Hello all! I hope that you had a restful holiday. This comic is about my experience trying new mediums during winter break this year. After making ceramics for my friend and trying to work with clay in a more relaxed, experimental environment, I realized that I actually really like it! So, my New Years resolution is to not shy away from trying new things in my artistic process, even if they didn’t go well in the past. Do you have any resolutions for this year? Let me know in the comments!
Hello, all. I hope everyone had a wonderful break and a period of rest to focus on yourselves and your own happiness. Personally, this last month or two has followed quite the learning curve for me. The pandemic and other aspects of my life really got to me last semester, but I came to the realization over the holidays that the world doesn’t control how I feel. We make our own happiness. For the first time in a long time I feel as carefree and excited about life as I did when I was a kid. This song is a tribute to that feeling: I call it “I Am. Again.”
VERSE ONE:
Let me tell you a story
About a time in my life
When everything finally felt
Like it was going right
And my dreams they all seemed
Just one more flight of stairs away
Then I got my heart broken
But I tried to be brave
CHORUS:
I let myself be a kid again
Chasing fairytales and booking flights to places I’ve never been
Cuz life isn’t long and we don’t know when it’ll end
And sometimes you can’t wait around for your prince to step in
I am a kid again
VERSE 2:
Now I’m driving round the country
Making friends along the road
Just kicking it and trying shit
And never doing what we’re told
And if the car breaks down or we get lost
We’ll find another way
Sleep beneath the stars in a thousand parks
Watching night turn into day
CHORUS:
I am a kid again
Chasing fairytales and booking flights to places I’ve never been
Cuz life isn’t long and we don’t know when it’ll end
And sometimes you can’t wait around for your prince to step in
Oh I am a kid again
BRIDGE:
Thought no one would want me with all these bruises on my conscience
Took me 5 months to even start making progress
Now I look in the mirror and I don’t recognize the person
Staring out back at me yeah cause she looks happy
CHORUS:
I am a kid again
Chasing fairytales and booking flights to places I’ve never been
Yes I am a kid again
Chasing fairytales and booking flights to places I’ve never been
Cuz life isn’t long and we don’t know when it’ll end
And sometimes you can’t wait around for your prince to step in
Oh I am a kid again
There is no doubt that the arts community has been greatly affected by this pandemic. Not just the many struggling dance companies or Broadway unfortunately being placed on hold until the summer of 2021, but the young aspiring artists as well. The young artists in training are forced to take classes online in spaces that don’t have barres, marley floors, peers, or frankly space.
This past semester an online improvisation class was offered through the dance department. It was taught by Charli Brissey who is very well known for their creative dance concept videos. Online performing is a strength of theirs. Taking an online class with a professor who is comfortable with sharing dance through a screen adds a sense of ease to the students taking their class as well. For the final project Charli instructed the students to take the information that they had been writing and discussing about in class all semester and create an online submission- whatever they felt best represented what they had learned. The sky is the limit. Olivia Johnson created an online dance concept video that was extremely breathtaking. Olivia Johnson is a third year dance major originally from the suburbs of Los Angeles. I asked Olivia to explain her creative process and journey throughout this final project and I am pleased to share her video!
When beginning this final project what initial idea sparked your process?
+KHAOS+ EP.10: BY THE SKIN OF HIS TEETH
+KHAOS+ EP.10: BY THE SKIN OF HIS TEETH
Right when Milo and Ed are in grave danger, the siblings Kira and Zion come to the rescue, easily annihilating the army of malicious robots!
+Author’s Comment+
I had so much fun drawing these characters you will never know. 🤣
Follow my Art Instagram Account!: @kats.art.folder
Venus, O Venus, praise be to the Atom! For I have found the sweetest plum in a prickly forest! His name rolls off tongues, Like Galapagos, Leprosy His voice is of angels, Or celestial bodies Modus Vivendi In simulation, we exist A model universe, An archaic Linux I’ll give him the Appalachians Or perhaps the microverse Perhaps we’ll meet then? 5pm, The Old Western Bring a coffee and a bestseller Let’s hash something out, like What are your favourite stories? Mine starts in Glasgow Romeo, O Romeo Dark days bring bright nights Aurora borealis, that twinkle in your eyes Romeo, O Romeo If Shakespeare could still speak, A banquet of roses, a Babylonian feast Romeo, O Romeo I don’t write to you often A million mixed messages And perhaps, midnight coffee?
The thing that I have always loved the most about art is how many forms it can take. Art can be timeless, shifting, ever-adapting. Today, I learned about another form of art, an ancient Indian method of adornment, a mode that I found was incredibly cathartic and peaceful to create.
In the Hindu culture, today is Lori, a festival marking the end of the winter season in India and bringing in the new year. Traditionally, during this holiday, homes and temples are decorated with beautiful mandalas on the pavement and tiled floors called Rangoli. This art form is traditionally created using materials such as colored rice, colored sand, quartz powder, flower petals, and colored rocks. Generally, natural and pure products are used to create these beautiful designs. Today, I used a paste made by mixing rice flour and water to create a bright white rangoli design on the tiled floor of my local temple.
The ancient Hindu texts explain that families should wake up every morning to wash the pavement in front of their homes and adorn the ground with rangoli, welcoming the new day and good fortune. This is still done in India today. The purpose of rangoli is to bring strength, good luck, and generosity. Design depictions may also vary as they reflect traditions, folklore, and practices that are unique to different regions. Rangoli designs can be simple geometric shapes, deity impressions, or floral designs, but they can also be very elaborate designs created by numerous people.
The type of rangoli that I did is called Kolum Rangoli, a type of design that is purely white without the colors that are generally associated with
the art form. I’ve shown a picture of my first ever attempt at rangoli on the side and a few other designs I thought up as well. I think that it turned out pretty well! What do you think?
I will always love art for its ability to be so expressive and powerful, effective, and multi-faceted. Today I learned about a new art form, something that I knew existed but never partook in until now. I encourage everyone to try new forms of art without any expectations or preconceived notions. You may be surprised by the result…
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! I hope you enjoyed this week’s look into the breadth of art! Looking forward to next Sunday.
~ Riya
Personal website: https://riyarts.weebly.com/
