heya, it's ari. thanks for dropping by, even if it's obligatorily for a comment. i don't mind; a contributor is a contributor, regardless of intention.
the last week or two consisted of the wild beginnings of 3d animation in maya, also known as "falling asleep during demos; the sleep-in-ing". i have a firm belief that turning the lights off doesn't help. didn't licata herself along with the safety manual suggest keeping lights on when working with screens to avoid straining your eyes? do we avoid safety precautions more than we should here? along with the occasional backward-chair-sit and pencil fights between dwonnathan and me, i don't see why turning the lights off is a good idea. i honest-to-god thought the helmet tutorial was fairly simple but i didn't know what i was in for with what was to come. dumb egg faces and apples and imaginary lines created from extruding more than needed. what is this, homestuck? are we going to be extruding cruxite dowels to create the ultimate blue apple artifact to enter the medium? will a countdown initiate before our eyes forcing us to toss our nanna's ashes into a ghostly kernelsprite along with whatever crap you've got on hand, perchance similar to a jester plush? although my rambling intensifies, my points remain. may the darkness of the demos have mercy on my spirit in the few coming weeks.
i'd love learning how to at least model our characters, even if we can't do anything aside from that due to brevity and time. maya has proven to be the most disengaging platform thus far, but i can manage for the class competition, whatever it is. let us pray i'm not sacrificed to any gods in the process. it's likely i'm overexaggerating here.
some things that made me happy during the week; getting a chance to bond more with my teachers through a quid-pro-quo situation relating to art along with the upcoming auditions for my school's production of "grease!" i've come to terms with the fact that i'd have to play a male role to get a lead or secondary, and that's okay. transitioning takes time and i have to trust in myself that i'll become an alto given the due time. i've also gotten into "hamilton" more and i'm enamored by the story and characters! the soundtrack is godly and i have lin manuel miranda to thank for the glorious ear-gold. i was also informed recently that i'd be getting actual chest molds to help my transition, along with my parents and me starting the search for an endocrinologist, which made me quite the happy fellow. my mom also informed me of how some of her coworkers saw me as "her daughter" when shown our family's christmas cards. i'm glad that the shreds of femininity i have shone bright. hopefully, they'll be more prominent in the upcoming years in both my physicality and character.
some things that frustrated me were the ramifications of my late-night endeavors. my mom explained that since i go into rem sleep after 40 minutes, my body takes a loooooong time to wake up, persay. i usually get cranky getting woken up after an hour, but the same circumstance after pulling a hefty all-nighter was disastrous. imagine a 16 year old ball of rage trying to reason with their parents to let them rest. once i got into my room it was game over, y'all.
thanks for coming back, i appreciate you <3
the link of interest this week is about the development of kingdom hearts iii and leaks from the community. someone got a hold of a physical copy illegally and distributed them, and now nomura responds asking that you stray from spoilers and remain on watch. some people just can't wait a month and a half, huh?
Sunday, December 16, 2018
Blogscape Smackdown; Secondary Action!
After hours of useless procrastination and expert level time-wasting, I return at the latest possible time to give you the low-down for the next principle of animation! As always, these principles are designed to aid you in the journey to better work, and this one is no joke. Secondary action is the hot tea of today, so strap in and enjoy!
Kevin Koch, the writer of the reference article, says that if there are any one of the principles to hone in on, it's this one. Koch states "good secondary action energizes your shots and marks the difference between being a competent animator and an entertaining visual storyteller." The level of character that including this can add to your animation is very telling. By Koch's definition, secondary animation is a movement dependent on a primary action. This means principles of drag and follow-through are used alongside it. Now we can start to cohesively piece together why these 12 need to work harmoniously to produce good results. Adding to his original claim, Koch delves into the intricacies of this. Secondary action isn't just a second motion following a first, it harnesses the ability to be something different all together. For example, take the scene of an artist sketching using a pencil. Anything aside from their eyes on the paper with their arm moving the pencil is a secondary action. This can range from them shaking their arm from fatigue, looking around quickly for spectators, mumbling to themself while nibbling on the pencil's end, anything is possible with the grasp of secondary action.
An important little note to keep in mind is that the main action can't and shouldn't be overcast by anything else. Having a drunk character stumbling around is the main action, while the swinging of their arm holding a wine glass, for instance, paired with a crazy few expressions ties in as a few secondary actions. Examples from past students/mentors is presented to showcase how little things such as moving a pair of chopsticks, a teacup, or a wine glass can influence the way your character is viewed in the scene according to the context provided. An easy way to help you notice where to adjust your work is to play the animation with no sound. If it works fluidly and you can gauge the shot, it's a great fit!
My opinions on this one in particular are of course going to be positive. I love how much you can do with secondary action in animation and the amount of livelihood and character you can develop here! This principle offers expansive worlds of creative flow and I hope you can use it to your advantage.
Kevin Koch does a masterful job at explaining the topic, and left me with no stone left unturned on the subject. This was one of the few so far I actually enjoyed picking apart. He avoids using complicated terminology and provides a myriad of simple details that crescendo into the climax of the article and let it down easily. Thanks, Kevin.
Kevin Koch, the writer of the reference article, says that if there are any one of the principles to hone in on, it's this one. Koch states "good secondary action energizes your shots and marks the difference between being a competent animator and an entertaining visual storyteller." The level of character that including this can add to your animation is very telling. By Koch's definition, secondary animation is a movement dependent on a primary action. This means principles of drag and follow-through are used alongside it. Now we can start to cohesively piece together why these 12 need to work harmoniously to produce good results. Adding to his original claim, Koch delves into the intricacies of this. Secondary action isn't just a second motion following a first, it harnesses the ability to be something different all together. For example, take the scene of an artist sketching using a pencil. Anything aside from their eyes on the paper with their arm moving the pencil is a secondary action. This can range from them shaking their arm from fatigue, looking around quickly for spectators, mumbling to themself while nibbling on the pencil's end, anything is possible with the grasp of secondary action.
An important little note to keep in mind is that the main action can't and shouldn't be overcast by anything else. Having a drunk character stumbling around is the main action, while the swinging of their arm holding a wine glass, for instance, paired with a crazy few expressions ties in as a few secondary actions. Examples from past students/mentors is presented to showcase how little things such as moving a pair of chopsticks, a teacup, or a wine glass can influence the way your character is viewed in the scene according to the context provided. An easy way to help you notice where to adjust your work is to play the animation with no sound. If it works fluidly and you can gauge the shot, it's a great fit!
My opinions on this one in particular are of course going to be positive. I love how much you can do with secondary action in animation and the amount of livelihood and character you can develop here! This principle offers expansive worlds of creative flow and I hope you can use it to your advantage.
Kevin Koch does a masterful job at explaining the topic, and left me with no stone left unturned on the subject. This was one of the few so far I actually enjoyed picking apart. He avoids using complicated terminology and provides a myriad of simple details that crescendo into the climax of the article and let it down easily. Thanks, Kevin.
Sunday, December 2, 2018
sleepy kid tells u abt their week
The last week was masked as a boring trash can fire, but sneakily morphed into a raging inferno of interest. Recently, I got into the hobby of Perler Beads, which are beads that you can iron to fuse together into a single solid form. They've proven to rule my life in recent time.
The perler bead conundrum comes from a rampant need to expand my horizons and I guess my introduction to pixel art led me to naturally stray to these hot circles of stress. I mistakenly got the 22000 BUCKET of TINY BEADS and now that I know how tough they are to use when they aren't sorted, I regret setting myself up for disaster. The finished projects aren't bad, but they cause havoc on my eyes and arm due to having to sort through the colorful mess presented before me. Picking individual beads one at a time and placing them on a pegboard is only part of the process. Breaking down the pixel art into a chart to use for pegging is the initial and most boring step in the process. The end result is great, though, especially since they're versatile enough to make 3d forms, keychains, boxes and more.
