Author: Sara Olds

It’s intrinsic to want what we can’t or don’t have.  Whether it’s putting on that extra layer of lipgloss for that special someone, or swearing to put down the tub of ice cream and start doing leg lunges so you remember that you still have muscle there; we all, naturally strive for an idealistic world.

Wanting what you can’t have makes life spicy, fun and spontaneous.

Have you heard of the expression, “Stay true to yourself?”

How do you interpret that?

You can infer that it means stick to your morals, judgments and beliefs, but I find holes in this ideology.  You may call me a skeptic, but I believe this phrase restricts change.

I am a strong believer in representing the person who you want to be, but does that mean being the same person day in and day out?  What if you were to alter your personal character every so often, would you be called a poser or a fake?

I’d like to argue not.

While versatility has its boundaries, don’t be afraid to spice it up.  Wear those outrageous flower tights, raise your hand in a lecture of 200 people, and take someone into the stacks for an unforgettable kiss.  So what if these things are out of character.  Stretch your comfort zone a little.  If you want that desirable ‘other,’ work hard to be free from yourself in order to allow yourself to encounter your infinite possibilities.

Let your artistic creationism shine everyday.  No painter painted the same scene over and over again, so why not start fresh with a new canvas from time to time?

Enjoy life and the world around you!

Sara majors in Art History and enjoys long walks.

Blogging is synonomous with twittering, facebooking and myspacing (although, I think Myspace is outdated even in this new technological world.)  These three verbs are recent introductions to the English language and holistically represent the consumption of the technological world.

These forms I am referring to are linked with sharing tidbits of information about who you are and what you do.  Status updates and blogs such as this reveal personal thoughts and actions in my life.

The great thing about Facebook and Blogs is that you get to meet somebody without a face-to-face interaction.  You are able to learn about those around you through their words.  If you like what they are saying, seek them out and meet them in person.  Some call this stalking; I simply call it resourceful selection.

This introduction leads me to tell you the point of this here blog today.  I will tell you something about the events in my life that I want to share with you.

This past week I utilized one of the many events this enormous campus has to offer.  I went to the University Musical Societies Orchestra concert, where I contently found myself partaking in an archaic pastime.

Instrumental concerts are like entering a time machine and going back 200 years.  You don’t worry or bother with your cell phone, computer, or any other electronic device.  You are meant to sit back and listen with your ears and eyes to the musical cohesion coming from man made, cordless, batteryless instruments.

You are able to close your eyes and picture yourself in any antiquity setting.  It’s the one activity I have found that can really remove you from your reality and into another world.

Amongst all the technology, attending concerts are still extremely revered and will hopefully never be outdated.

Have a great week!

Sara majors in Art History and enjoys long walks.

I was discussing this matter with my Father over lunch one day.  He loves to quote a speaker at one commencement speech he attended saying, “It’s not who you know, but what who you know knows.”  Wow, say that 10 times fast!

I contest him on this topic every time he brings it up, and if you know anyone over the age of 50 you will know their repetitions are far from few.

His argument is that people who you know often know the same people you do, so they are not great resources for you and thus do not get your name ‘out there.’ Whatever this infinite abyss is.

I argue that those you know are more than likely to know an outside group you do not, and therefore will hope to introduce you to them.

As a college student the relationships with the people around us seem to determine a great deal about our present and future lives.  From your best friends to your boyfriends, or your ‘potential’ love lives for those of us out there still waiting to be paired up; every person you interact with determines something about your life.

So if my Dad’s philosophy on relationships is correct, then it seems as if in order to go far you must know a wide range of people.  This seems perfect in theory, but in practice it sounds terrifyingly daunting.  Maybe that’s the part I’m not understanding or blocking myself from understanding.

I am trying to facilitate relationships in the art field, specifically in the museum world, so that I will get letters of recommendations and hopefully secure a job after this magical world of college.

Maybe like many things in life, I should have a backup plan.  Who knows who I will run into or what opportunities may come my way.  In that case, maybe having a connection with many people in an array of fields will open more doors than simply knowing everyone at UMMA, in my case.

So maybe the goal is not who you know, but how many people you know and what can they offer you.  Choose wisely about the relationships you want to foster.  Make sure they better you as a human.

Keep all of your options open and I am sure those ‘right’ people will come your way.

Sara Studies Art History and Enjoys Long Walks

I am sure a lot of us out there in the arts profession are groveling about our future plans after this liminal space we like to call college.  As funding for the arts continues to decrease, so do positions in our desired fields.

While this economic crisis is new to our generation, it is familiar to older generations who have battled with budgets and recessions on various occasions.  Reflecting and delving into the stories of art related professions provide insight for the next emerging class into how we are going to take on this economic climate, and win.

