Jason's Blog

I have had many different and enjoyable experiences in this class. I have really learned a lot from the artist conversations and projects in this class. Firstly, creating plaster castings taught me that art can be something valuable only to myself. Many people will see this plaster cast as just a sand cast with no meaning. I will only be the only one to see this piece as valuable as it was my hand. The design thinking was a very impactful project to me as I never really thought of any other future me’s or even a back-up plan. The finger painting project taught me to not stress about creating an art piece and instead find the nature of art. The e-portfolio was another impactful project as I will take what I learned and use it for the rest of my life. This was the first time I ever heard about an e-portfolio; I feel that being able to create an eportfolio as a freshman has given me an edge over the rest of the students with just a hard copy resume. The e-portfolio is something I will definitely use and keep updated as it is something that will help me obtain a position I desire in the future. The graffiti project taught me how hard it actually is to spray paint. The vlogging was the only project I didn’t turn in. Although I do send short clips of my life to my friends, I still don’t feel comfortable uploading a video of my life for public viewing. Its something I didn’t want to haunt me in the future. The drinking and drawing painting was more of a relaxing project that showcase my drawing skills through the drawings of my surrounding environment. In this project I learned to draw without processing the image in my head and instead I drew what I saw directly onto my paper.  The environmental portraits gave me a realistic feel of the kind of environment I’m going to be working in the future. Thinking about the work environment is something everyone should consider before choosing their career path.

I have met a lot of different and great people through the artist conversations. I have also learned many things through these conversations. Many of these artists have planned ahead and decided what they are going to do ,but many of these artists haven’t and are simply rolling with the ball. These artist conversations have taught me to plan ahead, find the meaning of the art through my own eyes, and resonate the art with my life experiences.  Throughout the semester my perspective of art has changed. In the beginning, I thought of art as an aesthetically beautiful and valuable piece that took long lasting periods of time to make. Now I see art as a vessel to express someone’s thoughts toward a certain subject or topic. Finding a connection with the art was something I found very helpful in interpreting the art piece. As an aerospace engineering major, I feel that I can incorporate many forms of art into my life. As a mechanical engineer, I can think of new ways to develop new technologies such as hybrid engines or increased battery size in order to keep up with future needs. I can incorporate art in my life by being creative and seeking new ways in which I can make air travel more effective and efficient. As an aircraft/spacecraft designer, I can apply my creativity in seeking new and improved designs that will impact the future of aerodynamics. Critical thinking is the college of engineering’s motto. Whenever I hear this phrase, I think art. I feel that critical thinking really binds art and engineering together. In a way, the university wants the engineering students to incorporate art into their lives by making them think critically. Being open-minded and communicating different ideas with others is something that will help develop your own thoughts and open your creative mind. In the field of engineering, it is best to work with a team to obtain the best method in solving a problem through binding everyone’s input and creating one powerful solution. This class has taught me to find meaning in anything I do; if I don’t find meaning, than I’ll try my best to incorporate it with my life.

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1. In this photo I’m “revising” a building plan that has to be approved by the city before the construction is initiated.
2. I thought I was pretty successful as, planners and project engineers have to dress business casual and work in an office environment.
3. Next time, I might try to include a better background that showcases other people working in the office.

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This was a fun project as I enjoy drawing. It wasn’t very frustrating as I know drawing takes time and practice. I definitely would try to draw something else that I’m interested in such as an Anime character or a sneaker. If I were to take time and perhaps practice drawing for 100 hours, I believe I would be above average. My major, aerospace engineering might require some drawing skills but not as much as before as computer software programs can now generate four dimensional images.

Exhibition: Call and Response, When We Say You Say

My experience at the Long Beach University museum was different from what I expected. Although the museum was smaller than I expected, there were a few pieces that I found very interesting; one of the pieces was the “moth eater” and the “block”, the leather masks created by Alonso Garzon. I found these specifically interesting because it reminds me of a mask that would be used as a prop for movies. The masks were also the only pieces in the gallery that had a sci-fi fantasy theme to it. Because there were so many people in the museum, the tour wasn’t very enjoyable as it was very hard to hear. I did find it interesting that our tour guide told us that there were hidden easter eggs for the audience to discover within the art pieces.

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Graffiti writing has always been very enjoyable to me. I did this project in my backyard as I already had the materials. I used green and purple as those were my favorite colors; I used black for the outline of the letters. Using krylon spray paint made it a little hard as the spray was very outspread. It was an overall fun and enjoyable experience.

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Making an abstract painting was a really fun and enjoyable project. Having the freedom to paint what you want and being able to use your fingers is what made it even easier. From the beginning, I new it was going to be a fun, easy, and enjoyable project. It was also quite satisfying to use any color whenever I wanted to. I mostly enjoyed smearing the excess paint around as the paper did have a rough surface. I also didn’t care how my painting came out as it was an abstract painting.