Art vs. Design

So I was on my mission when they separated the art department and design department as it is now.

It was really cool to see samples of the art being made in all of these classes. There are a lot of similarities between the art and design departments, but also a lot of differences.. I think design had a lot more variety.. Like they had 3-d elements, Adobe design, animation, drawing, painting, photography, video... So much! And I saw so many different styles- the animation art next to the photography was completely different in  style and feel. I also felt that the design department was more geared to occupation.. Because with those jobs, you would most likely be creating for a certain company or employer. And so I felt like a lot of the work was already trying to achieve that.. Like, trying to create the styles of companies they want to work for. Whereas art, I felt, was more unified.. (Maybe because I'm biased) but, I could see how students were developing their own voice in their art making. I mean, there was a lot of variety too, everyone has a different voice. I also saw a lot of people being inspired by their classmates and teachers' work. And I think as opposed to the design department, art students are more about creating for themselves- they want to be successful artists in their own way. 

"How To Make Modern Art"

Modernisn

I will give you an answer based on this article even though this article was basically written in Greek to me.... Ok it wasn't that bad, but I felt like I was reading the Old Testament.... I just kept zoning out (maybe in part to my ADD).... moving on...

Modernism is a continuation of the progress of art making (in this article specifically it focused on painting)..... Since the late 1800's/early 1900's... Artists took that next step, or went deeper into their craft, and began self-criticizing. Greenberg said Modernism includes "almost the whole of what is truly alive in our culture." And this is because artists began to push, and to reflect... and I think there were all these rules and conformities within painting and art, and they began to break them. And to really ask "Why?" "why are we limiting ourselves to this?" And so they started using huge globs of paint, and then started painting pictures that had to representation in them! and then started splattering the paint! and started gluing bus tickets on their canvas.. And then the art was no longer about realism, but about material, and experimentation, and about reacting to those questions.

Aesthetic biography

Birbiglia and Ira Glass response

I actually watched this video and read this article with my boyfriend, who is a musician. And we have been kind of struggling with and discussing these ideas and issues.

Ira Glass's taste vs. ability just hits home for me so hard... Like, I wish I had known this was a common problem! I feel like, well I'm sure most people feel very proud of their taste... And I do as well. I mean I basically think that I have the best taste in music in the world (ha ha ha), and same with my taste in art and movies, because I have this very specific and maybe different taste than other people. And so when I go about creating something, I was that to be reflected in my work. And 9 times out of 10 it is just NOT.  And its really a help to know that this is a normal problem, and that it will get better, and I need to keep producing and not quit. My biggest goal right now is to produce and create.

The article by Mike Birbiglia really spoke to my boyfriend, because he has all these ideas and is kind of in this quandary about it... So I think this helped to guide him to really narrow down what he wants to do. And same for me.. I have an idea of what kind of art I want to make and what kind of good I want to do in the , but I really resonated with tips #3 and #6... Recently I was at this kind of art social gathering.. it was a very casual, meant-to-be-fun sort of thing.. But there was this professional artist there who totally snubbed my work, and I felt terrible. I looked up some of his stuff later, and I was like "this isn't what I'm about at all".. Surrounding myself with people who I admire and respect, and people who I look up to for their philosophies and accomplishments, that's who I want to receive feedback from. And then, #6, I should probably try to apply this more, and be more vulnerable and more honest in my art... But it's scary. But I have to do it.

Julien Baker

"Selfish Expressionism"