In Depth Final – Work Essay

 

INTRODUCTION AND PROJECT CHANGES

For this years in depth project, I chose to work around skateboards and learn as much as I could about art tips and working with decks. I learned that this project jumped quickly from what was supposed to be me painting 2-3 decks ad creating videos on them, but a global pandemic happened and I had to change the course a little bit. Thats okay! I know a lot of people also had to do this, and with Ms Mulder’s help I worked around suddenly not being able to get the decks  and put more thought into amalgamating and creating notes and sketches. This turned out to be actually pretty fun and a good way to spend my time, because I really liked working in my sketchbook and I did not feel like I was completely derailed and disconnected. My new plan to finish this project was to create a few new sketches, as many as I could, and take pictures of the designs I would have wanted to do on Pinterest and such. Then I would take pictures of everything and put it into this photo essay and explain them. Attached at the bottom I have a little “BTS” collection of photos of the one board I was able to complete and a l little video.  My plan was to do this sort of thing for every board I could create.

Below is a collection of images of the sketches I wanted to create as a deck and my notes on what I learned.

 

SKETCHES

JUAN DE FUCA | GARIBALDI

The first deck I ever had in mind was a forest themed Garibaldi board commemorating my journey in TALONS.

WOOD STAIN WAVE

This was one of my favourite drafts. I did, I really wanted to see this come to life. I am thinking of doing this in the future, I already bought the danish oil stain I was to use.

VW BUS

The VW bus was going to be a deck for my mom, who loves the vibes of these vehicles. I wanted to make this one super colourful with hippie flowers on the sides I different hues of oranges and reds.

 

NOTES

COLOUR PALETTE | TYPES OF COLOURS | MATCHING

This was definitely one of the coolest things I learned. I have always been drawn by artistic design especially of the digital kind, and learning this has helped me create and produce attractive projects both for school and for fun.

BRUSH TYPES

Learning brush types was the most important thing I needed to learn in order to make nice designs on wood. I wrote these notes before going out to buy them ad did additional research on what each brush was designed for.

MIXING COLOURS

Mixing colours was the highlight of my day  here because I got to give them cool names and I really enjoyed that. Might seek future career as Paint Namer at Home Depot.

PRACTICING LETERS

This was very hard because I have bee doing such digital-oriented schoolwork I forgot what it was like to spend time making fonts and such look nice on paper.

BOARD TYPES

It is crazy to me how different and almost weird it is to ride different types of boards — my brother has since taken up a collecting hobby of skateboards (we have at least 8 In my garage) and riding the different ones is definitely super cool. If only he’d let me paint them.

BEHIND THE SCENES

It was very hard for me during the project to incorporate what I had set out to do: paint skateboards. In the end I came around to learn a lot more about the methods of painters, the materials and efforts to create a nice piece and what goes into that. It sucks how a lot of our projects ended up getting derailed, but I hope to restart and continue this in the future.

Other areas in my life where I used my skills learned throughout this project and applied them to schoolwork/life projects:

• Trying to add creative elements to on-the-go projects in other subjects (examples: just handed in a large digital mind map that took a few days to design, currently have a hand drawing/infographic/ illustration for Big History)
• Painted my bed room and bathroom as well as some pieces of furniture (was a good way to keep busy for a few days)
• Taken to seeking creative elements such as drawing small designs and doodles when I am feeling stressed or overwhelmed
• Helping my father with a side job photography and design work through SFU
• Designing and creating a garden space for outside and spending time to professionally design and seek resources for interior design for my revised bedroom, as well has building planters that require drafting and sketches

 

Although it did not go as planned, I am still grateful for this project. Thank you In Depth!

 

 

 

 

 sound does not work unfortunately:

https://sd43bcca-my.sharepoint.com/:v:/g/personal/125-mdasilva_sd43_bc_ca/EcqeJvhVkxVAvJUhXq17frIBW-X_-R993SBGIOYJuR0U0A?e=3nEMBD

 

 

In Depth 2020 – 6

Hi everyone welcome back to my updates on how my skateboarding art has been going!

So clearly my project has been thrown for quite a loop and veered off track than my proposal planned for back in the fall, however, it has been an entertaining and difficult adjustment to substitute my project tasks. My original plans were to create 2-4 boards to paint / finish. However, the company I ordered my first board through stopped shipping and other companies I looked at were very expensive (most of my family is out of work!), as well as the slowing of deliveries on behalf of Canada Post. All understandable in a global pandemic, and to adjust my project I decided to focus more on drafting. I have decided my final project will be a showcase of painting and design notes I have collected throughout this project and a handful of sketches I hav put together. The sketches were one of my favourite parts of this project because I like revising/fixing/changing ideas around to make them look good. So far I have amalgamated lots of online images I would like to use as inspiration. My new final goal is to be able to showcase 8-10 high-quality sketches for boards (that I may pick up again in the summer, who knows) and 4-5 pages of notes for painting. I have almost completed a little video of the painting process of the first (and only) board I was able to complete.

