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Dreamweaver, Flash, Illustrator, Photoshop, Reason, ProTools, and InDesign, have been essential tools in creating my projects at Freestyle Academy.
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This is an experimental art piece that I created using a laser engraver. I cut out pieces of acrylic plastic and placed them onto a 12" by 12" piece of granite.
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In English I wrote a total of nine poems that focused on a central theme of frustration and perspectives.
In Web/Audio I created two short songs using Reason and ProTools.
I made one of my poems that I wrote in English into an animated poem using Flash, and then added audio with ProTools.
Welcome
to my experimental website! This is the fourth website that I created at Freestyle Academy. The experimental unit started in English when I wrote 125 + lines of Total of nine poems poetry, that I then used to make my Created in Design Class 
experimental art, music, and The Frozen Door Animationanimated poem in Design and Web/Audio. All the poems I wrote in English revolved around a central theme of perspective. I used the theme of perspective to create the experimental art project in Design, utilizing Photoshop and Illustrator. I then expanded on the central theme of perspective in Web/ Audio to animate a short video of one of my poems using Flash. Also, in Web/Audio I created some Created with Reason and ProTools music using Reason and ProTools. I took advantage of the freedom in this unit, by expressing my interest in monsters throughout my website design. I sketched and edited the background picture for this website using Photoshop CS5.5 and a wacom tablet. I also explored the immense posibilities of CSS by adding padding, margin, drop shadows, colors, and linking effects to my website. For example I used the powers of CSS to customize the java script Spry Tabbed Panels above and get the exact look I desired.
Throughout the year at Freestyle Academy I believe I was very productive with the amount of high quality work that I got done. As the year progressed, my skills improved incredibly in writing, animating, and using Photoshop, Illustrator, InDesign, and Reason. In addition, I became comfortable with the fundamentals of HTML and CSS. I would have never been able to learn so much on my own, so I am incredibly thankful for the opportunity to be at Freestyle Academy. I look forward to what I can learn next year as a senior.
Go to Project Listing Page, Self Portrait, Narrative, Documentary projects to see more of my work!
Animated Poem The poem that I selected for this animation was the first poem that I had created in English, called The Frozen Door. The main purpose of this poem is to demonstrate how people can be extremely stubborn when it comes to finding common ground with one another. I was inspired after watching political debates, where Democrats and Republicans both had trouble agreeing on policies. In the poem I metaphorically describe this stubbornness as a chain lock, because peoples' minds are locked and fixed from new or different ideas. I illustrated this metaphor in my animated poem with the use of imagery and colors. Even though the imagery has a more literal approach, I believe it effectively displays the idea I was trying to get across in my poem.
In general, I wanted to keep the animated poem relatively simple. I achieved this by limiting the colors I used to only black and white. This way I din't have to worry about shadows and highlights. To create the animated poem, I used a combination of ProTools and Flash. I first recorded myself reading my poem, and then In Flash I animated each of the frames using a mixture of frame-by-frame animation and motion tweens. Once I had animated the entire poem, I also added a slight drop shadow effect to make everything look more realistic. After going through the audio production and animating processes, he hardest part was probably matching the audio of the poem with my voice. If I was to go back and improve my animated poem, I would spend more time on the small details to make it more aesthetically pleasing.
Music
One of the fundamental components of the Experimental Unit at Freestyle Academy was to create a piece of music using the sound production programs learned in class. The two programs that I used heavily were Reason and ProTools. Reason, focuses more on creating musical melodies and beats, while ProTools is great for music compilation, recording, and production. The music that I created was all done with Reason and its built-in digital instruments.
For the music I created, I was inspired by Hip Hop and Rap artists like 50 Cent, The Game, Lloyd Banks, and G-Unit, for their frequent use of heavy bass, snare, and clap sound effects. I also aimed to make my music simple and not over complicated with unnecessary effects. I wasn't aiming for any specific meaning or purpose, instead I wanted to create something that was catchy and interesting to listen to.
Browse through the songs below.
For this song, I went for the more 50 Cent Hip Hop feel that I was inspired by. I created this beat with two layers of sound tracks. The first layer is a Redrum sound loop with lots of bass and snare, and the second layer is a melody that I created using a midi keyboard.
In this song I wanted to utilize the large sound and effect library inside of Reason and go beyond typical acoustic sounds. The sounds that I chose to used gave the song a Space Invaders-like techno sound to it.