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Aside from my tangent rant on beads, the class has reminded me of 3d form in math from 2nd grade, counting cubes and such. We worked on our 11-second club animations, and I fear for a certain clown's completion. I love how collectively as a class we get exponentially more hard-working until it's too late to get the time you need and we end up in a spot where we only did half a whole scene in a week. That's okay too. We all make mistakes and we learn from them. Good luck tomorrow, everyone.
I'm semi-excited for Maya tutorials, especially since I will hopefully be able to make a T-pose of my characters. Haha, right? Funny meme? I was wondering what it'd be like ever since I saw the 2016 class make memes of the squirrel T-pose (thanks, Maddox) and comment on how they "made memes illegal in Licata's class."
I wonder.
Frustrations blossomed solely from how I spent my weekend- sleeping, lazing around and tossing beads on pegs, slowly losing my mind every longing instant, but then i slept and now i'm okay
are we truly ever okay?
is safety just a construct designed to make you vulnerable?
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The nice things of the weeks past come from my bettering attitude, the perler bead payoff and also the love of my friends. Yea, this means you too. Thanks for being there for me, even if we don't talk in class much. I appreciate it. <3
are we truly ever okay?
is safety just a construct designed to make you vulnerable?
...
The nice things of the weeks past come from my bettering attitude, the perler bead payoff and also the love of my friends. Yea, this means you too. Thanks for being there for me, even if we don't talk in class much. I appreciate it. <3
Tick-Tock-Timing! (BSSD)
Slow in and slow out is paramount to any animation, and in this analysis of Kevin Koch's take on this subject, we'll be discussing this principle of animation and the effects it has on your work. The definitions of this principle vary, but the common meaning is taken as the effect in which when an action takes place the movement needs to gradually increase until it's up to speed, and then slow down upon reaching the climax action. Having no SI+SO in an animation leaves it mechanically unstable, so try adding some support in there!
Koch explains how SI+SO works in correlation to the real world and its properties, revealing that
"objects accelerate when they start to move and therefore they needed more drawings there." This became known as "Slow in." The gradual increase in speed up to the top velocity indicates the further along the action you go, the fewer frames you'll need to succeed. The opposite happens when an action is ending. The subject loses energy and slows down. There need to be more frames towards the end; hereby dubbed "slow out." Koch then shows a few timeline examples of frame spacing that can be used to demonstrate this process. The more inbetweens there are, the more gradual the animation will appear.
The concept of Physics is easily applied here, with the 4 main components being "Position: where something is in space Translation: movement from one position to another Velocity: the rate of change of position over time (speed with directional information) and Acceleration: the rate of change of velocity over time" Koch explains why early stop-motion looks so jittery by revealing how they worked with Straight Ahead animation instead of the more reliable Pose-to-Pose. The animators had no way to monitor their actions and spacing throughout the animation, leading to spacial and timing errors. Use these pieces to your advantage to study points to avoid in your work.
The points provided here apply to any part of the body, and applying these principles to your work takes a bit of time in the beginning. You won't begin to notice much of a problem here until far along in your animation, and that's okay. The implementation of this into the real world has its effects and reasons- some of them being to build force, to provide safety for your limbs while swinging them, and to show power in your work. If someone were to punch, without SI+SO, they'd be full force on the dot, sending all gravity laws into wack, possibly breaking their arm and whatever is in its way. Kind of reminds me of Deku from BHNA. These laws are applied in both real life and animation to provide safety and also direction in your work.
My personal opinions on this are as usual; they're imperative to the survival of both your animation and your own being. Imagine a world where any forces can just pop outta nowhere and knock your socks off and then the force instantly stops. It seems like something the Flash can pull off but not without repercussions. Koch's analysis was very informative and I thank him for providing us with this information.
Koch explains how SI+SO works in correlation to the real world and its properties, revealing that
"objects accelerate when they start to move and therefore they needed more drawings there." This became known as "Slow in." The gradual increase in speed up to the top velocity indicates the further along the action you go, the fewer frames you'll need to succeed. The opposite happens when an action is ending. The subject loses energy and slows down. There need to be more frames towards the end; hereby dubbed "slow out." Koch then shows a few timeline examples of frame spacing that can be used to demonstrate this process. The more inbetweens there are, the more gradual the animation will appear.
The concept of Physics is easily applied here, with the 4 main components being "Position: where something is in space Translation: movement from one position to another Velocity: the rate of change of position over time (speed with directional information) and Acceleration: the rate of change of velocity over time" Koch explains why early stop-motion looks so jittery by revealing how they worked with Straight Ahead animation instead of the more reliable Pose-to-Pose. The animators had no way to monitor their actions and spacing throughout the animation, leading to spacial and timing errors. Use these pieces to your advantage to study points to avoid in your work.
The points provided here apply to any part of the body, and applying these principles to your work takes a bit of time in the beginning. You won't begin to notice much of a problem here until far along in your animation, and that's okay. The implementation of this into the real world has its effects and reasons- some of them being to build force, to provide safety for your limbs while swinging them, and to show power in your work. If someone were to punch, without SI+SO, they'd be full force on the dot, sending all gravity laws into wack, possibly breaking their arm and whatever is in its way. Kind of reminds me of Deku from BHNA. These laws are applied in both real life and animation to provide safety and also direction in your work.
My personal opinions on this are as usual; they're imperative to the survival of both your animation and your own being. Imagine a world where any forces can just pop outta nowhere and knock your socks off and then the force instantly stops. It seems like something the Flash can pull off but not without repercussions. Koch's analysis was very informative and I thank him for providing us with this information.
Sunday, November 18, 2018
the culmination of the chaos to ensue!
If you found yourself back here yet again this week, i applaud you.
The fortuitous results of the last two weeks have resulted in my turning 16, punching holes in my face, a rethinking of my past and what is to come in the future. A detailed examination is to follow.
The main premise the BOCES class has followed for the last few days were those of a more technical nature, fishing into the mechanics of Harmony's cameras and utilizing the "node view" (i don't know why, but i have a distaste for the word "node") and playing around with the technicalities of effects and puppetry. Nothing too schmancy, but it was a worthwhile learning endeavor. We reviewed FPS math, and i was reminded how alike Sam Carter and any other cats are. I didn't know Dwonathan Daniels and i were only 6 hours apart in terms of birthdays, with me being older, and how Sam is a fine craftswoman who can whip up a sketchbook with ease.
I'd enjoy learning about efficiency in animation, how to take shortcuts without cutting corners or lowering the quality. That may sound just like laziness, coming from me especially, but i've noticed that these things take tons of time to do. Usually, on bigger projects, there are teams of animators, and i'm assuming they have all mastered using the same style of animation and so they're compatible together. i still don't know which direction i plan to go for my story, but it directly involves both an RPG and a comic. i have yet to propose at what time to formulate my escapade, however. i barely know what medium to do it in! watercolors are messy, lineart can go bad, i get too tedious with digital, everything's too saturated with digital or markers, and prismacolor pencils take too long.
Frustrations blooming from the week mostly pinpoint my discrepancies within myself, nothing really related to school is involved here. The only education-related thing i can think of would be that i ca barely participate in any afterschool clubs due to BOCES, but i did sign up for this and it's proving to be well worth it already.
