STUDY 3 CREATIVE BRIEF

QUESTION

1. What QUESTIONS are motivating the creative project you are proposing?

How are you going to inspire the change you wish to see in the world? What impact do you feel your work possesses in order to create change?

2. How do these questions relate to the guiding questions of "Topic 3: Manifesting Vision"?

These questions allude to the future in which I hope to inhabit. As general and open-ended as they may be, it allows one to really reflect upon their own morals and values with which they may hold close to them. In keeping with this, I hope to inspire and create change through my work, whatever that may be...

3. Why is the exploration of these questions important or relevant?

I feel it imperative that we all have some sort of understanding about how we envision our future; be it through goals, dreams, etc. These guide us along our paths through life and allow one to make more informed decisions as to the choices they make and the effect these choices may have on themselves, others, and/or the world around them.

4. How does your proposed project demonstrate your willingness to question assumptions you may have about yourself and your values, in relation to those of others?

For this final project, I want to do something that not only inspires others, but is also a personal tidbit of myself so to speak. In delving a little deeper into my own life and creating this project, I feel others will not only become more knowledgeable about the issue I am bringing to the table, but also give others a little more insight into the kind of person I am. Regardless of the knowledge one my have of this specific issue, I hope to encourage a more open-minded atmosphere as well.

EXPLORE

1. How are you RESEARCHING & EXPLORING possible answers to your questions?

Majority of this project thus far has just been internet research and personal reflection. Given the nature of the issue and my personal experience, I'm pretty knowledgeable on the different aspects concerning it...

2. Write one quote, fact, statistic, or other piece of research that you plan to use in your Rationale. What is the significance of this research & exploration for your project?

"95% of those with HIV die from something totally not related to the disease itself..."

Many people view this disease as a death sentence and it's because of this that stigmas and stereotypes are created. In keeping with my ultimate goal, I thought is random piece of knowledge might give a little insight in that it isn't the end of the world and there's so much more to this issue than what people see. My goal is to change that.

3. What were your assumptions, pre-conceptions, and biases about your subject before beginning your research? (Don't write "none"... Pre-conceptions can be both positive and negative).

Well, going back to before I found out, I was EXTREMELY ignorant about the whole idea of HIV. It scared me. When I found out I had it, I was shell-shocked. I now found myself on the other side of the fence and as one can imagine, it took time to accept it. But as we all know, time can change many things, and as I alluded to in the previous question, I came to realize there's so much more to this disease and I'm quite confident I'll grow to a ripe old age. =)

4. What is your response to the information and research you have gathered so far?

Being that I've been educated on this issue many times over, nothing is really new to me. I plan on using this to my advantage and imparting this knowledge onto others when I present.


COMMUNICATE

1. Describe what you are planning to do for your project. What will it look like, sound like, feel like? What materials & media do you propose to use?

At the moment, I plan on starting a "mock" HIV Awareness and Prevention campaign. I'd like to think my work stands out and in keeping with that, I want my project to be bold and "attention-grabbing"...

2. How does the proposed project communicate your originality and willingness to take some risks?

In keeping with what I love and my major, Graphic Design. I plan on creating ads and marketing that are eye-openers yet visually captivating.

3. Describe the target audience. Who are they? What do they care about?

This is mainly for those living with HIV along with those who may have no clue as to what HIV is all about. I can't really say who and how much one will get out of what I create.

4. How do you want the target audience to interact with the proposed project?

I want the viewers to be inspired, uplifted, and made aware of the issue at hand. My hope is that everyone is able to gain SOMETHING, ANYTHING from my project.

5. What you hope the proposed project will inspire others to consider?

I want my project to do many things. I just hope everyone leaves inspired, not just by my topic itself, but in general as well; to not judge a book by it's cover and to leave a little more knowledge.

EVALUATE

1. How is the proposed project influenced by your own experience?

It's influenced directly because I've been living with it for over two years now. I felt it important to take a more personal approach in coming up with a topic for my final study.

2. How does the proposed project connect to the lessons, exercises and texts we have experienced in class?

As with everything I've created so far in class, it's just another reflection of my work ethic and what's important to me and the values I hold in high regard.

3. Describe how your project is related to or inspired by another project or artist (either one we have seen inside class or something you’ve discovered on your own).

I've really been inspired by Adam Bouska's "NOH8" campaign. He's a well-known (gay) photographer and his campaign has been to spread awareness about being tolerant towards others. It's not directly related to HIV, but the idea of his work is. In doing what he does best, he has been able to spread a message of peace and love through his work. It's really awesome!

4. How does your proposed project utilize specific information in order to avoid generalizations, clichés, and stereotypes about your subject matter?

