Round Robin

It is fascinating that such deep stories can be told in a picture and 20 words. I feel like the round robin gives us an opportunity to have these collective, small bursts of creativity, that can turn out to be quite beautiful. It was interesting to see how the stories progressed as they went through each set of hands. I didn’t imagine where the story would end up, when the idea originated. The first idea seemed the most difficult, and the later rounds became easier to write. It was as if the first Idea was a little spark and once it caught, it was easy to put wood on the fire. The beauty of collaboration is that you have to give up control. Most of the best art is produced when it is created with restrictions because it causes the artist to think outside of the box. When several artists work together that's that much more box to think outside of.

One interesting result of this project was that upon sending off the latest story to the next person, it was rare that the next story would convey what the original author believed to be the important or interesting aspect of the story. Some stories meant to be taken literally were read by the next person as containing a deeper meaning. Other times, the story was meant to be deep, but the next author took the story at its surface. Regardless of the author’s original intent, the next story was often surprising and enjoyable. Each string of stories goes off in a direction the original author most likely did not imagine. These results exemplify the idea that stories are more creative when working as a team.

In the article about the Exquisite Corpse by DJ Spooky, he talks about how fragmented, varied puzzles reflect more accurately the collective memory of our culture and how we as a whole progress. Perhaps this idea could stand a few more test runs from us, but the point is valid. It is simply a silly thing to assume complete control over anything, let alone a creative process, and indeed when a person freely gives up what control they have they not only have an opportunity to be presented with new, interesting points of view, but also insight into other people.

Spooky compared the exquisite corpse and other similar methods of creation with Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein—as accurate as any comparison could be in two senses. Firstly, in the literal sense, it really is sort of a mismatched and vague representation of a story-isn thing, which is beautiful in its own right. It is also a figurative compilation of numerous consciousnesses, opinions, experiences, and interpretations. A “living” thing,” according to Spooky, as “‘text’ is never inanimate”—an entity of sorts built up from the minds of five independently thinking people.

While writing these blurbs, I felt that I was building up part of a community.  As a collective we have our own personal beliefs and experiences, but then putting it together is like a realization of how we fit together as people.  In a community, when new people come in contact, lives are changed and a person has a choice to take different paths in their life.  This process is similar to when a character beat is formed within story.  Now within this exercise, it as if we are introducing the characters developed in the stories to a new person, who has their own perspective and experience to change the life of this character forever.  Mimicking this natural process allows the story and characters develop more naturally.  Just as we do, the characters have the opportunity to be influenced by the introduction of new ideas.   Then the community grows the with the development of new characters and the introduction to new ideas to each of us as creators.  

Music Mosaic

 

 

 

 

The moon is a being of contradiction. It is a bright light, yet it only appears when all else is dark. It is the sole natural source of warmth, guidance, and vision when all else is cold, dark, and mysterious. Beethoven’s “Moonlight Sonata” mirrors this idea. The song is a blend of melancholy and hope, two completely contrasting ideas, yet they dissolve together into a beautiful, timeless piece of music. The images I captured attempt to embrace the song’s sense of mixing two contrasting ideas or objects into something more meaningful.

The first photo is of a high quality laptop. Computer innovators pride themselves on coming up with the ‘next big thing’ - more memory, faster processing, and picture quality are emphasized. On the screen, however, appears a simple, child-like, stick figure drawing of a man and a house. It takes high quality technology, and uses it to draw a simple picture. 

The second photo mirrors the moon as well as the song’s emotional patterns by contrasting darkness and light. Much like a person walking in the night, one can choose to focus on the darkness that surrounds them, or look into the distance toward the hope of the bright moon. Most of the space in the picture was meant to be dark to seem as if it were a surrounding force. Picture number three is similar to this idea. In a dark room, the only source of light comes from a lizard cage, which also happens to be the only life in the room.

Another contradiction in today’s world is between books and television. The fourth image is of a television held up by books.  Today, there seems to be a war going on between the two mediums, yet they make each other better when they work together, even though this is represented depressingly.

One way to look at the song’s message is to listen to the sadness and hope wrestling with each other, each trying to conquer the other. The photograph of the cloudy sky aims to capture that feeling. The dark clouds attempt to squeeze the light from the sky, yet the light penetrates through, creating a beautiful scene in nature.

Evergreen trees stand tall in defiance of snow-covered winters. As the ice engulfs the landscape, life vanishes, except for the evergreen tree. The sixth photo portrays an evergreen tree’s branch covering a snowy earth, reminding of its power over the cold. The battle between life and death makes for an extraordinary image.

