Tag Archives: Art

The Incomplete Manifesto

Share Your Thoughts

Many of those in and out of the art and design world have heard of Bruce Mau. He is a visionary creative who has positively influenced and shaped the way many think, act, and design for the better. I first came across his Incomplete Manifesto for Growth a few years back, and then saw it again on a sketchbook this past Christmas in Whistler, which I bought for Rob, who was in a bit of a creative rut.

The Manifesto is a great set of ideas to reflect upon, as they speak to many aspects of life. Just like a Buddhist koan, I like to take time and read the Manifesto and examine how some of these ideas ring true for me and do or do not exist within my life. I have included a few of my favorites below, but would encourage you to read the entire list for yourself and let me hear your thoughts.

——
1. Allow events to change you. You have to be willing to grow. Growth is different from something that happens to you. You produce it. You live it. The prerequisites for growth: the openness to experience events and the willingness to be changed by them.

5. Go deep. The deeper you go the more likely you will discover something of value.

13. Slow down. Desynchronize from standard time frames and surprising opportunities may present themselves.

32. Listen carefully. Every collaborator who enters our orbit brings with him or her a world more strange and complex than any we could ever hope to imagine. By listening to the details and the subtlety of their needs, desires, or ambitions, we fold their world onto our own. Neither party will ever be the same.
——

While these are in no way the “best” ones, they all ring true in my experience, and I find them valuable to reflect on. Again, here is the link to the Incomplete Manifesto for Growth. On a completely separate note, Mau’s site is run off of Cargo CMS and is absolutely beautiful. It’s multicolor polaroid-esque magic and I highly suggest visiting it.

Thinking through art

Share Your Thoughts

I owe a lot to Dr. Bruce Saari and his colleagues who founded International Community School in Kirkland (my junior high and high school), because of the curriculum that they laid out for us. I took art classes from 7th through 11th grade, which were not only a creative outlet but were lessons in how to think and see differently. Today at Willamette, I’m continuing on that path with my Fundamentals of Design class.

Professor Michael Boonstra has done a great job with our class focusing on the elements that make up what we see. He has pushed us to look beyond what we “know” and find what lines, shapes, forms, and textures truly make up the world around us. Some of his projects have been rather simple in this exploration, and others have definitely pushed us far beyond. The most recent project we created for him was the latter.

—Keep reading to view the work— Continue reading →

Suria Markus | OhMyZod.com

2 People Shared Their Thoughts

Suria Markus
Suria Markus at work.

Suria is one of my best friends, and along the lines of the last post, is a tremendously talented artist. She is currently a student at SMFA in Boston, MA and wanted a temporary place to post a portfolio as she is looking for summer jobs and opportunities. I put up her work at http://ohmyzod.com.

OMZ is the site of my future portfolio, but as my thesis and graduate school applications got in the way, I’ve given it to her until summer. The framework was hand-built, with assistance from both Darick Dang and Shelby White, two talented friends of mine who have much more web knowledge than I do.

As the year winds down, I hope to be finishing up my site, and then in June will be switching things over and reclaiming my space. But for now, PLEASE check out Suria’s work. It’s varied and beautiful, and she would love you to see it.

The link, one last time.

First time with DSLR Video

2 People Shared Their Thoughts

Still from Inside/Outside

Today, I got a chance to borrow my roommate’s Canon 5Dii in order to shoot my video art exploration. The exploration was rather simple, I simply had to create a 3 minute, silent film on the subject of inside/outside. I had the concept mapped out in my head, and with the help of my friend Bryce, I was able to film and edit the video all in one day. What you see below is a rough cut of the film. This is an assignment that was given in order to familiarize the class with shooting, composition, etc. It was not allowed to be edited in any form, aside from choosing the organization of the clips we shot.

Full 1080p version

Medium version

iPhone version

I’m sharing this mostly to note and appreciate the clarity of HD video in a DSLR camera. As a multimedia journalist, this ability is very valuable for me and I look forward to Nikon’s Full Frame video DSLR offering in the near future. Any and all comments are appreciated.