Elizabeth S – Page 6

Art Biz with Liz: The Arts and Christmas

December 25, 2020December 27, 2020 Elizabeth S Leave a comment

Happy holidays and winter break, everyone! Hopefully the past week has been a restful one. Additionally, if you celebrate Christmas, I hope the day has been a safe and joyful one. For many, Christmas celebrations have looked a little different this year. Due to the pandemic, many are unable to see family members in person. Others have recently lost loved ones or their form of income. For some of us, it may seem strange to go through with joyous celebrations. For others, Christmas offers a sense of comfort during unprecedented times. As such, there are still numerous ways people have followed through with traditions and otherwise created a sense of normalcy surrounding the holidays. These traditions, along with other “Christmassy” things, owe a lot to the arts, as the arts are behind many of the ways we celebrate the holidays.

There are the simple, artsy things people participate in at home–decorating gingerbread houses and cookies, making handmade cards or ornaments, singing Christmas carols–but the different kinds of art we create, purchase, and enjoy during the holiday season is extensive. Film is arguably considered an art, and there is no shortage of festive Christmas-themed movies. Elaborate nativity scenes, wintery paintings, and Christmas lights are on full display. Small sculptures, wall art, and more are used to spread holiday cheer throughout homes, while decorative garland adorns small-town shops. The creativity and imagination behind visual arts are enough to evoke warm feelings and other emotions associated with the Christmas season.

One of this year’s homemade Christmas cards

Another one of this year’s homemade Christmas cards

The performing arts are also important to the holidays. Even if done virtually this year, watching a ballet such as The Nutcracker or a theatrical performance of A Christmas Carol is a staple tradition for some. Music, religious or otherwise, is undeniably another popular aspect of the holiday season (I dare you to turn on the radio and step into a store without hearing, “God Rest Ye Merry, Gentlemen” or Mariah Carey’s “All I Want For Christmas is You”). Our ideas of the Christmas holiday and thoughts about the arts are not mutually exclusive, and our consumption of the arts during the holiday season aligns with deeply entrenched traditions. With the pandemic, many people may heavily rely on these traditions when other aspects of our lives have been disrupted, and Christmas would not be the same without the arts.

With that, I wish you, “A Happy Christmas to all, and to all a good night!” (“A Visit from St. Nicholas”)

Art Biz with Liz: Short Story Writing

December 11, 2020December 11, 2020 Elizabeth S Leave a comment

Another semester is coming to an end, and what a weird one it has been. With classes over, it’s crunch time for final exams, essays, and projects. One of my final projects this year includes a short story collection, the culmination of a semester’s worth of work. The goal of it is to see my original creative work, which was submitted on a regular basis throughout the past few months, in a complete, polished state.

RCHUMS 325 is a “tutorial,” which is a unique opportunity to participate in one-on-one writing workshops with the Residential College’s creative writing faculty. Tutorials are meant to support students in expanding our understanding of the craft of writing. Through them, we also grow as young artists in developing our voices and creative visions. As such, the course I took centers around creating (and submitting) new and revised stories weekly, which are influenced by critical reflection done both individually and collaboratively with an instructor.

As I learned in another creative writing class, RCHUMS 220 (Narration), I tend to write longer short stories, as contradictory as that may sound. Doing a tutorial this past semester has been invaluable in writing fiction that is around 5-10 pages long, which is shorter than my “short” stories usually are. After this experience, I’d highly recommend that any writer tries their hand at writing a short story from start to finish. Why? Writing short stories can help a person further develop various writing skills, as the process unveils many of the questions and predicaments faced when crafting fiction of any length.

A short story is a chance to create a unique character and storyline, perhaps without requiring as much of a time commitment as a full-length novel. If a writer has trouble with the plot or characters in their short story, it might highlight some areas to work on when writing other works, too. Like any other art form, writing takes practice, and short story writing can help a person improve on a few different elements of general fiction writing.

While it may seem like writing a short story would be easier than writing longer works, it still comes with its own challenges and opportunities for growth as a writer. A good short story must tell a compelling story with a beginning, middle, and end in noticeably fewer pages than a typical novel. Generally, that limits the number of scenes, characters, and plot points that can be included. There’s not as much room for “fluff,” or extraneous information that doesn’t add anything to the story. Thus, writing a short story is good practice for both pacing and extensive editing. While a novel may detail years of a character’s life, a short story may encompass only a day. This was one of the biggest lessons that I learned this semester through my creative writing tutorial. In being accustomed to longer stories, I tried to cover more time than was feasible in one of my short stories, which required heavy revision to improve the storyline and flow.