To express how this project went for me and how I worked around the challenges I faced, I will be creating a photo essay of my sketchbook/ the processes I went through for the new version of a “final project.”

Other ways I have incorporated design/art into my life to keep myself practicing the techniques are:

• Trying to add creative elements to on-the-go projects in other subjects (examples: just handed in a large digital mind map that took a few days to design, currently have a hand drawing/infographic/ illustration for Big History)
• Painted my bed room and bathroom as well as some pieces of furniture (was a good way to keep busy for a few days)
• Took up drawing a collection of tattoos on my family members
• Taken to seeking creative elements such as drawing small designs and doodles when I am feeling stressed or overwhelmed
• Helping my father with a side job photography and design work through SFU
• Designing and creating a garden space for outside and spending time to professionally design and seek resources for interior design for my revised bedroom, as well has building planters that require drafting and sketches (also with my dad)

In Depth 2020 – 4

 

Focus: challenges, what has been going well and what hasn’t, progress update

I would like to focus this blog post more towards challenges with myself rather challenges with my mentor, because I find it more difficult but rewarding to be able to deal with not only someone else I do not know that well but intrapersonal conflicts. I will start off by saying my project is going well and rather smoothly at the surface level of mass-scale projects. However, I find large projects like this hard to stay self directed on, and I find myself saying this for many evals in this program. In depth is especially hard in this  sense because of how long it is and how much one must consider to work through a successful project and study of a topic. This is my most difficult challenge so far, but it is important I learn how to balance the other things in my life (work, other classes, sports, home life/family) at this age so I am properly set up for my future. On my proposal for this project I mentioned this quite a bit, and although it is a hard area for me and many of my gifted peers, I have set out to make it my goal for my study in this project. I have many more specific goals, such as taking my time to  learn about painting concepts, stay organized and be proud of my work, but a thematic goal I always hold in the background of my mind is to stay focused and prioritize. In saying this, I also feel I have so far done a good job of this, and I want to hold myself to this regiment until the completion of In Depth. Something that is working well for me is the tools and resources I have seeked to help calm my mind and think in a less clouded way when tackling these large assignments; and these methods that I primarily use for In Depth I have grown to apply to other aspects in my life. Throughout school I  have had a really tough time with this as my mind is often elsewhere, as you have probably seen; I love large projects and the freedom they entail but I can often get either too carried away or too distracted in my task. Something more specific that I could work to make better also on an intrapersonal level is maintaining self pride/ reassurance if something immediately did not go as planned, not overworking myself to the point of burnout and maintaining a healthy balance of the important things in my life. 

For a more visual intel on how my skateboard painting is going, click here for the 2020 Photo Log.

 

IN DEPTH 2020 Photo Log

PROGRESS: January –  February: Amalgamating notes,  practising strokes/ techniques, naming colour swabs for fun, painting my face for no reason. BLANK DECKS JUST ORDERED!  Arrival day: 2nd week of Feb

After ordering the  decks, pretty excited.  Its 11pm on a Sunday

Notes useful for the future. Blending colours, types of colour matching and paint letter practice.

Two weeks ago vs this weekend. Every nail will probably be gone by the end of this.

 

PROGRESS: February – March: Collected more notes and started a mass edit video of my progress. I have been watching videos to learn some small skate tricks on my own but I have not had that much time to practice with the new puppy.  I have painted half of one board. All my nails have fallen off!

The site prohibits video files. By this weekend I will upload stills from the edit and in two weeks I will have a finished board edit.

 

In Depth 2020 – 2

My mentor is Janet Kim, a teacher of many areas of expertise including her background in painting. Our current plan for session structure continuing for the next few weeks will be talking about brushes, painting mediums,  the colour wheel and the difficulties of different canvases. Ms Kim used to be an art teacher and has a passion for particularly landscapes and more abstract pieces, whereas I will be focusing more on realism and cartoonish designs for at least 1-2 of  my boards. Including Ms. Kim and a few other of my peers helping me through this project, I have learned how important it will be for me to stick to my timelines and practice the best organizational skills possible. Currently, I have 2 for sure sketches I would like to start  bringing to life, and my blank board decks come in about 10 days. To fill the time until then, I will be learning more about painting basics from my mentor and continue to accumulate sketches. In terms of facilitation strategies that will contribute to my development as a mentor, I  have experienced the significance in maintaining structure, as mentioned previously. When I get the opportunity to possibly take on mentorship in the future, I will remember to make sure goals are implemented, order is followed and tasks completed, while maintaining a fun and engaging learning environment.

