I Believe, I Believe, I Believe, Oh, I Believe...

I believe in respect. I believe in respect and being respected. I believe that I am a good person, a nice person to know, a good one to have on your side. I believe my past does not define who I am. I believe I am capable of having nice things. I believe I am capable of having healthy relationships. I believe in self-affirmations. I believe in karma. I believe in getting what I deserve. I believe in getting what I don’t deserve, and I believe in learning lessons daily. I believe in learning through my mistakes. I believe in second chances. I believe in not messing up. I believe in starting over and doing better, even though I can’t always pull it off. I believe in truth, always. I believe that not knowing the truth will kill me later. I believe that not telling the truth will bite me in the ass later. I believe in huge beds. I believe in bubble baths, nail polish and girl talk, but I don’t believe in Sex and the City nor the stereotypes. I believe in feminism and women’s rights. I believe in women’s empowerment, and I believe that we women need to stop being such bitches to each other and band together for a greater cause. I believe women need to ally themselves, to make us independent, and not have to rely on men or outer goods to make us feel better about ourselves. I believe in Hindu spirituality. I believe in energy, the Great Mother, Native American spirituality. I believe in my power animal, a tiger. I believe more and more people are turning into animals every day. I believe in making fun of myself without being self-deprecating. I believe in not taking oneself seriously, but I also believe in taking what one loves as seriously as possible without losing the passion behind it. I believe in doing whatever I can to do what I love. I believe in following what needs to be done for things I don’t want to do, but only if I don’t lose myself in the process. I believe I am not who I was a year ago. I believe I am a different person every day. I believe in being a kid, I believe in being five years old and I believe in having fun. I believe in taking joy in the simple things. I believe that everything I just said can be perceived as incredibly cliché, and I believe I may be taking liberties with the things I say I believe. In the end, though, that’s up to me. I don’t know what I support the most out of all of these, but I know that I’m an idealist, I believe in so many things, that all of them are true.

Happiness is that state of consciousness which proceeds from the achievement of one's values.

I believe in objectivism. This idea of philosophy was introduce to me in a book that Ayn Rand wrote, The Fountainhead (1943). There are several concepts of objectivism, but the one that strikes to me is explained as man - every man - is an end in himself, not the means to the ends of others. He must exist for his own sake, neither sacrificing himself to others nor sacrificing others to himself. The pursuit of his own rational self-interest and of his own happiness is the highest moral purpose of his life. Everyone strives for many things, but ultimately it should be for happiness. I think all acts and considerations should be in the benefit of yourself. This is your life and you should live it and do what you want with it. Your wants can conclude to serious consequences, but those are yours to deal with. Unless you enjoyed a life where terror and pain exists, all should strive for something non harmful to ourselves or each other. However, if that is what would make a person happy, then I suppose one would continue to follow that path of consequences. What is wrong with being selfish? Why should you have to make serious sacrifices and suffer for the better of someone else. Everyone else has the same chances to do what is need to be done to make their life their intuitive sight of happiness. I believe in survival of the fittest. Everyone is out competing against each other for another reason or other. There are many things in life I see myself competing for. Many things that other people are simply struggling with also like current jobs, a boy friend or girl friend, school, or future careers. Even though the economy might not be the best time right now, there is a great competitive atmosphere in the field of photography. There are times where I see myself helping others more in the dark room when I should be focusing on my own work, and helping myself in order to get my work done. Sure someone could argue I get a nice satisfaction about myself while helping people, but when it comes down to getting your grade back or critiques these feelings of “satisfaction” change. For me to not get credited for what I am capable of doing, while others get the benefit of what I helped them create is in my opinion, not fair. Therefore, to not think of others and solely of yourself when doing your work is perfectly okay. This is just one small example in a while range of situations. I think you should fight for the pursuit that could make you happy. Do not let other people tell you your ideas are wrong.

Blog Post #6: This I Believe

For this post please update your This I Believe essay. Check out their website here. It has writing tips and many examples.

