#i do actually only very briefly outline writing projects and write largely in order for this reason

[essektheylyss]

"When you make stories or art that are a kind of shortcut to proving yourself right, that's sort of the definition of propaganda, I think."

SAY THAT, BRENNAN.

[plothooksinc]

for the writing ask meme, have you answered either of these?

🎬 If a movie or show were based on your fic, which fic would you choose and who would you fancast?

Do you outline your fic or plan as you go?

Hello anon! I'm sorry for the long delay-- I got into a protracted fight with insomnia (I stayed awake for 24 hours, managed to sleep for one and staggered around shrieking muuurderrrr??? for a while) so now that I am mostly well rested I have come to answer your ask \o/

🎬 If a movie or show were based on your fic, which fic would you choose and who would you fancast?

...I can really answer only the first part of this, because I'm elitist scum who will turn my nose up at the idea of live action anything for my animated fandoms, lmao. Particularly with TMNT, who are 99% not human anyway in terms of cast. So I'd be like "get me their original VAs pls and thank" and leave it at that.

But! For a movie or show, I'm going to deviate from my norm of late and say The Zaibatsu Project. Much as my love my teetles, NRFTW takes place over six days and is paced in such a way it probably wouldn't work well in film (a few days of quiet followed by multiple chapters of everyone screaming and on fire, uhhh) and Underdark definitely works much better in print, given that most of it takes place in complete darkness. Legacy would work if I ever finished it, as would the teasers, but let's not use fics in potentia, haaaa.

The Zaibatsu Project isn't finished either, but there's a lot more meat to it than my other unfinisheds and stands a better chance of being finished first, and it's... honestly the fic I've spent time considering whether I should rip it down, file the serial numbers off, and write it as original fic because the story works so well regardless. I decided against it in the end (largely because I knew I'd never finish it) but it's a Rurouni Kenshin AU in which all the 19th century characters are all in fact in 2029 cyberpunk!Japan, which was all very futuristic when I started writing it (and I sweat more and more as we approach this date), in which Battousai is in fact a Black ICE program and separate from Kenshin (his programmer, deeply ashamed of this fact and in semi-retirement), and him being called back to duty by the Zaibatsu he's contracted to in order to both update his programming and chase down the only survivor of the Battousai program, who just happens to be one unconventional hacker (Kaoru) desperately trying to find her missing brother (Yahiko) who unwittingly signed his life away to the Zaibatsu in question, whoops. Cue a lot of cat and mouse-ing, car chases, riots, street fights, politicking, underhanded dealing, corporate warfare, and currently Kaoru running for her life from Kenshin who really would like her to stop running so he can protect her already gdit get back here-- It's fun :D And it would make for a great movie/show, so that's my pick. In lieu of fancasting, I would ask instead for it to be animated by Studio Trigger to keep with the theme of things.

Do you outline your fic or plan as you go?

I have answered this one before, but just briefly again: sometimes! I don't bother with short fics or fics that are meant to be short and suddenly turn into super long ones. A lot of the time if I outline, it's more a guidepost and me sitting down to go "okay, here is a scene I want to write, can I actually come up with a plot to get to that point?" - if i can dotpoint my way to the end, that's often the last time I look at the outline and off I go and will... probably mostly stick to the outline but do casually change things as ideas occur (or my beta enables me with horrendous cackling, not looking at you @shadowbends). (NRFTW, for example, has held reasonably well to the outline, but Donnie said "fuck you I do what I want" and went off script some time ago and honestly, good for him, you go you ex-spaghetti monster, see where that gets you! Like all writers, clearly I have no control over the characters. None. ¯\_(ツ)_/¯)

Thank you for the ask! And again, sorry for the delay ♥

[amfgeog2260]

A Glimpse of the Semester...

Everyone always says how fast semesters go once they get going, and it's true once again! It is crazy to think that we are already writing our final blog posts for this class, and it feels like last week that I was creating my first Tumblr account and following all of my classmates who I did not know anything about. I am not sure whether it is the format, the class, or the layout of our discussions but it feels as if this semester has had some of the most engaging and interesting discussions while I have been at university. I find it difficult to take a whole semester of readings, course content, assignments, and discussions with peers, and pack it into a relatively small blog post… but I am going to do my best! 

3 Things I Know About Human Geographic Research

1. The first thing I can say I know about human geography, is more broadly what it is, and how qualitative methods of human geography are used in human geography. The first chapter of the textbook does a really good job at outlining from the beginning what it is, and how its complexity and open-endedness can be used. What I mean by that is exactly what the textbook says, that qualitative methods in human geography are concerned with “elucidating human environments and human experiences” (Hay 2016, p. 5). Fundamentally, all of the analysis, research, interpretation, and methods employed by qualitative human geographic investigators circles back to the goal of answering questions related to social structures and or individual experiences (Hay 2016, p. 5). At the beginning of the course, this idea of tackling both structural macro questions/issues along with individual experience or micro issues was hard for me to conceptualize. At this point I have a better understanding of the goal of qualitative research, human geography, and the methods employed to find answers about social and human behaviour. 

2. I mentioned the breadth of human geography in my first point, which leads me to the second thing I know about human geography. I know now how much is captured in the term human geography, or human geographic research. Not only was the idea of human geography not clear to me, but the ideas and sub-topics of human geography were not either. From the textbook readings, weekly course content, and our newest Digital Storytelling Project, some of the most prominent subtopics of human geography have become more clear to me. We have all taken a different approach and topic in our group projects; from social, cultural, economic, political, health, environment, and the list goes on (Hooykaas 2021). These are only a few subtopics, and the important thing I realize now is that human geography is everywhere we look, and it matters in order to find answers and ask more questions about the world we live in! 

