Expressionists/ Expressionism

Expressionism is the term used to describe works of art and literature in which the representation distorts reality and conveys an inner vision or meaning. "The expressionist transforms nature rather than imitates it." Unlike Impressionism (style of painting that portrays a general impression and accurate meaning), expressionism art portrays spontaneous emotions, self-expression, inner meaning, and an abstract visual that allows a viewer to interpret whatever he or she wants in the art.

Expressionism originated in mostly Germany, in 1910. The international movement has been thought of as evolving from certain medieval artforms and mostly occured during times of social change or spiritual crisis. Expressionists that brought about this movement are said to be Cezanne, Gauguin, Van Gogh and German groups: Die Brucke and Der blaue Reiter. Expressionism can also be seen in Germanic and Nordic art from the European Middle Ages. Expressionism is common amongst modern artists. The main goal of these expressionists is to surround themselves with art that achieves the highest amount of unrealistic portrayal possible. They accomplish this goal by providing exaggeration, distortion, violence, fantasy, etc. in their art.

Trust: More For the Eye to Catch

I find that the word trust has a lot of depth to it. The word not only has an extensive amount of meanings and definitions, but it has the capability to transform individuals, dig into their minds and pull out their real inner personality/traits. It helps people to focus and develop a secure mindset. Now, I didn't just sit down one day and decide this random philosophy of trust meaning much more then its actual definition (firm belief in the truth).

As an actor, I've grasped the fact that in order to improve, I must first surround myself with the essence of this philosophy. Whether it'd be onstage or in my normal lifestyle, I was taught by STAC workshops and other experienced actors or directors that the key to true acting is the ability to feed off another characters emotions or words. To trust that character and really listen to every word he/she says. As I train in my profession, there seems to always be a way to incorporate that idea into my acting. When I first was told of this technique, I found myself listening much more to what people said to me. I began to absorb information in ways I couldn't even imagine. I would sometimes watch a person as they speak and determine their state of mind. I would attempt to analyze a person and their background with just the way they would speak to me. Their subtle movements or change in tone. No matter what, I could not escape my fascination of people and relationships. This is why when Luke would have us do the repetition exercise, I would become so involved with my partners facial structures, the emotion conveyed through his or her words, etc.

So, how does this all tie into my trust philosophy? Well, I believe that in order to trust an individual enough to give you guidance, one must analyze that individual, stay around him/her and pay close attention to the emotions that are emitted off of that person. Once the individual trusts the other in this way, both of the individuals can be more aware of their surroundings. Be able to recognize when a person is wearing a mask and hiding his/her real personality, when a person is in another state of mind as he/she has a conversation with you, etc. When I was with Kalli in the blindfold exercise, it was hard to trust her without seeing her and meeting her (absorbing her mindset). I found myself very scared at some points because not only did I not know her, I was not in the right mindset without my eyes. The exercise was helpful because I am confronted with this obstacle in acting. The blindfold is a metaphor for the fact that I block out opposing characters on stage and subtract the trust, just say the lines. I've been working on growing out of this fake way of acting and my philosophy of trust has certainly boosted my growth as both an individual and an actor.

A new take on the poem "Music"

Music

Grasp my ears...

Distant angels await...

Vacant roads captured by heartbeat

Pitter Patter, Clash, Clump

Sing! You've paved my phobia

And I'm still petrified

Honestly, I'm not used to these rhythmic habits

I'm not settled

So they abandon me

rewind what's left unharmed

they won't abandon me

if I'm still vacantly well-armed

I noticed way after I wrote this one down that it has a lot to do with my last blog post. Check it out and enjoy!

Craving A New Passion

As most of you know, I took on a challenge the other day as I entertained a copious amount of accepting classmates in STAC with a legendary song. An acoustic guitar in one hand, a powdery old pick in the other, I sang "Hide Your Love Away," by the one and only Beatles. I'll be honest, I was scared out of my mind (as you all probably observed from my shaking leg), but that didn't stop me from wanting to go through with it. Since I'm an actor, this wasn't my first time performing or singing in front of an audience; however, it was my first time bringing my guitar along for the spine-chilling journey. As I think back on this 2 minute performance, the question comes to my mind of why was I so intimidated by a class of supporting artists? I don't think I was as nervous about the song as I was with the fact that actual spectators were going to hear me produce sound out of this fascinating instrument. It was pretty awesome to hear feedback after I ended the performance because pretty much, the only critics I've had for guitar in the past year are me, myself, and I. I honestly practice with this instrument atleast one hour a day, not only because I want to impress my guitar teacher the next lesson. I do it because when my fingers touch the frets, I can't judge myself, my mind enters another sound wave, and I tend to crave the chills on my arms when I hear those dissonant chords erupt from the instrument. Quoting from Oasis, I can "slip inside the eye of my mind" and focus on making music more than anything else. After singing the Beatles tune for everyone, I'm struck by a new passion that I will continue to work at without hesitation. I want to perform more with my guitar as I expand my knowledge and build on my techniques. I can honestly conclude that enjoying something is one thing, but holding a passion for something is totally different. What I'm saying is that I strongly encourage everyone to get up sometime during your years in STAC and have the thrill of displaying your art in front of the most appreciative people you'll ever meet. Who knows, maybe you'll find out what the artsy side of you is really craving.

