Micro Project #2

Cross necklace
~I choose this because I wear it every second of everyday; it has become a part of me. It symbolizes my love for Jesus Christ my Lord and Savior.
~Love



Christmas tree
~I choose this because it shows how much the spirit of Christmas means to me. To me it represents hope, as Jesus Christ the Savior of man was born.
~Hope



Collage Kenzie gave me
~I choose this because this is something Kenzie (my girl friend) gave me. It contains memorable moments Kenzie and I shared.
~My life



Picture of Kenzie gave me
~I choose this because this is the first gift Kenzie ever gave me. It was a picture of her I told her I loved so she surprised me with it. It was a time of great excitement for me.
~Overwhelming joy



American flag
~The flag in my room is important to me, as it represents my pride in being an American. To me it represents strength and freedom.
~Strength



Ireland flag
~The Irish flag in my room is important to me as it represents where I’m from. It’s a tribute to my ancestors and to me shows perseverance.
~Perseverance



Pink shoe box
~This pink shoe box holds all the letters Kenzie has sent me. The box itself is a box which Kenzie used for my Christmas present. The reason this box is important to me is the feeling I get when I see it and read what is in it. It’s almost like an escape for me on rough days.
~Pick-me-up



Basketball shoes
~My basketball shoes are important to me as it represents my love for sports. Sports are an important part of my life, and have taught me many things such as teamwork, leadership, and hard work.
~Leadership



Book bag
~My bookbag is important to me as it shows how important learning is to me. I want to always continue to learn, even when I’m out of school. I’ve always thought if you’re not moving forward you’re moving backwards and to me continuing to learn and adapt is part of moving forward. Lastly school has also taught me about responsibility and how important it is to be responsible.
~Responsibility



IPhone
~My IPhone is probably the most important thing I own. My girlfriend lives in Tennessee and it is the way we keep in contact. It allows me to almost be in two places at once. It is vital as it connects the pieces of my life!
~Life line

Micro Project 1

Every morning to get to campus I drive 30 minutes from Lewis Center. The drive is extremely frustrating and chaotic!!! I start off by taking US route 23 before stopping at Starbucks, the only peaceful part of my drive. From there I take 315 which leads me straight to campus. However 315 is no joke at 9 in the morning, the water beside me is constantly running and on rainy days water liters the road, creating lines of brake lights. Cars starting and stopping, honking and firing off the line to get ahead of another car. It doesn’t get any better though the closer you get to the city, the traffic gets denser and the sign by riverside tells your estimated drive time. However once you finally make it to the exit to get off on campus, the traffic becomes lighter, almost as if the sky has brightened saying “YOU’RE HERE!!!!!!!!!!” To show this I choose to use obscene street signs that show the extreme emotions of my trip. I originally had 8 layers for my project but when I saved my project to post them I unfortunately merged the layers (not knowing what it meant to merge). Having learned this I will know how to save my files properly in the future. I originally started my project with a car going through a tunnel towards a bright light, but ended up scrapping this project when my photos merged when I tried to save them and open them at home. I wasn't happy with how my idea was coming to form so I decided to scrap it all together. I didn't think that the car heading through the tunnel was displaying the emotion I wanted (rage and all most anger). As a result I didn't think that scrapping it was a big deal. For my final result however I used a lot of different tools in photoshop. I was able to change the size of the pictures to highlight their importance or significance, and then place them accordingly. I also used a tool which allowed me to rotate my pictures, I thought that this added to the confusion that I feel on my morning drive. I think that the viewer is forced to turn there head and really view the photo in a different way then if all the photos were the same way. Another thing I did was use the spray paint tool to spray out words on certain signs. I thought this was almost comical as it completely changes the meaning of the signs and is something that we also see all the time when driving. Lastly I used several tools to create one sign that said stop, don't go; left, right, forward, or backwards. I did this because its completely ridiculous, yet we see all kinds of ridiculous things when driving. The sign makes the viewer think, "what do I do???" and I feel like there are so many times when people feel this way when driving. Overall my goal was to use the tools on photoshop to create a image that screamed confusion and contradiction, since that is exactly how my morning drives feel.