It can also be deceptively difficult to make a reader feel a certain way about a character when they witness only a snippet of said character’s life. Yet, there are also some advantages to writing stories of shorter length. Shorter timelines may not allow for as an authentic evolution of certain relationships or character arcs, but they can create faster stories. This results in an opportunity to cultivate motion and tension for a more engaging plot and streamlined story. Considering this information can help a writer decide whether they want their idea to be a short story, novella, or longer work based on how much time is necessary for the storyline to unfurl to optimal result. Based on my experiences with RCHUMS 325 this past semester, this is something I’ll keep in mind moving forward, and maybe you will, too.

RCHUMS 220: Narration and RCHUMS 325: Creative Writing Tutorial are available during fall and winter semesters through LSA’s Residential College (RC). RC courses are not exclusive to RC students; however, instructor permission is needed to enroll in RCHUMS 325. Check out the RC Writers page here!

Art Biz with Liz: Spotify’s 2020 Wrapped

December 4, 2020December 4, 2020 Elizabeth S 2 Comments

The past few days, my social media feed has been inundated with posts of people’s 2020 “Spotify Wrapped.” For those unfamiliar with them, Spotify Wrapped recaps offer data on the songs and podcasts that users listened to throughout the past year, including their most-played songs, top genres, and more. Users can see how many minutes they spent listening to content, how many new artists they discovered, and how they ranked compared to other Spotify users. For example, Spotify’s recaps may let an individual know that they were in the “top 5%” or “top .5%” of listeners of a specific artist or band over the past year. Overall, Spotify’s 2020 Wrapped aims to let users “see how they listened in 2020,” share their music habits with friends, and review the art that helped them get through the past whirlwind of a year.

Just as this data suggests, pop and show tunes are my favorite types of music to listen to. I’m surprised that classical didn’t make the list, but for those who may not know, bow pop is considered the combination of pop music and orchestral string instruments.

I admit that seeing everyone else’s sparked interest in my own Spotify Wrapped. While I didn’t share my results on social media, I’ll provide some of them as examples of this year’s features. Some results were expected, like my top genres. Spotify also included information about top songs. For me, my top song was “Heart of Stone” from Six (a musical that I happened to write a blog post about). This song can be attributed to themes of steadfastness, endurance, and patience, which were important to me during 2020. Indeed, Spotify lists user’s top song as the “one song that helped you get through it all.” Additional information on the top song includes when they first started listening to it and its total streams, which is new to 2020’s Spotify Wrapped.

The 2020 version includes a slew of new features, including personalized playlists, quizzes, and options for customized social sharing. This year, Spotify Premium users can also earn badges. I earned a “pioneer” badge, for example, for listening to a song before it hit 50,000 streams. I began paying for Spotify premium once I entered college, as my Spotify usage increased with all the hours spent studying and streaming music. I normally don’t pay for these kinds of services, but I was enticed by the student discount and the convenience of all kinds of ad-free albums, playlists, and more available at my fingertips. The time spent listening to music has only increased throughout this past year, and it is interesting to see the data in a condensed, colorful format.

Seeing RADWIMPS on this list surprised me, but that’s what I get for listening to the Your Name movie soundtrack on repeat.

Inside the Spotify app, you can find your personalized recap for 2020 by scrolling down to “2020 Wrapped” and tapping “see how you listened in 2020.” While it can be monotonous clicking through Instagram stories to see the same content over and over, it’s interesting to see what type of music others enjoy. Additionally, it can be an opportunity to check out new genres, artists, and more based on your friends’ selection. Besides looking at the pre-configured Spotify Wrapped, you can also visit friends’ profiles and see a combination of public playlists and the artists they follow.

While this post may seem like a Spotify advertisement, the popularity of Spotify and its “2020 Wrapped” goes to show how important music is to many. Spotify’s emphasis on the chaos of 2020 is a bit cheesy, but it holds some truth in how music has helped many get through the past year. While we may not be able to attend concerts and other performances, technology and increasing online accessibility allow us to still enjoy and appreciate our favorite songs and artists. Recapping our listening habits encourages us to reminisce about the art that has helped us cope with the loneliness of quarantine and craziness of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Art Biz with Liz: Watercolor Cacti

November 20, 2020November 20, 2020 Elizabeth S Leave a comment

Earlier this semester, I learned about a watercolor workshop for students through Passport to the Arts. By using Passport to the Arts, I registered with Flipside Art Studio for a Zoom class and picked up a free art kit. I recently added my own flair to the painting by using black Sharpie to outline my cacti and provide detailing. While my watercolor painting turned out differently than the instructor’s version, I was relatively happy with how it turned out and wanted to share it with you!

