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Proposal

My proposal is going to document two very different events throughout the next week. Throughout my time in the Rutgers Business School, I have been forced to wear a suit many times for different classes, presentations, and networking events. While this has prepared me for the professional workplace, these occasions often seem very artificial and forced.

I will be giving an important final presentation on Thursday morning that my group and I have been working on for the entirety of the semester. This will take place off campus at the Silver Line window factory in North Brunswick. Executive members of Silver Line’s Supply Chain department will be in attendance. This portion of my documentary will document the more stressful side of wearing a suit that I have experienced at Rutgers.

I want to contrast this with footage of a “formal” that I’ll be attending at my favorite bar. My friends are holding a formal for their birthday where everybody will be dressed up in more formal attire. I want to use this event to juxtapose the stressful presentation with footage of my friends and I having fun at this event.

Selfie Project

My selfie project is going to document my record listening habits for about two weeks. I got into collecting records about 2 years ago. I frequently go to flea markets in my spare time where there is always inexpensive records for sale. After frequently digging through records at these flea markets I finally caved and bought a turntable, a receiver, and speakers. One thing that particularly attracted me to collecting records is the large album artwork. It feels special to own the original format of an album with the large 12′’ by 12′’ artwork and album notes. While I previously bought only used records, this habit has spiraled out of control and I have accumulated a significant amount of new releases over the last several years.

The process of listening to records has become habitual for me. One of the first things that I do every morning when I wake up is thumb through my collection and pick out a record to listen to while I start my day. I am going to document my daily listening habits through my selfie project. I am going to take a picture of the album that I am listening to on a particular morning and then attempt to recreate this album cover using Snapchat. I am going to use a selfie stick. I plan on incorporating props, other people, filters, emojis, and text to accomplish this. I’d ideally like to create a video compilation comparing the album cover with my recreation, accompanied by a snippet of my favorite song from the particular album.

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20 Questions with Soph

My initial idea was to interview my best friend, but unfortunately, because of conflicting schedules, I was not able to do it. So instead I interviewed my younger sister Sophia. She is a 14-year-old teen in middle school, I thought it would be interesting to compare different points of view to find differences and similarities between our generations. My inspiration for random questions came from Vogue’s video interviews called “73 Questions”

Q: Name 3 artist that you are listening to? Why?

A: Kanye West because of his style and fashion are out of the box

Kendrick Lamar because he raps about relevant issues

J. Cole his lyrics have meaning.

Q: Name 2 woman you look up to. Why?

A: Malala Yousafzai because I feel like us as girls, we take school for granted, we don’t realize the great opportunity we have. She gave women a voice.

Mom because I feel as if she is able to do anything.

Q: What celebrity do you think negative influence to your generation?

A: Well I have a lot, XXXTentacion his lyrics are bad, and he’s been in jail for battery, abuse.

Famous Dexter same reasons

Q: What is a subject in school you feel you are never going to use?

A: Project and Solving- all we do is create random projects.

Q: What is one law that you think is unnecessary?

A: Kids are not allowed sharpies, I’m not sure if it’s true but I feel as if it is unnecessary.

Q: How feel about Trump?

A: He’s not open minded. Honestly, no one in school likes him. He’s just racist and acts childish.

Q: If you could live anywhere in the world for a year where would you live?

A: Tokyo, Japan; The culture intrigues me. It’s a city that I always wanted to visit and live in.

Q: Nikes or Adidas? Why?

A: Nikes because I’ve always had nikes. They are classics.

Q: If you won the lottery what would be the first thing you would buy?

A: I would buy an island so I can escape whenever I wanted.

Q: Friend, Marry, Kill? Kanye, Kendrick, and J Cole?

A: Friend- Kendrick

Marry- J Cole

Kill- Kanye

Q: What do you think is the biggest threat to humanity

A: Humans themselves, all the greed.

Q: What do you think High School is like?

A: The same thing as Middle School, just bigger and more classes.

Q: One good thing about Franklin (the town we are from)?

A: The schools are not bad, they are divirse.

Q: Bad?

A: Students care more about socializing than education.

Q: If you could ask any celebrity any question, dead or alive; who and what?

A: Kendrick- Tell me about growing up in Compton

Q: Top 3 most important social medias

A: Instagram

Twitter

Snap Chat

Q: A celebrity that best represented Latinas?