This is the interface of Redrum. All the different dials and options made it possible to create the sounds I did. For both of my songs, I used a rock kit sound library for the kick, snare, and bass sound effects.
Poetry In English at Freestyle Academy our assignment was to create 125 + lines of poetry that centered around a central theme. For my poems, I was interested in different views and perspectives that people have, and how they are influenced by personal experiences, anger, and fear. I was inspired to focus on perspectives after watching a political debate, where the candidates fought intensely over who was right and wrong on certain domestic and foreign policies. I also wanted to focus on perspectives, because my unit three Smashning the Misconceptions Documentary documentary project illustrated the misconceptions of badminton and the different views people have about the sport.
During this unit, I enjoyed the freedom of what I could write about and was proud of becoming a more skilled poet.
Browse through some of my poems by clicking on the poem names.
He believes his opponent’s mind,
cannot unlock.
Ironclad, robust, confined,
a chain lock.
Fixed, stubborn, missing a key,
thrown away by frustration,
and surely his match will disagree.
He cannot accept any alteration.
However, he himself
has a mind locked in confinement.
His beliefs a gear out of alignment.
Two perspectives are clutched so forcefully.
Their grooves and pins set in place.
Neither… wants to solve this case.
No common ground was found,
yet, the locks will be set until a second…
third… or fourth round.
The purpose of the poem The Frozen Door is to describe how people can be closed-minded to new ideas or finding agreement. I used the metaphor of a lock, to portray closed-mindedness, because locks are designed to secure something important. In this case people want to secure their ideas and protect them from change.
Keyboard and mouse,
coax and lure me forward.
A numbing of the mind,
from troublesome duties.
Keys, springs and clickers, armed.
A brilliance of color,
and luminescent glow
shuts out the noisy atmosphere.
All troubles forgotten,
temporarily expelled from existence.
An elated place,
absent of worry and doubt.
Sustenance is fed,
by foreign imagination
and unrealistic personas.
A delusive realm,
of conquest, and exploration,
radiates outwards.
A numbing of the mind,
with lost perspective.
All sense of time detached.
The purpose of my poem Buried Senses, is to demonstrate the feeling of perspective distortion that I get when I am working on the computer. This feeling is amplified when I break away from my computer’s grasp and realize that I wasted hours of precious time surfing the internet, or playing video games. I describe how it is like a “numbing of the mind from troublesome duties,” because I usually get distracted on the computer when I want to avoid work that needs to be done.
Gaze through the glass,
Anger begins to boil, from liquid to gas
then becomes steam, hindering vision.
Previous beliefs go through a second revision.
he purpose of my poem Phase-Change, is to make a connection between anger and beliefs. The situation in the poem describes and instance where somebody becomes so angry that metaphorically their anger begins to boil and becomes steam. Typically, when somebody is this angry, they think differently and say things they usually wouldn't. Their beliefs, “go through a second revision”.
In perfect bliss
I would like to stay
Save my problems
For another day
Fear of knowledge
I won’t acknowledge
Alarms my fear
Deadly like a spear
Fend for my life
In the midst of strife
Shall I conceal
something that is real
The main idea behind Oblivion is to express my idea of “ignorance is bliss”. This is a topic that many can relate to, and I wanted to describe how in some instances we are willing to fight so intensely to hide the truth, and save our “problems for another day”.
Cramped in cardboard confinement,
I am brought out for one short assignment.
Released in a spacious zone,
Pack with energy and noise, unknown.
In the air, struck before I fall,
I am soaring over a netted wall.
Following along my direction of flight,
A large object comes into sight.
Suddenly struck with a quick snap,
I am launched backwards,
And my frame begins to unwrap.
Back and forth over the wall, I go,
pain after each blow.
Impact of ground, agony undergoing,
with no chance of this torture slowing.
My trajectory starts to fluctuate
No longer able to hold my weight.
My feathers are frail,
As I crumble away, wobble and flail
Impact comes once again,
I am hurt and injured, then,
tossed almost lifeless to the side.
I am left among many others who have died.
My main topic is on perspective, so A Faint Fate is a poem about the perspective of badminton birdie (shuttlecock). I wanted to characterize the birdie with emotions and feelings, as it is hit back-and-forth over the net.
Take a step back,
to see what has been done.
a third person view,
something wanted undone.
An added focal point is effective, to relieve
a once a linear perspective.