Vieira Ke-Bob

Vieira Ke-BOB

1 1/2 feet of Guitar String

1 pair of headphones

2 Black medium t-shirts

3 pinches of black mustache hair

2 pairs of spare harry potter glasses

9 cups of salt

3 tsp. of bottle o' love

19 cups of orange juice (pulp)

2 Bobby Vieira ears

1 camel leg (for spice)

Heat a black cauldron over a stove and fill it with the 19 cups of orange juice. When orange juice starts to boil, add the 3 tsp. of bottle o' love

Stir lightly while you make an obnoxious evil giggle

One by one, drop all of the dry ingredients into the pot EXCEPT FOR THE EARS AND CAMEL LEG (warning: a harmless puff of smoke may rise from the cauldron and wrap around your waist during the process)

Heat for 10-15 minutes

Cut the Camel Leg into 4 slices the size of the ears

Put the two Bobby Vieira ears on the stick along with the chopped up camel leg

Dip the Ke- Bob in the black cauldron for 2-3 minutes

Serve Hot with NOTHING

The first STAC Icebreaker

Something is distracting her and I want to know what it is...
This was close to the last picture of Jillian and as you can see here, the photos went on and Jillian became more comfortable with the Camera.
The expression she's making is so realistic. A person usually makes that half-open smile when they've just been insulted.
I wasn't in the room when this picture was taken but this is such a rare expression for Meesh. I'm guessing that she was asked a weird question. I like it because it's an innovative expression for Michelle.
The first of many photographs that have an object as the center of attention. I like it.

The simple bite of the lip makes her seem so interested in whatever it is that's in front of her (obviously ruling out the camera and photographer in this case).
This is a pretty awesome angle. It makes her look like a giant looking down at the lens.
If we were playing charades, he is experiencing an overwhelming allergic reaction?
This reminds me of Zach as Mather in the One Act Plays. Very animated and sensitive.

A common Nina "creeper face" that tends to make me giggle.

I like how there really isn't that much background shown and you can mostly focus on her.

Usually the use of a hand could kill the mood of a photograph, but it works perfectly here for Jess. Fierce!

If there was a little bubble to the left side of Bobby right now displaying his thoughts, this picture would be complete.
Dialogue for this photo: "who are you talking to? Me or Molly? A confused smile, very rare, yet effective.
Again, the photo shows a total different side of the STACie. Here, she comes across as fairly pompous or in a strong disagreement with something. Even though her eyes are closed, I can still get that idea.
I picked this one because it reminds me of an expression Megan would make to get me laughing.
Does anyone else think this kid looks sorta- kinda like me? Especially here!
This is such a typical pose for Jack. If one didn't know him, the photo could reveal a lot about his personality.

For those who know Matt, this is not something he would regularly do. It was cool to make him escape from his comfort zone for a single shot.

This photo of me is one of the few that looks more like a posed photograph as opposed to one taken mid-conversation. I didn't know I was that animated...
Even though we weren't asked to capture the people in the background, I think the contrast between Alex's petrified expression and the three happy students behind him makes the photo seem very original and far from cliche.
Evidence that a picture's worth a thousand words
Her face is so animated here, it could easily be transformed into a cartoon character and blend right in.

It's awesome how the background of this photograph is blurry, yet Liz is crystal clear. Sort of like the world is moving incredibly fast around her, but she is in her own zone, calm and collective.
Hilarious! It's almost like she's imitating what an average fake smile looks like
This photo makes me laugh because not only is it spontaneous, it also makes the viewer wonder what she is about to say or what she's talking about. And the fact that her shirt says "Got Questions?" really helps the reader create dialogue for Becky's photograph
The shot angle of this photo is really professional. It almost looks as if this could be Ashley's headshot.
Most of the pictures that were taken of Nicole were not a bit original. This photograph shows me a whole new side of Nicole. A little bit of an attitude is shown. Perhaps she is distracted or ignoring the camera. I like pictures that show new sides of an individual.
Her facial expressions are one thing, but the actual shot is stupendous. The angle is perfect and the picture portrays bravery, horror, and just plain humor to me (as a viewer).

This picture is truly unique because Leah is in mid- conversation, yet still has an excellent smile that the camera managed to capture. It's almost like this picture was spontaneous to the photographer and Leah.