Well, being that my topic is very specific, I'm kind of coming out of the other end of the spectrum. I'm assuming that no one in class has really any knowledge of HIV itself, just generalizations and possible lessons learned from other classes. I'm just going to be bringing about awareness to something that others may not know much about...

5. How will you measure success for this project?

I'm not really going to measure success really. As much as I hope to inspire others and for them to leave more aware, this is something that is important to me, and regardless of how others may respond, I'll stand by it no matter what because I'm really pouring my heart into this. =)

RESEARCH & EXPLORATION FOR FINAL STUDY

Upon drawing inspiration from process lab 8, I decided I'd like to draw from my major and use what I know to create ads for HIV AWARENESS and PREVENTION. I figured in pushing the boundaries of the requirements of the final study and combining my own experience in living with this disease, I think it would be a very inspiring collection of marketing to answer the question; HOW DO I PLAN ON MAKING A DIFFERENCE? It gives an answer to a specific issue with which I have first hand experience and it will give me the opportunity to share this with the class and possibly beyond it...

In living with this disease, I was educated on the issue through and through. Most of what I know now is just tidbits and random facts which could take me days to go through. I'd much rather present this information in the ads I create... =)

STUDY 3 IDEAS

For study 3, the questions I will be focusing on our:

What is your vision of the future you wish to inhabit, and what empowers you to make that vision manifest?

AND...

How shall we best articulate and advocate our vision for the kind of work that matters?

Upon reflecting on these questions, I've really become inspired by how I see the future and also given a lot of thought as to what it will take to manifest this vision.

I've also given a lot of thought about the past. Looking back on the past year of my life, things have changed so dramatically and I've encountered many experiences along the way that I never thought I would ever experience. From getting my own apartment in Chicago, enrolling in college, moving downtown, landing a job that I like, so on and so forth... Time changes many things and there's no telling what lies ahead. All I've learned is that taking the path less traveled is the best way to go!

Overall, I'd like to come up with something that shows where I've been and where I'm going...

In exploring and researching this topic, all I know at this point is that I'd like to express this journey by incorporating my major; Graphic Design, and coming up with something using software most often used by professionals in the industry. As my creations are often out of spontaneous inspiration, I have no clue what the final product will be at this point... But as I alluded to, part of my exploration in this study will be learning software such as Photoshop and Illustrator to come up with my actual study and then as far as research goes, I can't say. I have to come up with a concrete question for myself first which is something I'm still formulating...

So far, I keep thinking: How do our past perceptions of our future coincide with how they actually manifest in the present?

STUDY 2

RATIONALE 2 ROUGH DRAFT

**Delaney and I are still in the process of finalizing our proposal so my rough draft only consists of some of our research and information collected from one of our interviews. I will be adding a more thought-provoking introduction and filling in the major gaps for the final rationale once we figure everything out…**

A drag queen is a person, usually a man, who dresses and acts like a woman, often for the purposes of performing and entertaining. There are many different kinds of drag queens, a.k.a. drag artists. Some do it professionally and have gone as far as starring in movies, while others do it just once. Whatever the case, performing drag artists are among the most misunderstood and misinterpreted individuals in their craft.

Upon interviewing my good friend Heith who had been a drag artist professionally for over 8 years, he really opened my eyes to a whole different side of what it means to be a drag queen. Up until that point, all I was told is that doing drag is merely a cover because the people that do it aren’t content with who they are in real life and this is just their way of coping with that insecurity. (PLACE QUOTE FROM HEITH’S INTERVIEW HERE)

This to me was just another lesson in that one should never judge a book by its cover. There may be so much more than what meets the eye and with this being said, Delaney and I felt this diverse group of individuals would not only be a fun and interesting topic to cover, but eye-opening and thought-provoking as well…

While conducting our research, the idea of transforming one’s self was very intriguing to us. What does it really mean to transform one’s self from a complete male to a female and vice versa? And how might we bring awareness to this deeper, underlying meaning?

In answering these questions, Delaney and I began our journey by interviewing my friend Heith. As I mentioned earlier, Heith was a professional drag artist for over 8 years. He’s currently a make-up artist residing in Los Angeles and is making quite a name for himself these days! His drag artist career developed out of his passion for make-up. (INSERT QUOTE ABOUT HOW HE LIKED MAKE-UP AND THE IDEA OF ILLUSION).

IDEAS FOR STUDY 2

My partner for this Study is Delaney Becker. I chose her because I've noticed that both of us are very outgoing and I believe that will set the stage for a wonderful working relationship.

Delaney and I are still in the process of brainstorming for ideas. After initial discussions, we came up with the idea of having our study be about the Taste of Minnesota since we are broth from there. It's a very diverse celebration wherein people from all over the state come together and enjoy great weather, food, and performances!