A new reference angle,
A new chance to untangle.
The purpose of this poem, The Third Point, is to describe how at times it is best to solve a problem by taking a step back to see what has been done, and try to “untangle” the situation. In a way it is like taking a third-person view of yourself.
The game ignites,
Focus, concentrated on one object.
Body relaxes, swiftness.
Accuracy and movement, perfect.
A mental game of chess.
Concrete legs. Well defined,
bracing the ground for instant reaction.
Agility, well refined.
Momentum propelled in a quick action.
Power travels up arm’s length.
Muscle fibers ignited, precision.
Arms, elastic snap, incredible strength.
Racket and birdie collision.
Vigor gradually decays.
Frustration expands,
Pain, body a blaze.
Loosing speed, his opponent commands.
The sport is intense,
Racket and Birdie in sync,
Sheer physical exertion is immense.
Although that is not what most people think.
In this poem, The Game, I wanted to describe my perspective about badminton, and express the toughness and amount of energy required to play. This poem relates to my documentary topic, Smashing the Misconceptions.
A life of carelessness, as an apathetic loaf.
Gamble away fear, and be rewarded with lavish dreams.
Pour down your anger,
and endure the onslaught,
until your legs stiffen to brittle fragments.
Wilt and perish, baked by blistering rays,
even when hopelessness and defeat awaits you.
Travel beyond the void of cognitive imagination,
the subtle voice in your mind of rationality,
battling desire.
Wearisome it may seem, but unimaginable rewards shall be granted.
Satisfy desire and carnage the unthinkable.
The purpose behind the poem Endure, is to express how you have to battle "desire and gamble away fear" to achieve success.
Alone and deserted,
Lost direction,
He scans the horizon.
Amidst the darkness,
Isolation, brings out a part of him,
as a child.
His perspective distorted.
Fogged, contracting rationality.
A distant object take form.
An object of the mind.
It’s after him,
Panic overrides his senses,
As he stumbles backwards,
A shrill scream is released,
Yet, he was alone.
The purpose of the poem, Desolate, is to describe how we lose perspective on the world around us because of our fears. Fear causes us to imagine objects or creatures. In the end, we realize that our minds’ have tricked us.
Experimental Art In Design class at Freestyle Academy our experimental project was to create a piece of art that reflected a personal feeling from one of our poems and utilized a creative medium. The feeling that I explored for my project, was the feeling of frustration that I get when people are closed-minded to new and different ideas. I was inspired to create an art piece on this idea after I watched a recent political debate between Democrats and Republicans. Both parties seemed to be so closed-mined to new ideas or finding any common ground on certain policies.
To represent closed-mindedness, I wanted to have text on a piece of granite expressing something a closed-minded person might say. I used granite as my art medium because the text would be then "set in stone", fixed, and unchanging. I first created a vector file of my text in Illustrator and then cut it out with a laser engraving machine. The laser engraving machine is able to cut precisely and engrave intricate details. I took the cut-out text and glued it onto a 12" by 12" piece of granite. On the left you can see see a picture of a dog tag that I laser engraved on.
In addition to the granite medium, I also created another art piece that represented what an open-minded person might say. Instead of using granite for this art piece, I instead used acrylic plastic, which is less stiff and fixed as stone. For this piece, I also laser engraved the message I was trying to get across. You can see both of these pieces of art and an extra one I created by clicking on the button at the top of the page.
As a culminating art piece for junior year at Freestyle Academy, I wanted to create something that was interesting, unique, and would make an impression. I believe that I was able to accomplish this through the bold text I used, and the texture of my art mediums.
PROJECTSExlpore through some of my previous projects at Freestyle Academy by clicking on one of the four buttons below.
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My project listing page. Here you can find all other projects I have worked on.
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My first project webpage I created. A self portrait about myself, my family, and my friends. |
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My second project webpage. Contains a short story, animation, animatic, photonarrative, and illustration. |
This is my documentary website. It contains all the information I gathered during the documentary unit at Freestyle Academy. |
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This is the fith project website that I have created at freestyle Academy. Its main focus is a profile documentary on Rob Koo and his role as an storyboard artist at Dreamworks. |
This is the 6th project website that I created at Freestyle Academy. It is part of the music video unit. |
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This is my 7th project website at Freestyle Academy. This is a second narrative website. |
This is my final project at freestyle Academy. |