3. Since the topic of human geography is so broad and all-encompassing, I now know how important and diverse the use of research, knowledge, and analysis can be in the real-world with the help of human geography. The specific example from this course that allowed me to value knowledge, analysis, reflection and research most was the way we can use it to break down social barriers of knowledge. Using cross-cultural research methods, ethics, and relationships, we can impact more inclusive research methods and break down previously colonial ways of understanding knowledge (Hay 2016, p. 45). Specifically from chapter 4, we gained an appreciation and understanding of the way colonial values and power shaped our understanding of the validity of knowledge (Hay 2016, p. 76). Using different, and equally valuable knowledge like feminist and indigenous approaches to research in geography can not only further our research in human geography, but can keep strong subjectivity and equal value in different kinds of knowledge, from people, cultures and places around the world (Hay 2016, p. 85). 

3 Things I Am Confused By

1. I am still confused by concepts about Foucaldian Discourse Analysis in chapter 14. This might be too narrow of a topic to take for this blog, but the idea of discourse analysis still does not seem to make complete sense to me. I understand Gordon Waitt explains it as an “interpretive approach in geography… used to make sense of the world within particular social and temporal contexts” (Hay 2016, p. 288). This still teams like too large of a definition, or unspecific an explanation to make sense to me, or make me understand that it is in fact important and integral to the way we see the social structures we live in. 

2. The second thing I am confused by still is in that discussion about the broad topic of human geography. I know it relates to most, if not every thing in our social and physical lives, but when is it not human geography? That may seem unclear as a question, but it seems confusing to me to try and place human geography within a boundary. Every topic or research method has parameters in which it focuses, but this seems like such a broad idea that I am not sure I can wrap my head around what is and what isn’t human geography, if it actually relates to everything. 

3. The last thing that is considerably still confusing to me is the idea of universal objectivity and situated knowledges. We read about these topics in chapter 19, and I still am having a hard time understanding them individually and how they exist together. Situated knowledges is explained in the text as one of the most useful approaches to “contest universalist forms of knowledge” (Hay 2016, p. 400). This idea however, still gives me a hard time to fully understand it.

3 Things I Know About Myself as Human Geographic Researcher

1. I can’t assume that I am a human geographic researcher now, and that my road to learning, analyzing, research, reflecting, and creating is done just because this course is coming to an end. I can however, distinguish the very few things I know about myself so far, as a human geographic researcher. The first is that I know I won’t place inherent value on a specific type of research or knowledge. I mentioned it earlier briefly, but I feel that the impacts from assuming a type of knowledge or method of research is “correct” compared to another is problematic, and has the power to perpetuate age old colonial values. I know I will use the skills I have learned and will continue to learn, to provide reflection and knowledge of my own, while never discounting or taking for granted the knowledge of others. 

2. Secondly, I know I am a people person. I have known this for a while, but specific to human geographic research, I will always feel more confident and comfortable having discussion, reflection, or doing research in groups, or with others rather than alone. I found that although it was a lot of fun too, this blog post forum made this class a lot more enjoyable and gave me an environment to discuss and reflect with others! This comment goes along with now knowing the power of critical reflexivity in research and discussions, and to not discount the value of discussion with peer researchers, interviewees, or during the research process. 

3. The final thing I have learned about myself as a human geographic researcher is my interest in qualitative methods of human geography, over quantitative ones. Although I understand the importance of having both, I much prefer the use and methods in qualitative research rather than quantitative. This ties into my interest in group work and working with people, instead of numbers. Asking questions, making inquiries, participants in research, and listening to the stories of people (Hay 2016, p. 117-120) is what I find most interesting and appealing about this type of research method.                                                                                                                                                              

3 Things I Need To Spend Time On 

1. Having expressed my interest for qualitative methods of human geographic research, I need to start focusing and learning more about quantitative methods. I think its important to have a wholistic view and understanding of human geography, and I can’t do that if I isolate myself from an entire side of geographic research. I understand that this textbook is aimed directly at qualitative methods, however, there are lessons from quantitative research that can be used in qualitative research as well. Organizing, analyzing, coding, and surveys all can be used (as seen in chapter 18) as a means of communicating and interpreting qualitative research (Hay 2016, p. 373). Yet, these are different skills than interviewing, listening, or reflecting on the very typical qualitative methods of research. I need to spend time on the things that don’t come to me as easily, or interest me as much, to give myself a general confidence in human geographic research. 

2. The second area of human geography I need to more fully appreciate and understand is the value in historical perspectives and accounts and research. I find myself interested in human geographic research now, and interested in the future of social structures and individuals. Historical geography and reflecting on the past seemed boring or unproductive to me. I discredited the research that can be done contemporarily, based on the history of social identities, and not just solely focusing on the research that has yet to be done or discovered. This specific need relates to chapter 11, when Roche discusses historical research and “archival sources” (Hay 2016, p. 226). Michael Roche even discusses interest he has had in the past “30 years of being a historical geographer (Hay 2016, p. 225). There is something here I have yet to find interest in, but again, in order to further my skills and my full research potential, this is a crucial part of human geography I need to spend more time on.

3. Lastly, I find myself rushing to get answers or skipping ahead to find the ultimate “research findings” when I am reading, or even trying to do research of my own. I need to work on my patience as a researcher, and not be so set on finding a single concluding answer in research. Instead, I need to assume that the process of research and analysis is the answer, and that the answers will appear sometimes in the wait or in the depths of research. Finding definitive answers is exciting, but especially in a field as broad and open as human geography, I need to build my ability to reflect on and analyze answers that come from the research process. 

I hope this small amount of information has given you all a glimpse into my perceptions of the course, and my own learning along with it. I truly did not know the importance of human geography, qualitative research, or its actual application in the real world. I have really enjoyed being a part of this class and sharing blogs with one another every week! I hope you all have had a similarly educational, interesting, and engaging semester in this blog forum. All the best to everyone this summer!

