Whatsoever could it beeeeeeeeah!

So, we were told to look at a package with a crap-ton of material in it and try to figure out what it was. I think the point of this project was to look at seeming ordinary and make something creative out of it and that we should look at things in life the same way. We shouldn't always take things so seriously.

I'm making the call....an awesome one.

For our next project, we were told that we could do anything we wanted. I had an idea that was inspired by two things. First, our discussion about religion. I heard quite a few people tell stored about how they were mistreated in church. That made me wonder how things might be different if they were treated better. Also, I've been taking a comic class with Matt Powers. In our book The Art of Making Comics there is a section about choice of frame. It showed how taking out a single frame in a sequence of frames telling a story could change the meaning of the story.

 Also, in comics, the authors choice in size of the frame and of course what is in the frame can have an impact on how the story is seen. Sometimes, it can make the story move fast or slow. Sometimes, it can let the reader get a sense of where they are in the story. Sometimes, it can have an emotional effect. And other times, it can be wordy and crowded. You could remove a big frame and change a big part of the comic or a small frame and just change a small meaning.

I got to wondering, what would happen if I took a key event in my life and removed it? How would it change the story of my life? What would the story of my life look like? Would it be slow and calm, or fast and confused?

So as I thought about one part of my life, a very huge one, that I could remove that would have a big impact on my life. An event that changed the shape of my life was my mother's death. I then wondered, how would that change the next "frames" of my life. I would feel a lot more secure. I might still be "skinny" ( I was much smaller, but while my mother was sick, people were always giving us food and I was home alone a lot. So I ate.) I would not have any tattoos and I would have never had a pet rat (a pet that I loved quite a bit). However, I would have not learned what I learned from her death. I have to be a lot more independent now, so I learned how to do that over that last three and a half years. I would not be as close to my dad as I am now. My mom was the person I usually went to when I had problems, but I go to my dad a lot now.

As for the look of my life, I would probably have a lot of emotion evoking frames, since my life has been touched by a couple of tragic deaths as well as depression. It would probably have a lot of cool, dark colors.

Reaction to class

So, I'm gonna do this before I go to sleep and sleep through the deadline. So in our class today, we were discussing what was important to us. We got on the subject of religion. This subject is hard for me to discuss because, as a Christian believer, it's hard to convey to people about my faith because it's just that. It's something you'd have to experience to believe.

It also makes me very upset to hear stories from people who were mistreated in churches. I've been in a situation like that and I know how it feels. I don't blame people for straying away from religion because of it. I'm glad that it didn't tarnish my feelings and faith. I just wish that I could convey to people that not all religious people and churches are like that. It makes me wonder how those people would feel and where they would be today if they were never mistreated (which that concept may spur my next project).

Another thought I had was when we were watching the movie at the end. They talked a lot about evolution. Something I always thought was interesting is how men (as in the male species) have an obsession with monkeys. I was at the zoo with my brother and my dad a couple years ago and we spent more time at the monkey display than at any other. Men freakin' love monkeys. It's no wonder that a man saw monkeys and claimed that they are our ancestors. I could just see Darwin watching a bunch of monkeys and being like "hey, those monkeys are cool...we must have evolved from them." It's probably not at all like it happened, but it's a funny thought.

Another random thought I had was after someone said "you're not crazy if you talk to God, but you might be if God talks to you." It's a really random thought, but I was reminded of a quote I once heard. "When we were small, we were told not to talk to strangers. Then when were were in school, we were told not to talk to our neighbor. When we're adults, we're told not to talk to ourselves. In the end, who do we have to talk to?" Kind of random, but I'm in that kind of mood.

What is important to MEEEE YOZ!

For this assignment, we were asked to examine what is truly important to us. Well I don't really want to be monotonous in what I describe. I am a religious person. I've had a couple tragic deaths in my family and family is important. I could go into all that, but I feel like it's been talked about a million times before, so I won't. Maybe the concept I will be discussing will justify why I want to do something different.

I decided to discuss a concept that I have really just recently come to peace with and has changed the shape of my soul and helped me mature a little (or maybe it was really the other way around?) A few months ago, I discovered the values of being who I truly am on the inside and not being someone else. It's something that many people tell you your whole life, but it's over done so much it doesn't always sink in. At leas for me it didn't. So here's the story:

I was always different growing up. I liked to do what I wanted to do despite what anyone else thought. After a while though, I started feeling ashamed of that side of me. Some people treated me like a freak (my boss at work even told me I was kind of freaky). I got weird looks from people all the time and look down on by others. I didn't want that to happen anymore. So, I tired to conform. I was always thinking to myself would a normal girl do that?, and I would act according to that. It worked. I was more "accepted" and people quit looking at me weird and treating my like a freak. I was more respected by those who looked down on me. All seemed well. It wasn't for a while that I realized that in reality, I was dying on the inside. I hid away what made me unique.

I was watching a TV show with a character who was spontaneous, lively, funny, very energetic, loved to meet new people and a little bit odd. I fell in love with this character and couldn't stop watching. I didn't know why at first, but after a while, it hit me. That character's personality was close to my own before I changed. If I loved this character so much for who he was, why was I hiding those same qualities? It was that moment, that I decided that I was going be who I am and not care what others think. It was one of the best decisions I ever made. I freed myself that day and that's why I hold the concept of being who you are no matter what anyone else thinks in high regard.

For the "make something" part of the project, I went out and bought one of those girly magazines, the ones that have the airbrushed models and tell you what to wear and how to look and act. In my opinion, those magazines are one of the worst things a girl can read. I believe they make girls into shallow flat people because they put looks and sex on a pedestal. I never buy them, but for this project, I bought one, cut lots of little pieces out and made a mosaic type picture of myself out of it. It will remind me that when the world bombards me with the images and ideas of what it believe I should be, I take what it gives me shape my own personality. I will do what makes ME happy.