A: Selena Quintanilla

She was proud of her Hispanic background

Q: What do you think college is like?

A: Lots of homework, classes, always running late.

Lots of parties

Q: How do you feel about Rutgers?

A: It doesn’t look bad, it seems diverse, I wouldn’t mind going there.

Q: What is one thing that you are thinking about right now?

A: I want to sleep

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I like the style of this interview. It is very random and concise. When reading music or entertainment publications, I think this style of interview gives the reader a strong understanding of a person’s personality and asks questions you didn’t know you even wanted to know about a person. I think it may have been beneficial to go into a bit more depth with some of the questions.This would have given the reader a deeper understanding of your sister’s thoughts on some of the more compelling and thought-provoking questions where a 14-year-old may answer differently than most demographics.

Interview

“Why would anybody want to hear about this?!” This is my sister Emma’s response to my request to interview her about her soccer career. Emma is currently a midfielder on the Montclair State University women’s soccer team. This is an NCAA Division 3 soccer team. Recently there have been debates about whether collegiate athletes should be paid to represent their schools at the Division 1 level. At the Division 3 level, players put much of the same commitment into their team with only a small fraction of the perks that Division 1 players receive. There are no scholarships. The team has to pay for their own equipment.

Earlier this year, Emma experienced her second ACL tear in under four years. For her, this is just another inconvenience separating her from the game she loves to play. From an outsider’s perspective, this another physically and mentally crushing injury.

Emma and I have a relationship based on mostly sarcasm and humor. It was strange to sit down with her and have a serious discussion about her future as a soccer player. The discussion brought out more introspective side of her personality that I didn’t particularly realize was there. While all of the discussions we’ve had throughout her 19 years of life have been informal and conversational, this interview felt more serious.

While Emma asked me “Why would anybody want to hear about this?”, I had several “Why?” questions for her as well, regarding her future as a soccer player at the collegiate level. This is the interview that I conducted with Emma:

Matt : “So what attracted you to the sport of soccer as a young child?”

Emma: “Well, I grew up on the sidelines watching you for the majority of my young childhood. As a child, I was always extremely active and soccer served as a more constructive outlet to let out some of this energy. Mom and Dad would try to take me to see movies in the theaters when I was younger and I would spend the majority of the movie running up and down the aisles. Soccer was an activity where I could run around for an hour on Saturday mornings. I think it served as more of an outlet to release energy rather than a genuine passion when I played 4 vs. 4 on Saturday mornings when I was 5.

Matt: “You grew up playing several sports as a child. You played softball and even street hockey. Why was Soccer the sport that you chose to pursue passionately as you began to get older?

Emma: “Softball was too boring for me. I hated standing there for 6 innings and only getting to touch the ball a couple of times. Street hockey was a lot of fun though. There were just too many boys! Soccer was the sport that kept me most engaged and where I met the best group of people. I’ve met most of my best friends through the sport. It also helped that it was the sport that I was the best at.”

Matt: “Describe the process of being recruited seriously by division 1 schools and tearing your ACL during that process”

Emma: “ I actually tore my ACL my sophomore year of high school while at a soccer clinic at St. Joseph’s University in Philadelphia. Doctor’s initially thought that I sprained my knee but about a week later the injury was diagnosed as a torn ACL. This was difficult for me. My whole life I wanted to play Division 1 college soccer. I wanted to be the the girl that the younger girls in the travel programs looked up to. When I was younger I looked up to the girls that were talented enough to play at the Division 1 level in our town. I was talking to a few mid-major Division 1 schools such as Temple and Drexel about joining their program after high school. I even went on a visit to Temple where it seemed like I’d be offered a scholarship.

This interest quickly went away after I tore my ACL. These coaches couldn’t waste their scholarships on me. They had to move on to the next best next player. They didn’t know if I’d be able to come back and play at the same level. It was frustrating but I understood it.”

Matt: “How rewarding was it to get back onto the field for your senior year after rehabbing for about a year?”

Emma: “It was honestly bittersweet. It felt great to get out on the field with my friends but it was a reminder that I had a long way to go. I rehabbed several times a week throughout the nine-month rehab process but I definitely in shape to play soccer at a high level. I also lost most of my “touch” on the ball. I felt like a baby giraffe for most of the early part of senior year.”