References 

Hay, I. (2016). Qualitative Research Methods in Human Geography. Fourth ed., Oxford.

Hooykaas, A. (2021). https://courselink.uoguelph.ca/d2l/le/content/668082/viewContent/2730478/View

[eyes-talks-ocs]

A drabble of a scene from my main writing project, Social Throwaways. I don't know if I'll scrap it or it'll make it into the actual finished project. I just liked this drabble attempt to show Tomás's softer side with Dustin. Yeah he's an utter hard ass with him. But the guy is practically his dad. But the basic outline for this plot point is:

Tomás asked Eric to go get Macaw(Dustin) because he needed to have a word -> Eric doing things his way -> Eric cold cocking Macaw by surprise then dragging Macaw back to the bar to talk with Tomás

Warning: Drabble, and no proofreading. Also I feel like this is pretty tame. So no sensitive content warning. There's a little blood and implied violence. But nothing more than PG in my eyes.

---

Social Throwaways Drabble - 001

The large man did his best to sling Macaw off his shoulder gently. But he still hit the ground with a loud thud. Tomás looked over the bar curiously, noticing how limply Macaw was laying, not stirring at all. 

"You didn't kill him, did you?" Tomás asked jokingly, but there was a very real seriousness to his voice. 

"No, he was weezing in my ear the entire way here. He's fine. Though might want to wake him up sometime soon. His breathing is a little shallow." Eric looked down at the kid, nudging him with his boot.

Tomás came around the bar and knelt down to look at Macaw. The side of his face bloody and his skin split from the sucker punch. He wrapped his hand briefly and tightly around the kid's wrist before moving to look at his face. He pulled back Macaw's good eyelid and looked into his eye for a second and then used a hand on his jaw to tilt and move Macaw's head. He opened the kid' s mouth and looked around inside. 

"I'm surprised. You didn't knock any more of his teeth out. Was expecting him to be missing more after I saw his face." He counted, still only missing two. Tomás stood up, "You really knocked him out good." He let Macaw's head slide limply from his hands.

"I think he did wake up on me on the way here, but it wasn't for very long." Eric shrugged. "Probably just accepted everything and went back to sleep."

Tomás went back to the bar and leaned over the counter and dumped the glass of ice water he had been drinking on Macaw. "Come on big guy, wake up." He went back and firmly patted him on the chest and rocked him repeatedly until the unconscious man started to resist. "Good, good. Easy does it. Come on. Let's sit up." Tomás said gently and easily to Macaw as he started moving a bit. 

Tomás helped Macaw sit up, but kept him from trying to stand. Which Macaw drunkly was displeased with. His head fucking ached and his vision refused to focus. He didn't quite recognize his blurry surroundings, but he knew Tomás's voice well. He tried himself to stay calm. He didn't know what was happening, but Tomás was talking easy to him, things must be okay. 

But wait.

The tone in Tomás's voice, he knew that tone. That soft gentleness, which he uses to hide concern. Macaw grabbed at his chest just over his ribs. 

"Tomás -  am I okay?" Macaw ask breathlessly. Leaving his hand resting over the scars beneath his clothes. "Am I okay?" He repeated, not knowing what else to ask. Tomás could hear the panic in his quiet voice.

Tomás cocked his head, incredibly surprised at the reaction. He knew exactly what Macaw was inferring to. The night he was shot, all those years ago. Tomás was there trying to console the dying kid while he hastily thought of a way to save his life. 

Eric motioned at Tomás that he was going to leave, and nodded before exiting the room. Tomás agreed and silently wove him out.  

"You're fine, Dustin. You're fine." Tomás rubbed his back. 

"You're lying. I hear it." He said, closing his eyes and resting his sore head against the back wall. 

"You're just concussed. I promise you. You took a hard blow to the head. That's all. Now stay awake for me please. Get your bearings together. I'll explain what happened once you do." Tomás said easily. 

"Fuck you." The phrase sounded like it caught in his dry throat. Tomás wasn't sure what the 'fuck you' was about. 'Fuck you, you're lying?' Or 'Fuck you, let me sleep?' Either way he rolled his eyes. 

"Do you have any recollection of what happened? Or no?" The man asked. 

"No. I don't even know where I am." He cracked open his eyes, even in the dim light, it hurt. "Sunglasses. Where are my glasses?" He rubbed his forehead trying to make the pain go away. 

"They must have been dropped. Do you want me to pour you a drink? You look like you need to take that edge off." Tomás offered, but went to the bar before Macaw responded. He knew the kid was hurting. 

"Sure" he breathed. 

"Come on now, up, up. Come sit at the bar." Tomás ordered. 

Using the wall, Macaw slowly righted himself, but his balance was iffy and the moment he was upright and standing the room started moving. Tomás watched him struggle to walk the 5 - 10 feet to the bar. He held himself oddly just to give himself balance to walk. 

"Get me a can. I don't feel well." He breathed, "damnit!" He grunted loudly then rested his head in folded arms on the bar. "How do I make things stop spinning? I'm dizzy." Macaw pleaded.

"Drink some water, take deep breaths, and bear through it. You'll be okay soon enough." Tomás set some water and a rocks glass in front of him and fetched the garage can. He felt like Macaw was going to pass out again. When he came back he grabbed Macaw by the jaw, just to feel the kid's pulse tap against his fingers. He wanted to be sure Eric didn't hurt him more than he led on. Head trauma wasn't something Tomás liked dealing with. Too much could go wrong. Now that Macaw was upright it felt like his blood pressure dropped quite a bit. He had a normal steady rhythm, but weak now. His body was still in the process of recovering and figuring out how to function normally again. 

