SEMESTER 2 - Lecture 1 - follow up work.

The lecture this morning ( friday 22nd January) was called 'The Canon'. It was based on what we as individuals believe is good or bad, and where these influences come from. We were asked to do a series of small experiments in small groups. One task was to make a list of our top 5 favourite films, albums, composers and designers. The aim of the experiment was to see how many people wrote down the same things for these catagories and to determine why these choices were made. For example, when asked to say what we wrote down for composers, everyone baisically wrote the same things - Mozart, Beethoven etc. Most people in this case do not even listen to classical music or even know who these 'famous' composers are. We all wrote these names down because we have heard of them before for being famous and there fore we think that these were the right choices to write down, nothing to do with personal preference. So, to summerise, we are being made to think about these things in the sense that we can not have opinions on matters we have no knowledge about i.e saying that Mozart is the top composer. This may be true but we proved today that we can not say this as we all showed that we have no knowledge of his work, only the influence of others ( media, parents, friends etc) saying that this composer is one of the best. 'We have to make our own opinions and think for ourselves' - is the message i got from the lecture this morning. I do feel though that in some cases, influences of others may become helpful at some point. While reading the handbook the next steps suggest answering the following questions;
Consider how you ended up studying design—who influenced you?

I have always had an interest in art, but thinking back to high school and when decisions had to be made, i never actually chose to go to Art School on my own. I remember in 5th or 6th year when everyone was chosing where to go next and what college or university to go to, i had no idea! My three close friends had decided to go to Graham Street College to do a portfolio and i remember thinking,' i may aswell just do what they are doing.' Ofcourse i wanted to do art, but i didn't no how to go about it or what steps to take. My friends were the ones that got me my application and told me what to right etc. After college it was up to me to decide for my self what to do next. Even though it was my friends that influenced me to take the art\design route, without them i would maybe be somewhere else right now. Thankfully their influnce has lead me to Duncan of Jordanstone and it was the best decision that i have ever made. In this case i am greatful for the influences of others to have gotten me to where i am now.

Who inspired you?

In terms of who inspired me to follow art, i would firstly say my 3rd year art teacher at high school. She was a stand in teacher but became permanent and she was always telling me that she thought i was talented. It was a great feeling being told that you are good at something. So i guess because this made me feel good about myself, it inspired me in the long run that art is what i should be doing. Secondly i would have to say my experience at Graham Street College. It was inspiring because i had an amazing time there and the tutors made every class so exciting which made me realise that i should definetley be doing something i enjoy, and this was it! My first experience in a life drawing class really got my adrenalin going! I loved it! The class i had with Anne was my first experience with design methologies. I loved this class and it was this specific class that opened me up to the other possibilities i could chose from; Design.

Why do you like the things you like?

I guess i like somethings because of influences from friends, siblings, media, etc. My best friend has through the years influenced me on most things i like, i.e she changed my taste in music. This was a clear influencial change because the music i use to listen to is the complete opposite to what i listen to now and its the same as what she listens to. I also use to copy my older sister when i was younger in everything she liked. If she liked it, i liked it. In a way, some of the things i like have been from influences of others, but my own taste has developed from this throughout the years. If it wasn't for my friend i would never have discovered my all time favourite film - Labyrinth! The best film in the world. Most of my fashion taste is from a mixture of influences like, magazines, television, friends, random people in the streets that are wearing something i like etc. So i couldn't have aquired the things i like without some influence of others.

Are ‘taste’ and artistic ability genetic?

In my opinion, i would say that taste is not genetic. It is developed throughout a life time with the influences of the world around us and everything that is in it. A person's taste is forever changing and developing. A person's up-bringing i would say is a big part in this. However, i feel that artistic ability may be genetic as my father, brother, younger sister, and a few of my aunty's are all artistic. Infact a few of my relatives have even went to Art College. So yes, i do believe artistic ability is genetic, even if others believe that this is not the case.