#individualprompt

[graceyin]

individual prompt- Give voice; document process I chose to ‘give voice’ to some of the little voices that I hear when I go take a shower. In general, when it comes to showering, I find myself either not showering or showering for way too long whenever I am at a low and I do not realize the sounds around me. However, showering has always been a meditative activity for me-- it’s almost my personal form of a confessional-- and I enjoy coming out feeling cleansed and new. I tried to pay attention to all the little voices that contribute to my showering experience, from the lock of the door to the small drops of water from the bench. I do not know a lot of the logistics or how it actually affects the mind, but I think sound therapy is a valid means to calm the mind, and the noises that the water makes contribute to my showering experience. The same effect that I can compare it to is listening to white water in order to fall asleep better.

[graceyin]

 individual prompt- Part 2 of Develop a list of prompts; document process As opposed to my previous list of prompts which was a reflection of my anxiety in public places, I wanted to recreate my response to this prompt by creating another ‘script’ for myself today. I still deal with a lot of mental burden as a result of past mistakes that I still dwell on or previous experiences, so it is nice to create a mental script for the self that I am currently living in. I used an online website to write this list of prompts in a script form. I decided to type this out as opposed to writing it because that written script looked a lot like the little reminders that I would write for myself. Typing it was faster, and therefore I was able to quickly create a list. Since I was able to download it as well, it makes this list something that I can always refer to since I will not be able to lose it. (Especially now, since I am posting it). I chose to write this list in the form of a script because I think that these prompts, or reminders, are things that I have to rehearse for myself over and over to be able to function normally in life today. I think that it is healthy to create a method of reminding oneself to take care of themselves, especially if they are prone to forgetting or neglecting to do so.

[graceyin]

individual prompt- Construct a confessional; document process I did not grow up with a Catholic background, but my understanding of a confessional is that it is a booth where one goes to and sits and talks about their wrongdoings to a priest. Since I don’t have a priest on hand, I just decided to “build” a confessional out of my closet and two of my bedsheets. I decided then to go into my confessional and just think about things I have screwed up and where I can go from there. Ultimately, I think I just manifested more negative thoughts, but at least that will keep my conscious of my actions. I am assuming that the purpose of confessing your sins is to admit under God that you have screwed up and to meditate on them? And perhaps try to come to terms with how you can move forward in life. I do not know how effective this is for people but I do think that the energy that one manifests does have to go somewhere, so if it works for people then it should be respected. If God is as forgiving as He made out to be, or if energy really works in a balance, I think that it is important to realize your screw-ups and if presenting them to the world helps with one’s growth, then that is commendable and valid.

[graceyin]

individual prompt- Find fifty instances of nature between the cracks; document process Since I did not want to just take 50 pictures of all the moss growing in between the cracks of the sidewalk, I figured that in order to respond to this prompt, I would have to mold my definition of what ‘cracks’ are. Besides just being a break without a complete separation, in these photos I also played with the definition by picturing cracks as things that are sandwiched between artificial structures or nature within breaks in an environment. I also simply took pictures of nature growing within artificially crafted environments. By doing this, I was able to become a little more creative with the instances that I could photograph. Defining cracks as pockets, window screens, branches, fences-- I was able to look out and enjoy the bits of nature that are growing within the suburban and metropolitan area that I live in. It is impressive to me how resilient nature can be and how plants are able to grow even in seemingly inhospitable concrete habitats.

[graceyin]

individual prompt-  Copy something; copy that something; copy that something; and on; document process