This essay must be at least 400 words and you also must comment on one other blog.

Steve's Post

Art. It’s an expression. Of what? That’s up to you. It can be an emotional expression, political, even rebellious. It’s an outlet to make some kind of point. My favorite has got to be the art of human beatboxing. It’s great! The noises and sounds these people make is so amazing you have to wonder how much might be synthetic. To see something ike this live is unreal. Everything about it draws me to it. The arrangement, the styles, the ability to make such weird noises…I grow a loss of words to describe it. I haven’t yet attained an ability to really express much of my own, but I do love messing around with it and a couple of friends.

URL: www.youtube.com/watch?v=hCCc8zWqvYA

Poetry From Within

You've not heard any beautiful pure true poetry if you haven't heard of Amena Brown. All of her work is beautiful but one specific poem that I admire the most is called "You" and it has been made into videos. Besides just loving the way she expresses herself through words, there is meaning to her work. It's not just something to rhyme and make you feel all "tingly inside." Not at all. Her work shows the efforts she went through to get such a prophetic poem to flow from the tip of her tongue and unto the atmosphere.
In both videos, at the bottom, display the same poem but presented in two different types of presentations which both give off a powerful vibe. The first one is her reciting it live the second one is a video made with the words to flow the same way she gives them off with her mouth just to give it an understanding of the feel and mood of this poem. It is a deep thinker because it causes you, or at least it did for me, to analyze your heart and see what is that one thing you need to fix to align yourself into the right purpose in this world we live in where we tend to just want to hide from our Creator.
I admire this type of work, not only because I am also a writer and write poems, but because it was pure and honestly wholesome. Take a look below...

Live hip hop comes to....life?

If I had to pick just one thing that I truly considered to be an art form, just one thing that leaves me in awe, it would have to be the amazing live performance brought by Tech N9ne. Most people don't exactly perceive live hip hop performances as very exciting. Let's be honest, the majority of the time its just a single guy with a microphone walking back and forth on stage. Not Tech N9ne though. This emcee has single handily taken live performances to the next level. From his charisma, to his high energy, and most of all his choreography, Tech N9ne blows other acts off the stage and is not someone most want to follow.

I mentioned his choreography because if you have ever attended a Tech N9ne show, you know that everything is VERY tight. There is no room for error, and every move, every word is executed with precision. You can tell from the first video, when he is speed rapping, just how absurdly precise his live delivery is. Add in his showmanship and theatrics, which include elaborate stage sets and face paint, and you have a volatile mix for the best live show you will ever see. The first time I witnessed this madness, my jaw dropped and I was in disbelief. I could not believe how amazing he sounded live and how unbelievably entertaining his stage show was. He does not just walk back and forth on stage, no instead he always has his two hypemen who are tightly choreographed with him every step of the way. This includes dances and live remixes that are done on the spot.

I will always tell anyone who listens, that absolutely no one, NO ONE has anything on Tech N9ne's stage presence.

Kelvyn Park Drill Competition

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=czm7QKrWox0

My four years being in Army JROTC, I always enjoyed doing drills, marching around the school's parking lot, learning commands and all that good stuff. I participated in two drill competitions and the thrill I had when it was time to go on. I guess I am trying to say that doing drill is an art to me because art cannot only be a painting or a sculpture, but body movement. Drilling and being all in order (sometimes not always together) is a way of looking at it as art. I loved how we were all synchronized and all those cool movements that you see upclose. We all are doing one piece of art at the same time. It is amazing of the things that you do and just consider them art. It is also the adrenaline that goes along with it when you go out there facing 40 other schools that always took the gold medals home.
Drilling is art because it is a way to show others that we are competitive and that we enjoy what we love to do. And this kind of art is not only created in one day, but takes up to three months to have it fully developed. We have to choose the right people to be leaders and have a full team. We practiced and practiced until we had everything right. Drilling is my art, no matter what others think about it. It has movement and structure.

