3/1

I found that to make my digital drawing, I still felt the need to make a concrete drawing on paper using pen and marker as a plan before beginning. I enjoyed the freedom of using ProCreate and the ability to erase and create layers to easily edit my work. However, there is something really pleasing about the challenge of painting using actual paint which is impossible to erase. Somehow, there is more value to each mark being made as the pressure is higher. I suppose there are pros and cons to this feeling, however I feel more connected to my work when it is physical rather than digital.

3/2

I found it interesting that content creators among adolescents are largely suburban girls with relatively high family incomes. This makes me wonder about the nature of the content and the degree of materialism and class bias present in this content. Specifically, I think about Instagram and the ability to tag various brands of products. Is this the creation of an art form or just informal advertising? At what point does this crossover into the realm of planning marketing and ad creation comparable to that produced by an ad agency? I feel this is very problematic in terms of defining creation in new media forms and what the impact of this is on the development of children.

This phenomenon seems to counteract the author's initial observation that new medias may be an answer to the defunding of arts programs in under-resourced schools. If suburban, high income children are those who are engaging most with these platforms and actually creating the content, where does that leave their lower-income peers? Are these children now just the consumers of their content? And what if their content promotes suburban moneyed values? I'm curious about what impact this could have on the psyche and self-valuation of children from under-resourced communities and feel that the author's argument about equal access is somewhat flawed. This thought makes me feel somewhat cautious about content consumption and makes me think closely about Baym's statement, "digital media aren't saving us or ruining us. They aren't reinventing us. Bit they are changing the ways we relate to others and ourselves in countless, pervasive ways."

Fall Beauty

2/3 On/Off Art

Link to video: https://youtu.be/5S-teMfRS28

2/2 On/Off Experiment

As I considered turning off my devices, my first thought was not concern of being bored or not being able to check social media. During my “off” time I did feel an inclination to automatically check Instagram or my email during unoccupied moments, not because I actually sought out specific online information. However, this automatic checking of my phone was not the most surprising thing I noticed about my “connected” behavior. Most significant was the uneasy feeling I got during my walk home late at night. Not being connected or having the ability to get in touch with someone should I need to as I walked home made me quite anxious. There has been so much publicity lately regarding assault in the news and on neighborhood watch apps, such as the Citizen app, that I couldn’t get these things off my mind as I walked alone in the relative dark to my apartment. Interesting to note, also, is that a generator of this semi-irrational fear was an app where I could check up to the minute crimes and police activity in my neighborhood. So, while I felt safer with my phone on, my phone was also a factor that contributed to my paranoia through abundant access to information. I considered these feelings as I worked through my ideas for my artistic response to the On/Off activity. I considered a drawing, however ultimately I settled on a video to show how truly benign my walk home could be. I chose to focus on my feet as I thought about how a child might count their steps when a journey seems interminable or when traveling a familiar route. In this case, the number of steps acts as a kind of countdown clock until I got home and to a sense of security.

2/1

I chose these e-etiquette rules for the following reasons, respectively: because if you're going to write, I think you should do so correctly, sometimes speaking is far more efficient in terms of communication and tone than a text or email, and because choosing to be on instagram or texting communicates a priority hierarchy that is unkind to whoever you are with.

1-3

Cevdet Erek is a sound artist from Turkey. His work explores our relationships to objects and architecture. An interesting aspect of Erek’s work is that sound is created by the hand, either that of the artist or that of the viewer through interaction with his pieces. For example, in his work Shore Scene Soundtrack, Erek imitates the sound of waves crashing on the shore by rubbing his hands and forearms rhythmically against a large swatch of carpet. In contrast to popular perceptions of new media work, Erek’s sound art actively carries evidence of the human hand, much like in painting or drawing. The artist’s hand, in this case, in a very immediate way creates the artwork. In this way it is a much more analog method for art creation than one might assume from a new media artist. A question for me forms, though, in terms of what the boundary of art is for Erek’s sound pieces. Is it just the sound itself? Are the aesthetics of the carpet of importance? Where does the performative aspect fit in? I’m curious about which frameworks should be used in order to discuss the impact of Erek’s pieces at length.

1-2

In digesting Rushkoff's detailed mandate to live in person with regards to our interactions with digital networks, I've been thinking primarily about the idea of using interactions for their intended purpose. Rushkoff gives the example of speaking at a conference where participants travel from afar to be there, in person, to gain insight from a presenter. He argues the point that it is unnecessary and illogical to use a digital presentation for an in-person talk, pointing out that using a digital presentation would be the same online, so it would be a waste of the participants' time and travel. This leads me to think about my experience as a classroom teacher and how much technology was used for the sake of using technology and without actual greater purpose. My inclination is to try to be more purposeful and think about interactions and whether they require technology or if that diminishes the value and authenticity of the interaction.

I've also been wondering about Rushkoff's idea that digital networking can be dislocating for people. The actual physical and mental disorientation that can occur as a result of overuse of digital networking programs in a compulsive manner, even when in the presence of others that a person could feasibly connect with, is disconcerting. It makes me think about the impact this will have on human relationships long-term as this effect can already be seen in adults who have had access to these technologies for a decade or so. I know that I can personally relate as I’m frequently drawn to social media more out of habit than anything else, or even as an avoidance strategy against what is happening around me. This leads me to wonder how to become a more conscious consumer of these technologies in order to benefit, or at least not be detrimental to, my mental state.

1-1

I'm Liz and I studied painting as well as art history with a Contemporary concentration in undergrad. I have maintained a practice in drawing and painting while teaching elementary art both in North Charleston, South Carolina and in Harlem, NYC. In terms of my experience level with new media, I would say that it is relatively low. I took a handful of graphic design and web design courses in undergrad and spent some time working in the creative department of a social media marketing company. However, that's where my tech experience ends. I am decently proficient when it comes to the Adobe Creative Suite, but feel most comfortable working in illustrator.