The Art of Complication

So, let's be real. Every time I go a while without writing, I always start my post with a generic statement about how sorry I am that I haven't posted. They are always true, so I'm going to guess that you get the point and try not to really write one for this post.

These last couple of weeks have been crazy for me! I have had several print making projects to work on and turn in, as well as other things in my life. I feel like I'm finally starting to pull myself together, which is super relieving. After feeling like my life was constantly falling apart, it's nice to feel like I am straightening things out for a change.

For one, I finally got up my art instagram page yesterday. I have been meaning to do this for months, but it's finally up. Yes I did post about 20 pictures in 2 days to get ready for it, but it's worth it. I updated the instagram gadget (found in the left column of this page) to be my art page rather than my personal one. Just click and view, and hopefully help me get a little more outside recognition. Networking is so advantageous in today's world, so I'm excited to have mine ready. I will try and keep up progress and final products of my work , and hopefully before too long, the page will gain traction.

That being said, I have been hard at work making the art too. I finished a fun surface-roll and hard ground intaglio bleed print a few weeks ago, and I honestly liked it more than I thought I would.

This is what the final product looks like. I had a lot of trouble printing it, so it ended up about a third of the size that I had planned. Most of the plate isn't even printed because of it. I was going to do a much bigger version and print it on black paper, which I figured would show up great because of the strong ink pigment of the red surface roll. Unfortunately, it didn't really work out that well. Try as I might, I couldn't get it to print, and I was running out of paper. Thankfully, I had some paper scraps left from other projects that I could use to make a smaller version of the print, which it what I did. I cropped off most of the top and some of the bottom of the plate, and then I printed that. Honestly, for a last minute improvisation, I would say it worked out really well.

All of the class' prints are hanging in the student gallery in the third floor of the art building right now, and honestly, we couldn't be more proud of them.

Mine sure looks tiny compared to everyone else's, but that's okay. I am really happy with the way it turned out considering how it gave me so many issues throughout the process.

My next project has turned out to be even more of a challenge. It's actually really funny. I am doing technically easier pieces this semester than I have done in past semesters, but they are giving me even more problems when I go to print them. After I do all that I can, it still seems that I will inevitably run into a problem rather than invent one for myself like I did before. It's so much easier to control the expected than to be surprised. I finally got my copper plate to look perfect. It was late one night in the lab and I was tired, so I pulled one proof (a practice print) and went home. It printed perfectly, so I couldn't have been happier. Unfortunately when I went back to print the final copies the next day, it wasn't working. They were printing terribly, and I didn't know what to do. I finally just gave up and decided to go for a redo on the project (which I can thankfully do without a grade reduction as long as I have something to bring to the critique). On top of that, I am also delving into the world of block printing for my next project: the print exchange. I have been carving a linoleum block to essentially create a custom stamp that I will use for this next project. I have played around a little bit in this side of printmaking when I was in middle school and high school, so it's exciting to do it on a higher level now. It's amazing to see how much I remembered from before as well as how much new knowledge I had to bring to the table. I'll post more on those prints once they are finished.

That all being said, I am so grateful for all the opportunities I have to study and create art. Self expression is super important to me, and I'm thrilled to be honing one more creative outlet to help me do it. It's amazing what you can do and how you can express it when you truly put your mind to work.

It has Begun

I think I'm finally ready to start my life. No I didn't just magically graduate or get married or anything, but it's getting real.

I have put a lot of effort into planning my art pieces for the semester, like really thinking about and sketching the ideas. I am trying to make things non arbitrary, but meaningful, well planned, but spontaneous. It's a hard balance to find, but I'm trying really hard. I just finished printing the first edition of my first project yesterday. I may have to redo it and make a second edition that's a little different, but I am still trying my best to get it down. I am working on sketches for my next project right now, and I'm super excited about it.

I am missing Brazil a lot lately. I have met a few more Brazilians this semester, and they just make me miss it more and more. I feel like it's just slowly slipping away from me, and I'm scared to lose it. I guess that's why I am going to portray one of my favorite places in Brazil for my next piece. I miss a beautiful cobblestone street that brought the feeling of classic romance alive, especially at night in the lantern-lit street. While I wasn't really thinking about romance while I was in Brazil, I would give almost anything to go back there and see that street again. I would give anything to walk down it with that special someone and share with them the beauty that I fell in love with. That's why I am bringing it to me through my artwork since I can't go to it right now. I will have to start putting pictures of my work up through the processes so that it seems that I am actually doing something.