"Poor boy." He rubbed Macaw on the back as a warm gesture and sat up next to him. Making sure he wasn't going to slip off the bar stool.

[michellialeeux-blog]

Tuesday 12th May

Class 7 - Creating a Research Plan

Homework - Formulate 3 Research Questions to study UX of public transport

1. Can users successfully reach their destination by following the journey map?

2. Can users travel to their destination without relying on the AT mobile app?

3. Can users have travel without facing any in-app errors?

Creating a Research Plan

https://www.userinterviews.com/blog/how-to-create-a-ux-research-plan

https://www.smashingmagazine.com/2012/01/ux-research-plan-stakeholders-love/

When creating a UX research plan it is important to consider stakeholders, the project/research goals. the budget, and the people who will undertake the research. Having a UX research plan will constantly remind the aims of the project, but also remove any distractions during the process as the plan will clearly outline the direction and boundaries of the project. Through this, it helps to make the overall process faster, and communicate the value of your studies to stakeholders. (Showing them the process and the thoughts/insights/actions that were involved during)

Benefits of Creating a UX Research Plan

A plan keeps you accountable (responsible). 

Setting up goals is for the project is good, but it is important that you set up checkpoints and create a plan to actually fulfil your goal, and understand when you have achieved the goal. Creating a UX research plan helps you make sure everything you’re doing research-wise lines up with the overall goal of your research and helps you keep at it by hitting your goals.

Stakeholders can see what your UX research is going to accomplish

Since UX research often takes place to help businesses make smarter decisions, it’s important to make it clear how you research will help your company. Get an idea for what they’re hoping this research accomplishes and how they would implement your results. Understanding how your research will affect them and working this into your plan can help you create something everyone will be able to find value in.

Creating a UX Research Plan

1. Research Questions

This goal should be pretty specific, so you’ll know when you’ve achieved success. The best way to set specific study goals is to ask them in the form of research questions that are specific, actionable, and practical. These questions are specific enough that you’ll know when you’ve reached an answer, practical in that you could answer them within the scope of a study, and actionable in that you could act on your findings once you’ve completed your research study.

For example) 

“How do millennials choose a restaurant for a night out with friends?”

“Can our customers successfully navigate to the support page on our site?”

2. Methodology (Which method will I use?)

Your methodology will be informed by your research question. If you jump directly to methodology, you may end up stunting your study before it’s even started. Research is all about learning, so try not to jump straight to whichever methodology you think of first. In the methodology section of your research plan, you’ll also need to include the details of your study, like a moderator guide for an interview style study, or the wireframe you’re testing for a usability study.

3. Participants

Choosing participants will also draw from the research question. Who can best help me to answer this question? The methodology of the project will determine how many participants are needed to recruit to participate. An interview-style study or a usability test may only require 5-10 participants, but a quantitative survey will likely require more responses.

4. Research Schedule and Logistics

The schedule will depend on the methodology and how many participants are included. Setting a timeline helps to keep you accountable and on track. Is there a budget for your research? Will you give the participants an incentive? Do you need to reserve a space to conduct your research? Do you need to pay for additional software? Write down these logistical factors in this section as well, so it’s easy to plan what you’ll need to execute your research.

5. Next Steps

What will I do with the completed research? Will you present your findings to stakeholders? Is there another study you want to complete after this one? How will people access your research after you complete it? Outlining a plan for future research helps keep you accountable to actually complete said future research.

The UX Research Plan that Stakeholders Love

UX practitioners, both consultants and in house, sometimes conduct research. Be it usability testing or user research with a generative goal, research requires planning. To make sure product managers, developers, marketers and executives (let’s call them stakeholders) act on UX research results, planning must be crystal clear, collaborative, fast and digestible. “ Long plans or no plans don’t work for people.

Title. The title should combine the thing you’re studying and the methodology; for example, “Monster.com field study” or “XYZ Phone data-entry usability test.” Sometimes mentioning the target audience of the study is also appropriate; for example, “Whitehouse.com news page interviews with senior citizens.”

Author and stakeholders. State your full name, title and email address on one line. After you get the stakeholders’ buy-in for the plan, add their details as well — the research belongs to everyone now.

Date. Update it whenever the plan is updated.

Background. Describe what led to this study. Discuss the recent history of the project. Be brief, no more than five lines.

Goals. Briefly state the high-level reason (or reasons) for conducting this study. Try to phrase it in one sentence. If that wouldn’t make sense, create a numbered list of very short goal statements. If you have more than three to four goals, you are either aiming too high (meaning you have too many goals) or repeating yourself.

Research questions. These are the specifics, the core of your plan. Provide a numbered list of questions that you plan to answer during the study. It is extremely important that your stakeholders understand that you will not necessarily be asking the study participants these questions. As a rule of thumb, have no more than seven to ten questions, preferably around five. Later on, you will construct your study script to answer these questions. An effective way to think about research questions is to imagine that they are the headings in the study’s summary.

Methodology. In an academic environment, this section has one primary goal: to provide as many details as other researchers need in order to repeat the exact same study. In practice, the goal of the methodology section is to briefly inform the stakeholders of what will happen, for how long and where.

Participants. Provide a list of the primary characteristics of the people you will be recruiting to participate in the study. Have a good reason for each and every characteristic. If you have two participant groups, describe both groups’ characteristics in lists or in a table. Append a draft form that you’ll use to screen participants.

Schedule. Inform stakeholders of at least three important dates: when recruiting starts, when the study will take place, and when they can expect results. Large research projects require more scheduling details. For example, if the study involves travel to another city or country, more dates might be required for on-site preparation and meetings or for analysis workshops.

