a. Have you ever made art? What kind of art do you like?
· I’m not an artistic person in any way, shape, or form. I know art takes many different forms, but honestly, I’m not particularly talented in any type. The closest I’ve come to “making art” in the past few years is making posters with the cheerleading squad at my high school and putting together a picture collage for my dorm room. I love looking at art, all kinds of art. I’m just not talented in that department. I love looking at paintings and pictures. I wish I had the gift of taking pictures. I love looking at photographs, whether it be online or in a museum. My favorites are animals and landscapes. Bob Ross, a very famous painter, (but I’m sure you know who Bob Ross is) comes on television at 12:30 every night and I stay up just to watch his 30 minute episode on how to paint a mountain. My boyfriend is a film major here at USC and watching him edit movies is such fun. I’ll never understand how to use all the technologies to put together a movie. It’s incredible!
b. Have you ever made a drawing, painting, sculpture?
· I’ve never really drew, painted, or sculpted for my own purposes. In elementary and middle school, I would make these three things in Art class, but never for my own enjoyment. Don’t get me wrong, I used all kinds of coloring books when I was a youngster, but I’ve never been into that sort of thing as I grew older. I painted sculptures to help out with prom decorations a couple of years ago, but I was asked to stop helping because I didn’t have the ability to paint the actual sculpture and not the ground.
c. Have you ever been to a museum, gallery, or artist studio?
· I’ve been to many museums, galleries, and art studios! In 8th grade, I went on a field trip to Washington D.C., where we visited lots of these places. I really enjoyed most of the, but after being on your feet all day, it can grow tiring. I’ve also been to a few museums in Columbia. I’ve been to ED-Venture, the children’s museum, and also the State Museum right beside it. They were both very enjoyable. I loved looking at all the exhibits. I want to be a teacher so places like ED-Venture could be very helpful. I could take my students there for field trips.
d. Have you ever been to a play, opera, art film?
· I was actually in a play in high school. I was in “A Midsummer Night’s Dream” my senior year. My boyfriend, whom I mentioned earlier, was one of the main characters, Demetrius, and I was a fairy dancer. I really enjoyed being a part of the play! It was a great way for me to step out of my box. I’ve also watched multiple ballets at home and the Columbia area. The Nutcracker is one of my favorites.
e. Do you dance?
· I love to dance! I was a part of a dance studio up until the 5th grade, and I’ve been cheerleading since 6th grade. I’m more of a jazz or hip hop dancer than a ballet dancer but I like to do all genres of dance. Dance is such a great way to express yourself. Whenever I dance, I lose myself in the music. I get so caught up in the rhythm and movement that I forget where I am sometimes.
f. Under what conditions do you learn the most?
· I think I learn the best in quiet conditions. If music is playing, I can get very distracted. Also, one on one with the teacher is very beneficial to my learning. I’m able to focus on one person and not be distracted by other students around me. When I’m in class I try to tunnel my vision directly at the teacher and tune everyone else out. It seems to help a lot.
g. Why are you taking this class?
· I’m taking this class for a few reasons. First and foremost, I need this credit to graduate. For Middle Education majors, this class is directly needed to be able to graduate. I’m also taking this class because I want to become more interested in Art. I think there are lots of great ways to become involved in the Arts, and by taking this class, I can find these opportunities.
h. Have you ever looked at at or anything really and been moved by what your eyes see?
· I’ve looked at photographs and been really moved. There are some landscapes in the world that genuinely amaze me. When I look at a picture of a grassy plain with the sun setting in the south, giving off brilliant purples, blues, and pinks, my heart melts. I have never seen anything as beautiful. Once I stumbled upon a close up picture of an eye and it stopped me dead in my tracks. Looking at the intricate lines of color within the eyeball is amazing.
i. What inspires you?
· I’m inspired by many things. One particular inspiration stands out to me. When I was student teaching my senior year of high school, I helped out in a 6th grade math classroom. Mrs. McCaskill, the teacher, was such an inspiration to me. She connected with her students and really knew how to interact with them. They were all so attentive and genuinely understood the math problems. After that incident, I knew I wanted to be a teacher. She inspired me to go out and succeed. I want to become just as successful as her. I want to have that connection with my students when I’m a teacher years down the road.
j. Do you consider that movies are a form of art? How about video games, Comics, Television?
· I consider movies to be a form of art, most definitely. Like I said, my boyfriend is a film major, and his movies are all art. I agree that video games, comics, and television are all forms of art as well. People possess the ability to create video games, draw comics, and draw/edit television shows. These are all forms of art. Think about the intricacies that go into making a video game. If you don’t consider these things art, you should re-evaluate your thinking!
k. Who decides what is good art?
· No one can decide what good art is and what bad art is. Art is of itself. What some might call trash, others might call treasure. No one should be the judge of another person’s art. Art is something that comes from within and is whatever you want it to be.
l. When you debate music with your friends what are your critical elements or standards to which you hold the music to?
· When I debate music, my standards are very high. I believe that cliché pop music is, in my opinion, bad music. Take Ke$ha for example. She’s a very popular and successful singer, but her music is of no depth. She sings about waking up and brushing her teeth with Jack Daniels. I know some would argue with me, but that’s ok. Everyone is entitled to their own opinion. I think music should be more about the lyrics than the catchy beat. I think a lot of undiscovered bands are better than some that are extremely popular. Some are in the business for the money and others are in it for the music. The bands/singers in it for the music are, in my opinion, the ones we should look up to.
m. What was the best movie you saw last year?
· The best movie I saw last year was Toy Story 3. That movie captured my heart and renewed my love for Disney movies. It had all the right amounts of humor, sadness, happiness, and adventure. Not to mention, the graphics were amazing. Toy Story 3 still doesn’t compare with the original Toy Story, but going to see the midnight premiere was well worth my time.
n. What is an Art Film?
· I think Art Films are films made independently rather than with a famous producing company. Most Art Films are made for the message and not the money. Most Art Films are shown at obscure film festivals. Art Films are usually based on realism. But, I do consider movies a work of art, so technically, all movies are Art Films.
o. What music is in your ipod or mp3 player, car, albumns
· Well, my ipod was stolen not too long ago, so I rely on my computer for music. Right now, I’ve been really into Matt and Kim, The Black Keys, MGMT, and Usher. A wide variety, I know. I try to listen to all kinds of music, but I can’t stand country music. I literally can’t listen to it. I am pretty open-minded though. My boyfriend listens to a lot of obscure bands and he’s introduced me to a lot of great music while we’ve been together.
