the player, affect their emotion, have an outcome, and be able  to make it a fun and interesting experience for the player. Professor Moss assigned this to us as an assignment for home. When it came down to doing so, it is much more complicated than it looks. Questions I had to ask myself were, "how can I be original?," or "do I want a maze game, card game, board game, etc..?" The outcome I got from this whole experience was that a game isn't just about winning or loosing, but the lesson you get from it. Either it made you learn something in life, or something basic as taking chances. If the game did any of these then it was successful. 

Adjectives:

1) Kind- warming or a good hearted person.

2) Sarcastic- someone or something blown up out of proportion.

3) Mellow- something smooth, or calm, opposite of harsh.

Movie Day Feb/2/12

Todays class session was not as pleasing as others. We started off by showing our H.W. assignment, which was to communicate visually on "how to get an A in Art22?" We went over our drawings as a class, but one stood out the most. A student in our class drew a Pie Chart instead of a Process Map. Professor Moss told us to come up with a tittle for it. We had a class discussion and threw ideas. Three stood out the most. First one was Grading Chart, second was Grade Breakdown, last was Grading Pie Chart. The class was suppose to choose one and it turned into a debate. Towards the end we chose as a class Grade Breakdown. Through out the whole process some students weren't participating and the choice came out to be by majority rule. I didn't like this very much and responded to it out loud of class. Im not sure if I offended someone, but it did capture Professors Moss attention. One thing I remember him telling me and agreeing with him was that sometimes when everyone tries to be a leader it makes those who are not, not be able to get a chance to share what they got. I took it as a self reflection comment and was optimistic about it. I learned that its ok to sometimes let others lead, to be quiet sometimes is helpful. That way those who have great ideas get the chance to speak out and who knows maybe their idea is a great one and by you putting in input after they express it, one can make it better. Class went on after that and Professor Moss presented us a movie called Sir Ken Robinson "Hammer Lectures." I learned quite a fews things from this film. For example, being good at something doesn't always mean stick to it, sometimes your even greater at doing something you love. The film gave an example of a pianist, and how she played the piano for years, but didn't love it, and now she is a writer and loves doing it. Leading to what I learned as well. People always do great doing something they love. I believe that is very true. I think people always apply themselves more to their work when they love it because they don't see it as a nine to five job, but as a passion that is a privilege to be able to do so. For example, myself, Im good at drawing, but my passion wasn't painting or sketching, it was computers. So, I took something I was good at, applied it to my passion with computers, and chose my career as a graphic designer. Honestly I couldn't have chose a better career for myself that I know I will succeed.

Adjectives:
1)Joyful- a sort of feeling, as well as an expression.
2)Glamorous- something beautiful, shimmery, capturing.
3)Gruesome- something that is horrifying, unpleasing to look at.

Map Process 1/31/12

Have you ever tried to write down steps one should take in order to succeed their goal? Well in class thats exactly what we did. Professor Moss explained to us what a Process Map is and how it works. The question we had to figure out as a class was "How to get an A in Art 220?" We covered the steps on what should be done to create a process map. The steps were; research(analysis), concept(creative), prototyping(analytical), design production(creative), assessment(analytical). Each single student was assigned to do their own map. Once we did, each student came up with their own explanation on what it is that should be done to get an A in his class. I didn't realize how helpful this was till I actually did the assignment. When you research and jot down your ideas, then arrange them in an orderly process, from what should be done first to what is last and the outcome, I guarantee one will have a great out come with their grade. Having a map as a guide not only keeps you organized, but is a great reference to look back to if you get lost along the way on what should be done for an A in the class. As we did that Moss also assigned the class to communicate it visually. First question that went through my head was "how can I draw something without words to show what I'm trying to say?," and to be honest this was actually not as bad as I thought. For example, if I wanted to show our assignments I drew a computer and the home page on Facebook. In fact, if I wanted to show participation I drew a man raising his hand. Just common actions one does in class can be helpful to communicate in a drawing. At first I didn't really understand what he was trying to teach in this lesson, but the outcome I got from it was rewarding. I think I've come to understand more on what it is to communicate visually. We don't always need words to tell the audience something, simple drawings with basic actions, or images of a drawn up syllabus tells the audience a lot. Not saying we can use words, but we can limit them to a basic verb, or phrase and tell exactly what we are trying to say. Towards the ending of the class in a brief discussion he mention why is it important to only show three main ideas when presenting a project. This question really never popped in my head, but once he said it, it got me thinking "really, why is that?," and the answer to this was because it creates balance. To me this meant, ok one is a bad idea, the other is an ok idea, and the last was the great idea. Professor Moss said "No! You never present an ok idea or a bad idea, you only want to present great ideas."  That got me thinking to myself and figured "thats so true." One should always present great ideas. The reason to present three great ideas also is, so the person who hired you or your showing can make a choice without having trouble. The number three not only does it work as a balance method, but it also deal psychologically. Which that is another topic for another class. This was my outcome for Art 220 class this week.

Adjectives:

1)Stunning- something really impressive 

2)Sweet- something pleasing to my eye site

3)Weak- something lacking skills, creativity, plain boring