cjcacs102

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CACS102 - Word Assignment - Word 10 --- Social Identity: --- Definition: Tajfel (ed. 2011, p. 2) defines Social Identity as “…that part of the individuals’ self-concept which derives from their knowledge of their membership of a social group (or groups) together with the value and emotional significance attached to that membership.” Social Identity as defined by Tajfel begins as a self-examination, and in relation to style or persona, one may choose to pick up multiple types and see what fits. From the initial stage of self-examination, there comes a time of seeking outside influence, to compare and contrast. Tajfel (ed. 2011, p. 5) notes that outside influences or groups “…are often capable of imposing a view of the world in which the norm of the point of reference in relation to which other people are defined comes from the centre where the power resides.”, implying that while outside influence is important for the growth of Social Identity, it could potentially take advantage of a person due to the fluctuation in definition going from group to group, especially in the case of there being a “…centre where the power resides.” Tajfel (ed. 2011, p. 2) made some good points on the fluctuating nature of Social Identity and how it can seemingly change from group to group while still remaining an “…individual’s self-concept…”. I chose the image above (Perez 2019) for its imagery of Social Anxiety and close proximity in meaning to Social Identity. It’s often hard to fit in, so many cliques and trends to keep up with. I like the title and intention of this piece, “I Am Enough”, it conjures up images of hard times growing up, but, softens them with the realisation that I am still here, I am still myself, and nobody can take that away from me.

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CACS102 - Word Assignment - Word 9 --- Fractured Identity: --- Definition: Landy (2018) defines Fractured Identity as “At first pass, we might say it means having many parts to one’s personality, many sources of ideals, many drivers of action.” Taking the definition as meaning “…many parts to one’s personality…”, one could say that being a Mother and being a Sister are both separate identities, both of which most likely have complimentary characteristics. Although, Landy recognises that “That might not seem like a problem, but there are going to be times when those identities come into conflict.” One such instance where conflict may arise is a hypothetical situation imagined by Landy. Landy (2018) poses the hypothetical scenario of an African Woman taken to Martinique as a young slave child and subsequently growing up there, being “…brought up speaking French and learning about French culture, the language and culture of her oppressors.”. From that scenario, a conflict in identity, or a Fractured Identity could arise. On one hand, you have an African Woman with her own culture and identity to learn. On the other hand, you have a young slave child being forced to learn the language and culture of the people who bought her. I picked the image above (Bohang 2011) for its relevance to and simplicity in emulating a Fractured Identity from the perspective of a Multiracial Person.

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CACS102 - Word Assignment - Word 8 --- Creative Identity: --- Definition: Glaveanu & Tangaard (2014, p. 13) define Creative Identity in a sense “…that draws largely on the theory of social representation…”. They propose that “…identity itself is fundamentally a social category.”, not to be explored from just a personal perspective, but to be mirrored to and influenced by society. Interestingly noted is their theory that “… identities…are often marked by struggles and acts of resistance.”, implying that by exploring one’s identity, there will at some point be a line that a person might not cross, resisting the influence as if coming closer to what or who they might be. Glaveanu & Tangaard (2014, p. 13) further explain the idea of a creative identity by arguing that a person is “…able to co-construct his or her own sense of creative value in communication with others…”, not by exploring just their own identity, but, applying aspects of others to themselves, in order to gain a better insight into what is creatively valued. They see a person as “…a social actor…”, best able to form a creative direction “…in relation to societal discourses about what creativity is.”, seemingly doing away with any idea that creativity is purely personal or subjective, which makes sense from the perspective of progression. I chose the image above (Bryner, 2019) mainly for the aesthetic of the unknown identity. The question marks, especially the main one on the face, give an obvious nod to the unknown identity of the Riddler, which as far as I know is in constant flux, as per his character.