The fountain of happiness is blessed by the relationships i have with all my friends, and reminds me that no matter how small you think you are, you're making an impact on someone's life. Whether or not it's a positive or negative one is up to you.
This week's link of interest is brought to us from Peter Draws on Youtube. He's a man tumbling through life at his own pace, and his voiceovers for his illustrations are relaxing and inspiring. It's somewhat like audiovisual ASMR, but also with a tinge of originality. He explores a wide range of mediums, from papers, inks, skin drawings, woodburning and more! This is one of his most popular videos, one spoken from legends of grinding ink and crafting something abstractly amazing with it.
The fortuitous results of the last two weeks have resulted in my turning 16, punching holes in my face, a rethinking of my past and what is to come in the future. A detailed examination is to follow.
The main premise the BOCES class has followed for the last few days were those of a more technical nature, fishing into the mechanics of Harmony's cameras and utilizing the "node view" (i don't know why, but i have a distaste for the word "node") and playing around with the technicalities of effects and puppetry. Nothing too schmancy, but it was a worthwhile learning endeavor. We reviewed FPS math, and i was reminded how alike Sam Carter and any other cats are. I didn't know Dwonathan Daniels and i were only 6 hours apart in terms of birthdays, with me being older, and how Sam is a fine craftswoman who can whip up a sketchbook with ease.
I'd enjoy learning about efficiency in animation, how to take shortcuts without cutting corners or lowering the quality. That may sound just like laziness, coming from me especially, but i've noticed that these things take tons of time to do. Usually, on bigger projects, there are teams of animators, and i'm assuming they have all mastered using the same style of animation and so they're compatible together. i still don't know which direction i plan to go for my story, but it directly involves both an RPG and a comic. i have yet to propose at what time to formulate my escapade, however. i barely know what medium to do it in! watercolors are messy, lineart can go bad, i get too tedious with digital, everything's too saturated with digital or markers, and prismacolor pencils take too long.
Frustrations blooming from the week mostly pinpoint my discrepancies within myself, nothing really related to school is involved here. The only education-related thing i can think of would be that i ca barely participate in any afterschool clubs due to BOCES, but i did sign up for this and it's proving to be well worth it already.
The fountain of happiness is blessed by the relationships i have with all my friends, and reminds me that no matter how small you think you are, you're making an impact on someone's life. Whether or not it's a positive or negative one is up to you.
This week's link of interest is brought to us from Peter Draws on Youtube. He's a man tumbling through life at his own pace, and his voiceovers for his illustrations are relaxing and inspiring. It's somewhat like audiovisual ASMR, but also with a tinge of originality. He explores a wide range of mediums, from papers, inks, skin drawings, woodburning and more! This is one of his most popular videos, one spoken from legends of grinding ink and crafting something abstractly amazing with it.
Facial Animation! (BSSD)
This week on "Blogscape Smackdown" we visit the expressionate beauty of Facial Animation. This is yet another key component in animation, as it delves into how much life you can give a subject with a few facial features. Dana Boadway-Masson explains how Facial Acting is imperative to a good animation as it reveals what the character is thinking and how a thought process folds into this. The analogy of a computer is used with reference to an "input" (stimuli causing the reaction) and an "output" (reaction).
Her next topic addresses blocking facial expressions; how to use and how many. She alludes to the KISS method (Keep It Simple, Silly!) and explains how to break a shot down into main emotions and how to flow through them. The example of Benedict Cumberbatch is used to show how much emotion can go into a single sentence. The raw power of his facial acting allows him to employ such emotion in such a short amount of time. Enveloping this into your animation can really bring it to life! Timing this can be challenging, but just keep in mind when your character is reacting and how you would react under these situations as well.
Next, we revisit the Ball animation as an example of what /not/ to do for Emotional Hangtime. If there's a shift in force in your animation, don't forget to include some time for the emotions to change! The example used to relate to emotional hangtime is the bouncing ball's squash segment. This part is slower at the top and bottom due to the shift in gravitational forces. As we've gone over before, the lack of the transition makes your animation look robotic, and this applies to ANYTHING ELSE YOU'LL EVER DO IN THIS FIELD. To avoid this when working in the notion of facial acting, pose to pose animation is your best bet. Try reacting to what the character is reacting to, and process the different types of emotions you'd feel in that scene. Then flow through them with adequate timing and BAM! There ya go.
It's commonplace for animators to have a mirror beside them to have a "check" of their facial expressions in order to make sure they are accurate to what you're portraying. Dana brings up Dialogue blocking and how it's important in the way that the animator themself cannot edit this. They can only work around it. She goes on to point out that with precision, a majority of your dialogue can be done using only jaw movements! Exaggeration is key here and using the eyes and brows of a character can amp up the level of creativity to explore within your piece. Zohbugg has some great references for these- they're used throughout the blog to give an example.
Utilizing an order of operations will help a lot in framing your emotions in animation. They say that the eyes are the focal point, and anything else follows right behind. bringing these details to a key can level up your expertise in mastering animation.
My thoughts on this topic are that facial acting is KEY to any great feature! Someone may be able to act with their body or voice, but the face is likely the most expressive thing on screen and you don't want to look like a plain crusty bagel, do you? You may aim to be a Blueberry bagel, or even an Everything Bagel! Don't let those invisible walls of your mind hinder you from progressing. Break through and live strong.
Her next topic addresses blocking facial expressions; how to use and how many. She alludes to the KISS method (Keep It Simple, Silly!) and explains how to break a shot down into main emotions and how to flow through them. The example of Benedict Cumberbatch is used to show how much emotion can go into a single sentence. The raw power of his facial acting allows him to employ such emotion in such a short amount of time. Enveloping this into your animation can really bring it to life! Timing this can be challenging, but just keep in mind when your character is reacting and how you would react under these situations as well.
Next, we revisit the Ball animation as an example of what /not/ to do for Emotional Hangtime. If there's a shift in force in your animation, don't forget to include some time for the emotions to change! The example used to relate to emotional hangtime is the bouncing ball's squash segment. This part is slower at the top and bottom due to the shift in gravitational forces. As we've gone over before, the lack of the transition makes your animation look robotic, and this applies to ANYTHING ELSE YOU'LL EVER DO IN THIS FIELD. To avoid this when working in the notion of facial acting, pose to pose animation is your best bet. Try reacting to what the character is reacting to, and process the different types of emotions you'd feel in that scene. Then flow through them with adequate timing and BAM! There ya go.
It's commonplace for animators to have a mirror beside them to have a "check" of their facial expressions in order to make sure they are accurate to what you're portraying. Dana brings up Dialogue blocking and how it's important in the way that the animator themself cannot edit this. They can only work around it. She goes on to point out that with precision, a majority of your dialogue can be done using only jaw movements! Exaggeration is key here and using the eyes and brows of a character can amp up the level of creativity to explore within your piece. Zohbugg has some great references for these- they're used throughout the blog to give an example.
Utilizing an order of operations will help a lot in framing your emotions in animation. They say that the eyes are the focal point, and anything else follows right behind. bringing these details to a key can level up your expertise in mastering animation.
My thoughts on this topic are that facial acting is KEY to any great feature! Someone may be able to act with their body or voice, but the face is likely the most expressive thing on screen and you don't want to look like a plain crusty bagel, do you? You may aim to be a Blueberry bagel, or even an Everything Bagel! Don't let those invisible walls of your mind hinder you from progressing. Break through and live strong.
Sunday, November 4, 2018
Ari's Summoning!
Heyyo!!! Itsha fav flav of the dinner turntable; Ari J! How have all of you been?
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I'm glad to hear it!
