Hello Again.

So it has been over a month since I last posted. D: I'm so sorry. Finals and moving back home and all the fun that comes with that got in the way.

But here are some updates:

I finished my first year at U of I with great success. Having figured out my major(s) and learning how to think outside of the box. :D

I have many pictures of projects, etc. that I am hoping to put up here soon. But I will be taking summer classes (and hopefully working as well) so my time might be limited.

I also visited the Art Institute of Chicago with Lizzie on May 1. (To show off my wonderful maturity I made a little video about the trip.)

So I believe that is all that I have for this update at the moment. I hope to be talking to you all very soon!

A Major Accomplishment

I now officially have a major! Happy days!

Yes. I do indeed have not one, but TWO majors. The University of Illinois now officially has me registered as a photography and art history double major.

I feel like I accomplished something. Why? Only eighteen people were accepted into photography. I feel like I'm special. So now I have my classes registered, a four year plan, and ambition. Life looks good!

P.S. As a side note, I had an interview with American Eagle today and I think I might get the job there. That would be great. I'll keep you posted.

If you could be any being from middle earth (orc, elf, drawf, hobbit, wizard) what would you be and why?

Do I have to choose from those five? If so, I would like to be a wood elf because they have crazy blonde hair and know how to work a bow. If not I would like to be a ringwraith. Because how better to leave the world then have your head compress and screech an ear-piercing screech?

Ask me anything

Digimon or Pokemon; and why?

Omg. How am I seriously supposed to answer this question? I tried to answer it once... and failed. But I'll reconsider my position on the matter. Pokemon are the shiz. It's hard not to see one and get excited. It was one of the dominating things of my childhood and it definitely has carried over into my young adult life, AND it has definitely had impacts on the world. Pikachu is known by almost everyone. People use Pokemon as references in daily conversation. The concept of it is great too. Send out your kids to catch these little animals and make them fight each other. BUT. Digimon I feel has a better story line. Go into the digital world and save the real world. But alas, many of the digimon are not memorable, and that's because they speak English. If they were like Pokemon they would say their names over and over again, so we'd remember. So in the end... I choose you Pikachu. I know I wrote a lot. But this can be a very touchy subject with some people.

Ask me anything

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Finishing Up Some Things

So I've just finished a lot of big projects and I feel so relieved. This coming weekend is free thanks to work. It's nice to be able to sit outside and read. I might take a little photo venture tomorrow. If I do, I'll post some of the images up for you.

As for the big projects, one that was stressful was my final video for my design class.

Check out the video.


Having no past experience in video, making a short film was a crazy concept to me and after having finished I'm so proud that I'm doing what I'm doing. I've learned so much and improved not only in my creative skills, but also in my people skills. The University of Illinois is amazing and I am so happy to be here!

The video was supposed to be conceptual and for me it explains how I feel about a lot of the relationships I have with various people in my life.

I also had a midterm for my drawing class that studied juxtaposition. Here is my final piece:



What can I say, I like gnomes. The whole piece is bittersweet, but again, after finishing I felt as though I could tackle anything. The media I used, Prismacolor art markers, was intoxicating (literally and figuratively) and the process was beautiful. I hope that I can do things like this in the future.

But the biggest relief came with finishing my portfolio. Ah... that was an intense procedure. The criteria for the portfolio was ten images. No more, no less. I could include up to two film clips and two professional writing clips.

Choosing the images was the hardest part, but I believe I made a good decision.

The Images

Let me explain this image:



So I did this the third or fourth drawing class I had in college. Now when it comes to drawing, I'm terrified. I don't view myself as a very good drawer. But after doing this, I felt like I could do it. I have this piece hanging up in my room and it reminds me that if I feel like I can't do something, I can. Self motivation is the best. This little cabbage might not be the prettiest, but it makes me feel like I can do anything, which makes it beautiful in my eyes.

So yeah, that's what is going on in the art world for me. Hope you all are having a wonderful life.

Caravaggio, Ti Amo

I looked it up, and that's supposed to mean I love you in Italian... works for me.

As the title states, I love Caravaggio.


The Calling of Saint Matthew Caravaggio (c. 1599-1600)

This is a beautiful, and one of the more well-known, works of his genius.

Basically, through reading through some of Bellori's Lives of the Modern Painters, Sculptors, and Architects, I have come to an understanding that Caravaggio was more or less a douchebag of the late 16th-early 17th centuries. Even more reason to like him!

Everyone hated him, he hated them right back, he "wasn't pleasant to look at", and he was a fugitive his entire life. Bellori writes, "In a ball game, he had an argument with one of his young friends and they began to beat each other with the rackets. Finally, they resorted to arms, and Caravaggio killed the youth and was also wounded himself." Heh. Even his friends were his enemies.

Then he fled Rome to Zagorolo to Naples to Malta to Sicily back to Naples and then was pardoned and allowed to return to Rome. Arriving in Rome he was mistaken for someone else and arrested, but soon released. This fueled his anxiety and he ran around the beaches in the summer heat, exhausted himself, got a fever, and died.

The life of an artist.

But his life doesn't define why I admire him. I look more to his look on creating work. He disregarded the works of ancient masters like Raphael, because it was "unnatural". Instead he used a lot of natural elements. The color black, filth, and heavy shadows set him apart and also generated harsh criticism from his contemporaries.

But his work redefined the art of painting. Too bad he didn't live to see it.





Madonna of Loreto Caravaggio (c. 1604)

My favorite painting by Caravaggio. I love the dirt on the prayers feet, the humbleness, the dark setting, and the holiness of the Virgin and Child through their cleanliness in the filthy street. It's beautiful.








So that's just something I've been thinking about for the past week. Wanted to get it off my chest. Also, I need to practice if I'm going to go into art history.

Hope you all have a wonderful weekend, the sun is beginning to shine and spring is around the corner!