Book Workshop # 1

This workshop is fascinating! The process of making these books involves so much focus, patience, and persistence. One wrong move, and you may have to start from scratch. This week in Carl's workshop, we worked on cutting the pages and sewing them together. When Carl was demonstrating, the process of ripping the brown paper seemed so simple. However, this ended up being extremely difficult. We had to rely on the ruler to make a clean cut down the middle of our brown sheets. I'm proud of the way my pages turned out and I'm sure next week's project is going to involve even more focus.

Carl's a really nice guy and seems to be really confident with his book making skill. He told us a story of how he had to do what we were doing almost every day in his old job. Carl's directions were very clear and easy to follow. I can't wait to see the finished product!

15 HOUR STAC TRIP!!!

In my opinion, friday's field trip went really well. When we were first assigned our new groups, I was scared to see how my day would play out. Not only was I hanging out with these STACies for the first time, I was also spending a whole day surrounded by them. I was afraid our personalities would clash or not mesh well, but I was wrong. From the beginning of the day to the end, I was entertained by a whole new group of intelligent STACies.

Luckily, I knew a couple of people in the group before the trip, so I wasn't completely alone in the crowd. The group did not separate at all because we were dedicated to the photography project and we were having a great time visiting the NYC landmarks together. Our main objective was to get lost in the city on purpose and photograph our reaction to being lost. Unfortunately, the subway took us on the wrong route and we missed Eataly, but the adventurous quests helped to strengthen the group's bond. I'm sure that if we combined all of our pictures from the beginning of our day to the end, our closeness will clearly be portrayed through the photographs.

Alphabet City and Bleeker street truly fascinated me because the stores were quaint and unadvertised. These stores and cafes were not well known and not overpopulated like other parts of the city. I find that in other parts of NYC, it's frustrating and confusing to be lost; however, this wasn't the case in Alphabet City or Bleeker Street. In fact, being lost became more soothing; it gave the group a sense of dependence and freedom. All in all, the trip was something new and extraordinary.

New Song, New Genre

So, I wrote a song the other day, and it took me one night to finish. I'm proud of this song because it's one of the first songs I've ever written that falls under the alternative/rock genre: mostly what I listen to. The song has more of a dissonant tone, rather than a happy tone, which is what I usually write. I will post the lyrics now, but I rather you critique the song as a whole after I post my recording later on. Enjoy!

(UNTITLED)- let me know if you think of a good title for the tune :)

Verse:

We're risking everything we want

Edge of destruction, we are in a rut

so take a chance on me

and let the pleasure seep deep into your black heart

Chorus:

I need you, you need me

let loose and I know that we'll get there soon

It's frightening to live like a stranger

trapped in the same old news

Verse:

Now I'm sleepin' on your stoop

you're trapped inside, my head is in a loop

It's time to let him go

Let the past be past I know

You still act the part

Chorus 1x

Bridge:

And now the world is catchin' up to you

you can't turn back,

I was the one that you used to get him back

The "Who is that Guy?" Experiment

Title: The "Who is that Guy?" Experiment

Location: New York City

Time: 5:00 PM

Day: October 1, 2010

So, on Friday night, me and a couple of STACies decided to play with the minds of the New York City walkers. Our goal was to get a group of people to follow me around the city trying to get my autograph even though I am not a real movie star. I have to say, we came really close to accomplishing this goal.

First, we would choose a crowded area of the city in which clumps of people could spot the event. Next, I would start to walk slowly down the street, along with Jill, covering my hair with my sweatshirt hood. Then, five other STACies would approach us with pens, paper, and cameras, desperately asking me for my autograph and a picture. Keep in mind, the experiment only works with a large group of "fake fans" who are not afraid to scream. At first, random people started to follow the "fake fans," asking them who I am and what movies I am from. Of course, the answer would always be, "he was in EVERYTHING!" What really attracted most followers were the moments when Jill and I would move fast through the crowds as the fans chased after us.

We tried this experiment five times in different parts of NYC, including the overpopulated Time Square. The funniest part was that people would follow the "fake fans" almost everywhere, trying to obtain an autograph from a movie star that they have never heard of; one that didn't even exist! We had one man following us for two blocks, along with two other girls who mistook me for Justin Bieber. I was amazed at how easy it is to manipulate the people of New York City into believing something this ridiculous. I really encourage some of you to try this next time you are bored in the city and I'm in the process of sending the experiment idea to the people of Improv Everywhere.

Psychogeography 2

For my second psychogeography, I decided to capture "action" and "movement." I've noticed that individuals are constantly surrounded by action and activity, but they don't get a chance to fully examine it. Sometimes, when we witness a quick motion, our eyes cannot travel fast enough to fully see what is moving; all we see is the start and end of this particular activity. This is why I chose to freeze every moving structure, vehicle, or object and examine it as it moves. Some of the pictures I took feature a variety of colors that can almost take the place of a smudged painting. Most of the colors blend together perfectly and develop a beautiful texture. Usually when I take pictures, I ignore the blurry ones; however, this time I decided to examine this mesh of colors and feature it on this page. As I photographed my surroundings, I would either move the camera and capture the still life or keep the camera still and capture the moving life. Either way, I came out with some pretty fascinating photos. I hope you enjoy!

Doug's Psychogeography

For my Psychogeography, I chose to capture "things that hold other things." I ended up shooting various bowls/containers filled with objects and I shot platforms that were holding up something or someone in particular. I often find support and stability very intriguing because a lot of trust is involved. For example, if a platform or container breaks, the object(s) it holds will be demolished. In my photos, I decided to focus more on the structure holding the objects rather then the objects alone. In other words, I decided to give the object doing the "holding" more credit then usual.

Usually, when we look at an object, we tend to ignore the structure that holds it in place and focus on the object itself. This is similar to recognizing the outline of an object. Outlining fascinates me because it's always there, but our eye is constantly focused on what goes inside the outline. For example, if one looks inside an empty glass, he or she usually considers the absence of fluid from the glass before considering the outline of the empty space inside this object. Perhaps, this symbolizes the fact that most individuals take too many things for granted or the fact that individuals don't know how to appreciate what they have in front of them. Who knew so much meaning could be concealed behind structure and outlines?

Songwriting update

Over the summer, I've written four new songs that I'm really proud of. I'm in the process of recording these originals, so I can post them here on my blog. I've written a variety of songs with different genres (rock, acoustic, and pop). I seem to have fallen into a good writing habit and these songs are flowing much more easier then previous tunes. I find that good songwriting takes inspiration, passion, and self-awareness. There must be some kind of meaning behind the lyrics and melody. I used to interpret my songs after they were written, but now I base them off of situations I've experienced. This has been my greatest creative endeavor and I'm hoping I will have an album recorded by the end of senior year.