Your mission, if you choose to accept it, is to figure out the reference in the title main title of this blog.
I felt like meeting the minimum requirements of the assignment was a bit of a drag, a bit of a bore, basically not exciting so the above quiz is only one of the things I did to liven this up. By assignment, I mean to say this is part of the DS106 course that I’m taking to improve my blogging skills. It is the first unit summary. If you’d like to stay up to date on my progress be sure to subscribe.
Now on to to the assignment.
What is Art?
The art videos we were assigned to watch were interesting. The lack of explanation for sharing the videos is what seemed more interesting though. This question particularly plagued me as I watched Rhett & Link’s Is This Art video.
I understand how Bolstein’s What Is Art video explains the concepts of art as escapism and mortal creation. I understand the RSA animation of Johnson’s Where Ideas Come From as look at the different layers that create an idea and how original ideas are less likely than compiled throughts that create ideas. I even understand Anderson’s Ted Talk about Disruptive Wonders, exploring a simple concept and creating a complex invention/artwork from simple themes. What I didn’t understand is how Rhett & Link’s discussion about excessively simple creations ridiculously being conceived as art (in there conveyance) has anything to do with blogging.
Was it an incentive to promote the idea that anything we create can be considered masterful in someone’s eyes, or perhaps, it was meant to have us look at simple creations in a new light (just as the Disruptive Wonders video did). Not that the video wasn’t interesting, I just didn’t understand the importance of a required watch. That being said the videos were all an interesting take on art, and by no-means was it a waiste of time.
Daily Create
Introduction post via twitter
Apparently I’m suppose to include in this Unit Summary post an example of my introduction post via twitter, but I did not get the memo that we are suppose to to an introduction post via twitter. I did, however, make an introduction post via wordpress which you can read here. Go head take a peep, you know you want to.
This was my first daily creation and I was extremely lost with this response. To be honest, I’m still not sure if I’m doing it right but I tried my hardest to comment on it. The whole time I felt that the characterizing of an inanimate object was slight ridiculous. Normally, I have no problem with it but when actively commenting on the ‘life’ of a satellite my ideals took a turn. Despite this, I not only ignored this agitation but furthered the narrative by comparing myself to said satellite. That being said, it was far from any amazingly intuitive comment and the story behind it is definitely more interesting.
The first thought going through my head when seeing this challenge was my extreme lack of resources. This actually made me want to look for a different challenge, but I didn’t want to take the easy-way out. The concept of the video was obviously playing with the prompt while also further highlighting the importance some people place on social media and blogging (ironically in an attempt to improve my blogging). I’m so glad I made this video because it showed me how much I make things more difficult than they have to be. Though the timing and dialogue was a bit difficult to manage I think it came out well. This video took about 5 minutes of recording and 3 minutes of conception. I feel extremely accomplished, especially because the narrative and comedy seem well done in my opinion at least.
Between getting bedridden, continueing my personal blog, working, interviewing for new jobs, taking over a friends private lessons, and fulfilling the duties of this course things got hectic after my second daily create. Luckily, I worked a half day which allowed me time to watch La Vita E Belle (Life is Beautiful), my significant others’ favorite movie, and get back on track with things.
This daily create is called vaguebooking and I’m an expert, if I do say so myself. The idea is to write a vague post, which is ideal for me because I tend to make vague statements, it felt very natural. Although, with my vagueness comes deep meaning. If you’ve ever seen the touching comedy you may understand the tweet without explanation. For those who aren’t aware of the story, basically its a non-low-brow comedy about a man in an Nazi concentration camp and trying to survive while convincing his son that its all a game. The story takes one of the darkest elements of history and shows how a happy outlook on life can make even the harshest of times bearable.
Advice
This is the section of the post where I’m suppose to mention the advice that stuck with me from watching past students talk about the course. You can call me a cold-hearted man, whether I am or not is a different story, but their stories weren’t all that touching and nothing really stuck with me. Blame it on the age of technology or my adherence to it but, the one thing that stuck with me that many of them students mentioned only struck a chord through meme format.
Playing on the meme “Keep Calm And Just Do Your Work” it focuses the message and the idea that this DS106 course is something that I chose. It hammers the conviction to stay focused. And like Todd of Bojack Horseman said in an episode I just watched “The woods are dark and scary, but the only way out is through.”
Did you catch the reference?? How was the first go?? Write a comment at let me know!!
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That Story Telling Guy 