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-if something bad happened or you're sad, I'm not glad to hear that and I hope you feel better soon.-
These last few weeks we learned quite a bit in the ways of perfecting a "take" and using the Z axis in harmony. We also dove into the depths of the 11-second club and storyboarding, which i love! Storyboarding is the process of spilling your heart's ideas onto a paper and working it into something beautiful! I'm quite the excited fellow when it comes to this, as seeing my characters in silly situations like this one never fails to rev my engines.
Some things I'd love to learn more about is how we can use the Z axis to its fullest extent. It seems particularly useful, and i was mesmerized by its use in the demo. I can't wait to see what you all will be able to do with it in the coming future!
Some things that frustrated me weren't particularly class related, but Play related. The local school play, David and Lisa was on this weekend and as a member of the Stage crew, i was placed in the duty of turning these big spinny wheels of death which just so happen to be literally half of the set for the whole play! Our opening night we screwed a scene change royally when we turned it too early, the lights went up and the lead was staring right at us, frantically motioning us to turn him back! i thought he was gesturing me to get off of the stage, and so i, like the big dummy dork i am, got up and waved at him, mouthing "bye!"
Once i got backstage i realized my immense failure to heed caution and it ended as one of the most embarrassing things to happen this year. We apologized and yammered about it at Applebees later, so it's alright. Kamryn (David, the lead) is a chill dude.
I was quite the happy fellow when i heard news about an "undertale 2" (now dubbed Deltarune) and i finally got to play it tonight! The characters are charming and adorable, and the storyline is that of which you'd expect from a seasoned pro such as Toby "Radiation" Fox. I also plan to get piercings soon, so this week definitely seems to have a ton of upsides! That, along with having Tuesday off, Dwon and I have a birthweek, and I've even got new, shiny art supplies being shipped here as we speak!
This weeks links of interest come right from the man himself, Toby Fox, addressing the hardships of game development and his plans for the game itself. The passion he's placed in these two games only concedes to give me HOPE for the future and strikes a feeling of LOVE for his dedication to these topics of passiveness and morality. Here it is, folx.
...
...
I'm glad to hear it!
...
...
-if something bad happened or you're sad, I'm not glad to hear that and I hope you feel better soon.-
These last few weeks we learned quite a bit in the ways of perfecting a "take" and using the Z axis in harmony. We also dove into the depths of the 11-second club and storyboarding, which i love! Storyboarding is the process of spilling your heart's ideas onto a paper and working it into something beautiful! I'm quite the excited fellow when it comes to this, as seeing my characters in silly situations like this one never fails to rev my engines.
Some things I'd love to learn more about is how we can use the Z axis to its fullest extent. It seems particularly useful, and i was mesmerized by its use in the demo. I can't wait to see what you all will be able to do with it in the coming future!
Some things that frustrated me weren't particularly class related, but Play related. The local school play, David and Lisa was on this weekend and as a member of the Stage crew, i was placed in the duty of turning these big spinny wheels of death which just so happen to be literally half of the set for the whole play! Our opening night we screwed a scene change royally when we turned it too early, the lights went up and the lead was staring right at us, frantically motioning us to turn him back! i thought he was gesturing me to get off of the stage, and so i, like the big dummy dork i am, got up and waved at him, mouthing "bye!"
Once i got backstage i realized my immense failure to heed caution and it ended as one of the most embarrassing things to happen this year. We apologized and yammered about it at Applebees later, so it's alright. Kamryn (David, the lead) is a chill dude.
I was quite the happy fellow when i heard news about an "undertale 2" (now dubbed Deltarune) and i finally got to play it tonight! The characters are charming and adorable, and the storyline is that of which you'd expect from a seasoned pro such as Toby "Radiation" Fox. I also plan to get piercings soon, so this week definitely seems to have a ton of upsides! That, along with having Tuesday off, Dwon and I have a birthweek, and I've even got new, shiny art supplies being shipped here as we speak!
This weeks links of interest come right from the man himself, Toby Fox, addressing the hardships of game development and his plans for the game itself. The passion he's placed in these two games only concedes to give me HOPE for the future and strikes a feeling of LOVE for his dedication to these topics of passiveness and morality. Here it is, folx.
Ari May Actually Follow-Through With This One! (BSSD)
Hi! It's Ari, and today on "Blogscape Smackdown" We'll be reviewing the principle of animation that accords to Follow-Through and Overlapping Action.
Drew Adams, a Dreamworks animator, dives into detail on the physics and characteristics required to correctly execute these factors in any animation. He majors in Body Mechanics, so it makes sense for him to make analogies to the physical figure and bring anatomy into play. Why do we need it, you may ask? To quote Adams, he says "Because Sir Issac Newton says you have to. It's 'The Law!' " He then explains that you may purposefully leave out this principle to give a mechanical and stiff effect on your animation. However, it's when it's unintentional where the problem arises.
Believability is the key to a good animation, and these sets of principles do their darned best to help us get there.
Adams continues by delving into some examples of these actions, using the pendulum to explain how force affects an object and "drags" it along behind. Utilizing the pendulum is a great way to practice Follow-Through, as it can be toyed with for speed and timing to allow us to experiment with differing amounts of force.
The second and third examples are applied to characters, the most imperative of the two being a squirrel. Without the principle of overlap and follow-through, the tail stays stationary and the entire animation seems eerily stiff. Since a tail is comprised of many nerves and joints, it isn't supposed to be hard like leather. Instead, a flowy, fluffy type is what we want here! The second example of the squirrel delighted me with a wholesome animation of the ball and tail flowing through the wind without any care in the world! Thanks, Kanye! Very cool!
My thoughts on this principle are static, yet I do admit I love when something just butters my eggroll. Seeing something so nastily rigid and then immediately swapped with something delicately beautiful like a flowing scarf or tail brightens my mood. It'll sure help you brighten your attitude towards your work as well once you see the difference this makes! Good luck!
Drew Adams, a Dreamworks animator, dives into detail on the physics and characteristics required to correctly execute these factors in any animation. He majors in Body Mechanics, so it makes sense for him to make analogies to the physical figure and bring anatomy into play. Why do we need it, you may ask? To quote Adams, he says "Because Sir Issac Newton says you have to. It's 'The Law!' " He then explains that you may purposefully leave out this principle to give a mechanical and stiff effect on your animation. However, it's when it's unintentional where the problem arises.
Believability is the key to a good animation, and these sets of principles do their darned best to help us get there.
Adams continues by delving into some examples of these actions, using the pendulum to explain how force affects an object and "drags" it along behind. Utilizing the pendulum is a great way to practice Follow-Through, as it can be toyed with for speed and timing to allow us to experiment with differing amounts of force.
The second and third examples are applied to characters, the most imperative of the two being a squirrel. Without the principle of overlap and follow-through, the tail stays stationary and the entire animation seems eerily stiff. Since a tail is comprised of many nerves and joints, it isn't supposed to be hard like leather. Instead, a flowy, fluffy type is what we want here! The second example of the squirrel delighted me with a wholesome animation of the ball and tail flowing through the wind without any care in the world! Thanks, Kanye! Very cool!
My thoughts on this principle are static, yet I do admit I love when something just butters my eggroll. Seeing something so nastily rigid and then immediately swapped with something delicately beautiful like a flowing scarf or tail brightens my mood. It'll sure help you brighten your attitude towards your work as well once you see the difference this makes! Good luck!