Picture seven is of a tie hanging over a rugged band shirt. This represents the complexity of individuals. A well-balanced life is that of a happy person. Work and recreation are both essential to a fulfilling life. The photo attempts to capture the shirt by itself to emphasize its importance.

Lastly, is included a picture of a lemon bar. It contrasts the other images because it has no meaning, yet without it, the work is not complete.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nT7_IZPHHb0

A Universal Struggle

Religion has always been a controversial topic throughout the world. This truth is no different in the present. Members of religions tend to shun and criticize those whose ideals differ from their own. The situation is equal among those who do not claim a religion. It is often forgotten that one can learn much from those with different beliefs if an open mind is kept.

“(*Fin)” by the band, Anberlin is a long, eight minute song that illustrates this point effectively as it tells the story of one man’s struggle with God. Although the story is personal to the author, it contains issues and asks questions that most people end up asking themselves at some point in their lives. The song’s beginning verses contain four stories.

The first story relates to the song-writer’s childhood. Stephen Christian was eight-years-old at the time he began to struggle with God. He came to the conclusion that God and the Devil should “both just leave me alone.” It is interesting that the petty issues of a young child could be such an ongoing issue for many adults today. Personal morals are always tested. The iconic image of an angel on one shoulder and a devil on the other, each pulling their victim in opposite directions, has been the comical representation of the fight each person has with themselves daily. “I don’t feel like going to work today. Should I pretend I’m sick?” “I’m trying to diet, but one slice of cake won’t hurt, right?” “What do I do?” Small and large questions such as these are asked at least once every day regardless of religion or culture.

One of the defining moments in a person’s life is when one figures out what they believe. After a decision is made, the person is soon tested. In the song’s second story, Christian attended a congregation that begged for a miracle. They were then promised that miracle, but it never came to be. The emotionally charged lyric, “Sympathy’s better than having to tell you the truth,” allows the listener to hear both sides of the story. The congregation wondered why someone would lie about such an important promise, but the false promisers simply may not have had the strength to tell the truth. For the congregation, this was a defining test of faith. For the false promisers, this was one more of life’s difficult decisions.

Another universal issue is when someone highly esteemed by another makes a mistake that shatters their image in the eyes of those who looked up to him. In the song’s third story, a mentor of Christian’s destroyed his own family under the facade of missionary work. This experience shook Christian as it would any other human being. There are those who have waited years for their father to come back from the store. There are others who have been swindled by a friend. Such experiences can shatter the image of the betrayer as well as cause those afflicted to question other aspects of their lives.

The last story in the song is about a false healer who ruined Christian’s life and ultimately caused him to lose his faith. Being duped is a universally relatable hardship that can leave a person feeling angry, confused, and embarrassed. In this story’s case, it was enough to push the man over the edge and give up on God. Each person is affected differently by the same situations, but the case is omnipresent.

Each story in “(*Fin)” at its heart contains an issue every person faces in their lives at some point. None of the stories delve deep into specifics. Neither through the lyrics nor in Stephen Christian’s explanation of the song does the audience learn what exactly happened in each of his personal experiences. This may have been on purpose. The vagueness of each story leaves the consumer to decipher their meanings, allowing them to more easily relate to the material and draw their own conclusions. For Christian, this song was about God. For someone else, the song could be about a separate difficult decision he is currently wrestling with. For another, perhaps the words are solely a comfort to her during a depressing time in life. Regardless of each listener’s circumstances, they can all get something out of the song if they listen past the words.

In each chorus, Christian proclaims himself “the patron saint of lost causes,” because, “aren’t we all?” With this brief message of understanding, he consoles listeners who may be in pain or in their own struggle, letting them know he understands. He is acting as a voice for those who have or are suffering as he did, their patron saint. The message transforms a religious message into one that is universally relatable.

Lastly, the song’s message would not be nearly as effective without strong emotion coming through the music itself. The work’s haunting, but beautiful chords and powerful melody express more emotion than the lyrics. The song is full of crescendos and decrescendos allowing the feelings to move and blend with the words into a cohesive completion.

Of course, not every single person who hears the song will walk away with a profound experience or a changed life. Again, every person reacts differently to the same situations. However, it may take more than one listen, but with a receptive mind and a true desire, any person could potentially benefit or learn from this song, or any work of art.

“(*Fin)” is an example that art can help and teach any person a valuable lesson, or comfort them in a time where understanding is needed. Stephen Christian learned to eventually trust God even more through these experiences, but there are many other lessons found inside his words; lessons that do not discriminate religion or culture.

(*Fin) by Anberlin:
https://youtu.be/SvxD_toISIc