Matt: “So how did you go about deciding to play for MSU? Did you ever think about not playing soccer and pursuing a particular school for academic or social reasons?”

Emma: “It never crossed my mind that I wouldn’t play soccer in college. I made my decision based on a combination of where I could play soccer at and what school’s campus I liked the most. While most of the Division 1 schools stopped reaching out to me after my injury, MSU’s coach, Patrick, would check up on me often. He’d call and send letters to the house. That was one of the main factors in choosing Montclair. He just believed in me when other coaches didn’t.”

Matt : “Sooooo... in November it happened again. Except for this time, it was your opposite ACL. However, you had a successful surgery and are rehabbing to return for next season. Why have you decided yo continue playing soccer and go through another strenuous rehab process when there is little incentive for you to continue to play?”

Emma: “This rehab process has been particularly rough for me. I’m required to be involved in team activities but I have to sit on the sideline and watch. Even though there isn’t a financial incentive for me to continue playing, I just can’t imagine my life without soccer. It is one of the few things that I’m actually passionate about. I don’t particularly like school but I love soccer! I just couldn’t imagine attending a school where I don’t have the ability to play soccer on a high level on a daily basis. My teammates are also awesome. They are my best friends on campus. I’d have a tough time without being around them on a daily basis.”

Matt: “ Thank you for your time, Emma. I’m sure the devoted Montclair State University Red Hawks nation is excited to see you back on the field in the fall! One final question, how does it feel to be the member of the McLaughlin with the weakest knees?”

Emma: “I had to even out my knees with another injury! At least I played soccer long enough to actually get injured!”

Interview Questions

I have not had the ability to actually conduct my interview. I will be conducting my interview with my sister via Google hangouts at 7 o’clock this evening. Here are the questions I have formulated for the interview tonight. I expect the interview to last between 5 to 10 minutes.

What age did you begin playing soccer and what initially got you interested in the sport?

Why did you choose soccer as the sport you would pursue seriously?

Was there ever a point where you go “burnt out” from the sport playing it at a high level throughout your childhood?

How was the recruiting process prior to getting injured in high school?

Describe the injury and the process of returning to the field for your senior year of high school.

Deciding between different opportunities when applying for college.

What has made you want to continue to rehab and continue to play soccer in the future when there is very little external motivation at the division 3 level?

Do you think that you would be able to survive at school without the close bond of teammates?

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Interview Proposal

For my interview, I’m thinking of interviewing my boyfriend(yeah cliche, easy, or so you would think) who is visiting all the way from Sweden. But it’s not about the long distance that I want to interview him on(because I mean I’m going through it too), nor is it really what’s going on in Sweden that I want to ask him about either. Rather, I want to ask him about being multi-lingual. He currently knows 3 languages, Swedish, English, and Japanese. So I want to interview him about how it feels to learn three languages because of 1) being born into the language, 2) having to learn the language in order to communicate with a majority of the world, and 3) learning a language for personal interest.

If possible, I would like to do this interview in all three languages(with proper English translations) though I’m not sure if I should also speak in Swedish and Japanese(I’m also trying to learn both myself).

But for the interview itself I would like to do it in kinetic novel format if there is enough time, which means a visual storybook of sorts, I plan to commission a fellow classmate for artwork that would represent myself and the interviewee in the novel. As well as input audio/voice acting in the kinetic novel so that everyone can hear the languages instead of just reading.

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I think this is an interesting proposal with a great deal of potential. The interviewee has a unique background that is uncommon and interesting to hear about. I think the concept of the visual storybook is a novel way to portray the interview. I think that this is an effective way to intertwine the different languages while still providing the English subtitles. I think you should also discuss the influence of these languages on your boyfriend’s personal life and how it has molded him as a person. How have these languages expanded his social interactions and how have they altered his interests and passions? I think this interview has the potential to be both visually stimulating and thought provoking.

Interview Proposal

For my interview, I want to have a discussion with my sister. She is currently a freshman on the Montclair State University Women’s soccer team. While she was in high school, she tore her ACL as a Junior. This was difficult for her because she had several division 1 schools interested in offering her scholarships prior to her injury. By the time she returned for her senior year, much of this interest had waned, as coaches were unable to offer a player with a major injury a position on their team.