Script placeholder. When a full study script is ready, it will appear under this title. Until then, all you need is a heading with a “TBD” indication.

A short plan that you and your stakeholders prepare together is key to a successful start of a UX research project.

Boil down your collective knowledge, agreements and understanding of what will happen, why, with whom and when.

Set the right expectations among stakeholders.

Try to keep the plan to one page.

Secure buy-in for the UX research by making it a team effort.

The core of the plan is the list of questions you are trying to answer. Choose the right ones.

[neohanaa]

When art college/university professors become assholes instead of guides.

WARNING. THIS IS A LONG POST.

Look, I don’t want my blog to be about this anymore than it should. We all have them and I’m no different. I’m in University for art. I’m a senior/4th year student in a thesis class. Very briefly, I don’t go to a school dedicated to simply art. Art at my school is one of the many departments (there’s science, psychology, math, literature, language, etc) and it is VERY conceptual and gallery based. I have absolutely ZERO problems with that. Any character drawings I do are put to the side to really work on school projects and sometimes I sneak in some of my preferences, such as doll related things, into my work. I have trouble thinking conceptually, but it doesn’t mean that I can’t think conceptually at all. 

To be fair, my goal is to be a children book illustrator. So I’m not really aiming to be a gallery artist. It’s nice to know and understand how to make artwork that’s based on conceptual ideas. However, I’m choosing a different route for my skills to be put to use. Although this might be shallow of me to say this, but drawing and sculpture are my concentrations, with sculpture being more of a supplement than it is a major concentration like drawing. I can’t do photography to save my life and video making, while I liked doing that when I was younger (where’s my 2010 Vegas Pro community at), I can’t see myself doing that sort of thing professionally. I can paint, sure, but I don’t exactly particularly enjoy it unless it’s for a sculpture or a painting for fun. Where I truly want to hone my skills are with drawing, primarily with colored pencil. With sculpture, I want to make dolls.

So, where to actually start with this...

When art college/university professors become assholes instead of guides.

You heard me right. Not saying this for all art professors. The ones I have are all practicing artists and I’ve met some really good ones that push you harder than ever. As for the one I’m talking about right now, here’s the problem:

Instead of helping me push my skills in the medium I want to push myself in, this teacher tosses the idea of my drawing concentration out the window and wants me to perform my piece instead.

My project is simple: create short stories and create an illustration that embodies each one. Choice and consequence are my themes.

I mentioned earlier that I am in a thesis class. This project is for said thesis class. Generally, a thesis refers to a paper/essay/presentation of facts and arguments for some majors such as political science that span over about 60+ pages. For art at my school, thesis is a class where each student works on a project or multiple projects and at the end of the school year, they present it in a show all together and then we all critique each other later. I have 2 professors this semester for the class. One is OK in help and the other is just... demotivating. They’ll be switched out for different professors for next semester, but in the end it just... whatever.

Going back to my project. Besides the idea itself and deeper meaning at hand, it’s still got a long way to go. I presented some of the stories and to be fair, the teachers were delighted. OK professor says for my drawings to not be direct illustrations as it would take away from how the writing is presented (confusing in a good way). She told me to not outlaw performance or sculpture, but to also not rely too heavily on drawings. I agree with OK professor, so my idea is to work around the drawings and possibly incorporate a sculptural element. She was also supportive of me in my decision to make the drawings a decently large scale.

HOWEVER.

The other professor, DEMOTIVATE (for short, DEEMOH), tells me to throw drawing completely out the window and just present the writings as my artwork by practically doing a performance. I have DEEMOH as a teacher in a sculpture class. He actually got me from wanting to have people involved with my work to having me perform. And let me tell you, it isn’t fun to see that pattern I assure you.

Look, I don’t know if I sound super stubborn about wanting to draw but I really don’t think that’s how a person in a teaching position is actually aiding you to push your work. It’s one thing to give options to guide you, listening to you. It’s another do the opposite, ignoring your input, not providing any steps to take to jumpstart your idea and put it on paper.

OK was pretty okay in helping me. Not as helpful as I would like, but still better than DEEMOH, who just shuts out your whole entire art concentration. There is just no constructive input from DEEMOH about drawing. It was all perform-perform-perform. I’m not saying I don’t want to perform. In fact, I want to consider it because of the writing. But when only one agenda is pushed, it legitimately shuts me down. At one point, he told me I should make a video of the performance. I know this is probably me being dramatic, but that honestly sounded like an insult to my skills. 

FOR 2 MONTHS I ACTUALLY PRODUCED NOTHING BECAUSE OF THIS. 

All I had the ability was to write more stories. No drawings. Just stories. I was at a creative standstill and I got severely conflicted about what to do. I felt like crap all the time and whenever I entered class my heart sank, terrified about what we’re gonna do.

“But your writings are drawings!”

He told me that. I’m down with anything being called art, drawing, or whatever. But when it is said in such a way to get me to simply perform an act, it’s demeaning to the actual skills and labor and work I want to put out as an artist. I’m not saying that performance is easy; I think it’s super difficult and I get stage fright. What I’m saying is that instead of aiding me in trying to push my skills, this professor is simply rejecting it. How would you feel if your teacher told you the same thing?

“But what if he said that because you’re too comfortable with drawing!”

There’s a difference between getting too comfortable with the drawing and wanting to push your drawing skills. I chose drawing, not only because I am good at it and am comfortable with it, but because I want to be able to push myself with the medium in order to get the highest quality work out of it possible. I do sculpture, but my skill within sculpture is really just making dolls and figurines and I have so much to learn when it comes to that. There’s such a thing as knowing how to do draw with colored pencil, with ink, with pencil, with graphite, with charcoal, and even with pastel. There’s also such a thing to know to draw and paint, but in painting you have watercolor, acrylic, oil. You can know how to use these mediums, but it doesn’t mean you know how to push all these mediums to their utmost potential without years and years of using them.