Sunday, October 21, 2018
Weekly comments (Aghhh)
My week has been a bit wild and draining, but what can I say? Constantly driving the needle and dodging
bullets, inktober crawling up my back, sleep fading from my view. It’s clearly a work in progress, but it’s
turning out for the better. This week I learned that the Flour Sack exercise is a great way of expressing
emotion without features in mind, and I learned more about walk cycles. I haven’t started mine yet, but
I’ll push through it. I’d love to learn about lip syncing, since I could use some of that for some upcoming
animation ideas i’ve got. Something frustrating, yet again, was my failure to gauge my time use. The
waving tail animation was alright, it wasn’t as tough as I originally thought. I hung out with Cas for his
birthday today but i got all clammed up when his other friends got here. I’m really awkward around
people i barely know so I kinda just looked around a bit until they left?? The bike ride sucked because
it was so cold but I mean it wasn’t going to kill me or anything. Happy birthday, buddy.
bullets, inktober crawling up my back, sleep fading from my view. It’s clearly a work in progress, but it’s
turning out for the better. This week I learned that the Flour Sack exercise is a great way of expressing
emotion without features in mind, and I learned more about walk cycles. I haven’t started mine yet, but
I’ll push through it. I’d love to learn about lip syncing, since I could use some of that for some upcoming
animation ideas i’ve got. Something frustrating, yet again, was my failure to gauge my time use. The
waving tail animation was alright, it wasn’t as tough as I originally thought. I hung out with Cas for his
birthday today but i got all clammed up when his other friends got here. I’m really awkward around
people i barely know so I kinda just looked around a bit until they left?? The bike ride sucked because
it was so cold but I mean it wasn’t going to kill me or anything. Happy birthday, buddy.
Here’s an article about the subculture of Cosplay and the dedication and hard work that goes into it.
PoA Anticipation!
The second topic in the subject of “Principles of Animation,” we bring in “Anticipation.” The hallmark of
ability required to draw back the robotic mechanics of stale animation; this allows animators to give a
sense of motivation to their movements. Chris Hurtt gives any examples about what and what not to do,
using 3d models enveloping the differing types of anticipation in sync to show how to use it correctly.
The addition of Squash and Stretch with Anticipation brings an element of life to any animation, and
Hurtt explains that even a bit of anticipation can add to the “surprise” effect of something popping out.
This bit of info is explained as implemented so the audience can enjoy the movement instead of missing
it due to a lack of context. He then explains how most forms of anticipation come from broad actions,
such as a batter’s swing or a head turning in the opposite direction before looking somewhere. Adding
organic flow to your animations takes practice, but implementing differing types of anticipation in your
work will help you in succeeding in this aspect. This along with overlapping action and SnS will level up
your work. Hurtt explains that anticipation sells the idea of built-up energy and the combinations you
use will improve your ability to make the actions believable. Mastering this skill requires an
understanding of the materials going in to anticipation and a good trick to finding mistakes you may
have made is to play it backwards. Hurtt says if the animation appears stiff, it’s time to edit.
ability required to draw back the robotic mechanics of stale animation; this allows animators to give a
sense of motivation to their movements. Chris Hurtt gives any examples about what and what not to do,
using 3d models enveloping the differing types of anticipation in sync to show how to use it correctly.
The addition of Squash and Stretch with Anticipation brings an element of life to any animation, and
Hurtt explains that even a bit of anticipation can add to the “surprise” effect of something popping out.
This bit of info is explained as implemented so the audience can enjoy the movement instead of missing
it due to a lack of context. He then explains how most forms of anticipation come from broad actions,
such as a batter’s swing or a head turning in the opposite direction before looking somewhere. Adding
organic flow to your animations takes practice, but implementing differing types of anticipation in your
work will help you in succeeding in this aspect. This along with overlapping action and SnS will level up
your work. Hurtt explains that anticipation sells the idea of built-up energy and the combinations you
use will improve your ability to make the actions believable. Mastering this skill requires an
understanding of the materials going in to anticipation and a good trick to finding mistakes you may
have made is to play it backwards. Hurtt says if the animation appears stiff, it’s time to edit.
My thoughts about this subject are that anticipation have quite a large role in our lives. Without this
simple subject, we’d be a robotic cult of stick people, never knowing what would come next. The usage
of this in our work and daily lives attributes to the liveliness of our movements and the more organic
you can make it, the better it’ll work. Good luck with these.
simple subject, we’d be a robotic cult of stick people, never knowing what would come next. The usage
of this in our work and daily lives attributes to the liveliness of our movements and the more organic
you can make it, the better it’ll work. Good luck with these.
-Ari J
Sunday, October 14, 2018
What was I doing again?
To be honest,
I’m having a tough time grasping the concept of “Time Management.”
I’ve been ironically using the phrase to pass off my bad excuse of
procrastination ever since I’ve heard it applied to my work, and I’m
trying to actually do something about it? Maybe??
procrastination ever since I’ve heard it applied to my work, and I’m
trying to actually do something about it? Maybe??
These last two weeks I began Inktober, and that along with my
animation studies have led me to conclude that I absolutely
cannot handle all the things I put on my plate. I mean that literally
sometimes too. My workload, although how easy it seems, is
overshadowed by my raging need of constant distractions. I’ve lost
my light of focus and I don’t know where I dropped it. The caverns of
Netflix? The endless scroll of Instagram? Or maybe the fridge? Who
knows- I sure don’t. In the case of study, I did learn more of the inner
workings of Physics and its relations to animating figures. The wave
animation was a tricky one, yet not tough enough for me NOT to slam
dunk it. My graded piece is /super/ lackluster, which is why i’m definitely
gonna revamp it for my portfolio. Who do we show our portfolios to,
anyway? Colleges?
animation studies have led me to conclude that I absolutely
cannot handle all the things I put on my plate. I mean that literally
sometimes too. My workload, although how easy it seems, is
overshadowed by my raging need of constant distractions. I’ve lost
my light of focus and I don’t know where I dropped it. The caverns of
Netflix? The endless scroll of Instagram? Or maybe the fridge? Who
knows- I sure don’t. In the case of study, I did learn more of the inner
workings of Physics and its relations to animating figures. The wave
animation was a tricky one, yet not tough enough for me NOT to slam
dunk it. My graded piece is /super/ lackluster, which is why i’m definitely
gonna revamp it for my portfolio. Who do we show our portfolios to,
anyway? Colleges?
What I’d like to learn is what would be discovered in a deep soul search
within my psyche. “Why can i spend 8 hours doing nothing and strain
myself doing all my work after I’m supposed to be asleep?” The world
may never know, it seems. I would say I’m excited to learn about
Keyframing, but it’s just another tool to utilize in our journey. I’m “pumped”
to try my hand with the walk cycle, and i had a ton of ideas in mind, but
that’s likely going to be scrapped and saved for extra credit resources later.
within my psyche. “Why can i spend 8 hours doing nothing and strain
myself doing all my work after I’m supposed to be asleep?” The world
may never know, it seems. I would say I’m excited to learn about
Keyframing, but it’s just another tool to utilize in our journey. I’m “pumped”
to try my hand with the walk cycle, and i had a ton of ideas in mind, but
that’s likely going to be scrapped and saved for extra credit resources later.
I was frustrated with my laptop this week. The fan gave out halfway through,
meaning I was out of commission the entire weekend. That anticlimaticism
along with my debilitating fear of focus led to an astringent waste of time. I
got nothing done.
~Hooray~
meaning I was out of commission the entire weekend. That anticlimaticism
along with my debilitating fear of focus led to an astringent waste of time. I
got nothing done.
