Process

Hey guys - I thought I'd switch it up a bit and show you my process in painting.
I realized today, not for the first time, how amazing it is that when I start a painting, there is nothing on the canvas. When we paint, we're making up a story. I gradually tell my story by building up layer after layer, like I'm telling a lie, never believing the ending until I see it. Sometimes, I don't believe the ending. I haven't made it believable enough. Other times, like this sequence of pictures, I begin to have more and more faith in the story I'm telling as I see it come to life.

This is why I think that showing my process to you is important. The end result, and whether or not I find it believable, is wholly dependent on the process.

Obviously, this painting isn't finished. I'm still telling the story =]

Don't Delete This??

I've realized that this whole Don't Delete Yourself thing is going to be really hard for people to do.  Its hard for me sometimes!!  I mean look at this mess!  This is at the Kistner Family Christmas and my Uncle Mike is a big fat creeper with the camera!  Lord only knows what I was even doing in this picture.

I have been reading all the comments and you all have no idea how much I appriciate them!  I needed you guys soo bad!!  I posted a note on Facebook explaining Don't Delete Yourself and asking people to send me pictures of themselves along with a note.  I just typed in random letters and clicked on random names so please find it on my page and tag yourself (if thats possible) and send me a picture!  I really hope that I can get some serious feedback and have some awesomely aweful pictures so show you guys soon! :)

Work sample

Hey all. I apologize for the poor picture quality (camera phone pic!); my good camera is out of commission for the time being, but this picture gets the job done, so all is well =]

This is nowhere near finished (still need shading, filling in tattoos, etc.), but I wanted to give you guys a sample of what I'm doing. I spoke in one of my previous posts about playing around with how "zoomed in/out" a shot is, and this is obviously an example of a detail shot.

This is Jared's tongue bifurcation (bi=two, furca=fork), what is commonly called a tongue split or forked tongue.

Deanna, have you seen this?

This site has a bunch of toys on it, this one is a moving pattern one that makes your vision get all slow molten lava. Doesn't really tell you anything, except that your eyes can be tricked, but it is fun.

NEAVE Strobe

Wave/Particle duality - One Multi Model approach

So this is something I've mentioned a few times but haven't found a better way to explain. This is the experiment that ended the debate on whether electrons and other subatomic particles are waves or particles- the answer being, it depends on what kind of measurement you are taking. This idea is really helpful in understanding the reason for using a "multi-model approach" as we need both models of subatomic particles to understand what's "really" happening, and we also realized that it was our own biases which were making the phenomena occur or seem strange. Once we stop confusing language (map) for the actual event (territory), the seemingly contradictory nature of using both models to describe the subatomic world fades away. The question ceases to be, "is light particles or is light waves?" and becomes: "What does looking at light as waves help us discover about the nature of things?" and "What does looking at light as particles help us discover about the nature of things?"

Sorry for the corny animation, but this the best summary of the experiment that I could find. it is an oversimplification for sure, but it gets the point across.

Words for thought.

In regard to body modification..

"We live in a world where everything is disposable. This is permanent."

I know that some mods aren't physically permanent, but they all have a way of permanently altering who we are. Words for thought =]

Sorry for the tardiness, for posting the statement, I have been having technical issues with my Internet, anyway progress report:
I still have not got any response from John Marazita, and Valerie Stanton, but I figured that over the break I am going to continue emailing and see what happens. As for my blog I am still in the process of gathering all the information I want to post but it will be up before the beginning of the semester. I am glad to see people using the blog, and can't wait to see you all in January!!

Statement

"To show others how color affects us psychologically, emotionally, and physically so we are aware of its power".

12 l 28

Greetings everyone!

Nice to see that there is some progress on the wall, and people are responding! I was a little worried.

I apologize that currently I have not posted designs or photos on this wall yet, and have to update my own blog as well, but I have been deep into reading, and running this break, and trying to see my own connection. I will admit I took Christmas off, please forgive me :)

Anywho, As my research is continually being gathered, for I do not feel that I can ignore the openess of all, here are a few things that I have done to give you all a status rpeort!

1. I have video recorded a 6 mile run to Pine Quarry here in Reynoldsburg from the High School. I wanted to get back to my roots with this one. Anyway, the video quality actually turned out to be pretty decent. I was talking while I was running, any thought that popped in my mind, and unfortunately, the audio isnt as great, but I can possibly dub over it later. I also recorded the playlist that I listened to on my iPod while running in case I want to show the music element of the run, and it actually can show the change in speed based on the tempo of the song.