Since we're still up in the air with this topic and believe it is too broad, we weren't able to go to the library to do research. As I stated, our topic is not in concrete but what we do know is that we want something that we're both passionate about and expresses who we are as well...

Stay tuned!

STUDY 1

LAYER CAKE

How does this exhibit communicate to audience members who haven't experienced quinceanera and those who have?

Those that have never experienced a quinceanera will gain a deeper understanding of the celebration in that it's not just another birthday party... It's symbolic of the transition that these young ladies go through as they become women. A time for celebrating their acceptance and acknowledgement into the world of adulthood and responsibility. The artwork is very symbolic of the struggle that these artists have overcome to become the professionals that they are today. The exhibit, for me, became more of an inspiration because all of these artists were infusing their backgrounds and culture into their passion.

For those that have actually experienced the celebration, I can only imagine how much they'd relate to the exhibit itself. With each artist's story, I feel it would only parallel the experiences they've gone through in their own life.

How does it relate to Marjane's coming of age in Persepolis and to the rights of passage in your own life?

As I stated above, I love how the artists infused their backgrounds into their work because it became so much more than the actual celebration itself. It became an inspiration to me because it not only told their individual stories, but also the progressions they've made throughout their careers.

In relating this to Marjane's story, I felt that underlying theme throughout Persepolis and the exhibit was about staying true to yourself and your culture. Despite all the conflict in her country, she had the strength to stand against all the adversity that she faced. While she was growing up, she had to cope with the constant changes which I believe helped shape her into the young woman she was destined to be. At the end when her parents decided to send her to Austria, she had no choice to grow up in that instant because after that, she wouldn't have her parents to guide her. It would all be up to her.

The exhibit didn't really touch base on too much of the artists' personal histories, but I can only imagine how each of them have become the people they are today. I appreciated how the artwork may have seemed simple but the message was very clear. It gives the audience a glimpse into just one part of their culture and background through various types of media which in turn came together and presented everything into one cohesive presentation.

I haven't really had any cultural rights of passage myself. For me, the major ones would be getting my license, turning 18 and being considered an adult, and then turning 21 and having the privilege to drink, etc etc. I believe in today's day and age, especially in American culture, these are three very important rights of passage.

I remember turning 16 and passing all my driver's education courses, it was an amazing feeling. Then going on to passing the driver's test, it felt even better! My license gave me independence and in a sense, I had to grow up because with this came extra responsibility... When I turned 18, it was important for me because it's the age one is legally considered an adult. That entails even more responsibility. Then more recently, my 21^st birthday. I now have the privilege to drink. Nothing major but for me it was more so important because it was the final hump. I'm a full-fledged adult. No more waiting. =)

After reading Persepolis and experiencing this exhibit, I've found a renewed inspiration in the importance of staying true to myself and my past. No matter what anybody says, the only person that can define me is ME! Our past shapes us into the people we are today and it's that much more important to pass these lessons on to future generations.

Everyone has their own story to tell and I'm appreciative to have the means to express myself and even more grateful at the opportunity to learn from others...

PERSEPOLIS

QUOTE I LIKED MOST

"In life you'll meet a lot of jerks. If they hurt you, tell yourself that it's because they're stupid. That will help keep you from reacting to their cruelty. Because there is nothing worse than bitterness and vengeance... Always keep your dignity and be true to yourself..." Page 150

This is my favorite quote because it's not only something I live by, but something I found to be a common theme throughout Marji's story...

Her strong sense of self and abounding determination amongst the face of adversity really proved that during the lowest of lows, you must always have faith and the strength to stay true to yourself and your family... :)

QUESTIONS

1.) Why was wearing the veil so important? Was it a way for men to show superiority by making the women "hide"? What did the veil represent?

2.) Religion plays a huge role throughout the book. I wonder how much influence it had on her understanding of the major events that she experienced in her life during that time. Did it have a major impact? What about her family and friends?

3.) Heroism seems to be another underlying theme throughout the book. I've always had an admiration for those who stand up for what they believe in... What does it mean to be a hero?

As one of the girls stated as she was referring to her father "I wish my father was alive and in jail than dead and a hero..." At what cost does it take to be considered a hero? Would you consider Marji one?

OTHER QUOTES THAT INTRIGUED ME...

"You must base everything on these three rules: Behave well, Speak well, Act well..." Page 7

"After a long sleep of 2500 years, the revolution has finally awakened the people...2500 years of tyranny and submission" Page 11

"Guns may shoot and knives may carve, but we won't wear your silly scarves..." Page 76

"The key to paradise was for poor people, thousands of young kids, promised a better life, exploded on the minefields with their keys around their necks..." Page 102

"To die a martyr is to inject blood into the veins of society..." Page 115

"Back then, Michael Jackson was still black..." Page 133