In Depth 2020 – 1

For In depth 2020 I will be exploring the topic of painting and skateboard deck design. The area of arts for me has always been something I have been passionate about, however my life has never really slowed down enough for me to take time to actually learn how to do it properly.This year I would like to learn specifically design and branding, and apply those skills to painting and building actual decks. Boarding is also a leisurely pleasure of mine and I would love this opportunity to be able to create some artistic and beautiful decks for myself and others. Throughout this project I hope to learn the main concept or skill of self-expression. This will be especially important when making pieces that reflect who I am and what I will be trying to create. I will also enhance my creativity, perseverance, focus, and risk taking skills. I would like to learn painting and design because I am passionate about creating beautiful pieces and taking the time to slow down and actually think about what I am doing, relating back to my first point. Arts education teaches a lot of assets and skills that can often be overlooked in comparison to the sciences and maths, and I am appreciative of this opportunity to explore these acquirable skills further. 

I have reached out multiple times via email and in-person to some probable mentors, however I have not heard back. To kickstart my project I bought a sketchbook and have started some initial designs.

 

 

Introductory Post – EMINENT 2019

 

Notable excerpt from @PaulNicklen About Me https://paulnicklen.com:

“Paul Nicklen is equally recognized by the conservation community for his outspoken work, and has been awarded the Natural Resources Defense Council BioGems Visionary Award. Most recently, Nicklen was bestowed an honorary PhD at the University of Victoria, for the impact his photography has had on climate change.

In addition to being one of the world’s most acclaimed nature photographers, Nicklen is a sought-after speaker, a TED Talks legend, an author, and National Geographic Fellow. In the past two decades, Paul has collaborated with scientists, filmmakers, conservationists and explorers to create awareness and inspire action for global issues like climate change.

As a co-founder of the non-profit, SeaLegacy, Paul Nicklen is opening a fresh, progressive chapter in the story of ocean conservation. Through visual storytelling, Sea Legacy inspires millions of people to stand up and have a voice for the pristine places threatened by climate change.” 

 

Specific aspects that interest me  about this notable is how well recognized and accomplished he is  within the journalism, biology and photography field. As an adamant Ted Talk listener I admire what he has to say on many wildlife topics (some controversial) and how he contributed his findings to the world. He also interests me with his efforts towards ocean conservation and his beautiful photography in general. 

Paul Nicklen should be considered eminent because he has changed the way people see wildlife photography and the National Geographic society, both literally and figuratively. His popularity and skill in the area of photography led him to achieve the role as a part of NatGeo and from there his efforts and contributions flourished. A big part of his advancement after NatGeo was based around SeaLegacy, his Ted Talks and climate change. 

In my opinion Paul Nicklen exhibits the strengths of a gifted learner in the ways he is able to uniquely differentiate and attach meaning to different emotional connections with the topics he photographs and studies, especially in extreme conditions. Another trait is how he has many areas of interests he wants to study (journalism, editing, bio, photography, film, activism, conservation, etc) and holds himself to high expectations in  each. Both of these points I can heavily relate to because I share very similar interests and hobbies as Nicklen and expect myself to do well in each area. An example of this in TALONS is how we all strive to be our best and sometimes take on too many tasks at once. This is similar to me because I tend to have quite a bit on my plate but am always looking for other things to do to challenge myself, even though I might need to take a step back from commitments instead of adding more.  

As an activist, conservationist and overall  someone who cares greatly about the state of the planet,  Nicklen faces many challenges when trying to get his ideas across to the public when in the face of backlash and turmoil. Within himself, Nicklen faced issues with motivation and stability regarding his mental health on a career path and struggled to figure out where he wanted to go. Straying away from the topic of goals and more on similarities in overcoming difficulties, I can relate to Nicklen in how balancing mental health stability and educational / career responsibilities becomes stressful and burdenning. One of my biggest goals based on studying Paul Nicklen and his career is to take as many opportunities that are thrown at me and expose myself to as much engaging educational experiences as possible to keep myself happy and motivated in a particular field. 