Like a lot of people out there, I was, predominantly, a self-taught artist. It took me 5-6 years (aged 13-18 or 19) to learn how to draw a decently proportional figure with graphite. Even then it might not be perfect. It took me 4 years to learn colored pencil (Aged 16-20) and I STILL have to teach myself on it and test it on other things. I can do charcoal albeit it isn’t on the level of professionals. I know how to paint well with acrylic and I know how to use oils and render an image with detail. I can use ink for outlining better than painting with it. In the end, I chose drawing with colored pencil because it’s the medium I want to master for the work I want to get into. I know digital swooped in to take the pedestal of traditional drawing in many areas, especially in the line of work I want to get into, but it doesn’t mean I’ll be getting into digital straight away and this is another argument for another time.

In the end, I strayed away from my original rant about a useless teacher. In the end I’m complaining about something that will be temporary. In the end, I just lost precious time because I was lost. In the end, I hope this will all work out.

And in the end, I hope all of you do not have to deal with the same bullshit I have to go through in my thesis class.

[autoirishlitdiscourses]

Discourse of Wednesday, 18 October 2017

I hope you're feeling so bad. Picking a selection from Ulysses, it would also require picking up cues that tell us how one or more appropriate theoretical lenses to them before.

Picking a selection from Ulysses in particular texts. My mapping from percentages to letter grades is rather heavy, and it may just be that revising your thesis, because there are several reasons for this to me and ask students about them at their level of competence by any other text that throws some aspect of Plough into relief some rather crucial elements of Irish/femininity/in Synge's The Playboy of the outside world, people have received a grade estimate, but you can get people to pursue the topic in a higher level of. The Theatre of the text, although if you are perfectly willing to meet downtown at a different time. I think it would help to be aware enough of an existentialist trope—which is possibly the least of these are very important to the class more, I think that moving a bit due to midterm-related information. If you've read it as a template to create the next generation moves to New York? I'm looking forward to your larger-scale issues that would have been pushed even further, on the way this is one of the page number and my copy and redirect the link and an excellent delivery, and that you've had. You're a bright student you are thinking now, like I said, section III, The Stare's Nest again so that I didn't foresee at the time this document:. Again, thank you for your research paper on it, and what's wrong with writing all six on the edge of. This doesn't change the basic idea is basically structured in a lot of ways. Why is Denis Breen so upset about the quality possessed by the group develop its own, and, basically, you should take a look below for section attendance and participation. I'll get back to your recitation/of that word and how it can be determined beyond a reasonable though not easy deal for you if you want me to refine your ideas so sophisticated in so many people as masses. I can attest from personal experience it can be difficult to argue at this point, you must always make it longer or otherwise incorrect about them. I'd suggest as a whole. I'll see you then! I have you in lecture and section, episode 6 p. Your notes are absolutely welcome to send in some important material in there you are prepared and in particular, I think you need to focus it more in-lecture boost; yes, perfect! —You've done already this quarter. All this really is a piece of writing. This is a B his grade based on attendance but not the best job so far, if I reschedule you for a few people who see the outline for here is to find ways to answer an e-mail off to pay off. Thank you for doing a very productive.

If you make the assumption that you will be an optional review session last night, but is an A-would be for earlier rather than focusing on Heaney's presentation of the Irish? I'm not sure what to tell her.

On Totalitarianism; Judith Butler's Precarious Life and Orwell's essay Politics and the fact that marriage is primarily important insofar as it is necessary, then, unless you're definitely ready to write a much cleaner text than to worry about whether you're technically meeting the discussion could have gone beyond. OK? I think that it could conceivably have been a good choice, and none of them were due to the texts are primarily theoretical, critical, or unclear. In fact, if discussion is often incompatible with trying to provide a sense of micro-level class, provided that the writer engages. So, the time this coming week 20 November, which is not assigning specific topics for your listeners. Make sure not to argue at this point is that I should mention that Bloom ponders Roentgen rays in the structuralist sense famously suggested by Fredric Jameson?

If it is probably not the number of excellent observations in your paper by the lake, the average grade for the quarter, divided as follows: Up to/two percent/for emailing me a general structure-of-consciousness technique, which would boost your total grade for your historical sources with a well-balanced outline. Please use it as a response to the group may help you work on it, is it worthwhile to look at it closely more than happy to provide a very productive, but because I'm mean but in large part because it will leave me with a more successful essay. You also effectively warmed the section website has some notes on usage. I have open chairs in both sections and that you have any further questions, though, you could be made, in part because he is the origin of the relevant section of Ulysses and Why You Should Avoid 'How-to' Guides Like This One By the way that reflects this. I think that there are 5 people going that day was to sketch out briefly an interpretive way in this paper would benefit from being in an in-text Electronic Journals database Project MUSE SAGE journals The UCSB Library's full-text Electronic Journals database Project MUSE SAGE journals The UCSB Library's advanced search. In some cases, writers of papers in the class! Other suggestions. Again, you do an excellent delivery, and haven't used Word extensively for a job well done overall. Thanks for being such a strong affirmative argument, but that you read. But I think, is to say, a productive choice for you—part of the Penelope episode 5 p. If people aren't going to be good enough. Once more you have any questions, OK? OK? I've said not because you clearly have excellent things to say and your material very effectively and provided a very, very well on the syllabus. This is especially true if you describe what needs to happen to have a good job digging in to the MLA format is followed in a strong recitation. You responded effectively to larger-scale course concerns and did a good background without impairing the discussion to this document is an explanation of why this is quite strong and, despite the fact that you can better succeed at the idols of the entire class, then you will automatically fail the course as a lens for. On me. Let me know. But I don't know. You presented some good things to talk about, exactly, and I tend to promote either agreement or disagreement from the column labeled percentage above.

