This week, I talked with Estrella Salgado, a junior studying history with a minor in Museum Studies. She told me all about the perks of the minor, rude people, and her commitment to the power of museums. You can find her at the U-M Museum of Natural History, where she works as a docent.
This week, I talked with Sarah Cripsey, a sophomore in SMTD’s Bachelor of Theatre Arts program. She can be found on Instagram @sarahemilycripsey and stars as Lucy in “Vamps,” a new musical from NERDS that will be performing in Lorch Hall 140 on December 6th at 7pm and December 7th at 2pm and 7pm.
This week I talked with Dan Grafton, an undergrad in the Taubman School of Architecture. He had a lot to say about overworking, expectations, and allowing things to take time. Open House Chicago, which he referenced, is an annual architecture event that you can learn more about here.
This week, it’s the latter part of my conversation with animation student Leila (part one can be found here). We talked about the “lone wolf” myth that pervades art school and the importance of taking time off from work. Next week, we’re talking architecture.
This week, I got to discuss the animation industry with Leila, a fellow art student whose portfolio can be found here. We talked about the shift from 2D to CGI, the cost of getting your name out there, and how weird it is for strangers to see your portfolio. There’s more to the conversation that I want you all to hear, so I’m splitting this into two parts. Next week: the realization that nothing is guaranteed and the best of plans can go awry.
One of my favorite parts about art is how it can be shared through so many mediums; art is in everything, and being able to see that makes life a lot more interesting. A great example of art being conveyed through a unique medium are Tarot cards: a deck of 78 unique cards, often used for fortune telling and games. It was relatively recently that I gained an interest in the obscure world of tarot cards, having been inspired by an old HBO show that my parents used to watch called Carnivale (a great show and I highly recommend it, but the end leaves a lot to be desired). The show uses tarot readings to further the plot and create dramatic tension, but more interesting is how the show uses subtle tarot symbolism that makes the story feel like a great epic is unfolding and the characters are all pawns of fate. This technique is similar to that employed in classical epics, such as The Iliad and The Aeneid: the use of portents and prophecies that connect the story together using a common thread, often calling back on themselves and revealing the role of divine fate in an extraordinary way.
I absolutely love the feeling when a prophecy is fulfilled, or when I can draw the subtle connections between events and and characters and be able to see how the prophecy influences the events of the story. This is one of my favorite things about tarot card art as well: the use of symbolism and subtle meaning conveyed through the illustrations is fascinating and endless. Each card has lore and tradition behind it, with multiple interpretations that all come together to form a single story. Personally, I don’t believe in actual fortune telling, but I appreciate how the cards are designed to create the effect of prophecy. Each card has identifying symbology that can be found in any version or reinterpretation, and have been tradition ever since they were first created, making each card immediately recognizable and therefore more iconic. This quality of the tarot can be found throughout popular culture as well, from literal uses such as Led Zeppelin and The Hermit figure, and more subtly in the archetypes of The Fool, The Magician, and The Lovers often found in storytelling today.
The other thing I love about tarot cards is the physical aspect of the art itself; there are so many versions and styles of illustrations, and I think the cards are such a great medium of artistic expression. An artist can follow the strict format of the cards and symbology while still illustrating them in their own way, giving them the perfect amount of creative freedom. There’s a lot to be said for the proportions of tarot cards themselves and the powerful effect of the format, which makes them the perfect template for creating something unique. It’s a great endeavor to undertake, illustrating all 78 cards, but it’s a great way to develop and refine your style and to put your creativity on display.