Some barriers I might have when creating and performing a speech about Paul Nicklen is age and gender. However, neither of these things will be portrayed in an offensive or derogatory way to anyone. I plan to bring these up as little as possible in my speech itself because Nicklen’s age and gender did not have that much to do with the success of his career and I believe it will be quite the same in the case of my future too. 

 

Job Ideas – CAREER 10

Job Ideas

 

Journalist 

Education Journalists must have a college diploma or a university degree in journalism or a related field (i.e., communications). Other requirements vary depending on the position and may include:

• a university degree in English or history with proven writing skills.
• experience working on school newspapers or doing outside writing work while in school
• one to two years of experience for daily newspapers
• newspaper layout experience and proven competency with a digital camera

Specialized reporting positions, such as a sports reporter or a music reviewer, require considerable background in the field

Salary Starting $40k 

Tasks Specific job duties in journalism vary by job title. Reporters gather information on newsworthy events through observation in the field, research and interviews. Some broadcast journalists report live on air from the location of an event. General assignment reporters might cover city hall meetings, business openings, celebrity appearances or political rallies. Some reporters specialize in areas like health, sports, fashion, business or foreign affairs. 

News analysts interpret the news from many sources and relay it to an audience through a television or radio broadcast. Correspondents report news from locations around the world. Some larger media outlets assign reporters to a specific beat like crime or politics. Reporters at smaller publications also might take on layout, administrative and editing duties. 

Regardless of the specific job duties, all journalists must adhere to strict ethical policies and deadlines. Accuracy and timeliness are key aspects of news gathering and reporting. Increasingly, journalists must possess a working knowledge of computers and databases. People skills, tenacity and flexibility are other important traits of a journalist, according to the BLS. 

Journalism positions usually require a bachelor’s degree in journalism, and some outlets require several years experience or a master’s degree. Jobs in the field are shrinking as revenues decline and consolidation continues in the industry, according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. 

Hours Varied

Skills 

• Determination
• Confidence
• Perseverance
• Excellent oral or written skills
• Interpersonal skills
• Stamina
• Enthusiasm

Travel Yes 

Animal Trainer / Behaviourist 

Education  high school diploma or general equivalency diploma (GED). However, in some cases, a bachelor’s degree is required. For example, a marine mammal trainer must have a bachelor’s degree in biology, marine biology, animal science, or a related field.

Salary upwards $30k

Tasks train animals for riding, harness, security, performance, or obedience, or assisting persons with disabilities. Accustom animals to human voice and contact; and condition animals to respond to commands. Train animals according to prescribed standards for show or competition. May train animals to carry pack loads or work as part of pack team.

Hours Varied 

Skills Time management, critical  thinking, customer service skills, physical stamina 

Travel Depends 

National Geographic Graphic Design + Manager 

Education Graphic designers usually need a bachelor’s degree in graphic design or a related field. Candidates for graphic design positions should demonstrate their creativity and originality through a professional portfolio that features their best designs.

Salary $50k 

Tasks 

• Meet with clients or the art director to determine the scope of a project
• Advise clients on strategies to reach a particular audience
• Determine the message the design should portray
• Create images that identify a product or convey a message
• Develop graphics for product illustrations, logos, and websites
• Select colors, images, text style, and layout
• Present the design to clients or the art director
• Incorporate changes recommended by the clients into the final design
• Review designs for errors before printing or publishing them

 

Hours Varied, office, 9-5 

Skills 

• Communication skills. Graphic designers must communicate with clients, customers, and other designers to ensure that their designs accurately reflect the desired message and effectively express information.
• Computer skills. Most graphic designers use specialized graphic design software to prepare their designs.
• Creativity. Graphic designers must be able to think of new approaches to communicating ideas to consumers. They develop unique designs that convey a recognizable meaning on behalf of their clients.
• Time-management skills. Graphic designers often work on multiple projects at the same time, each with a different deadline.
• Analytical skills. Graphic designers must be able to look at their work from the point of view of their consumers and examine how the designs they develop will be perceived by the consumer to ensure they convey the client’s desired message.
• Artistic ability. Graphic designers must be able to create designs that are artistically interesting and appealing to clients and consumers. They produce rough illustrations of design ideas, either by hand sketching or by using a computer program.

 

Travel Most likely not

 

Hamilton DOL – Farmer Refuted

In Lin-Manuel Miranda’s Hamilton, “Farmer Refuted” is a song involving two main characters and sides to a discussion: Alexander Hamilton and Samuel Seabury (who wrote under the pen name A.W Farmer, hence the name of the song).  Hamilton is involved in a hostile altercation with the loyalist (an Episcopal rector) who is voicing his opinions on the rebellion. This is introduced by the opening line of the song, “Hear ye, hear ye my name is Samuel Seabury” and following, “I present free thoughts on the proceedings of the continental congress” explaining to us his purpose of being there. What morally drove Seabury was the subject of the First Continental Congress for supporting a trade with Britain as part of the aftermath of actions after the Boston Tea Party.