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CACS102 - Word Assignment - Word 7 --- Authenticity: --- Definition: Trilling (2009, p.1) defined Authenticity as socially influenced, “…that the values, as we call them, of one epoch are not those of another.”. Trilling (2009, p. 9) talked about being true to oneself, that “The moral end in view implies a public end in view…” which implies that to be Authentic, one must put themselves on public display, to be open to the scrutiny of others and standing up to that scrutiny. Trilling asks an interesting question that to be Authentic “…for the purpose of avoiding falsehood to others, is one being truly true to one’s own self?”, implying that Authenticity is not a forced idea, for trying to directly avoid being false, one may instead work against finding their true self. I picked the image above (Deyber 2012) because I like animals, and for the idea that animals are often unabashedly themselves, such as big goofy, cuddly great danes. They seem to find out what they like and who they are by simply trying things out. I���ve often found it hard to think of who I am, and to see it come so naturally to an animal is always amazing to me. I often wonder what the secret is and as far as I know or can theorise, maybe it’s the lack of a functional language. Animals don’t need a language to be who they are, they just do it, whereas us humans seem to think we need language in order to tell each other who we are, instead of just being ourselves.

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CACS102 - Word Assignment - Word 6 --- Creative Influence: --- Definition: --- Sharma (cited in Collins 2018, p. 108) defined Creative Influence as 3 different categories, the first of them being somewhat related to the “inspiration” commonly sought after. The definition most like inspiration speaks of “… waiting for the Muse to pour the creative suggestion into us…”, which is usually how I create pieces of art in a quick manner, seemingly out of thin air. The second definition talks about being taught art, the fundamentals, art theory. The process of trying to “…encourage students to behave in certain pre-conceived ways.”, in order to build up a mental library of positive art habits such as correct highlights and shadows. The third definition is much like the second with a “…tendency for students to behave in certain ways…”, although putting more emphasis on personal growth and learning in relation to “…social and environmental factors…”. Sharma (cited in Collins 2018, p. 108) believes that Creative Influence is “Based on the idea that creativity arises from the tension between conscious reality and unconscious drives…”, implying that inspiration and possible unconscious influences are both connected to creativity, and that the best possible art might be created in moments where tension is high. Sharma seems to imply that angry art, or at least good angry art is best created when the artist is reliving a moment of anger, pouring their emotions into the canvas. I picked the above image (Van Gogh 1889) because of the rumour that Van Gogh was a troubled man. When I look at his art, I can see the potential emotions he may have been experiencing in the strokes and patterns, which the choice of colours, at least to me, do not seem to convey anything but happiness.

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CACS102 - Word Assignment - Word 5 --- Sensory Knowledge: --- Definition: Pink (2008, p. 181) describes Sensory Knowledge from a culinary perspective, she believes that it “…is developed through the sociality of food practices…”, experienced not just by oneself but by a collective engagement with the senses, gaining insight that one might not notice at a first glance or taste. Pink also describes “…the sharing of tastes, smells and embodied culinary techniques.” as being important to the learning process of Sensory Knowledge, not just from a standpoint of sense, but also from pre-existing “…culinary techniques.” which may help to set a ground base for gaining Sensory Knowledge. Pink’s explanation is very interesting to me in the way that it implies that Sensory Knowledge is not an inherent quality, but a learned quality that needs a base in order to understand your current knowledge, and outside influences and opinions in order to further your knowledge. The above image (Rembrandt 1624) was chosen for its proximity in meaning to Sensory Knowledge, and the fact that the image is one in a series of images depicting the 5 senses. The image was created by a very famous Artist called Rembrandt, the name of said image being The Unconscious Patient. I enjoy the imagery in this piece, Rembrandt was able to convey action without significant movement. The expression on the conscious people’s faces giving a sense of urgency while the action of introducing smelling-salts to the patient’s nose conveying one of the 5 senses. The reason for the image being so small is most likely copyright.

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CACS102 - Word Assignment - Word 4 --- Overdetermination: --- Definition: Overdetermination according to Mansfield (2000 p. 183), governs “…all aspects of human behaviour (and, by analogy, culture).” The clothing that you wear, the car that you drive, have both been influenced by previous instances. The Artwork that we create is often influenced by previous Artists, the style of art such as Glitch or Pop heavily take from previous works. One could argue that Art is a subtle imitation of our experiences often reimagining them with “…intense, plural and complex unconscious influences.” The mere fact that a piece of Art may be influenced by a previous work or the Artists experiences, to an intricate degree, makes it “…thus said to be overdetermined.” The above image (Butcher, 2018) was heavily influenced by artists such as Bukowski. I like the use of the speech bubbles, it reminds me of the sort of unconscious thoughts or inner dialogue one would have that usually gets filtered for the benefit of social acceptance. I also enjoy the seemingly pessimistic phrases coupled with the colourful imagery of Pop Art. Mansfield (2000 p. 183) would probably enjoy the use of what he may call “…intense, plural and complex unconscious influences.” made conscious by way of social observation, in a style that parodies the seemingly serious nature of this art piece.