While she no longer had interest from division 1 teams, several lower profile schools still had interest in her. She eventually decided that she was going to play soccer for Montclair State which is a division 3 team.

During a game this fall, she tore her other ACL and she is currently rehabbing to come back and play for the upcoming season.

The main topic of the interview will be discussing her rehab process and her decision to continue to play soccer. Rehabbing from an ACL tear is a major process. There is also very little external motivation to continue playing soccer at the division 3 level. She is receiving no financial compensation or scholarships for playing soccer for the University. I want to explore what makes her want to continue to play soccer despite her second major injury and the lack of motivation to continue to play the game.

Considering that we are at different schools at the moment, the interview may be difficult to conduct in person. It is more likely that this interview will be conducted via phone, skype, or email. I’d like to present it in a way that is visually stimulating. While I am not familiar with many video editing applications, I’d like to look into video animation applications to present my interview.

Ocean Vuong Discussion

“This is great! But when are you going to open your own nail salon?” – Ocean Vuong’s mother’s thoughts about Ocean’s career as a poet

In his discussion, Ocean Vuong discussed his family in great depth. He discussed how his family emigrated from Vietnam. After immigrating to America, many of his family members worked in nail salons to support their families. He mentioned the ultimate goal of his family members’ was to eventually save enough money through their work at the nail salon to eventually open a salon of their own. When discussing Ocean’s career as a poet, his mother mentioned something along the lines of, “This is great! But when are you going to open your own nail salon?”. This question made me recognize how profound Ocean’s accomplishments as a poet are. He comes from an environment where his family members are unable to recognize how talented Ocean is due to language barriers. It took Ocean’s mom attending her son’s live poetry reading for her to realize that Ocean was not destined to polish nails for a living. While his mom was unable to decipher what Ocean was actually saying in his poems, this realization occurred when “a bunch of old white people” cheered for him at the conclusion of his presentation. Despite Ocean immigrating to the United States around Kindergarten, he was able to master the English language to the point where he is able to produce meaningful art with his words and stylistic choices.

Ocean mentioned that he now feels like the “scribe” of his family. As his family members discovered that he wrote a book of poems of an autobiographical nature in his latest work Night Sky with Exit Wounds, they came to him with stories that they felt were worth telling. While these family members previously felt their stories were not worth telling, Ocean has empowered these people. These people are unable to speak the English language well but Ocean is able to tell his family’s stories in ways that are beautiful and abstract.

Another thing that I found interesting was when Ocean was talking about Jazz in comparison to poetry. One student asked Ocean what his favorite Miles Davis album is and while answering he talked about a particular moment in a song. He describes a moment saying “That part is great! I have no idea what it means but I’m still trying to figure it out. I’m trying to replicate that moment in a poem but I still haven’t figured out how to do that either”. There was something about that this sentiment that I found to be particularly interesting. While Ocean is a poet and his art is word based, he is trying to capture a moment in writing that is sonically based. I think that this is a testament to Ocean’s emphasis on syntax and the structure of his writing. Jazz is a genre of music that is based in rhythm and spacing and I think Ocean’s work is very similar in a sense. Ocean attempting to replicate this moment is him searching for the proper combination of words, commas, periods, and line breaks to evoke the feeling that he gets during a particular moment of a Miles Davis song.

Another aspect of Ocean that I noticed when speaking was how meticulous and methodical he was when answering questions. When answering, it felt that every word he said was meaningful and added value to the question that he was answering. I think an example of this being true was when the moderator asked him how many poems were left out of his latest book of poems. He ultimately said that this book of an accumulation of most of his life’s work. Out of the 50 “good” poems that he had written in his lifetime, Ocean included 36 of them in his newest publication. This shows how meticulous Ocean is as a speaker, thinker, and poet. He believed that the majority of his life’s work was worthy of sharing to the general public. These poems are carefully crafted and each word adds value to the final product.

Ocean was also asked a question about how he handles writer’s block during the discussion. One sentiment that I found particularly interesting was how he didn’t particularly like the term. Ocean discussed how the term implied that production is a main component of value. When I asked Ocean about his writing process, he answered the question vaguely only offering, “I write at night”. For a poet like Ocean, I believe that he is more concerned with the content of his work rather than the rate at which he is able to produce it.