~Hooray~
Aside from lethargy, my personal boundaries with other people are being
put into question. You can never truly know someone, or how they really
feel about you, so someone you may see as a good friend may see you as
the center of their world, or vice versa. It’s bad enough to wear your heart
on your sleeve, but to have these strong emotions put up for a beating takes
courage to get through. Some people are just those that could care less about
your feelings, and making bonds with those kinds of people is a long process
likely unworthy of your time. You can’t spend your life trying to impress
someone who doesn’t care for the outcome.
put into question. You can never truly know someone, or how they really
feel about you, so someone you may see as a good friend may see you as
the center of their world, or vice versa. It’s bad enough to wear your heart
on your sleeve, but to have these strong emotions put up for a beating takes
courage to get through. Some people are just those that could care less about
your feelings, and making bonds with those kinds of people is a long process
likely unworthy of your time. You can’t spend your life trying to impress
someone who doesn’t care for the outcome.
Some things that had brightened my week a bit were my evident growths in my
artwork. Inktober proves as a milestone for me, as the improvement is
earth-shattering to think about! The complexity of my art right now is something
I would’ve dreamed of a year prior, and I have my friends, influences and time to
thank for that. People always say “I wish I could draw like that” when in reality, if
they had tried and practiced they’d get there eventually. I applaud my friends who
are up-and-coming artists and I hope they don’t quit. If you believe I’m talking
about you, good luck.
artwork. Inktober proves as a milestone for me, as the improvement is
earth-shattering to think about! The complexity of my art right now is something
I would’ve dreamed of a year prior, and I have my friends, influences and time to
thank for that. People always say “I wish I could draw like that” when in reality, if
they had tried and practiced they’d get there eventually. I applaud my friends who
are up-and-coming artists and I hope they don’t quit. If you believe I’m talking
about you, good luck.
The links of interest this week are of how children’s media online has evolved
to bear a nightmarish complexion. Two videos about this topic; one from Night Mind-
a good source for spooky content, and one from TED.
to bear a nightmarish complexion. Two videos about this topic; one from Night Mind-
a good source for spooky content, and one from TED.
S&S in Our Media
The ability to utilize Squash and Stretch while animating is crucial to building a keen understanding
of applying physics and motion to your works.
Squash and stretch are the key principles in which when expressing emotion or movement,
objects appear to, for lack of better terminology, squash and stretch. There are many factors going into maintaining harmony with the rest of the work while utilizing SnS, and one of those is keeping the same volume throughout. Without this, things seem unnatural and you lose the
illusion of movement and fluidity.
All the technicalities provided, this is one of the easiest things to slip up on, and we won’t blame you for it. Applying these techniques without accidentally overdoing / underdoing it or sliding in
some volume change is nothing you’ll take to quite fast. Practice makes perfect, after all.
As our local clown friend Annabelle stated in her blog on this topic; “There's nothing to think about,
only consume. These are the principles of animation, as written, and will remain as such.” These
statements hold true for likely all the principles of animation, due to how rigid the analyzation is.
You’re given a topic to analyze, yet there’s no room to explore because the content that’s in place
cannot be changed, influenced or molded by your hands.
One statement I will make, however, is that in order to become a skilled artist, you need to realistically
study the rules in order to break them strategically.
Here's a video on line weight and how to use it to your best ability.
-Ari J✯
of applying physics and motion to your works.
Squash and stretch are the key principles in which when expressing emotion or movement,
objects appear to, for lack of better terminology, squash and stretch. There are many factors going into maintaining harmony with the rest of the work while utilizing SnS, and one of those is keeping the same volume throughout. Without this, things seem unnatural and you lose the
illusion of movement and fluidity.
All the technicalities provided, this is one of the easiest things to slip up on, and we won’t blame you for it. Applying these techniques without accidentally overdoing / underdoing it or sliding in
some volume change is nothing you’ll take to quite fast. Practice makes perfect, after all.
As our local clown friend Annabelle stated in her blog on this topic; “There's nothing to think about,
only consume. These are the principles of animation, as written, and will remain as such.” These
statements hold true for likely all the principles of animation, due to how rigid the analyzation is.
You’re given a topic to analyze, yet there’s no room to explore because the content that’s in place
cannot be changed, influenced or molded by your hands.
One statement I will make, however, is that in order to become a skilled artist, you need to realistically
study the rules in order to break them strategically.
Here's a video on line weight and how to use it to your best ability.
-Ari J✯
Sunday, September 30, 2018
Whoops, it's that irresponsible child again!
The idea that time management is imperative to continuing is constantly being hammered into my head, and yet, for no reason, I can’t listen. It always seems everything’s happening at once, but in reality, it’s that I’m making up excuses for myself and usually can’t focus unless under extreme circumstance. I’m expecting a 0 for this week’s blog assignments, as I neglected the time frame, so I’m still writing this as an excuse to feel better about it. I’ve learned that I should likely search for help on this topic, but also that I can crank out a flipbook in 20 hours. (Was it okay?) I hope to learn from my mistakes in the near future, but also to kick the habit of procrastinating and eating when I’m bored. I never fail to frustrate myself, and today I found myself staring blankly at a wall for a whole hour in seething anger, and earlier I spent 5 hours on a sketch that could’ve taken half an hour had I not been watching the Game Grumps play BOTW. I suppose Zomorodi was right that social media is constantly waging a war for our attentive eyes. The sweet lull of sleep brings me happiness, but also the fact that my birthday party this year will be my own to plan is quite the kicker. I’m also getting new piercings in the tail end of October, so that’s something I’m looking forward to! The weekly link of interest is of the creator of hit detective-murder-mystery game “Danganronpa” on how to create charming characters.
The Intricacies of Pixar's Cannibalistic Crew
Pixar’s “Wall-E” instantly became a children’s classic after its release in 2008, with its quirky protagonist, a recycling robot of whom the movie title is given. The intricacies of this film- from the plot’s heavy-handedness on the effects of materialism, to the economic and environmental destruction of the earth- gives us an idea of how hopeless life becomes if we don’t pay attentive mind to our actions. 10 years later, we as students are tasked with pulling apart the movie, not for educational value in terms of historical context and effect, but instead as a hearty swing into the properties of animation. Here we will evaluate 6 of the 12 present principles outlined.
I found the staging of this film to be amazing at pointing out different moods and emotions, as well as dealing with how the audience may or may not react to these situations.
Such is shown in the opening scene, as we pan across a barren wasteland we are quick to discover is Earth. Wall-E (Waste Allocation Load Lifter Earth-class) is the last of his robo-kind on Earth, and due to this, he’s developed a sensible loneliness. The beginning scenes portray the desolation left due to human carelessness, and yet when we enter Wall-E’s home, he’s portrayed as beyond optimistic, playing 1950’s era films, nearly a century in the past, seeing what Earth was like back then. Before he was needed. When he meets EVE, they fiddle with a lighter, and the flame from it represents the emerging relationship between them. The staging and composition of this movie is beyond professional, as it accurately and effortlessly portrays emotions simply through utilizing the psychological effects of color and spacing.
The property of Follow-through and Overlapping animation is imperative to creating organic motion, and this movie nails it with small and big details throughout its runtime. When Wall-E wakes up, it’s clear that he’s tired due to how his arms dangle on the ground, following his body as the main motion. When EVE locks up after scanning the plant, she is dragged by the string of lights Wall-E has, and EVE is following through as she’s hovering, being pulled along.
Exaggeration is extremely important to any film or animation, as, without it, it’s left bland and emotionless. This exaggeration is conveyed through the characters designs, with EVE being more simple yet expressionate, and Wall-E having big, puppylike eyes, making him seem more trustworthy. This ties into appeal as well, but that’s for another paragraph. The quick-draw emotion showed by EVE when whipping out her gun at the slightest sound also lets us know she isn’t keen to annoyance and acts on impulse. The exaggeration of the Axiom passengers’ obesity also shows how the underlying tones of materialism and simplicity of this movie play into its core message.