2. I have beeng reading Living Buddha, Living Christ, and it is taking me longer than I thought, but I have tons of spirituality information from it that connects to running. For example, in Buddhism, there is a belief in Suchness, which is ultimate reality. We all come from Suchness, and it will be to Suchness that we return. In Buddhist understanding, Suchness is also nothing. So, using the mathematical transit porperty, we can say We all come from nothing, and it will be to nothing we return. This is a very liberal idea in conjunction with Christian Theology, but after deeper thinking and pondering during my run, I realized this is the same for Christianity in two ways. First, in the words from God to Adam, "Its is from dust you have come from, and dust you shall return." Secondly, the connection is also in relation to God as Suchness. If God is ultimate reality to a Christian, or to a mind, then we must realize that there is "nothing" greater than God, or the concept. The ultimate would transend mind and body, and be beyond the percieved human understanding of perfection because we are limited. Thus, God is that Suchness. We have come from God, who came from nothing, yet everything. And it is to God we shall return. ( I relaive the debate is not well organized in this paragraph, but I can further make sense of it if anyone has any interest).

3. A few quotes that I would like you all to think about that I have found interesting. Feel free to respond!

-(repeat this while breathing"

"Breathing in, I calm my body

Breathing out, I smile

Dwelling in the present moment

I know this is a wonderful moment"

- "The most precious gift we can offer others is our presence"

- "Mindfulness helps us touch Nirvana, and the Holy Spirit offers us a door to the Trinity"

- "Without God the Father within Him, the Son could never be"

(Christians struggle with this, but Buddhists understand the nondualism)

- In this Lord's Prayer there is the phrase, "Thy Kingdom come . . ."

This means that we do not go to the Kingdom of God, it comes to us.

- "Devote yourself to loving others. Devote yourself to your community around you. Devote yourself to creating something that gives you purpose and meaning."

Thank you!

Josh

Hey guys! Although I haven't yet posted anything on here over break, I HAVE been reading all of the posts everyone has made. Great stuff, guys! I hope everyone had a wonderful holiday and that everyone has a great New Year, too =]

I've started to go over some of the images I took during the photoshoot with the peeps at Evolved, and I've started 2 paintings of Jared. I'm not even sure if they're ones I'm going to want to include in my final show. As of now, just messing around with different size canvases and how far zoomed in or out I want my images to be. For instance, playing around with the differing impacts of a painting that appears to be zoomed in on a single, modified body part vs. a fuller, "zoomed out" image. I'll ask your guys opinions, too, once school starts up again. =]

As of now, I'm kind of trying to work out a plan of attack for all the elements I want to include in my show. I figure this may make it all seem less overwhelming and more manageable =]
1. PAINTINGS, obviously, as this is the staple of my show.
2. AUDIO elements as discussed before, such as a. short interviews/accounts of modification experiences/accounts of discrimination; b. the sound of a tattooing needle (thanks for the idea, Ryan!); c. views on modification (pro/against); etc etc.. ANY other ideas are welcome!
3. A BOOK through Blurb, as was demonstrated to us by Jessica Larva. This would include a brief history of body mods, WHY I'm interested in it/why it's important, and would showcase several modified people (photo(s), their thoughts on mods, their favorite mod, etc).

Those are the main things I plan to include as of now. Of course, as I'm writing this, I'm sure there are things I'm forgetting, so feel free to remind me of whatever obvious things you think I may be overlooking =]

Happy New Year and good luck with your continuing work!

I've hit a wall...

I FINALLY started to mess around with some fonts and colors. The fonts on my laptop at home are sort of lame. I know I want SanSerif and you all know (well maybe just the designers) how I feel about condensed fonts. I almost feel like it would actually be appropriate here. Condensed fonts just make me think of tall, thin.... see where I'm going with this? Anyway, Clearly this is not a gay pride campaign so the rainbow is not appropriate... but I did like the color variation bar I just have no idea what color to pick. I like the teals, greens, blues. Gender neutral enough?

I've hit a wall people, I need some feedback.

Statement-J.Beckett

I aim to show women, from tweens to young adults, how to love their bodies and appriciate what they have in a new way so that they can instill those beliefs in the young girls who look up to them.


Over the break I was going to try to develop "Don't Delete Yourself" a little more but I am having some trouble. First off I work in retail so I have spent 95% of my time at Tuttle (yay?). But I am feeling stuck again. I am going to scan from of the sketches I have done so that maybe you guys can give me some feed back. I dont know how to explain don't delete yourself in a simple way without going into the way that you shouldn't write yourself off. I need people to just get it!

What do you guys think?

Statement:

How to revise the negative image associated with the historic neighborhood of Franklinton

Where is everyone?

Hope everyone's breaks are going well! Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays of all sorts!

I also hope everyone is going to start flooding the blog with posts and/or starting their own. I know the holidays were rough for getting anything done. I've started to get things flowing on my own blog(if you haven't checked it out please do!) and would really appreciate any and all feedback anyone has. I also really want to know where everyone else is in their ideas and how I can help. I want to really hit the ground running when we get back! . . . no pun intended.