Heath

I first found out about this portrait around the time of Ledger’s death, it was in an article online for winning the Archibald Prize, which is quite an honor in Australia from what I’ve read. With the simple title "Heath", it was created by an artist named Vincent Fantauzzo. Being a painter, the first time I saw this portrait it amazed me. Everything about this painting is excellent. I’m under the impression Fantauzzo used oil paints, however I couldn’t find anything about the medium in any of the articles. The attention to detail alone, is just ridiculous. It’s one thing for a painting to look like a photo image, but there’s also a certain something about a good painting that surpasses the effectiveness of a photo. Fantauzzo uses highlights and shadows perfectly. The tattoos on his arms look just as they would on actual skin. There’s so much detail in Ledger’s skin; the wrinkles on his forehead, the detail in his hands, you can even seen the veins in his arms.
Not only is this painting great by a technical standpoint, but even the concept of the portrait is good. The idea for the portrait was actually part Ledger’s, representing an internal conflict. The portrait was painted a little less than a year before Ledger’s death, which makes it intriguing and sad. Most articles I've read said Ledger had trouble sleeping after acting back to back in two films. The dazed and distant look on his face, and the two ghosts of himself whispering in his ear depict an image of a burdened man, and show the stress playing two roles at once could have put on him. It’s one of the best portraits I have seen, definitely one of my favorites. The painting is currently on display at the Art Gallery of New South Wales, in Sydney, Australia. It’s a beautiful piece of art, and a fitting tribute to an amazing actor.

Just a Sweet Transvestitie

For me i think it would have to be the movie, "Rocky Horror Picture Show". to get get it over with yes it was amazing, it blew my mind, etc... but here is why it was amazing. back in the day, when i was a lot younger you would never see a anything but heterosexuals in movies. i guess being gay was more taboo in the 90's, but they were out there and i knew it! movies even back than were all starting to look, sound, and feel the same to me. plots re-done, or 'original' ideas composed of 5 already done ideas. i wanted to see a movie that was different from the ones i had already seen, but sadly even today that is hard to find. of course it was...until a friend of mine asked how i felt about transvestites and i was like, "i love 'em, now why you asking?". and that is how i was made to see the wonderful movie of Rocky Horror (leave it to the 70's to still kick every other decades ass when it comes to originality. thank you acid and shrooms for making artsy films possible). this movie did blow my mind, but for very good reason. this movie had my hero dressed up as a bi-sexual. it had a man wearing make-up, corset, and fish net stocking, singing about gay sex. it made me wish i lived in the 70's. first off movies now a days do not really have those o a homosexual orientation. some do, because thankfully i think they Americans are starting to feel a lot more comfortable with someone of a different sexual orientation, but by god we never even touched the subject of the trans people. to make a movie with a man dressing up as a bit of a women, not because he is crazy/mocking him/for the purpose of comedy, but because that is who he is and this is perfectly normal, well thast ground breaking right there. and the music and costumes are another thing i loved. the music was so origianl and catchy. the music in itself was not iritating like i hear in most musicals. this movie added music for its own pleasure. it did not need music, it felt like it just threw it in there at the best parts. and what i loved the most? the music meant nothing. there was no morals in it to be heard, no stupid random love scene love song, it was just there for the soul purpose of being there. these words could be spoken, but it was a lot more fun to sing it. and the costumes? well for one the only time i have seen a man in a corset is..well never, and a woman, well since sex sells now all women get to be demeaned so i guess always. but it was always for a reason...Tim curry was all dressed up because this was what he wore on casual occasions, it was epic. and all the costumes looked so normal, but at the same time were just completely out there. it made the people in the movie who entered the building look like weirdos not the people wearing what looked to be chrome. it mocked normality and thats what movies lack. this movie was all in itself just amazing. it made you laugh, sing, wanna dance, without feeling weird about what was going on. it made me wish there were movies more out there. taht would touch the uncomfortable subjects of sexuality, drugs, and even murder in a comical/musical sense. (i am having a hard time thinking right now so i hope what i have said made some kind of sense. if not than i will defend it more tomorrow, with a clearer head)