Creating this painting was one of my first times working with watercolors since I was a child, and it was interesting to play around with them. At times, I accidentally painted blotches on the page or had the paint bleed in a way I didn’t intend it to, as it’s easy for watercolor paint to bleed if wet paint gets too close to another color. I worried about it ruining the painting, but “mistakes” such as these turned into opportunities to play around with new shapes and create interesting visual effects, like gradients.

On one last unrelated note, I hope this Thanksgiving break proves to be a restful and rejuvenating time. It might be a great opportunity to take a break from schoolwork and do that art project you’ve been dying to do (like watercolor painting!). Whether you stay in place or share the table with family, my whimsical watercolors and I are wishing you a safe and happy holiday.

Art Biz with Liz: The Art of Baking

November 6, 2020November 6, 2020 Elizabeth S 1 Comment

Last week I wrote about pumpkin carving, and this week I’m discussing baking. You might wonder, what is this girl even talking about? How do these things relate to art? As a reminder, my blog series seeks to bring the arts from my home to yours. This school year presents unique challenges for how we create and experience different art forms, and I hope to document my process navigating these changes. For example, this week, I attempted to make banana bread for the very first time. I learned that small differences in ingredients and recipes can have a big impact on the flavor, aroma, and appearance of baked goods. Besides granting me a delicious finished product, my experiences inspired me to consider the similarities between baking and art.

What is art? Art conveys human creativity and imagination. As art includes a diverse range of types and activities, baking could be considered a form of art through the imaginative and technical skill required of its baker. Both artists and bakers learn how to use their chosen medium in various ways. In baking, ingredients are measured, altered, and mixed to create something new. Like other forms of art, becoming good at the craft takes practices, dependent upon the ongoing process of trial and error and the available materials.

A sculptor can shape a basic piece of clay into something wonderful, while an instrumentalist can use the same instrument to play different sets of notes and sounds. Similarly, a baker can use the basic structure of their mediums–utensils, ingredients, recipes–to create an original product. As an artist, they combine chemistry with whimsy ingenuity to create familiar yet unique goods. No two baked goods are exactly alike. Much like the art of performers, painters, and other artists, the products that bakers make can provoke emotion and reflect creativity. As such, bakers use flavors, aesthetics, and textures to create edible art pieces, applying their unique ideas and skills to create breads, cakes, and more from scratch.

The finished product: chocolate chip banana bread!

Art Biz with Liz: Halloween and Pumpkin Carving

October 31, 2020November 3, 2020 Elizabeth S Leave a comment

Like many others, my housemates and I have been laying low this semester. So far, we haven’t done very many “fun” things together due to hectic schedules and COVID-19; however, we wanted to do something special for Halloween. But what would be a good way to celebrate the holiday from home? We turned to the jack-o’-lantern, one of the most recognizable symbols of Halloween.

Last week, I stopped by the produce section in Meijer and picked out the best-looking pumpkins that I could find. That is, pumpkins that were round with sturdy stems and no questionable spots or bruises. Yesterday, we cleaned them off and prepped them for carving. It had been years since I last carved a jack-o’-lantern, and anyone who has ever carved a pumpkin knows that it can be more difficult than it looks. Regardless, the process was easy enough. We had a few tools from old pumpkin-carving kits, like mini saws for detail work and a scraper scoop to remove all the pulp. We set the pumpkins atop of newspaper on the floor and drew faces on them with Sharpies. After cutting out the tops and gutting the pumpkins, we started carving them by making simple, rough cuts with the bigger knives. Once the big pieces of pumpkin were out of the way, we worked on detailing and cleaned up the edges of our designs.

“Liz, how are you so good at carving pumpkins?” one of my friends asked.

“It’s because she likes artsy things. Look at how symmetrical the eyes are,” another replied.

Contrary to what my friends said, I most definitely am not a pro at carving pumpkins. In fact, I chose a simple design for my pumpkin because I was afraid of botching it! If anyone, the pro at pumpkin carving would be one of my friends, especially with how awesome her cat design turned out.

That said, I do like artsy things, as evident by this blog. I also consider carving pumpkins to be an artsy activity. Plus, it’s a great activity to do to showcase your Halloween spirit. Whether you stick with standard triangles or decorate your pumpkin with paint, placing the finished product on your front steps is the perfect way to share your masterpiece with the neighborhood.

Happy Halloween!