Ocean was genuinely a thought provoking speaker and his discussion was one of the more interesting in-class experiences that I have had at Rutgers. His ability to answer difficult, philosophical questions with candor and grace was particularly impressive. While I have not had the chance to explore his poetry in depth, this discussion made me a fan of Ocean Vuong.

Tangerine Respone

“You’re breaking up with him? Thank God! For him to be cheating on you like that! … wait you didn’t know?”

Alexandria, one of the film’s main characters, mentions this to her fellow transgender prostitute friends, Sin-Dee, in passing as they eat donuts together on Christmas Eve. This is the interaction that prompts a day-long wild goose chase throughout Los Angeles that eventually culminates in a screaming match between several prostitutes, a pimp, an Armenian cab driver and his mother-in-law at a donut shop called Donut Time.

I thought this film was incredibly stimulating and fast paced. There was very little plot progression, the film only taking place over the course of several hours of the day. The climax of the movie was also a bit underwhelming in terms of actual action. At times, the film almost felt like a reality television show rather than a cinematic piece with a meticulous plot and climax. While there is little meaningful plot in the movie, the characters and urgent pace of the film kept me engaged throughout. The characters, especially Sin-Dee, who dominated much of the movies, spoke with a sense of urgency throughout the film. She was quick-witted and often spoke before thinking. The film is also edited in a manner that is choppy and up-tempo. The cameras cut sporadically from character to character throughout casual conversations in the film. I believe this is an artistic decision that contributes to the upbeat tempo of the film.

I also thought the music choice in this film was interesting and added to the fast paced style of the cinematography. While it would have been the natural choice to choose a predominantly hip-hop based soundtrack given the location and the demographics of the characters, the director chose to use more EDM-based hip hop music throughout the film. I think this contributed to the up-tempo pace of this film. This was most notable during the first scene of the movie as Sin-Dee and Alexandria leave to find Dinah and a very high tempo dance track is played. I think this scene, paired with the high energy track, set the tempo for the entirety of the film.

I also enjoyed the progression of events between Sin-Dee and Alexandria. Throughout the film it becomes apparent that they are best friends that genuinely care for each other. Despite Sin-Dee being in the midst of dragging Dinah throughout the city in the pursuit of bringing her to Chester, she realizes that she is going to miss Alexandria’s performance at the lounge. She chooses to bring Dinah to the performance rather than bringing her straight to Chester. Alexandria handed out flyers for her performance all day and Sin-Dee was the only person that actually showed up to support her, despite being in the midst of her revenge on Dinah. This displays that Sin-Dee truly values Alexandria’s friendship. She inconveniences herself to attend an event to support her friend’s passions even though she is in the pursuit of seeking revenge on her fiance’s mistress.

One of the most crushing moments in the film is when it is discovered that Alexandria slept with Sin-Dee’s fiancé, Chester. Despite Dinah sleeping with Chester upwards of 10 times, Sin-Dee is particularly devastated by Alexandria’s betrayal. Sin-Dee manages to brush off Chester’s relationship with Dinah as a business relationship. It seems that she is able to dismiss the fact Chester cheated on her with Dinah, attributing his actions to part of the pimp lifestyle. She displays little resentment towards Dinah and Chester after this is revealed and tempers are calmed. However, Sin-Dee is disgusted by Alexandria’s actions. She refuses to talk to Alexandria or accept her apology. I think the reason for this is because Alexandria, while still partaking in prostitution and other illegal activities, is conveyed in a way that is more mature and classier than many of the others that appear throughout the film. I think that Sin-Dee held Alexandria to a higher standard than those in her surrounding community.

The most profound moment in this film is at the end when Sin-Dee gets a cup of urine thrown in her face after parting from Alexandria. A group of passing teens call Sin-Dee over to their car as if they are soliciting her services. As she approaches their car, they throw a cup full of urine at Sin-Dee and yell transphobic slurs at her. Alexandria consoles her as they wash her clothes at a nearby Laundromat. Alexandria also offers Sin-Dee her wig because hers was soaked in urine. This is a particularly profound moment where the viewers realize that the struggles that bond them together is stronger than anything else. While Sin-Dee has the right to be mad at Alexandria, this moment is a realization that the importance of their relationship transcends any relationship with a man. They are eternally bonded by the challenges they face as transgendered sex workers.