The theme for this week’s blog stemmed from a visit to my past employer, SPACES Gallery, over Winter break.  SPACES is a contemporary art gallery in downtown Cleveland, Ohio.  Yes, I know boo Ohio!  Well before you start the diss the state we love to hate, listen first to a message of one of SPACES’ exhibits titled Art Work.

I entered the gallery and was impressed by the audio and visual additions to the exhibits.  I wandered from wall to wall attempting to soak in all the information the gallery exhibits were striving to illuminate.  I sat and watched a video about nature for a few moments, but even with the visual aid, my attention span was short and I found myself wandering again.

After fifteen minutes or so of gallivanting around the corners wondering what would surprise me next, I finally came across my subject for today’s discussion.  It didn’t literally speak to me like the other audio videos or try to entertain me like some of the other exhibits; it was simply a compilation of 40 pages of newspaper articles adhered to the wall, waiting to be read.  Seeing two large walls lined with articles was daunting, but I was intrigued by what the words had to say so I started reading, one by one.

For those of you out there who don’t ‘understand’ art, I am strongly convinced you will understand this exhibit’s message.  For instead of looking and interpreting your own opinion for this work of art, this display of words literally provides one for you.  All you need to do is take the time to read!

Below the heading, Art Work, follows the bi-line, “A National Conversation About ART, LABOR, and ECONOMICS.”

Captivating.

The articles consist of personal statements, historical knowledge discussing events as far back as the 1930’s up until the present.  If you read through the entire exhibit you begin to understand art movements dating as far back as the 1930’s in relation to the economic climate.  Another interesting aspect I found helpful was delving into what the exhibit titles, “Personal Economy,” which outlines anonymous personal accounts of creative arts people telling their story of working in the art profession.  Its always nice to see how people similar to you have made a living.  It reminds you it’s possible and that you are truly not crazy.

To read more about the exhibit and SPACES click:here

Have a good week!

Sara

Sara majors in Art History and enjoys long walks

Art, for me encompasses every creative aspect of human life.  Art defines and redefines the individual.  Often it is hard to put into dialect because it has the ability to reach your heart like no other.  It is the glue, which has held and continues to hold humanity together.  Without it, we would be wandering souls lost in the abyss.

Think about the ‘art’ in every aspect of your life.  Care for it, follow it, and live and breathe it each minute, for art is who you are.

Your art takes you places.  It has even taken you here, to college.  Your dialect, appearance, wisdom, skills, actions all speak about and from your art.  Interestingly enough, art and he[art] are intermingled and twin like.

Your art is in your heart.

Be intentional about the way you present your art to others.  Don’t put it all out there at once, but don’t hide either.  We all have individual artistic expressions that need to be shared with each other in order to grow as individuals.

So live every moment mixing your introverted and extroverted artistic self.  Learn who you are and what your heart is made of and express it through your art.

Have a great week.

Sara majors in Art History and enjoys long walks.

Books transformed into movies are a frequent occurrence in our modern society.  The most obvious book to movie metamorphous is the Harry Potter saga.   Others who follow close behind are the Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants, The Lord of the Rings, and most recently Where the Wild Things Are.  Coming soon to theaters on November 20^th is the second of the Twilight series, New Moon.

Hollywood’s need to give face to some of the greatest imaginary characters is both exhilarating and disgusting.

The quotidian nature of Hollywood’s obsession with bringing fantastical characters to life annoys many, who then refuse to see the film.  These are the people who publicize their nauseating feeling with everyone with whom they come in contact.  Often, they find other haters, who then bond over their similar feelings, forming groups of anti-fans who ultimately repel from society…well in the most extreme cases.

When these people lurk by local movie theaters protesting the restrictive nature of such book turned movie productions on their imaginative minds, they often come into contact with the other, represented here as book made movie fanatics.

Thus, erupts a collision of minds.

Those who wait eagerly in line, bouncing with excitement, rejoice Hollywood’s imitation of books.  Fueled by their pure wonder of what awaits them, this genre of people are dedicated to see whether their imaginative images are correct or perhaps will get insight into a different perspective.

What is devastating is being one of those hyped up people waiting patiently but urgently in line to see the movie of the year, only to walk out 95 minutes later somber and pissed off at the incompetent producer who failed to capture the essence of the novel.  Asking yourself, did they even read the book before creating the film?

Ah, yes I have been there. It occurred on a fatal night where I sat down with my roommates and watched Twilight after being boarder line obsessed with the books.  I laughed through the entire movie due to its absurd acting and silly lines.  As I recall, I didn’t even end up finishing the movie I thought it so obtuse.

So the quarrel I presently find myself debating is the decision between falling in line with group number one, where I outwardly hate the coming of New Moon, or finding myself aligning with group two waiting in line, with the suspense building.  It’s an important decision, $10 is at stake!

Have a good weekend!

Sara Majors in Art History and enjoys long walks.