Moment of Truth

Not just a song but an inspiration. I first heard this song in grammar school, but I don't think I clearly understood the message until maybe my sophomore year in high school. It was probably towards the end of my sophomore year and the beginning of my Junior. This song inspired me to stop doing some of the things that I was doing at the time that were not exactly good for my health or my mind. This song inspired me to focus and every time I hear it I become blistered with goosebumps dwelling into the realism of it. The group is Gang Starr. The song is "Moment Of Truth". The group Gang Starr consists of a rapper and a DJ, the rapper being "Guru" and the DJ being "DJ Premier". If you dislike hip hop at all, I guarantee you that if you listen to this song, you will dislike it a little bit less.

The sample used in this song is from a song entitled "Lets fall in love all over again" by Billy Paul. You may think sampling might be easy to do, but it's all about having the right set of ears and knowing what songs to sample and what parts of the song to sample, not to mention knowing how the sample should be delivered. The vibe for this song opens my eyes, wakes me up, inspires me. Every time I hear it I want to make a beat as well. Not a similar beat but one with the same vibe.
I can relate so much to this song that sometimes when I listen to it, I feel that I'm the one who wrote it, just because it connects to me and a lot of situations and states of mind that I have been in. The second verse in this song, which begins with: "Sometimes you gotta dig deep...", is where I mainly feel the connection. I love this song and I feel its one of the greatest hip hop songs ever written. No doubt about it.

Need For Change

The discovery that I have found was a certain photographer off the website flickr. Her work has several different types of mediums, one in which is through polaroids. Right away I connected on a level with this artist, because I don’t take polaroids as a candid opportunity as most people did that were consumers of polaroid products. I take polaroids as an intimate true art. These small photos are more difficult than regular due to the fact that everything is by ranging yourself from a certain distant from the subject. The reason why I view this polaroid as greatest piece of work, is the patience one must have to get this photo in perfect close up detail and a fade out, creating great depth of field in the photo. To see another person do this, makes me believe that I too can create something this perfect.
Another idea that most regular people don’t know about polaroids, is the chemicals can create an image be very saturated, and in fact not match up the true colors to the subject. However, in this polaroid, you can very much tell the tones in the skin are very realistic. The light pink tints in the toes are not too saturated looking overly red. There are also nice details in the blankets, and they are not blown out white which most polaroid cameras tend to do.
Not only are the technical aspects of this photo are great, but the originality of it are also very intriguing. I have never encountered an image like this one, and I can really appreciate the root of an original photo.

Welcome to the world of Taboo, the club that everyone wants to be a part of.

I honestly don’t know much about art. I do know that to me, “Taboo” (the musical written by Boy George and funded by Rosie O’Donnell—it was a huge joke back in 2003) is the greatest musical I’ve ever heard. Sadly, I never got to actually see it; it closed before I could get to New York City in time to see it. However, I have listened to and memorized all of the music on the original Broadway cast album (as well as watched its original London incarnation on a DVD I specially ordered from the UK).
My mom brought it home with a slew of other OBC (original broadway cast) albums to check out, since I sometimes am way into showtunes. It was the first and only one I picked up, and the one I’ve taken with me every day since.
Boy George of the 80’s-90’s pop band Culture Club wrote all the music and lyrics to this musical. Some songs were taken from his 1996 solo album “Cheapness and Beauty” (I know this because I have the album), but there are a few original songs he penned himself. The cast includes Euan Morton as Boy George, Boy George himself as Leigh Bowery, and my absolute favorite musical theatre actor of all time, Raul Esparza as Philip Sallon.
I don’t know what makes it innovative. I think, though, that it’s one of the first non-jukebox musicals with a pop/rock feel that isn’t condescending in tone or overdone (definitely paving the way for the extremely popular Spring Awakening). Technically, it is a jukebox musical, which is a hot commodity nowadays, but at the same time, it’s not.
The songs are written by the former lead singer of an 80’s pop band, but they still have so much heart and feeling. It must not just be me who feels this, but I know this musical practically reached cult status by the beginning of 2004. People who were truly touched by this, who felt the character of George’s pain. Regardless of the fact it only ran for 100 performances, the fact that people from all over the country, even the world, came to see this musical… well, that must mean something.
As for me, I don’t know much about art. I know that this touched me in a way I couldn’t describe before. The culture, the life, the music. Raul Esparza is an actor who can show us the intensity of everything he does just by opening his mouth. Listening to the first video I’ve posted, you can hear how good he is and how well he can take the character on. (The task of becoming these characters is also quite a hard one, seeing as most of the characters are still alive today.)
I don’t feel much when I hear or see musicals, except a bit of envy. For “Taboo”, I felt something, an entire gamut of emotions—lovestruck, alone, depressed, accepted, loved—that still pop up every time I hear this musical on my iPod. My only regret is I never got to see it performed onstage. I can only hope that someday there is a revival, and the original cast comes back to perform in it.
p.s. that’s totally never happening.