According to an article I read linked here: https://qz.com/1064679/a-new-t-shirt-sewing-robot-can-make-as-many-shirts-per-hour-as-17-factory-workers/, apparently one human worker in a sewing line needs to make around 8 (8.3) shirts per hour. I compiled a bunch of old clothes, bedsheets and other repurposed textiles that I had and decided to copy a shirt pattern that I had developed a while back and it turned out that I had enough to make 8 shirts. I wanted to challenge myself to see how long it would take to meet a worker’s quota. I know that I almost definitely did not meet the same working conditions, machinery or other resources that these workers have to labor under, however I wanted to see what it would be like using the resources that I had. I timed and tried to document myself stitching together 8 shirts. I limited the amount of breaks that I gave myself, trying to not use the bathroom and only taking a break to turn on the light or close a window. At one point, my machine’s needle broke too. Even though it took significantly longer for me to complete 8 shirts, I felt like shit by the end of it. In general, the reason why I chose to do this is because I wanted to make a certain point about ethical consumption. I wanted to make a point that though machines are taking the place of people in many garment manufacturing factories, people are still being overworked to keep up with an overindulgent culture. I recognize that in our current state however, complete ethical consumption is not a viable option for most people and therefore people should not be shamed for not being able to live a ‘clean’ lifestyle.There is a difference though between purchasing something that one genuinely wants and likes and purchasing something for buying’s sake, impulsively or just to follow a trend. In general the reasons why someone purchases falls on a large spectrum, but I believe a middle ground for all of this is that items should be bought with thought and if it is possible to purchase something secondhand or through an ‘ethical’ company, that it should be done through those means. Through doing this, I learned to appreciate the clothing that I have and the work that goes behind it, no matter how cheap it seems  and it made me think about how I can change my choices as a consumer.

[graceyin]

individual prompt- Do something in a grocery store; document process

While my group and I were at Whole Foods, I decided to document the process of me getting my favorite snack-- Annie’s Cheddar Bunnies. I took a pic using my phone to pretend like the perspective was coming from the  box itself, by placing my phone within the section of the aisle and taking pictures of me grabbing my phone. I also tried to exemplify my delight during the process of discovering and then grabbing the box of snacks. In general, I wanted to just document the small piece of happiness in daily life that I get from small tasks such as treating myself during grocery shopping. Though it might become redundant, I think that the virus has really found its way into many facets of life, including routine errands such as grocery shopping. My joy has found itself coming out through small treats within domestic tasks, such as getting snacks during grocery rounds. Trying to find joy within the limited amount of activities that I am able to do is difficult but necessary during difficult times.

[graceyin]

https://youtu.be/QDnFWldXMms

individual prompt- Talk about your privilege; document process

I decided to respond to this prompt literally by filming myself talking about my privilege. As privilege goes, I talked about my parents and the privileges that they were able to provide for me. I think that many people might not like to discuss or recognize their privilege because it might diminish or devalue any effort or work ethic they personally have put into their life. I define privilege as the rights and situations that I did not work for but I am able to profit off of, so in my case, there is truly no way for me to really discuss my current quality of life without mentioning the sacrifices and efforts that both of my parents had to put in in order for me and my two brothers to have a good life. Because we do not have any relatives in the United States, my parents did not have any help and have had to work up the ladder through their own efforts and abilities. I wanted to give some tribute to the life that I am able to have right now, which came at the cost of the various sacrifices that my parents had to make.

[graceyin]

https://youtu.be/LEEH8qDLf7c

individual prompt- Call a loved one; document process I zoom called my mom and decided to document it. (Don’t worry, she knew.) Eventually, I got to see my entire family on the call. My calls with my mom are usually in “Chinglish”, a word we created combining Chinese and English. Today my youngest brother, Austin, decided to spice it up by speaking a little bit of French. We talked about relevant issues such as our house renovations, my college experience with the pom pom dress that we have dubbed “the Loofa Dress” so far, the brothers and whether my dog Charlie is ok or not. Airing out frustrations over certain things, a mini singing break with Austin where he sang his hit song “Bumbumbumbumbumbumblebee” and “Love in my Pocket” by Rich Brian and a Charlie cameo are all regular events to happen in our Facetimes or zoom calls. My family and I have gone through a lot of struggles this year so it was nice to be able to call them and to have a small break before continuing on with our lives. Rewatching the zoom recording makes me realize how loud I am but also how lucky I am to have a whole family that I can call. No matter how screwed up our lives get or all the shit we have had to go through, it’s reassuring that we’re all still together and can find some sort of happiness and a reason to laugh.