Introduction

For the Conceptual Project, we were challenged to answer the question:

How can I use unconventional forms to express myself?

For the Conceptual Project, I was forced to move beyond traditional forms of self-expression, utilizing creative media unfamiliar to me at the time. In this project, we created things such as music, videos, and photography, which all challenged me creatively. To create this project, we were taught how to utilize several different applications, such as Adobe Photoshop, Adobe Premiere Pro, Adobe Illustrator, and WordPress, allowing us to fully express ourselves.

In English, I spent most of the quarter working on my Art Reflection, which challenged me to look past the surface of the art I chose and develop my own interpretation of it. In Digital Media, I learned how to turn writing into a video using edited audio. That audio work carried over into the Parody Song project, where I was able to create my own parody lyrics for a song I enjoy.

Art Reflection Video

For this project, we traveled to SF MOMA, an art museum located in San Francisco. When looking around the museum, we were tasked with finding a piece of artwork that was awe-inspiring. For me, the piece that spoke to me the most was War Games, created by Richard Hamilton, which exposes how the media trivializes War. After the trip, we were tasked with creating a script describing why the piece was awe-inspiring. Once I finalized the script, I recorded myself reading the script. In Adobe Audition, I edited the audio to be clearer, while in Premiere Pro, I edited text, created transitions, and animations to create a finalized product

Parody Song

For my parody song, I chose to parody Best Part by Daniel Caesar since I’m a big fan of his work, even though I have no singing ability, which he is known for. For my production, I took steps to align my music with my lyrics correctly and to rid the audio of most breathing and bothersome additions. Looking back at the process, I would say that I valued how precise Adobe Audition is, allowing me to make small, concise alterations. In terms of my lyrics, however, they were based on the mobile game Clash Royale, which I am deeply fond of. For instance, the Minions’ soaring line was based on a spell called Arrows, which counters another card called Minions in the game. This play on words was relevant as in the original song, it lists things that are necessary to their day-to-day lives, listing their partner as those things, which is the same as the Arrows and Minions. In terms of what I’m most proud of, I’m most proud of my lyrics, as I was able to find creative lines that remain relevant to the song and to the game Clash Royale in general.

Parody Lyrics

You don’t know, Clash Royale

When you start up

And give me evo shards slowly

It’s the sweetest thing

And it don’t change

If I had it my way

You would know that you are

You’re the wins that I need for my trophies

You’re my arrows when minions are soaring

Won’t you give your gold to me?

Give it all, oh

I just wanna see

I just wanna see your towers from afar

You know that I see it, I know you’re a star drop

Even with bad updates, Ill play, no matter how bad

If life is a draft challenge, know you’re the best game, oh-ooh

You’re the best game, oh-ooh

Best game

Photoshop Blend Mode Editing

For this assignment, we learned Photoshop techniques for adjusting images to our liking by lightening images, darkening them, or making them more vibrant to express different tones to the viewer.

I find the fact that these skills will help me edit photos more creatively and practically as well, allowing me to heighten my understanding of Photoshop, alongside increasing the quality of my work. With my new skills, I will be me to edit photos for others, whether it is for personal use or for a business. Also, it can help me make my photo blogs more visually appealing.

DSLR Practice Photos

During our DSLR practice session, we tried out different camera settings to learn how photography works as an art form. We used Av mode to see how depth of field changes, Tv mode to take long-exposure night photos, practiced using flash for portraits with backdrops, adjusted ISO in P mode, and changed the white balance to see how it affected our pictures.

At first, some camera settings were pretty confusing, like P-mode with ISO, Av Mode for depth of field, and adjusting white balance. Yet through practice I began to understand the different settings and how are able to alter photos. I enjoyed Tv mode for long exposure photography.

Design

Design is a class where we utilize both Adobe Illustrator and Photoshop, employing elements of art such as space, shape, and line to create visually stunning pieces of work. Through the conceptual unit, we created pieces of photography that challenged us creatively, such as the nature name photography and the conceptual photo assignment. As a design student, I value the skills I have learned so far, which will help me in future job opportunities and can be applied to other aspects of life as well

Alpha Name Photography

For this project, we were instructed to go outside to observe nature resembling letters in our name. With these observations we used a macro lens to take several different versions of each letter in our names, later picking out the best and rearranging them to spell out our names.

Conceptual Photograph

For the Conceptual Photograph assignment, we were given an idea to photograph, which we had to express with two unrelated items. These two objects were meant to represent different components of this abstract idea. After deciding which photo was best, we had to edit the image and create an artist statement explaining the purpose of each component in the image.

To explore this feeling conceptually, I stuck four darts into the bullseye of a dartboard and also poured thirty coins onto the dartboard off to the side. The coins in this photo represent the thirty pieces of silver that Judas received for betraying Jesus in the Bible, which symbolically represent greed in the image. Moreover, the darts symbolize the bullies, or the act of bullying, with their sharp exterior, targeted nature, and repetitive design to represent a unified force against the victim. Additionally, by angling the photo to put the coins more in frame compared to the darts, which act as a silent but noticeable force, it shows the victim shifting their attention toward greed or desire to distract from their emotional wounds. Yet, the slight separation of the coins and darts shows how greed is unable to mend the true wound or void caused by the bullies, represented by the darts at the bullseye.

When taking photos, I decided to take photos during the early evening, when the skies were a murky grey. I chose the early evening to take photos so I could highlight the grim nature of this topic, which warmer, brighter lighting or unnatural lights from my room could not replicate. During this assignment, I learned that it is better to take multiple shots of the same photo to ensure it is clear and arranged properly. I also learned that photography takes meticulous thinking when deciding how to arrange props or when deciding the angles at which to shoot. In terms of Photoshop, I learned how it is very easy to overedit a photo, which led me to be cautious while editing it. Using this information, I decided to gradually increase the exposure and brightness to make the darts and coins stand out. To edit the photos, I also turned down the contrast to give the photo a more natural look. In terms of cropping, I also cropped the photo to match the rule of thirds and remove unnecessary space, drawing attention toward the darts even if the darts are not fully in frame.