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Blog Post Six

American Pie by Don McLean is truly the story of the day that music died. To most listeners it seems like a catchy song, however the eight-minute-long song discusses the historical day where three music icons passed away. Buddy Holly, Ritchie Valens, and "The Big Bopper" J. P. Richardson (And out of respect, the pilot) were killed in a plane crash near Clear Lake, Iowa. The subject was a rock and roll song for the American citizens to listen to. The content of the song was to inform the listeners about the impactful death of these three young men for the rock and roll generation. The death of these three music stars were represented by the lyrics, “The day that music died.”. When asked about his music, Don McLean stated, "I didn't write songs that were just catchy, but with a point of view, or songs about the environment."

youtube.com/watch?v=iX_TFkut1PM

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Blog Post Five

When I first read this prompt, I was not quite sure who I would choose. I do not really keep up with celebrities and their lives. In fact, celebrity trivia is one of the worst topics I can have when watching Jeopardy. I recently have become obsessed with watching Architectural Digest YouTube videos where the celebrities will invite AD into their house and discuss their designing mindset. I would not say I agree with Kendall Jenner’s mindset for everything in life, however, when it comes to interior design and painting, I agree. Her house in LA is a vision and everything I would like to interpret into my future designs. She incorporates warm, neutral tones and organic textures. Her green bathroom is amazing, and I became completely obsessed with. The interior design of her house is completely different from her family members who usually use cold colors and sharp modern edges. Kendall Jenner states, “I like a house that has character. When I walked into this place, I was immediately drawn to the peaceful Spanish-y, farmhouse-y vibe.” Although she is not that amazing at describing the interior of her home, the design speaks for itself. I completely agreed and loved every aspect of her house’s design. Later in the video she presents her “painting room” where she states that she utilizes frequently where she paints as a form of relaxation. I too, discover painting as a calm activity that resets my mindset and allows me to relax. Painting has become a form of therapy for me. She even mentioned that the curtains in the room were created out of canvas that she might paint in the future. I loved that idea and think it was a creative feature not only towards design, but as an artist.

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Blog Post Four

Instructional Painting Assignment:

Have a bright colored background on the canvas. 

Paint a portion with your non-dominant hand. 

Paint only with a big brush and a little brush.

incorporate a different material than paint and canvas.

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Blog Post Three

Part A: 

Sometimes I think that I was raised to become a designer just from my mother’s occupation. Even though I was encouraged to take art classes and express myself through art, I still think that my passion was somehow imitating my mother. My father calls me her mini me since I am an artist and go to James Madison University (she graduated in the year ’91.) Is design something that fascinates me or is it all that I know and identify with just because it was forced upon me at a young age? There are certain aspects to designing that I find tiring and not worth all the hard work. I compare my major and other majors where I have 3-hour long studios, multiple times a week (sometimes a day) where my friends with only have 45-minute-long classes and have Fridays off. Is design fun or is it tiring?

Part B: 

I enjoy singing. I took choir in elementary school and enjoyed singing to the songs given to us. I never took lessons but always loved singing as a hobby. In high school I was the youngest person in my church’s choir and befriended many elderly church members. Singing and music was a great hobby that I was glad to have growing up. Similar to art and design, singing is relaxing to me and allows me to escape any stress I have. One reason why I was glad that singing was not forced upon me is that it allows me not to stress over it and still see it as a place to escape and relax. When a hobby that you enjoy becomes stressful and unenjoyable, it takes the love out of the activity. Music will never be seen as that for me.

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Blog Post Two: What fascinates me?

Design fascinates me. I grew up designing everything. My mother was a licensed interior designer who got her degree from James Madison University. I grew up being encouraged to ‘dip my toes’ into every art form there was. I participated in every art activity growing up and even convinced my cousins to join in on my drawings. Over the course of a few days, we designed a “university” and a “retirement home”. First, we designed the structure and created blueprints, and then we google search furniture and created spreadsheets for each area. We did this when we were around the age of 7. My mother would often bring me to her firm and look at her drawings and play with the samples. In middle school I was apart of the advanced art students club who would meet during the day once every two weeks to complete artwork. In high school I took art all four years and participated in AP Art and AP Art History, and two years of drafting. My fascination with design continued into college where I decided to major in Architectural Design and minor in Art History. Art History has allowed my education in design to go further than I ever thought and has created a love for architecture and preservation. Last year I took a historic preservation course and fell down “the rabbit hole” for preserving beautiful architecture. I have never felt more alive when I design, create models, and learn about the history about design. It has been amazing that I have had this positive element since I was a child. Hopefully I continue my education for my Masters at VCU for interior design and one day become a licensed interior designer.

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Here are five past projects that I have created.