two different videos, because i couldn't choose just one:
http://www.euanmorton.com/multimedia/video/taboolastshowstranger.htm

Michael Jordan: A Piece Of Art by Kevin R

In my opinion, humans are considered as a piece of art. No one that ever played the game of basketball was more artistic than Michael Jordan. He is the greatest basketball player to ever play the game. There has been many great basketball players, but Mike was flawless when it was crunch time. there are more than 25 teams in the NBA, and none of them ever seemed to have an answer for Jordan. he was able to dominate the basketball court day in and day out for almost 20 years. Jordan has been to six NBA Championship rounds, and he has recieved the Most Valuable Player Award in all six rounds. This separates him from the rest because this has never been done in NBA history. His 1996-97 had the best regular season record in NBA history, winning 72 games. There are 82 games in the season! go Figure! Jordan is still discussed among other great players of his time, but Mike is in a league of his own. the way he pulled up for a jumpshot was beautiful. he had a rare ability to make a dunk look like human flying, and making the defense look like crash test dummies. So many Basketball players have been inspired by his drive to play the game of basketball. It took him two retirements to finally quit the game. the year he retired, he played in the all star game at the age of 40, separating himself from a pack of quick, athlethic, YOUNG players. A piece of art? Most definately. Often imitated, but never duplicated, Michael Jordan.

NO Day BUT TO DAY

The absolute best piece of art that I have ever seen is rent. I love rent it is the best the movie and the play. I love them both it not only inspires me but it make me want to sing along and dance it is the best. When I first say it I cried and smiled at the same time it was amazing. It is everything that I am Music, Theater and it has a massager. It is the prime example of everything that I stand for. You get caught in this piece it pulls you in tied moment you see it. I have not meat one person that has saw either the movie or the play that did not automatically love. Rent is timeless it is already before my time. I am sure that it will stay around for ever because it is a classic. It is so good because there is nothing that is like it. When it first came out it was the only thing of its kind. It was amazing. I think that good art should make people think and that is exactly what rent does. It also makes you fell good about your self and being different from other people. I think rent its self started a movement among young people to not live by someone else’s rules but to know the rules and break them. I think this is very important when considering your self an artist it helps you distingue between your art in the art of others.

Blog Post #5

For this post I want you to argue for a piece of art. Tell us why a certain painting, movie, play, song, tight rope walk, etc... is the greatest piece of art you've ever discovered (hint, hint). Be specific, what about this piece of art works? Don't just say it's amazing; it blows my socks off; it makes me want to create. Tell us what specifically is different about this piece than other pieces of the same genre. What makes it innovative? Why do you think it will stand the test of time?

Do this in 250 words or more. Also post a picture, you tube video, etc... of that piece.

Due Friday. Plus, I want you to make at least one comment on one of your classmate's posts. You must do this to receive full credit!