Solid drawing is crucial in the way it aids in making your animations look organic. The way things move in this film makes it easier for the viewer to believe and enjoy the content being presented. The plantlife sways when moved, the Captain moving around in interest, Wall-E’s head tilts and EVE’s worry and frantics, asymmetrical human postures, EVE’s gun, and the fire extinguisher in space are all good examples of solid drawing.
Events and dialogue are timed well enough here to give the viewer just enough sense of danger, sadness, reconciliation or empathy to relate to the scene at hand. Some examples include the first dust storm, when Wall-E enters his humble abode seconds before impact, leaving us with a climax of worry and anticipation, and when the passengers of the Axiom slowly realized their current situation and surroundings and planned accordingly with their actions. The captain’s rebellion against Auto and his line of “I wanna live!” convey strong will and passion, leading the viewers to side with the captain.
Arcs also help in avoiding rigidity while animating, and they’re employed constantly throughout the movie. Some examples include the Captain jumping on Auto during the short yet successful rebellion, EVE’s movements, and the cleaner’s freedom from the lines in order to clean the foreign contaminant.
All in all, The principles of animation are the building blocks to a concise finished product, and the strike of appeal they bring helps give it a nice shine and some character. Use these in harmony with color, shape and line, and you’ll have a masterpiece in no time.
If you’ve heard of Film Theory, here’s a video done by Matthew Patrick on the morality of the food quality on the Axiom.
Sunday, September 23, 2018
Ari's Weekly Ramblings!!
I’ll use this part of the assignment as an excuse to vocalize my feelings! I’m unsure if that was your goal, Ms. Licata, but here it goes anyway! This week in O/N BOCES Animation, we studied the 12 principles of animation, color harmony, design principles, and analyzed a Pixar movie under the scope of the 12 PoA. Although drowsy through and through, I thoroughly enjoyed the majority of this week! My favorite was breaking down the intricacies of Pixar’s Wall-E and picking apart the creative elements of the process. The creative team was really attentive to color schemes, shapes, emotions, and visual cues during the production. I found myself adoring how organically E.V.E moved, despite her being a mechanical AI somehow capable of questionable emotion. In the future of this class, I hope to learn how to incorporate my visual style efficiently into 2D animation. I humbly believe the flipbook assignment will prove helpful in this, but I know there are definitely bigger mountains to climb and more bountiful creative valleys to explore. The single thing that frustrated me during the course of the week was my attentiveness to details on timing. I procrastinate a LOT, and I seem to do my best work when sliding riiiiight under the deadline, but, then again, when have I ever done anything before the day of the due date? This caught up to me when it came to the Color Harmony assignment. I had forgotten to pack the design principles files into my USB drive (let’s call her Wanda,) and therefore my head hit the pillow and the next thing you know I’m late for school and also severely unprepared. I don’t get anxious about these things, as they don’t usually slap me in the face for neglecting them. Things come and pass, and if I’m late on something, it's not a big deal; it’s just something I need to work on. I was excited to show off my skills with the 2D Character assignment, and I’m glad I was able to put my heart into it, albeit again very last-minute. I wasn’t late with it, though!
Down below, there's a link to a wonderful person's lessons on what to avoid to not totally tank your art drive. Thanks, Robin Clonts, for your wacky personality and your lovely attitude.
6 Ways to Kill Your Art Drive
Down below, there's a link to a wonderful person's lessons on what to avoid to not totally tank your art drive. Thanks, Robin Clonts, for your wacky personality and your lovely attitude.
6 Ways to Kill Your Art Drive
Zomorodi Response
In the technological uprise of the 21st century, we often find ourselves floundering around to simply occupy ourselves. Just now, I checked my phone, and I'm beginning to think it's an act of impulse. We've been coerced into connecting flashing dots to new events and messages. That, along with the tingling need of our minds to just do something simpler is always beckoning.
Our journalist friend and mother, Manoush Zomorodi, dives deep into the problem that recreational technology brings, and explains the psychological connections it has to boredom, our creativity, and productivity. She hosts a podcast in which she hit a wall whilst brainstorming ideas for the next session. She wanted to bring in new viewers and explore interesting topics, but her mind was shooting blanks. The emptiness presented itself so prominently that Zomorodi began digging up her mental past and traveling back to the last time she had an original, creative idea.
She became a mother around the time that the legendary iPhone came into the market, and so instead of exploring the endless creative possibilities of the piece of technology, she was preoccupied tending to her child. The third month in, she found herself feeling rejuvenated and prepared, and so she finally got her hands on the tech. It ended up, to nobody’s surprise, being nothing more than a distraction. When she wasn’t caring for her kid, she was mindlessly scrolling through media. She states that the companies that host the media are constantly at odds, pining for your attention. The goal of Facebook, Instagram and Snapchat are indeed to act as an escape for some people, but it ends up as an enigmatic mess of time-wasting. Just today, I sat down to work on art and schoolwork and pulled up youtube for background noise. 4 hours later, I caught myself binge-watching Shameless on Netflix with nothing but a single sketch done. The mind river that big media corporations create often suck you in and keep you in the flow for way longer than you intend.
Zomorodi began a project entitled “Bored and Brilliant," an effort to combat these compulsive acts. The task was simple enough- distance yourself from your phones. The project seemed to be a wild success, with tons of stories of those freed from their ball-and-chain scrolling lifestyle and how sprouts of boredom birthed creativity in their hearts, but the data showed on average that only 6 minutes of time was captured from the technology. The scientists reassured her that to be able to make this much progress in a week was a daunting but spectacular task. The conclusion she came up with is that creativity is locked behind boredom and the new-age technology is only hindering us when it comes to advancing as individual thinkers.
As someone who seemingly needs distractions, I wish I could say I didn’t need to rely on technology. I’d like to build a platform on social media in order to ensure a future for myself through making connections online, but I see through the veil of my mind sometimes that I’m doing too much (or too little) too fast. I see that I could only honestly benefit from a challenge presented similarly as Zomorodi’s.
The reflections we can make from this TED talk is that we need to be more conscientious of how we utilize our time. In this world, we’ve got a lot to learn from one another. Hopefully, we can use technology in harmony with our good intentions and thoughts to bring about a better society.
Our journalist friend and mother, Manoush Zomorodi, dives deep into the problem that recreational technology brings, and explains the psychological connections it has to boredom, our creativity, and productivity. She hosts a podcast in which she hit a wall whilst brainstorming ideas for the next session. She wanted to bring in new viewers and explore interesting topics, but her mind was shooting blanks. The emptiness presented itself so prominently that Zomorodi began digging up her mental past and traveling back to the last time she had an original, creative idea.
She became a mother around the time that the legendary iPhone came into the market, and so instead of exploring the endless creative possibilities of the piece of technology, she was preoccupied tending to her child. The third month in, she found herself feeling rejuvenated and prepared, and so she finally got her hands on the tech. It ended up, to nobody’s surprise, being nothing more than a distraction. When she wasn’t caring for her kid, she was mindlessly scrolling through media. She states that the companies that host the media are constantly at odds, pining for your attention. The goal of Facebook, Instagram and Snapchat are indeed to act as an escape for some people, but it ends up as an enigmatic mess of time-wasting. Just today, I sat down to work on art and schoolwork and pulled up youtube for background noise. 4 hours later, I caught myself binge-watching Shameless on Netflix with nothing but a single sketch done. The mind river that big media corporations create often suck you in and keep you in the flow for way longer than you intend.