Hamilton heckles Seabury (right)  as he addresses the colonist.

 

The two held their disputes on paper through letters, pamphlets Another character is Hercules Mulligan who says the 5th line, “Oh my god tear this dude apart,” who  encourages Hamilton to speak up and back towards Seabury. Hamilton responded to this by writing back to Seabury in a piece titled  “A Full Vindication of the Measures of the Congress.” After these initial exchanges, the skirmish between the two continued to escalate. Later on, Aaron Burr makes a small appearance in the line “Alexander please” to which Hamilton responds with “Burr, I’d rather be divisive than indecisive, drop the niceties.” This line highlights the character’s desire to articulate and convey what he believes on the controversial topic, disregarding the concern of maintaining friendships and “niceties.” The final role in this song is a minor character who makes the first true appearance in the following song, “You’ll be back.” King George II is confused as to why the two are fighting and makes remarks through delivering a speech in the next song regarding the rebellion. The leeway and antecedent lines before this involve the people chanting “silence a message from the king, a message from the king, a message from the king.”

 

Artifacts from the exchange of letters and pamphlets between Seabury and Hamilton

 

The big idea in the Socials Curriculum that this song best coincides with is disparities in power alter the balance of relationships between individuals and societies. Hamilton and Seabury are arguing over the actions of the continental congress following the aftermath of the Boston Tea Party. The disparity in this situation analyzes the contrast of opinions between Hamilton and Seabury and the imbalance of their evidence, bias and support of each side. These two men influenced what other people thought as they were both notable, authoritative and admirable characters in the scope of Hamilton as a whole.

Samuel Seabury

Alexander Hamilton

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The most important historical note of this song is the publication date of Hamilton’s second published letter The Farmer Refuted, based off of Seabury’s pen name throughout the exchange. The letter was published in February of 1775 and was a follow up of his first letter, A Full Vindication of the Measures of Congress. During this time in Hamilton’s life, he was studying at the King’s college in New York where he was heavily interested and gifted in the field of writing. That year, the first shots of the revolution were fired at Lexington Green and Hamilton joined the New York Militia.     

Some of the wants that can be revealed from this song through the interactions of characters is the desire to voice opinions and become involved in authority and events. Alexander Hamilton and Samuel Seabury were influencers in the varying opinions regarding how the congress was handling situations at the time. Many people other than Seabury and Hamilton were later involved in this song such as Aaron Burr, Hercules Mulligan and King George II, showing how small decisions and arguments involve the lives of many other people too. This song expresses how revolutions are heavily dependent on the contrasting ideologies and opinions. As stated earlier, the exchange of letters through the dispute caused tension between the two characters and those who supported them, and resulted in a negative relationship between Seabury and Hamilton. During the revolution, people wanted to become involved because their decisions and actions would make an impact on the large event as a whole (comparable to current day voting). Conflicts this created were cynical relationships, skirmishes and battles, tension between countries and the overall “civil war” as a whole.

 

Sources

Images: 

https://www.britannica.com/biography/Alexander-Hamilton-United-States-statesman

https://www.episcopalct.org/Find-Resources/archives-of-the-episcopal-church-in-connecticut/diocesan-bishops/samuel-seabury/n

https://genius.com/Original-broadway-cast-of-hamilton-farmer-refuted-lyrics

https://patriottoursnyc.com/the-farmer-refuted/ 

 

 

Info:

https://www.revolvy.com/page/The-Farmer-Refuted

http://elyjah.talons43.ca/2016/12/11/hamilton-song-analysis-farmer-refuted/

https://winewithcheetos.com/2017/06/23/hamilton-an-american-musical-the-facts-behind-the-music-part-4-farmer-refuted-and-youll-be-back/

https://genius.com/Original-broadway-cast-of-hamilton-farmer-refuted-lyrics

 

 

 

 

 

Ted Talk 2019!

 

Click the links to go to specific sites for viewing:

Ted Talk – Light Pollution and Celestial Navigation ( How does light pollution affect our every day lives and how we view the universe?)

Ted Talk – Blooper Reel

Notes and Script

Bibliography

5 Ted Talks  (I watched for reference)

Ted Talk Science 2019 TALONS 9 – Michaela Da Silva