Questions for Ocean Vuong

1. Has your approach to writing changed since becoming a “professional” writer? In the sense that writing is your main source of income and you rely on your work to maintain a certain livelihood.

2. Vuong writes in mostly fragmented and colloquial language in his works. What inspired this style of writing? How have your stylistic choices evolved as you’ve progressed as a writer?

3. Vuong was raised by his mother and grandmother. How did being raised by women affect your perspective on the world and your writing in general?

Film Proposal

One format of video that I have always found to be particularly entertaining is Snapchat stories. This format is an interesting way to convey a story using short clips, captions, and emojis. This format is also very casual without a large focus on cinematography which can be difficult when only using an Iphone camera and simple editing software. I have seen some very effective Snapchat stories that people have compiled on Facebook and Youtube that are both humorous and compelling. Snapchat is a very effective way of conveying a story in a concise and comedic manner. Snapchat stories are also spontaneous and unplanned. This means that an event or action has to be interesting enough to capture on video and display to friends. Snapchat stories show events that are usually out of the ordinary and worth showing to other people.

Here is an example of one of my favorite stories that I have ever seen. In this story, a man catches a rabbit with his bare hands and documents his story on Snapchat. He conveys his humor by using language and references that most millennial would find to be humorous. He also displays a great deal of enthusiasm and energy about catching the rabbit.

Here is another Snapchat style story of a man feeding a family of deer. This video doesn’t actually even tell a story. However, the man’s charisma and his kindness to the deer is infectious. The shortness of the video clips contributes to the humor of this as he names all of the deer and feeds them individually.

I wanted to make a video about the psychological effects of drinking coffee. I recently just started drinking coffee and have been amazed at its ability to stimulate the mind and body in the morning. In my film, I wanted to portray a normal day that unravels after drinking a large quantity of coffee. I wanted to start the day off with menial, everyday tasks such as completing homework. I slowly wanted progress into more energetic and ridiculous tasks that I would not usually complete early in the morning unless I have had several glasses of coffee. I want to portray the “invincible” feeling that you get after having several cups of coffee early in the morning. I decided to convey this feeling of invincibility by taking a casual, unplanned road trip to Florida due to the excessive amounts of energy I had from drinking 5 cups of coffee. I thought this type of progression would be best conveyed on a social media format such as Snapchat. I edited the video to make it appear like you are watching one of your friend’s adventures on their Snapchat story.

I chose to use the song “Sunday Morning” by the Velvet Underground because I thought that the song matched the laziness and lethargy of the video at the beginning. As I began to engage in more active tasks such as going for a run and taking a road trip to Florida, I thought the song juxtaposed my actions in a humorous manner.

Class Art Suggestions

I think that this is the most complete piece out of all of the submissions. I initially questioned how the group would signify that a police officer is viewing the young black boy. They were able to signify this by using aviator glasses and a police ring. I think the editing on this piece looks professional and clean. I also really like the outfit that the black boy is wearing and the fact that he is holding books. This signifies that he is hard working and intends to impress others through his appearance.

I like the quote that this group chose. It is an old quote, yet the “- 2016″ suggests that it is still relevant in current society. This piece is obviously calling for a political uprising. While the message of the piece is clear, the use of Che Guevara isn’t a novel representing a counter culture movement isn’t novel and I think a more interesting image could be used. I would suggest adjusting the image to make it more creative or choose another image that conveys your message in a more thought provoking way.

I think we did a thorough job of discussing this piece in class. I liked the use of the quote in relation to Trump’s proposed wall. However, as we discussed, the piece does not offer anything new. The piece is essentially saying that “Trump is bad”. I believe there is a great deal of potential with this piece but it needs to be presented in a way that provokes thought and new discussions.

I like the concept of this piece. I think the idea and text work very well together. The aspect of this piece that needs to be improved upon is the formatting and overall design. The presentation of this piece is very cute and contradicts the message that is being conveyed. While this may have been the intention, I think it detracts from the message. The text is also very small and represents a small portion of the piece. The piece would be more powerful if the text was bolder and larger. The piece should be reformatted to more effectively convey the message.

