Introduction

“How can I use unconventional forms to express myself?”

The projects in the conceptual unit enhanced our creative risk-taking abilities through different forms of art, including poetry, music, animations, and film and web production. Simultaneously, we were challenged to express our opinions in unique ways that matched our aesthetic. We developed our technical communication skills by learning how to use complex equipment and applications. This includes DSLR cameras, Tascam audio recorders, Adobe Photoshop, Adobe Animate, Adobe Premiere Pro, Adobe After Effects, Adobe Audition, Avid Pro Tools, WordPress, and Google Apps.

As a Freestyle student, I have learned various valuable skills and lessons in my English and Digital Media classes. The encouragement I receive from my teachers and peers is irreplaceable and motivates me to show my best work. Although the work may be challenging at times, the finished pieces always prove to me that it is worth it.

Haiku Project

The Haiku Project involved writing a haiku poem in our own style and incorporating a message. We then used our new photography skills to take a photo that captures the meaning we were going for in our poems. Finally, we created a premiere video with a recording of our voice and other effects.

This project was especially memorable for me because it was the first big project I completed at Freestyle. I was able to combine my work in both my English class and Digital Media class. Furthermore, this project allowed me to practice various skills: writing, photography, and the use of unfamiliar apps.

Free Verse Poem Project

The Free Verse Poem Project consisted of work from English and Digital Media class. We were inspired to write our own free verse poem after analyzing several works. After completing our poems, we recorded ourselves reading it and used Photoshop to include a photo that relate to our poems.

“To be a Magician” is a free verse poem about the influence complete strangers can have on one another and the pressure to be someone influential in society. The speaker in this poem is an audience member at a concert who is taking in their surroundings, noticing how impressive it is for one person to captivate thousands of people at once. In the first line, I use alliteration to express what the speaker is hearing. By using a sound technique while writing about different sounds, the words are further emphasized and the reader can imagine themselves hearing what the speaker is hearing. I then incorporate consonance at the end of the second and third lines to show that despite the chaos, the speaker feels at peace where they are. I use figurative language when saying that I am “drowning myself in the music”, allowing the reader to better sense what the speaker is feeling in the moment and how immersed they are. The figurative language continues to the next two lines through the metaphor “a sea of bright lights.” This metaphor that includes consonance elicits the reader’s visual senses as they can imagine the scene themselves. The peaceful tone ends after the next line about the warmth the speaker feels from the shared excitement of the audience. When the metaphor about magicians is mentioned, the speaker’s attitude towards the concert and the audience turns from peaceful and entranced to thoughtful and reflective. The speaker begins to wonder in awe of how the performer is able to hold the attention of everyone in the stadium. This wonderment shifts to an almost hopeful tone as the speaker reflects on themselves and their future. Ultimately, the pattern of sound techniques and figurative language in this poem shows how people can find comfort in one other and how it is sometimes important to have a role model or someone admirable to look up to. It also exposes the side many of us have, the part that hopes we can one day be role models and influence others positively. During peer review, my readers enjoyed the imagery and metaphors, and suggested title ideas because I had not realized my poem needed a title. Aside from the title, they did not offer any feedback on what I should change or add to my poem so I kept it how it was due to the positive reactions they gave. I was partially inspired by Ada Limón and “Give Me This” because I think her use of enjambment is effective and gives her poems interesting meaning. I used both enjambment and end-stops in the poem to allow for better flow and a more interesting read.

During the process of completing this project, I explored different varieties of art: writing, video production, and audio recording. I valued being able to learn such extensive knowledge with just one project.

Elements & Principles Of Art

The Elements & Principles of Art Project helped us familiarize ourselves with these critical strategies in modern and traditional art.

Animation Works

As an animation student at Freestyle Academy, I have had the pleasure of working on several big projects that consisted of both traditional art and digital art. I have learned how to operate applications like Adobe Photoshop and After Effects in this class. Additionally, I am able to discuss with my peers to combine our creativity and come up with new ideas for projects. Being an animation student has been a great experience so far; I have gained many useful skills- art-wise and socially.

Zoetrope Animation

The zoetrope project was our first assignment in animation. We were tasked with drawing two short animations using 12 and 15 frames on two strips of paper. We then constructed our own zoetrope to hold our animations, using only cardboard, a CD, paper, and a pencil. When you spin the zoetrope, you can see the drawing “move” through the slits in the paper.

Phenakistoscope Wheel

The phenakistoscope wheel was made from a circular piece of paper which 16 sections. In each section I drew one frame of animation and together, I created a short animation that can be viewed while spinning the wheel.

For this project, I used Adobe Photoshop to create the GIF of my wheel. I imported the picture of my wheel and isolated it from the background. Then I edited the picture to make the colors pop out more and I chose a background color that went well with my drawing. I then proceeded to start creating my 16 frames of animation by rotating the wheel slightly for each frame. Together, my GIF was complete!

Flipbook Animation

Our flipbook animation required us to draw 90-100 frames using techniques we had learned. I chose to animate a cat running after a ball of yarn. We used stop motion to put together the video.

Stop Motion Paper Cutout Animation

For the stop motion paper cutout animation, I cut out objects to use for my animation of playing pool. I used stop motion to photograph each frame and put the video together. Then, we used Adobe After Effects to add music and sound effects to our animation.

Stop Motion Object Animation

We created a short stop motion object animation consisting of about 90 frames. For my project, I set up legos and animated a small picnic gathering.

In Adobe After Effects, I added music to my stop motion object animation. I simply imported the music file in and cropped it to my liking.