Reading #3

Kimmelmans' article was very interesting. Kimmelman claimed that art is “about opening our eyes—about encouraging people to look more closely at what's around them.” I thought this was really interesting. I had never thought that art encouraged others to “open their eyes” to the world around them. However the more I thought about it I realized that one rarely looks at a piece of art without reflecting on their own experiences. Even when one leaves the gallery it seems like that piece encourages them to challenge what they know or hold as truth. Perhaps that’s what arts purpose is, to challenge what we hold as truth….

The one thing I found very confusing was the story about the authors friend who disposed of a book every time he got a new one. I realize that when he dies his father recreated it as a memorial to his son, which in a way is a form of art, however I wasn’t completely sure at what the author was getting at.

Second reading (blog 3)

In the Walker article, I found the idea that big ideas can engage students in deeper level thinking to be an intriguing idea. At first I wasn’t so sure that I thought this was such a big deal, however the more I thought about it, the more I realized that I find myself doing this often. For example I’m planning on throwing my girlfriend a party for her birthday (this being the big idea), and from this it led me to thinking about who should be invited, what there should be to eat, what time the party should be, where the party should be. While this is a very basic example I feel the author brought up an excellent point.

One thing that I found confusing in the walker article was the distinction between subject matter and the big idea. To me I found that the subject matter was more specific and more of a local idea, where as the big idea to me seemed to be more of a general overall theme or maybe I should say a global idea. However I am not sure that this is correct.

In the Barrett article, I found the idea of denotation and connotation very confusing. To me it seemed as if denotation was more of an explicit, where the idea is as seen. And then connotation is more of an implicit idea or an idea that can have more than one meaning depending on who is interpreting the piece. However it seemed like there may have been more to what these two things mean and I was unsure what those things might be.

One thing that this article however did do a good job of was examples. From tee-shirts, teddy bears, and cereal boxes to the cover Rolling Stones Magazine. So while I did have a hard time understanding the difference between denotation and connotation, the examples were very helpful in helping understand what the author was trying to show. I was able to make out some of what was being said, and had there been no examples I’m not sure that would have been the case.

First readings

After reading, “THE HERESY OF ZONE DEFENSE,” it is clear that the author is using basketball as a way to show conformity in the way people hold ideas and behave. However while reading this I cannot help but disagree with some of what the author is saying. At one point the author says that the rules that once elevated us into joy now govern us, and to me those things don’t necessarily have to work against each other. For example I believe that some people find joy in being governed, yes these might not be the smartest individuals but I think there are quite a few individuals who feel this way.

One thing that I really liked about this piece was the analogy the author used. By using basketball and the rule changes the game has seen as a way to show how people conform or allow rules to govern them was a very creative idea by the writer.

Reading the article, “The Cheese Monkeys” was actually surprisingly enjoyable. I found the piece very refreshing and the various ways the author used common situations (your enemy) was quite clever. I thought the way they introduced the ideas first before showing how to apply them was also quite unique.

The one thing I didn’t necessarily understand was what “form” technically means. The author addresses it at the end, only to say that we have been talking about it the whole time. So while I have a general idea of what it means I still don’t know what all it encompasses.

Introduction

Hi, I am Aaron Cunningham, a sophomore at the Ohio State University. I grew up right down the road and went to Olentangy High School where I enjoyed playing sports. I am the youngest of three with two older sisters, there is a nine year difference between me and my younger sister which made it seem like I was an only child growing up. Both of my sisters are married and I am constantly teased that I’m next. I have been dating the same girl for 5 years which only eggs on my family. I am currently working on a duel major in business and mathematics, and plan on minoring in philosophy. I enjoy playing sports, listening to music, hanging out with friends, and if I’m not doing one of those things you’ll probably find me in barns and nobles reading. Once I graduate from school I plan on going immediately back, and getting a bachelors degree in sports management. After graduating for a second time I would like to move to Nashville Tennessee where I would like to pursue a career managing a professional football team.
Top five favorite sports teams
1. Ohio State
2. Wake Forest
3. Miami Dolphins
4. Atlanta Falcons
5. Oklahoma City Thunder