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“A work of art that did not begin in emotion is not art” ~ Paul Cezanne

The true reason why I have always been drawn to art, regardless of its form, is the depth of emotion that can be delivered. We have all heard that a picture is worth a thousand words. For me, this adage is one that I make sure to always keep in mind when I am creating a piece. This is why I have always felt a strong disconnect from abstract, suggestive, and nonobjective modes of art. Rather, I divulge in conceptual art that strikes a different chord in every person.

For me, I feel connected to a creation when I am caught in the moment and experience something so visceral and real that I have to take another look, that I have to stare for just a minute longer. For me, this comes from art that has deep meaning and intent behind it. This pertains to any form of art whether it be music, dance, or painting. Something that is done with intention and feeling, that is something that deserves to be celebrated.

 

Art needs to be felt, not only seen…

 

Bête Noire is an original piece of mine done in ink, with dimensions of 8″x 11″. It was my dive into a literal form of expressive art. Dictated by a prompt given to me in my high school art course, I wanted to take my fear of spiders to a different level, a place where the viewer cringes and feels something deep within themselves. My goal in this piece was to not only develop my technical skills but also to create work that can evoke emotion.

My mother hates looking at this drawing and recoils, while my best friend winces but never diverts her gaze. As odd as it may sound, I have never rejoiced so much to have people look away when I showed them my art. How do you feel when you look at the drawing? Do you think that I succeeded in my goal?

As always, if anything that I discussed in this post stood out or if any questions arise please feel free to comment and share your thoughts!

 

 

~ Riya

 

Personal website:   https://riyarts.weebly.com/

while 2020 has ended and 2021 has taken on its face, reflecting on how far we’ve come is important. to be honest, i have no more faith in this year than i did the last. while i’m getting ready to turn 20 in march, i have been thinking about my growth during my time at the university. it’s really hard to imagine much of any grand milestones, especially since my freshman year was ripped in half due to covid and i’ve been under lockdown in my apartment ever since. i feel upset and angry when i think about my lack of a “real college experience” on campus in east quad, in dining halls, in lecture halls.

but even though i can’t feel as safe as i used to right now, and even though it’s difficult to believe that i have done my best in “making the most” of my college years, i still find moments when i am able to appreciate the fact that the person i am today has learned so much since the first time i physically set foot on campus. i’ve made friends and grown apart from others. i’ve cried, vomited, and laughed. i’ve had fun and had days that i would rather forget. i’ve been embarrassed. i’ve felt guilt and shame. i’ve performed on stages, gotten involved in organizations, won a hopwood award for my poetry, and learned and developed a more compassionate and complex view of the world and myself. i’ve found love. i’ve found depression. i’ve found warmth and art and i’ve felt winters that have stayed long after its snow melted.

i have a better understanding of how i want to live my life in this moment, but that understanding has also brought great uncertainty in my safety and my success. i’m black, queer, and trans. it’s been really hard to survive, but i also have felt great when experiencing the smallest things. sometimes, though, i feel nothing at all. i don’t know whether or not i’ll “make it”. but i also realize that there are more people in this world who are more scared than fearless in the face of reality. i take comfort in that. i’m lost and i’m sure that i’m lost.

It’s the follow-up post you’ve all been (probably not) waiting for… The Great Boba War 2.0! In the chaos of daily life, it’s important to remember the small things that give us joy. For me, one of those things is sipping on a fresh bubble tea from one of Ann Arbor’s whopping seven boba chains. To celebrate this love, my friends and I created the ultimate bracket of boba chains, ranking each one for their tea flavor, boba quality, and overall experience. In order to judge fairly, we obtained one black milk tea with pearls, normal ice, 50% sugar from each store and held a series of blind taste tests. These are our findings:

Quickly – Ann Arbor’s newest boba contender was a pleasant surprise. With the opening special, we were only able to get full 100% sweetness, which made for a rich, creamy milk tea experience with heavy notes of brown sugar. The pearls were average. 6/10.

 

 

 

Ding Tea – Ding Tea’s 50% sweetness compared to Quickly’s 100% paled in comparison, almost tasting like nothing. Their golden pearls were chewy, a bit smaller, but mostly forgettable. 4/10.

 

 

 

Tea Ninja – I didn’t have high hopes for Tea Ninja and I was correct. The milk tea tasted mass produced and separated, while the pearls were flavorless. While I still enjoy a lychee slush from Tea Ninja every so often, their classic milk tea was not it. 3/10.

 

 

Sharetea – My personal campus favorite, I knew that Sharetea would be a strong bracket contender even from the beginning. During the blind taste tests, I was able to identify Sharetea’s perfectly sweet and complex milk tea flavor. The pearls were subtly sweet and chewy. Overall great experience, the best cup of the night – 9/10.

 

Chatime – Like an old reliable friend, Chatime’s tea flavor was strong but delicious. (One judge even called it spicy). The pearls were a bit overcooked, but Chatime delivered as expected. It was a close race between Chatime and Sharetea for the boba bracket title. 8/10.

 

 

Sweeting – I don’t know if it was an off night or something, but all the judges agreed that Sweeting’s bubble tea was unexpectedly quite atrocious that night. The milk tea tasted grassy and spoiled, while the pearls were very undercooked. No hate to Sweeting, just not our cup of tea (pun intended). -2/10.

 

 

CoCo – A North Campus favorite, CoCo’s particular milk tea was also overshadowed by Sharetea and Chatime’s excellently crafted milk tea. While a memorable milk tea and average pearls it was not as tasty. 4/10.

Hi all!

Music is amazing. For me it can function as white noise or a source for existential breakdowns, and also every point in between. As I state in this, the main reason I like to listen listen to music is because of the lyrics. The emotions and stories behind the words is what usually brings me to call an artist a favorite of mine. Some examples of excellent lyric writing would have to be Nana Grizol, Bright Eyes, and the Mountain Goats to name only a few (Ursa Minor by Nana Grizol is in fact one of my favorite albums of all time).

The idea for this poem came from a conversation I had with a friend who’s really into music. I asked him about a band and he said he enjoyed their music. When we tried thinking of the same song, I thought to just remind him of the single phrase that’s repeated constantly in the song. Like half the song is just that repeated phrase. And he couldn’t recall any lyrics like that. Then he asked me what the melody of the song was, and I gave him the same blank stare he gave me.

I think the beauty of art is you can enjoy it anyway you want. I could go my whole life thinking of songs as poems with some noise in the background, and if that’s how I see it then that’s how I see it. However, I feel like my unfamiliarity with music theory and the like gets brought up more and more nowadays, and every time I’m getting more tired of it.

But getting into music is scary. It’s so floaty and where would it take me even? Obviously I’m not looking to become the next ukulele star, nor do I expect that’s even a possibility. But it’s a daunting task, and without a clear outcome I’m very hesitant to learn how to write music and songs. I’m trying to focus all of my energy on film and some writing, learning mastering those arts because of their connections to me. But music is so amazing! It’s calming and just learning other people’s songs on my ukes is fulfilling.

Nonetheless, the poem comes from this place of tension. Of wanting to know more and go further without having the energy to. It’s honestly an exhausting spot to be in, but I’m still figuring stuff out and that’s alright.

So long and hang in there, just most of the semester left…

-Jonah J. Sobczak

jonahso

P.S. In the video, I am playing Death with Dignity by Sufjan Stevens, (also an amazing lyricist if you were wondering)