Here are some shots of the historic train depot in Franklinton that is now a museum. It was closed when I visited. I left a message at the Franklinton Pride Center, but have not heard back from them yet.

Blog!

http://dreamoflongruns.blogspot.com/

here is a link to my side blog where I will gather information for all to see!

Tuesday's with Morrie

Awesome book everyone should read! I just finished reading that for some fun, mixed in with my running books, but the book is Tuesday's with Morrie by Mitch Albom. Enjoy!

For Jess Becket (but really, everyone should dig this)

Just thought this might be inspirational. I remember vhs recording this off Vh1 when I was in like 5th grade haha.

Other Blog

Hey guys, I also wanted to share a link to my personal thesis blog: VERBage
I've been thinking about using that word for something for a while, because it sounds like a made up word for the use of verbs, AND it's like, 'the age of verbs!' May just end up only using it for the name of my thesis blog, but whatever. Just thought to do a search and see if there was anything similar, and the word 'verbiage,' definitely pronounced differently, means: a profusion of words usually of little or obscure content /or/ manner of expressing oneself in words. -kinda funny.

I'll be posting notes, rants, sketches, concepts and ideas. I will also probably post things by others which I find influential and helpful. I will also periodically beg for opinions, criticism, questions, advice and answers to questions of my own; Thanks in advance!

Statement

I intend to create works which deal with the way words and concepts structure reality.
My goals include (but are not limited to):
To create an awareness of the power of words
To create an awareness of the degree uncertainty/guesswork/assumptions present in any
definitions of reality
To enable the work’s audience to examine his/her own biases
To enable the work’s audience to examine the structure these ideas and biases create
To Introduce an audience to the benefits of using/keeping a "multi-model" approach
To spark real discussions about tough topics

EDIT (Jan 13, 2011):
Earlier today I was asked what my project was about, or what the purpose was. I felt like my on the spot answer was slightly more clear. (I also consciously realized how many different ways I've been saying it, which I immediately thought was appropriate, why wouldn't I try to say it as many different ways as possible!)

Revised Statement 1: I aim to create work(s) which cause the audience to think about the way they think by reexamining the influence their language has on the way they interact with the world. I think this is important because if we do not pay attention to the way we think we will make rash decisions; contextualizing our ideas about the world, by reflecting on what they are and where they come from, we are better able to understand our reactions and improve them (limit negative conflict).

Statement

"I aim to show how to understand what running is, to do it more, and to see the connection between the deeper aspects of life of identity, community and spirituality" - Josh Watson

assignment / update

Hi All,

Would each of you please post your goals / statement so we can all see them (art should summarize; design use your printed phrase).  This is especially important because Jennifer Paasch will be joining us next semester and we want to get her caught up with your ideas.

Thanks!

Zen and the Art of Running

Hey!

So, this Saturday I was able to hold and interview with the author of the book, Zen and the Art of Running, Dr. Larry Shapiro. He is a Philosophy teacher at the University of Wisconsin, and was very informative during the interview. I started off asking about how he was able to go about researching the material, and suggested a few books, 3 of which I already have! Secondly, we talked about how one can change their life by running, and he suggested that as a class we all just take a run. I am hoping that sometime next semester we could do the ODU loop. The total distance is just 1 mile, so it it not too bad. We will all go the same pace, I promise! Lastly, we talked about the Zen way, and the comparisons to other philosophies. All in all, it was a great interview!

Just thought you ought to know!

Josh

DON'T DELETE YOURSELF

I told you guys that I would type up my initial understanding of how I thought Don't Delete Yourself could go.

So, here it is...

"The idea of not deleting bad pictures of oneself is a new-age approach to a 'love your body' movement. These days pictures play a large role in people's lives; advertisements, memory keepers,and even just decoration. People who are losing weight use their picture or someone else's picture as motivation of what they can be. This idea can be used for self-esteem too. Girls taking a picture of themselves (un-photoshopped) and writing a note to themselves can be hung up as motivation to learn to love themselves. A picture (even an unflattering one) speaks a thousand words, sometimes its just a couple words that mean the most. This can be an all-digital movement, as opposed to other "love your body" movements which are physical. this digital movement could allow a girl in Ohio and a girl in California to bond over their insecurities and lift eachother up. Don't Delete Yourself can address many areas. Not deleting an unappealing picture of yourself on your camer, Facebook, etc. is a way someone can overcome their insecurities. Many people with severe insecurities write themselves off as unworthy of happiness and beauty. Don't Delete Yourself is a modern way of saying "don't write yourself off". Girls with insecurities can band together and fight body image issues. Something that is also great about a digital movement is that it can reach men as well as women, and people of all ages (not just the ones I think are important). "
So, This is an unflattering picture of me (with my neighbor Maddy). I think she was telling me about something and I was making faces at her. Gross.

The more I look at it the more I can see that its kinda funny and not so unflattering.


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