Ink blots
Ink blot to illustration
Creativity through storytelling
Painting a picture
Weaving a tale
Dimensional
Dynamic
Pragmatic
typography?
storytelling

Our culture has evolved from grunting around campfires (although I believe this still goes on after a few cases of PBR at any camping trip in America), to constant user content generation on blogs, video submission sites, in the age of facebook and twitter, generally any spot on the web is an opportunity to participate in human collective storytelling. And there are so many stories out there worth telling. Anyone has an opportunity to find a place to let their voice be heard, whether they are a gay Latino woman living on the upper west side of Manhattan, or a paraplegic ex coal miner from Haiti (yeah I’m mad-libing this a bit). In any case we’re an open mouthed, open-hearted generation with the desire to share and be heard. Even if it’s just tweeting what your cat had for breakfast this morning.

So in light of all that, WHHHHHYYYYY in the name of Zorg (obscure 5th Element reference?) is the movie industry categorizing mankind’s storytelling capabilities into manufactured scripts tailored to “certain demographics”. More clearly stated, why does Hollywood think it’s okay to churn out the same movie with the same actors in the same plot and expect us to pay damn near 15$ per person to go see a 2 hour version of all the boring parts of what was a 2.5 minute trailer??? And why, seriously, why is it, despite all the strides we’ve made in civil rights, why is it so hard for a mainstream movie (even a silly rom-com b-list movie) to be cast with diversity, even when it doesn’t have a “message”?

So many of these mainstream blockbuster films could have easily included a gay sub-character without using that character to insert stereotypical snappy lines, because in real life, some people are part of stories not because they’re gay, but because they’re as swept up in the consequences of living on this planet, like the rest of us. Why can’t the female protagonist of a rom-com be a black woman without the whole movie being a “black movie” or she’s dating a white guy so there’s “racial tension”, why not cast Zoe Saldana instead of Katherine Heigl (I mean give that poor girl a break, I’m sure she’s so bored with playing that uptight blonde character in EVERY MOVIE).

SO this rant’s just about done. With one exception. In my opinion, based on observation throughout my life (and the fact that I watch so much TV, i have to reach outside of my country to be sated), it seems to me that brits are doing this better. Shows like Torchwood, with a diverse cast of characters, with seemingly fluid sexualities that don’t necessarily serve as plot devices, but organic storytelling (despite the sci-fi nature of the show). Or Skins (the UK version, duh), with casting that showcases people that look like PEOPLE, teens that LOOK LIKE TEENS, dealing with things and interacting on a level that doesn’t seem so forced and formulaic (although if you look at Skins generations 1-3 there is a clear formula to how the show works- that aside). Why can’t Hollywood take the cotton out of their ears and really look at the masses they seek to entertain. We exist a wholly diversified nation, so Hollywood, Y U So White?

As an aside, this whole rant was brought on by an article I read on ONTD and Jezebel about casting the movie Hunger Games, which is a pretty decent book that deserves a movie due to the stunning visual descriptions of a dystopian world. The issue is, despite the authors very clear distinctions about ethnicity, culture, and diversity, the movie is allegedly being white washed to death ala M. Night Shalaman’s Avatar. So, seriously, Hollywood. What the ef?

Thank you for your time
ps. I’m not the bestest editor soooo my bad if a lot of this is rambling nonsense. *kanyeshrug*

Our Senior Capstone projects are coming upon their due-date and I barely know what the end product of my dream research will be.
Originally I had this idea to tell the story of the concept of a social network based on dreams.
This idea was too abstract to grasp, although I had a game plan set out in my head, translating it to UC’s rubric proved nearly implausible.

Plan B:
Based on the research I found there are lots of theories about dream interpretation. It wasn’t necessarily my plan to interpret dreams with this project, but merely to spark a conversation about dreams. However the rubric criteria of “Must be socially responsible” reared its ugly head and I was at a loss as to explain why dream interpretation/appreciation was socially responsible.
It’s really a very narcissistic practice with virtually no scientific groundings.
Freud believed our dreams illustrated our secret and dark desires….which for some reason were all phallic…
Carl Jung’s theories while vast and cumbersome were more spiritual and inviting. Which is probably why Jungian Dream Analysis is the most prevalent in this field.
So I thought I’d do a short kinetic type piece to briefly explain these theories.
Well, after building the prototype I felt like I was giving up on my original ideas.

So now just weeks before the final quarter of my college career I’m facing down the barrel of the capstone gun.

Nearly at a loss for words/ideas/hope. I came across this article: HOW TO: Develop Ideas That Will Disrupt Your Industry

I’ve been trying to mash and bang my ideas into the university rubric, using all this energy to fit my ideas into some kind of predictable template. I know I’m better than that. After all, hasn’t the past 5 years of design school been dedicated to the idea of innovation?

So if it’s innovation vs problem-solving I think I’ve found my answer…

What was the problem that the solution addressed? Well, there wasn’t any problem, and that’s exactly the point.

HOW TO: Develop Ideas That Will Disrupt Your Industry

So my point is, while my head’s always been in the clouds, and I can’t always see where I’m going all of the time, it’s entirely possible to stray away from the beaten path and still find you’re goal destination.

<3 c

The thing is though, I can’t actually delete my facebook. I know that when I have to log into it for work (I develop facebook tabs at my job… ironic…) my facebook profile will restore itself and all will be right in the world.
for now i’m enjoying my off the grid status.

had a successful going away gathering without even using facebook to spread the word.
and i’ve spent the time i would normally spend on facebook…. playing angry birds….

… baby steps….
-c

It took a while.

I had to find where to deactivate (2-3 clicks). The next page had a bunch of pictures and names of friends who would miss me. I was heart broken but by the time i filled out the short survey on why i was leaving facebook (i was spending too much time on facebook), i had gotten over it. account deleted.

ok gotta confirm my password then account deleted.

ok, certify human status. account deleted.

page reload (this coulda been my shoddy internet connection)

confirm password

certify non-bot status.

account deleted.

-c

Quotes from a poem written by a friend.

I must have taken 50 photos that day and I really only like 5.

So here’s a bit of inspiration I found, a simple and poignant montage. A short simple delivery with a really good message.

Still beating myself over the head trying to find a message about dreams/dreaming….social responsibility, what?!

I’m finally back in New York and it’s summer!!!

There’s pretty much no way I’m gonna be able to go back to Cinci. At least not without a fight.
I’m working at Terry Hines & Associates right now, more on that later as I haven’t yet entirely processed my new position. I’m working with entertainment media so that’s exciting.

The living situation is most interesting. Living with my classmates has mostly been a positive experience. We’re living in the fantastic neighborhood of Williamsburg. More on that later too.

Ah Summer in Brooklyn. It’s nice to meet you.

I was saddened last week when I went to colourlovers.com looking for a color palette for a project. (I totally admit to cheating when it comes to color palettes, and colourlovers.com is how I do it.) Unfortunately for me they were in the midst of a revamp (like so many of us).

I checked back today and I have to say I love this site so much more now. So many more features. They separated the site into Channels like Fashion, Web, Print, Wedding, Home, and Craft. They also have relevant articles and trends, adding so much more than just color palettes and patterns to an already useful site.

Check out this article on gender and web design: The Great Sex Divide