Lidia Presentation Response

One of the aspects of the speech that I found most interesting was when Lidia discussed her earlier work. She mentioned that her earlier works had a distinct theme of anger and rage. She went on to mention that her newer works were more inspired by love and positivity. While listening to Lidia speak, I had difficulty imagining her as an angry person. Through our research in class, it is apparent that Lidia has faced much adversity throughout her life. However, when Lidia spoke, she seemed positive, amiable, and thought provoking. It seemed that her current demeanor and outlook on life differed greatly from the tone of her earliest works.

“Despite all my rage I am still just a rat in cage” - Billy Corgan... - Lidia Yuknavitch

I think this can be attributed to her success and notoriety as an author. As a young author, I think it was important for her to discuss her frustrations as a struggling young author who had faced many hardships at an early age. At that point of her, life there was very little to be positive about. As she began to gain fame as an author, it is understandable that her writing began to have a more positive tone. She realized that all of the adversity that she faced has the ability to inspire others. She presented her anger in a way that others could identify with. She was no longer a struggling ex-drug addict/convict. She was an accomplished author with the ability to influence others. Rather than conveying a message of angst and frustration in her writing, Lidia channeled these feelings into a more constructive positive message. While addiction and loss loomed over Lidia, she was not the same angsty writer that she was when she began her career. I was inspired by Lidia’s positivity and overall demeanor while speaking and answering questions despite the adversity that she has faced.

Another aspect of Lidia’s discussion that I had found to be particularly interesting was her thoughts on sexuality. Lidia criticized the societal construct that humans’ only relevant sexual years occur approximately between ages of 18-40. She spoke about how sex consumes humans at all ages rather than just the timeframe when humans are sexually mature and physically attractive. She even discussed the sexuality of younger children, a novel idea that I had never thought about before. This gave me a new perspective on sexuality. Media often perpetuates the idea that humans are only sexual beings while they are young and physically attractive. Lidia was confident that is was not the case and that sexuality was a concept that occurred “from the cradle to the grave”.

While this was not a major part of her discussion, Lidia’s comments on cursing were also thought provoking. Most authors or journalists choose to speak in a way that is professional. Lidia discussed her Twitter and how she cursed quite frequently on the social media site. Lidia described herself as a self-proclaimed “potty mouth”. When discussing why she chose to use profanity frequently, she said that she believed that it provided a “glitch of counter culture” into her writing and speaking. While profanity has become increasingly accepted in American culture, it is different to hear a scholarly figure utilize it so much in her vocabulary. In a sense, Lidia belongs to American counter-culture. She described herself as a misfit. She is an ex-drug user. She has spent time in jail. While Lidia is obviously educated and can be considered a scholar, she has had experiences in counter-culture that most writers have not. Lidia’s use of profanity is fitting for her situation and represents the adversity that she has faced throughout her life.

I also enjoyed listening to Lidia discuss her writing process. While Lidia is most likely financially stable based on her notoriety and past success, it was interesting to hear about a professional author’s writing process. Many authors rely on their work to make a living. I always imagined the process of waking up every morning and having to write would become burdensome and uninspiring for an author. Lidia said that she does not follow this process and writes in waves as inspiration comes to her. She mentioned that she suffers from writer’s block for extended periods of time and suddenly becomes inspired. She discussed how she even feels physiological responses that signify when she is feeling inspired. Lidia said that she feels hyper-focused on certain days, noticing minor details in her everyday life. She mentioned that she even gets minor fevers on the days that she feels inspired to write.

In conclusion, I was fascinated by Lidia as a person. As a business school student, I have encountered very few speakers who are as articulate and thought provoking as her in my classes. She was eccentric and very meticulous in her choice of words.

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Text Proposal: Stephen Sharp and Maria Andrea

1. Our first idea involves a backdrop photograph of caskets of fallen soldiers from the war on oil in Iraq. Layered over the top of the photograph would be the words, “As long as gas is less than $4 per gallon”. This is a critique on the war in the middle east, starting before September 11th 2001, that were given the official reason, “to improve Western access to Iraqi oil.” Much like Barbara Kruger’s “It’s never our fault” this poster would serve to show how we are willing to let our soldiers die just to maintain certain lifestyles.