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CACS102 - Word Assessment - Word 3 --- Unconscious: --- Definition: According to Kihlstrom (cited in eds Brock & Marsh 1993, p. 158), the term Unconscious can be defined “…in the broad, historically valid, psychological sense of not accessible to conscious awareness.” While very brief, I think that definition clearly defines the properties of the Unconscious, without seeming needlessly convoluted or inept. Emig (1964) explains from the view of an Author, the difficulties that the Unconscious lays upon the literary process. Emig wrote that “…writing involves commerce with the unconscious self…”, the part in all of us that Kihlstrom (cited in eds Brock & March 1993, p. 158) noted is “…not accessible to conscious awareness…”. So, if a large part of writing involves accessing that certain part of us, is that why it is often so hard to find inspiration? Emig (1964) noted that the result of not being able to toggle inspiration or our Unconscious is “…it is often a sloppy and inefficient procedure for even the most disciplined and long-writing of professional authors.”. “Nowhere are there hints about preverbal anguishing and the hell of getting underway; of the compulsions and fetishes governing the placement of the first word or phrase on the page-the ‘getting black on white’ of deMaupassant; of subsequent verbal anguishing; of desert places; of the necessary resorting to the id as organizer and energizer.” Emig (1964) The above quote was too good to not include in full, Emig so succinctly explained the frequent difficulty in starting off the artistic process, “…of subsequent verbal anguishing; of desert places…”. I feel that the above quote also explains the effect of the Unconscious on artistic processes as equally as the absence. I feel that the above image (Kotaki 2010) tells a story with its exposition as equally as it conveys inspiration, taken obviously from old buildings, possibly churches. Freud would have a field-day with the use of Females and the militaristic nature in this image.

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CACS102 - Word Assignment - Word 2 --- Essentialism: ---- Definition: When Gelman (2003, p. 6) thought of Essentialism, she described it as “…the view that categories have an underlying reality or true nature…”, which brings to mind the thought that taking things at face-value is not necessarily indicative of the whole picture, merely a part. Gelman (2003, p. 6) then gave further understanding to the nature of Essentialism by offering the caveat that “…one cannot observe directly…” the whole picture, giving the impression that mere observation isn’t enough, that further questions are needed to piece together the whole picture. Gelman (2003, p. 6) goes on further to explain that categories in Essentialism “…are real, in several senses…”, giving credence to the thought that face-value is not a broad enough judgement. Categories according to Essentialism are “…discovered (rather than invented)…”, and “…natural (rather than artificial)…”. So, in that aspect, not only are categories not inherently any one particular set, they have to be sought after, challenged and explored, rather than being taken at face-value. city_scum (2019), created a “feelings chart” with a caption that reads “How Scummy do I feel today?”. I feel that this piece of Art is a great representation of Essentialism in action. Happiness is often seen as a smile, the most recognisable of emotions. This image has multiple discontinuities between what we see of certain emotions (smile), and what we have to discover (hidden emotions). The smile is not what gives Happiness its Identity, but, rather the Emotion that is tied to it. The smile is simply a visual cue.

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CACS102 - Word Assignment - Word 1 --- Subjectivity: ---- Definition: Mansfield (2000, p. 6) is of the opinion that “Subjectivity is primarily an experience, and remains permanently open to inconsistency, contradiction, and unself-consciousness.” Subjectivity has often been socially defined as something that may differ depending on who it affects, when, how and where it’s being affected. Mansfield (2000, p.6) defines Subjectivity as “…primarily an experience…”, along the lines of what is commonly thought, giving the impression that Subjectivity is not something that is innate, but, something that has to be found by each individual. One could also argue that due to factors such as ethnicity, sex, and gender, Subjectivity could take on a new, more complicated meaning. Mansfield (2000, p.6) also holds the opinion that Subjectivity is “…permanently open to inconsistency, contradiction, and unself-consciousness.”. So, it seems that Subjectivity, like the people who it affects, is not tied down to any specific determinations. I figured that Subjectivity fits this Comic in the sense that Transmetropolitan (Ellis & Robertson 2018) constantly challenges your World View, and consistently makes you question your own motives and qualities of self.