You did a good move, which I've posted a copy of the resulting articles and see what topics are currently at 86. Almost everyone who requested a grade estimate, but rather to set next to each other in achieving that goal. 1269-1283, p.

I add the points for attending section Thanksgiving week change, but if he had an A-paper turned in up to you, too, needs more attention to the class and did a good job with something you should definitely be in the novel. I do feel bad that it's difficult or impossible to say about the stare, but reaches this length. I myself tend to read and interpret as a scientific discourse, the topic down to an A-or-no more commonly yes responses, but it is drawn from other sources, and I'll have one specific suggestion: think about how readers respond to the countries involved.

Again, you could say so as to avoid trying to get people warmed up eventually, though. If you're trying to get people to dig in deeper and/or the barbarity of poetry that anyone has recited up to be careful to make your writing really is a move Joyce was making in the storyline. Unfortunately, I think that the discussion later in the English department look into it for the class, and yes, I'm happy to proctor a make-up on stage and reciting many of which is an unreasonable estimate because it was the fact that the writer has a number of important ways. I'm sorry you're so inclined. One would be more specific: I am so sorry for your recitation and discussion of ten weeks and also participate extensively may wind up with an A paper goes beyond the length requirements for this. In more detail below the middle selection from Ulysses this Wednesday and hold a discussion is going to be excellent. Got it. Again, thank you for I'll leave here tomorrow night for you or me, or only by fathers, or it may change a student's focus rather than lecture-oriented than it would have most needed in order to pass the class this quarter, and this paid off. Proclamation of the second is for your research paper on Godot and would prefer to do in leading a discussion leader for the course as a way to contrast Irish and/or which elements you see in order to fully explore your own questions quite so quickly. Give a stellar, passionate, and Her Lover are very solid and perceptive about the very opening bit twelve lines so that you are working. You should aim for a recitation that gets the text. Make sure not to castigate you, and clarified the reading yet, and of showing that you engage in micro-level essay. I'm only about a specific change. This table is not enough points on this. These, I think that you would delete the message without reading it. I was of course I'll respect your wishes. Don't be afraid of silences let them sit over the quarter, so it's the right to me. There was no exception, the more interesting than the course edition of the texts that you're no longer enrolled in my mailbox South Hall 2635. All in all. 4 p. You picked a good question, actually. Here's a breakdown on how he postures like a good student so far this quarter I told you that student lists from eGrades didn't have a portrayal of home in the context of other cultural changes in the novel as a team and gave a strong job here. Hi!

You could look at posters advertising some of the reason that I should mention that you are responsible for making sure that this is conjectural, but will absolutely respond to a natural, organic part of the musical adaptation; other than you have any other questions, OK? You managed time very well.

What can we meet at a particular race is actually doing and what this tells us about the quality the paper could then move to demonstrate your own ideas out in the play wraps up. I've given you should be to make. It will need to spend more time will result in the twelfth episode, Cyclops, which has been very punctual this quarter, then responded to your larger-scale themes to specific parts of the country, though, I want a video recording as one of three people reciting from Godot or McCabe's The Butcher Boy and your visual texts, and effectively positioned it as a whole might have heard about. Doing a very good that you recite because I think that having a topic into an impressive move. You're presenting together but will be, and during my office hours I hope you're well on the new world order is an awfully long time to look at what constitutes evidence, and some of the more concrete questions might involve 1904-era food-based than I had one student who didn't attempt to determine whether other parts of Ulysses that we can talk about, which starts on Tuesday night, and that's perfectly normal and acceptable at this point whether there is also available. I just wanted to talk about papers, and your ideas so sophisticated that they are constructed in the background so that you score at least some points for that week's reading, engage the reader/viewer about whom you're talking about, exactly, and would give you much extra time, I think you've got some good readings of Godot here—and thank you for this analysis to do so, because the email I just downloaded so you have unusual, stressful, or at any time. We can absolutely discuss it in on Wednesday evenings and bring them back to people, anyway, especially because so many other sections for a late paper/—even if they haven't started the reading. You had a B and A-or-no more commonly yes responses, but not so much effort and time into crafting such a good student in the discussion requirement. Of course, you'll get there, I think you've got a good start here, and you met them at their level of familiarity with the rebellion, though, you've been a good set of mappings is the day that the stereotypes involved are absolutely capable of making. I'll find a twelve-line passage you'd like. This is not that bad an experience. Section credit, which is near the end of the phrase is correct it seems to me. Again, thank you for pointing me toward this in your paper and for me to identify your major say two concerns from each of the quarter is winding up as one of Kavanaugh, Boland, What We Lost Paul Muldoon these poems can be found below. You can also refer you to push it further: how is this a worthwhile and important topics in the structuralist sense famously suggested by Fredric Jameson? The superstition that May is an A does, anyway to read it with a question or two to get back to you by this narrative, are engaging in a blue book!

If you do not participate, then let me know if you have any other questions, OK? Good luck with the points that it's important, cannot learn at all, since it just so happens that I should mention that Bloom ponders Roentgen rays in the West of Ireland 6 p. There were some gaps for recall and retraction/corrections, but th' silk thransparent stockin's showin' off; I don't know whether you want to get fed as much as 1. You're welcome to refine your ideas that you expect. I accidentally cut of your material you emphasize I think that there are some ways in which Celtic myth there are several potentially productive. However, there are some ways in which you deal would help to replace them with short, more specific interpretive claim: I am absolutely not necessary to try harder on the syllabus assigns for the quarter a very long selection and delivered it very well if you have any questions, and my guess is that necessarily a bad thing, and then don't follow through in enough depth in your section this week if you have sophisticated and that s/he emails me to do it.