2. Our next idea, as a more comical but also political statement, is to have a photograph of Rutgers/ other college students partying in Cancun, Mexico. The text over our photograph would say, "When America sends its people, they’re not sending their best. They’re sending people that have lots of problems, and they’re bringing those problems to us.” This is a parody of the Trump quote related to the immigration of Mexican citizens, "When Mexico sends its people, they’re not sending their best. They’re sending people that have lots of problems, and they’re bringing those problems to us.”

3. Our third idea involves a large wall as the background, as a testament to the wall that Donald Trump proposed to have built along our Mexican border. The overlaying text would say “with liberty and justice for all” insinuating that not all are welcome to enjoy the freedom that we share in the USA.

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We think the second proposal has the most potential. This is an interesting parody that shows the excessiveness of the average American college student on spring break. The only difficulty with this proposal would be to signify that the students are in Mexico. It may also be difficult to find an image that conveys the message you are attempting to send. We think it may also be beneficial to make the quote shorter and more concise.

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Text proposals: Kaitlyn Mui and Audrey Beralo

1. Word art/ multimedia poster of the words “Creative Writing” where the words start curving downward in the middle becoming less solid and dripping much like blood because writing is suffering. In the case where you think things are going to be fun but they turn out to be anxiety reeling as many writers do end up losing their passion or motivation while writing because of writer’s block or simply stress and anxiety trying to meet with deadlines. Another similar idea that is too similar to make another proposal for is if we changed the word to “Hobbies” or something of the like and have it do the same thing, referencing that sometimes if we do too much of what we love to do, it becomes a chore rather than something enjoyable and you end up hating something that you love in the end, but we wanted it to be two words for visual purposes.

2. This one would be a text installation in which we would have two people holding hands and the shadows of them instead would be text that describes how the other sees them, one would show a toxic person and the other having good qualities. We wanted to show that even if one person thinks that their relationship is good, the other may see it as toxic and unhealthy.

3. The third would be a Barbara Kruger poster type for something a bit more positive and less controversial, it would show a monochrome picture of a kid going through a “phase” either emo, punk, anime, etc. not sure which one. To parents it can be seen as a phase and maybe it is “just a phase” but the more important aspect is that overall it really isn’t “just a phase” as all of the “phases” that you go through growing up make up who you are overall as a person. At the bottom we would have the words “Not Just a Phase”.

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Our group likes the second proposal the best. The idea of showing internal feelings and emotions through the couples’ shadow is interesting and compelling. The general idea of the differing perceptions of each other is also engaging. We think it would be fascinating if you were able to show how the relationship is mentally or emotionally affecting the person who views the relationship as toxic. It may be also interesting to display how the toxic person is contributing to the relationship in a negative way. - Jacky and Matt

performanceofbecominghuman-blog

Conceptual Art Proposals

Ema and Jaymi

1. Our first idea takes us to the Kirkpatrick Chapel of Rutgers. We envision a girl centered in the middle of the alter. The photo will be posed such that the girl is touching her face or a thigh. Or perhaps the girl’s back might be towards the viewer and a only a male hand will be seen touching her back. The text is to say “God is blind/ I am not braille.” The text is inspired by the quote, “A woman is not written in braille, you don’t have to touch her to know her” written by Jonaida Estrada González. We want to portray the hyper-sexualization of women and lack of power. God, real or not, is widely believe and accepted for his male stature. The male word is always accepted. Yet, women must be touched, controlled, and handled to be proven as valid.

2. The second incorporates the idea of social-networks, both real and virtual. We would be incorporating real life text messages, and placing them over photos of Rutgers students. Inspiration from this idea comes from the Instagram “Texts from Your Existentialist.”

3. The last idea includes a projection over a run down house. Recently, some buildings have been knocked down on Albany Street in New Brunswick which could serve as the location for the photo. The text would say, “You are my hole heart.” This concept is related to the quote, “Home is where the heart is”. The “hole” represents the loss of someone leaving the home thus abandoning a place in a person’s heart or their whole heart. The message has many interpretations, it could be about romance, loss, and even gun violence.

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We think the first proposal is the most powerful with the most potential. The message is very bold and thought-provoking. While many of the other proposals are more direct and concise, this proposal is more open to interpretation by the audience. Kirkpatrick Chapel is also a beautiful setting to convey this poetic message. This proposal has a great deal of potential.

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