Zomorodi began a project entitled “Bored and Brilliant," an effort to combat these compulsive acts. The task was simple enough- distance yourself from your phones. The project seemed to be a wild success, with tons of stories of those freed from their ball-and-chain scrolling lifestyle and how sprouts of boredom birthed creativity in their hearts, but the data showed on average that only 6 minutes of time was captured from the technology. The scientists reassured her that to be able to make this much progress in a week was a daunting but spectacular task. The conclusion she came up with is that creativity is locked behind boredom and the new-age technology is only hindering us when it comes to advancing as individual thinkers.
As someone who seemingly needs distractions, I wish I could say I didn’t need to rely on technology. I’d like to build a platform on social media in order to ensure a future for myself through making connections online, but I see through the veil of my mind sometimes that I’m doing too much (or too little) too fast. I see that I could only honestly benefit from a challenge presented similarly as Zomorodi’s.
The reflections we can make from this TED talk is that we need to be more conscientious of how we utilize our time. In this world, we’ve got a lot to learn from one another. Hopefully, we can use technology in harmony with our good intentions and thoughts to bring about a better society.
Monday, September 10, 2018
post post post maybe 1?
When in the Course of human events it becomes necessary for one people to dissolve the political bands which have connected them with another and to assume among the powers of the earth, the separate and equal station to which the Laws of Nature and of Nature's God entitle them, a decent respect to the opinions of mankind requires that they should declare the causes which impel them to the separation.
We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness. — That to secure these rights, Governments are instituted among Men, deriving their just powers from the consent of the governed, — That whenever any Form of Government becomes destructive of these ends, it is the Right of the People to alter or to abolish it, and to institute new Government, laying its foundation on such principles and organizing its powers in such form, as to them shall seem most likely to effect their Safety and Happiness. Prudence, indeed, will dictate that Governments long established should not be changed for light and transient causes; and accordingly, all experience hath shewn that mankind is more disposed to suffer, while evils are sufferable than to right themselves by abolishing the forms to which they are accustomed. But when a long train of abuses and usurpations, pursuing invariably the same Object evinces a design to reduce them under absolute Despotism, it is their right, it is their duty, to throw off such Government, and to provide new Guards for their future security. — Such has been the patient sufferance of these Colonies, and such is now the necessity which constrains them to alter their former Systems of Government. The history of the present King of Great Britain is a history of repeated injuries and usurpations, all having in direct object the establishment of an absolute Tyranny over these States. To prove this, let Facts be submitted to a candid world.
He has refused his Assent to Laws, the most wholesome and necessary for the public good.
He has forbidden his Governors to pass Laws of immediate and pressing importance unless suspended in their operation till his Assent should be obtained; and when so suspended, he has utterly neglected to attend to them.
He has refused to pass other Laws for the accommodation of large districts of people unless those people would relinquish the right of Representation in the Legislature, a right inestimable to them and formidable to tyrants only.
He has called together legislative bodies at places unusual, uncomfortable, and distant from the depository of their Public Records, for the sole purpose of fatiguing them into compliance with his measures.
He has dissolved Representative Houses repeatedly, for opposing with manly firmness his invasions on the rights of the people.
He has refused for a long time, after such dissolutions, to cause others to be elected, whereby the Legislative Powers, incapable of Annihilation, have returned to the People at large for their exercise; the State remaining in the mean time exposed to all the dangers of invasion from without, and convulsions within.
He has endeavoured to prevent the population of these States; for that purpose obstructing the Laws for Naturalization of Foreigners; refusing to pass others to encourage their migrations hither, and raising the conditions of new Appropriations of Lands.
He has obstructed the Administration of Justice by refusing his Assent to Laws for establishing Judiciary Powers.
He has made Judges dependent on his Will alone for the tenure of their offices, and the amount and payment of their salaries.
He has erected a multitude of New Offices, and sent hither swarms of Officers to harass our people and eat out their substance.
He has kept among us, in times of peace, Standing Armies without the Consent of our legislatures.
He has affected to render the Military independent of and superior to the Civil Power.
He has combined with others to subject us to a jurisdiction foreign to our constitution, and unacknowledged by our laws; giving his Assent to their Acts of pretended Legislation:
For quartering large bodies of armed troops among us:
For protecting them, by a mock Trial from punishment for any Murders which they should commit on the Inhabitants of these States:
For cutting off our Trade with all parts of the world:
For imposing Taxes on us without our Consent:
For depriving us in many cases, of the benefit of Trial by Jury:
For transporting us beyond Seas to be tried for pretended offences:
For abolishing the free System of English Laws in a neighbouring Province, establishing therein an Arbitrary government, and enlarging its Boundaries so as to render it at once an example and fit instrument for introducing the same absolute rule into these Colonies
For taking away our Charters, abolishing our most valuable Laws and altering fundamentally the Forms of our Governments:
For suspending our own Legislatures, and declaring themselves invested with power to legislate for us in all cases whatsoever.
He has abdicated Government here, by declaring us out of his Protection and waging War against us.
He has plundered our seas, ravaged our coasts, burnt our towns, and destroyed the lives of our people.
He is at this time transporting large Armies of foreign Mercenaries to compleat the works of death, desolation, and tyranny, already begun with circumstances of Cruelty & Perfidy scarcely paralleled in the most barbarous ages, and totally unworthy the Head of a civilized nation.
He has constrained our fellow Citizens taken Captive on the high Seas to bear Arms against their Country, to become the executioners of their friends and Brethren, or to fall themselves by their Hands.
He has excited domestic insurrections amongst us, and has endeavoured to bring on the inhabitants of our frontiers, the merciless Indian Savages whose known rule of warfare, is an undistinguished destruction of all ages, sexes and conditions.
In every stage of these Oppressions We have Petitioned for Redress in the most humble terms: Our repeated Petitions have been answered only by repeated injury. A Prince, whose character is thus marked by every act which may define a Tyrant, is unfit to be the ruler of a free people.
Nor have We been wanting in attentions to our British brethren. We have warned them from time to time of attempts by their legislature to extend an unwarrantable jurisdiction over us. We have reminded them of the circumstances of our emigration and settlement here. We have appealed to their native justice and magnanimity, and we have conjured them by the ties of our common kindred to disavow these usurpations, which would inevitably interrupt our connections and correspondence. They too have been deaf to the voice of justice and of consanguinity. We must, therefore, acquiesce in the necessity, which denounces our Separation, and hold them, as we hold the rest of mankind, Enemies in War, in Peace Friends.
We, therefore, the Representatives of the united States of America, in General Congress, Assembled, appealing to the Supreme Judge of the world for the rectitude of our intentions, do, in the Name, and by Authority of the good People of these Colonies, solemnly publish and declare, That these united Colonies are, and of Right ought to be Free and Independent States, that they are Absolved from all Allegiance to the British Crown, and that all political connection between them and the State of Great Britain, is and ought to be totally dissolved; and that as Free and Independent States, they have full Power to levy War, conclude Peace, contract Alliances, establish Commerce, and to do all other Acts and Things which Independent States may of right do. — And for the support of this Declaration, with a firm reliance on the protection of Divine Providence, we mutually pledge to each other our Lives, our Fortunes, and our sacred Honor.
Pennsylvania:
Robert Morris, Benjamin Rush, Benjamin Franklin, John Morton, George Clymer, James Smith, George Taylor, James Wilson, George Ross
Robert Morris, Benjamin Rush, Benjamin Franklin, John Morton, George Clymer, James Smith, George Taylor, James Wilson, George Ross
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