I guess if anyone wants, here's my design work on Behance. That way, you know that I'm not lying about studying design and art. I know that I've been super bad about really showing it, but I am so excited to be slowly finding my way of expression. That's something I have always struggled with. I have always had kind of a hard time expressing how I feel, which makes it nice to have another way to try and really express myself. It's hard for me to verbally open up to people, but in the past I have had music to do that. I could say things through the piano that even I didn't understand about myself, and I'm just starting on my journey to get there in the visual arts. I have found that through the arts, we are subtly more honest about ourselves than we would otherwise be without even realizing it. Artwork is the purest form of a self-portrait. We let so much about ourselves out without even realizing it.

I think that's why art is so therapeutic. People sing to let people know that they are excited, in love, or something like that. It shows how they feel about the world around them, and about themselves. What's more honest than that? The best part is that we don't even realize it while it is happening. I guess that's why I like the arts so much. I can let out problems that I don't even want to admit that I have. I can embrace a side of me that I normally don't even acknowledge. To me, that is the hardest thing about life. It's about accepting our imperfections. It's about realizing that no one is perfect, no matter what it seems like. It's about accepting that we aren't the only ones with problems.

It's just so hard. People may come and go in our lives, but we don't know how this is going to affect us. We never know how, years later, we may look back on something seemingly trivial just to see mow big of a difference it really made in our lives. I wish I could tell every person that made a difference in my life how much they mean to me. I wish I could tell everyone how much I love them and help them to see that I really mean it. I wish I could go back in time and just pause during the moments of pure bliss. That way, I could really appreciate them like I didn't in the moment. But, let's be real. I can't do that. Life doesn't really allow it. So take your days as they come. Love the good and the bad, and never give up. Your future can be even brighter than your past if you let it. Nothing is final because there is always tomorrow. Experience eternity today. It's the best place to start.

Delving Deeper into Life

Hey there again! So, this is the first time after saying that I will do a good job posting that I am actually posting in two consecutive weeks. I cannot tell you how proud of myself I am. Okay, so that sounded a little self centered, but I really don't mean it that way. It is just good to feel success. I think everyone likes that feeling.

Anyway, I have done a lot of thinking this week. Granted, I had less time for thinking this week than I had last week because I started working 40 hours again and going to class for 6 hours a week, but it's okay. I think the mental stimulus from working and going to class actually helped me to think better. Having less time to just think made me think more objectively about things. That is one of the keys to doing things in the art world: necessity creates the environment to come up with ideas better than an overly relaxed situation.

It has been good for me to start working. Too much free time kind of kills you after a while. Relaxation is only good for so long. Being mentally dead because you don't have productive stimulus gets pretty tiresome after a while. As I went back to class and work, I had a neat opportunity come up to think, and to think deeply. For the class I'm taking (advanced printmaking) I had to come up with project proposals for three projects, and then we created a theme for the fourth project together as a class. Since we just did that on Wednesday, I am now trying to come up with my idea for that project. We are going to be basing our project on our own personal vulnerabilities. We are going to delve deep into ourselves, to find our biggest insecurity, our deepest fear about ourselves, and then we have to confront it. I am so excited to do this. I think this project will end up being the most honest "self portrait" of sorts that any artist can do. Not that it is a real self portrait, but I think it will show a lot more than an actual self portrait will about ourselves. Nothing comes closer than the truth than what we are afraid to let out. The cool thing about this project is that upon choosing our subject matter, we can decide if we want to embrace or try to overcome this imperfection. I personally would agree with Andy Warhol's outlook on imperfections. He believed that they are what make us beautiful. Our idiosyncrasies make us who we are for better or for worse. Sometimes, the best thing we can do is embrace it. Just because we don't like it doesn't necessarily mean that it's all bad. I mean, this is one of my favorite scriptures from the Book of Mormon, and it illustrates that perfectly:

And if men come unto me I will show unto them their weakness. I give unto men weakness that they may be humble; and my grace is sufficient for all men that humble themselves before me; for if they humble themselves before me, and have faith in me, then will I make weak things become strong unto them. (Ether 12:27) 

Honestly, so many of us refuse to acknowledge our "ugly side" because it seems like everyone else is so perfect. They aren't, so why should we have to be. That doesn't mean that we can't or shouldn't try to come closer to perfection, but we shouldn't kill ourselves over it. Here's a super good article about this mentality if you are looking for extra reading. But honestly, can you imagine if we were all "perfect" we would then all be the same, and life isn't fun without variation. 

 Anyway, life is good, and I get the chance to look at it up close and personal this semester. I feel that there is no greater privilege than to look life straight in the eye and learn from it. Embrace it, the good and the bad. Love the silly string fights and Polaroids. Love the silly memories with friends as well as the ones that might make you cry. Love it all no matter how hard. Loving involves accepting the good and the bad. That's what life is about. It's about changing our perspective and widening our horizons.

New Year, New Eyes

So you know how everyone says "New Year, New me" and stuff like that? Well, I like it for sure. I am a fan of New Year's resolutions, but I have decided on several interesting ones for this year (and yes, I know I am posting this about a week late).