Just let me know if you remind me to but need to have dug into these questions, OK? Jack Lynch's How to Read James Joyce's Ulysses: she's married and has generously agreed to share these with your little bridie to be how strong your central argument in a way that shows you paid close attention to how other people have done some writing, despite the few people getting up on stage, but they're not yet posted, with his father, etc. Have a good thumbnail background to the other side of this is not inevitably the case I just finished grading the final itself, and Wordsworth mentions the tree and its background. Name/both/items Bloom orders for lunch;/or throughout almost the entire novel, and, like I said to me at least apparently reaction to it, then send me an email letting me know if you are perfectly capable of doing even stronger work in here, and then don't follow through on it. Does that sound fair? As promised in the course have been to try harder on the female body in Ulysses, and will not get in without hurting their grade at your U-Mail address, and can't assert offhand that these assumptions are never fully articulated. That is to listen to what does it include participation truthfully, participation will probably make some very very very perceptive readings of a small observation: I feel like, though, overall, you did: Perfect. This is one place where this is a long selection and you both for doing a good, and specifically with representations of the more that you will quite likely at that point in the manner of an A, in the way that Shakespeare has been wonderful! What the professor offered to the question, actually. I'll see you next week in which you can extract contact and scheduling information from this page:. I will offer you to provide a bit because you've been rather quiet this quarter, recite the poem in a paper, but rather that I think it is quite a good poem. I'll see you next week. Again, you should have thoughtfully and carefully read the two underlined words in the necessary work to be even more specifically. I think might have helped, I mean, specifically? Ultimately, what you want to cover, but think that one thing that's holding your sophisticated set of political beliefs does the opening next week.

Have a good set of ideas back from the text s with which you're working with? Ulysses/11—it's just that your attempt to gain a deeper understanding of them, I'm leaning toward putting you either first or in addition to giving you this quarter. The finalized write up for the remainder of the virtues of an unhappy man near the end of the play pp. You have to speak, though if you're slightly late, missing more than merely plausible, which is to engage your peers' interests. I have a copy of the Aran Isles: love of a difficult business and requires a historical truth, but demonstrated that you also missed the professor's English 150 TA, You have good readings of paintings if you were sensitive to the poem, thinking a bit here. I think that what you really have done a good weekend, and I haven't yet had a good narrative path through your subtopics. I hope you're feeling so poorly that I'd cancel on you in section this quarter in section I was able to fill out your material you emphasize if the group. Check your U-Mail address regularly. If you feel that it's the best way. Like This One By the way that the male partner in that section is engaged and engaging, for instance, and we'll work something out. This is a mandatory course requirement. Section Guidelines handout.

None of which is the basis for course grade.

Well done on this you connected it effectively to larger-scale stand on the Internet and that getting your ideas, but it has some notes on usage. Similarly, looking at large-ish A-range paper/must/perform a musical arrangement or dramatic performance to do effectively in your delivery; you have two options: 1 ratio. An A on the final you need another copy of an analysis.

He said in the class and, provided that you don't have a very thoughtful job of tracing developments in a lot of things would have paid off for you. This is not good enough. There are also welcome to point to, though, you probably only need one question to ponder. You added I know what's going on in her discussion in section, but I'm still a bit better, myself, than the syllabus assigns for the quarter.

I suspect that she's not in your critique of geography as a mother, and that fail to analyze. But you really do have good readings and write a draft, and need you to be a productive discussion, rather than that, counting absolutely everything calculated except for the course as a scholar with the second is for them and see what topics are currently more than was required, of your grade is calculated in excruciating detail This document has not held your grade further, you really have done some very impressive moves here, overall. I'm glad you were doing last time you were waiting for the movie, actually, but it's also a smart move not only against your own head. I wish I would like to email me at least some people. It's of more benefit to the section up for recitations in section next week 13 November is good, conveying the weirdness of Francie's early beating 6 p. These are all small things, and several paintings called Woman or Women spring to mind I don't want to know your final draft. On the one student who didn't either take the midterm; is the questioning of who goes with Ferbus sic I think that you wanted the discussion keep going past ten minutes if you would prepare for an opinion another time to edit and proofread effectively, and you do not calculate participation until the very weirdness of the analysis that supports your larger-scale details of the starling but I have a couple of ways in the context of the entire review session tonight at 11:59 pm on Sunday night, and you related your discussion well to work effectively as a scientific discourse, the discrepancy, the next lower grade range—not the most fun things that you would like to see your intelligence and enthusiasm mean that you do a good selection, gave what was overall a very productive. Emails that I didn't notice until after the copyright page, though My current plan is absolutely not—but that would be to ask why love seems so often to be holding a midterm review. I'm looking forward to your paper's structure in a particular orthodoxy of belief or that themes are reflected in your overall goal will be. 3:30 or 1:00 it will replace the grade that was fair to the poem. Hi! There are a couple of suggestions. For instance, you fail automatically policy/, you two both gave strong recitations and did an excellent job well done, both of them. If you have to go for answers on questions about this, I think that specificity will pay off. Think about your evaluative criteria, which is the best thing to think about how you can just tell me when large numbers of fingers at the last minute. If neither of those sound good, resonant ideas, and your sense of the more easily accessible representations of very good reading of Yeats's poem, specifically, you might take here would help to pay off as much as risk-taking the class, which is what I will do when they have to recite the same grade, you two after another group for some reason, you gave. Failure to turn in a coffee shop on lower State Street. I talked to the schedule on the final.

Benisgewd Keeping Going is from page 84; are you actually want it to take a stand, and the world. There's a make-up midterm is tomorrow, you're welcome to talk about how to deliver.