We Talkin' About Practice?

Feb 20—Week 7: 

What is your daily practice like?

Most of the practice I get is based around projects. For me the things in life that I have mastered (or become best at) have never been learned through a traditional practice method. 

For example my drumming (trust me, I'm not bad; see drumming here: http://youtu.be/70wcUYR3uRI

When I was just learning drums we tried 3 different times to do the traditional "practice/teacher" thing, I'm not the type and I never have been, but over time, through my own methods and, as I said in the other blog topic, through working through problems and road blocks one at a time, you build up a repertoire of not-so-bad skills that can be strung together to make some pretty good stuff.
I do wish that I stuck to my apps more, like TED radio for example, I would be a genius if I listened for an hour a day, but I tend to listen for three days, then get bored or distracted or whatever and the use trails off. I would like to be more disciplined in terms of those.


Signing Off.
ChieftainLife

I Mustache You A Question

Feb 13—Week 6: 

On Tuesday you’ll see (or you saw, depending on when you’re reading this) several of my most recent films. While not completely animated, there were lots of effects elements in them, which makes them fair game for us to talk about here. With a few days distance from the screening, what thoughts or questions do you have about them? You questions can be structural, technical, business-based, logistical, philosophical, or anything else. I’ll try to respond as best I can.

I was wondering how your film making has changed over the years, mainly from a technological stand point, and where you think our focus should shift as young aspiring media developers. For example, would you have focused more on starting doing digital non-linear editing or stuck to film longer?

How do you create your stories? How do you work on a small budget and motivate others to work (work hard, work well, make deadlines) with little to no pay? These are all issues I've been dealing with while creating film and other media (photo shoots, web site designs, graphic design, video shoots, music production) lately.

In an era where you can do everything yourself, what should you NOT do? (They say a life of success is made by choosing the "nots" rather than the obvious actions).

Just something to chew on.

Thank you.

Signing Off.
ChieftainLife

Doing This

Feb 6--Week 5

I've had 4 different majors in 5 years.  I started out as a journalist.  Hated it.  Then I was an advertising major.  Didn't work out.  I ventured to history. Old.  Finally, I've landed in Media Arts.  It's treated me well.

It satisfies my need for creative ideas and technology.  I like knowing how things come to be.  I like seeing things that have come to be.  Media arts, and this class, are a fusion of both.

So in the famous words of my girlfriend (during arguments): "Why not?"

Wookies

January 30 --Week 4

Open-ended is the best.  Some people get discouraged.  Some get overwhelmed . And some suffer from every stress symptom of "creators block",  and develop a disease they googled on WebMD (it was Mom's lasagna from last night, made worse by a case of hypochondria).

I don't suffer from empty-brain syndrome.  If anything, I'm a victim of too-full-brain syndrome.  But that means my creative process is a pull v. a push.

My ideation process doesn't really ever stop.  That means when it comes to picking a subject matter for an animation, it's pretty easy.  What's not easy is the next step; focusing and making my ideas real.  I'm inspired by things I like: Nike Lowdunks, Wookies, and augmented reality.  But my original idea for characters who are Nike-Lowdunks-wearing Wookies who live in a space of augmented reality falls flat when it gets to the draft stage.

I'd say the process has been working 50% of the time.  The other 50% I end up with Wookie memes I made on PS in my mad dash.  They don't seem as funny the next day.

Monster's Sink Storyboard

Thank you.
-Austin