Of course, I will say like always that one goal is to be a better blogger. I think deciding why will finally help me to actually stick to it. I blog to show the world how I see it. To offer my perspective on the beautiful blessing that we call life. I guess that is part of the reason I study art. I am in the middle of my schooling for graphic design, and I am learning more and more every day the importance of communicating my idea to positively influence the world around me. Don't get me wrong, life isn't all butterflies and daisies, but I am looking at the world through new eyes this year. That is the basis of my resolutions. I will look at myself through new eyes, even if it means changing things that I don't like while appreciating the things that I do. It's finding beauty in others, whether the beauty is something that I share or better yet, that person's idiosyncrasy. It is finding joy and meaning in the small things, and trying to see the big picture when necessary.

Better yet, it isn't just about observing. It is about doing something because of the observations. So many people in my generation want to just sit back and like the world that passes in front of them. Sadly, in doing so, they miss the chance to be a part of it: to really change the world. That doesn't mean that each of us needs to be famous, but we can all make a difference, even if we don't see the results and each part of the chain reaction we are a part of. Toward the end of last year, I watched the movie "Pay it Forward." For those of you who haven't seen it, do. It will help you to see how one ordinary person can do extraordinary things.

That's what I want to do, but for me, I kind of do it differently. I can positively influence an art world that is floundering in negative stimulus. I can smile at someone walking down the street. I won't formally request anything in exchange, but I will always hope that my actions influence others to want to do good. I have spent a lot of time thinking about ways I can get this positivity around. I want it to spread like a virus, infecting everything in its path. Let's be honest, a lot of people weren't happy with the way 2016 ended (I'm actually impartial there), so why not turn the tables. Let's stop blaming everyone else for our unhappiness, and do something to fix it. Let's do something to make others believe in this world again. It's not all bad out there, and it's up to us to find the good and put it on display like the Mona Lisa at the Louvre.

So do what you do, and love it. Love yourself while you are at it, even the parts that you think aren't worthy of loving. Be happy while you change your life, even if the progress seems slow. Keep up your positive attitude even if it seems like your actions don't change the world around you. Patience and joy are the keys to it all. Happy New Year! Let's make it the best one yet.

PS. Super thanks to Mikayla, my roommate last semester for this fun pic. She is kind of the best.

PPS. Probably going to redesign my blog again soon--I can't seem to find something that I'm in love with yet. Hopefully soon, but be on the lookout.

I Fell into Fall for Sure

Hey there again!

So...I took forever to post again because I redesigned the blog. It took me a while to do, and I may still make a few little changes. But that's whatever. And sorry for the dumb post title. It has just been a long semester, and yeah.

before

after

I feel like I'm drowning a little bit, but at the same time, I have never been better with my classes. I am taking: Printmaking, Graphic Design, DNA, Communications (Interpersonal and Public Speaking), and my religion class (Jesus Christ and the Everlasting Gospel). It's a lot, but it is so worth it. I once spent 15 hours in one week outside of class just working on one project for printmaking. And every Saturday from about 10:00 AM until midnight, I work on Graphic design (along with a few other hours during the week). That's just the start. On top of all that and the other homework that I have, I also work 20 hours a week developing online courses for BYU-Idaho. Honestly, it is pure luck when I have spare time during the week. I always leave my Sundays open though. I really need that time, and it has become even more valuable as my day of rest.

Anyway, beyond that the semester has been great! I have been blessed to have such great roommates! It has been so much fun to get to know all them. I honestly feel that I can always come home to a happy place, and that I can really trust these girls. From late night movie nights to fun photo shoots, I have loved spending time with them. And I'm not just saying this to be cute and sentimental, I really mean it.

Yeah, so as shown above, we all dressed like we were from the 90's for Halloween. Funny thing is, we were all born in the 90's. Most of my roommates were born in 1998, but Some of us were born earlier, like me. I was born in 1995, so I am "dyed in the blue" 90's. It was so fun to dress up like that!

Speaking of the 90's and when I was born, I just had my birthday since the last time I wrote. It was so fun because my mom and sisters came here to surprise me. I decided to stay at school over the summer to work, so I wasn't home for my birthday this year. Spending the weekend with them was so much fun!

I have been so blessed to be surrounded by so many wonderful people! There is nothing better than filling your life with good influences. Something I have learned this semester as an art major at school, it is that we must constantly be learning new things, that we must surround ourselves with stimulus. I personally think that it would be so much better if the stimuli was good rather than trashy or immoral, so I am grateful to have such great people around me all the time. In the apartment or out, it is nice to know that I have people I can count on.

Yeah, it is pretty great. But, here's to more frequent posting, and to the best friends and family that anyone could ever ask for.