A Work of Art

Quote: “The holy grail is to spend less time making the picture than it takes people to look at it.”-Banksy

To say that an artist is one whom simply tries to paint a picture to the best of their ability does not begin to describe the way a true artist works. Their minds think more complex thoughts. Their words have a more dramatic impact. Their brush strokes are more intracet and intimate than even the most passionate touch. Their works--whether it be a painting, a piece of literature, or a composition of music—have a life of their own. A truly artistic work of art is produced so lovingly that readers, or viewers, or musicians have no choice but to stop and stand in awe, firstly, at the incredible amount of love, time, and talent the artist puts into the work. Then, the question that always comes of a truly interested viewer: Why? Why would anyone work so hard to accomlish a single piece of music or a painting. The audience takes in the work of art in an absorbant state of exctasy, the piece filling their minds and senses, somehow reaching with outstretched hands, grasping at the observers spirit until this live work of art takes a firm hold and forever leaves an imprint in their soul. A lasting work of art, such as the poetry of the romantics like Coleridge and Wordsworth or the paintings of Renoir, are still talked about and looked upon today simply because of the work of art which serves as the only connection between artist and viewer. A painting, a piecie of music, or a page of literature is vapor of the soul that lingers from the artist to find acceptance in the heart of an understanding onlooker. Therefore, an artists true goal is to create a masterpiece so majestic and powerful that people have no choice but to take the piece in and carry it in their souls long after they have left the museam, opera, or library.

Personally, I consider myself to be of a different breed—a different race if you will. I am an artist. To tell a little bit about myself, I love: rain tapping on the roof, sappy love stories, white chocolate covered pretzels, hiking, bike rides, midnight swims, laying out on the beach, and formal events. I have a passion for helping other people and I long to make the world a better place, which is really where my works of art come into play. My voice is to me as a paintbrush is to an artist. To say that I like to sing is quite an understatement. My soul is set free when I sing. There is no situation that can not be expressed through my voice. Not to be too full of pride, but God did indeed bless me a voice, which can inspire or tear down. I, like every artist, have the power to cause others that hear to become deeply moved by the words I say. I have the power to encourage anger. I have the powe to inspire strength. Because I am an artist, my voice is just like a priceless Renior painting; it is the very essence of soul reaching out to find an open mind, heart, and soul to latch onto, to make a difference in. This quote only reinforces my beliefs about art. The purpose of a work, no matter how deep or high, how meloncholy or cheerful, how passionate or unfeeling, is always to connect.

Public School is the Way to Go

After recently reading an argument about Homeschooling vs. Public Schooling, it is my firm belief that Public School is the best choice for parents.

While many parents argue that with homeschooling, their child gets more individual attention, I argue that though this could be true in some cases, this does not prepare them for life after high school.

Not to be a Debbie Downer, but unfortunately in today's society, people aren't concerned with helping out their fellow man, or in this case, co-worker. The world we live in is all about the individual. Humans are very self-centered. There is no room or time for individual attention in the workplace. Each person is focused on the goal that he or she is committed to accomplishing.

Another down side, is the social aspect of homeschooling. How much social interaction can you really have with the same three or four people every day? Sure, every day is different. But people react to similar situations in similar ways, which is seemingly repetitive and dull.

To really learn strong and effective people skills, more intermingling with different types of people is necessary because of the numbers of diverse people all around. Some may have different emotions, habits, and religious beliefs than our own. It is very important to learn how to deal with this.

Homeschooling is, at this point in time, definitely not up to par with public. The advantages of public schooling far out way that of homeschooling.

The Awakening Ch. 6 Analysis

Look at the cool map I created today! Click on the bubbles to read my analyses. If you can't see the map, you can view it at Umapper.

It's a Bird, It's a Plane, It's...A Diaper Wearing Mom?

In the society that we live in, it has become more and more common to see mothers in their 60's and 70's having children. After having read an article by Meghan Daum, "Moms in their 60's--oh, baby," I must agree with the argument presented by it's author.

There should, in no way, be moms at the ages of 67. Sure, maybe the woman waited until late in life to realize she wants kids. But, it is too old to have children safely, both for fetus and mother. The older a woman gets, the less likely she is to getting pregnant. If she does get pregnant, then she has to worry about her health and safety throughout the pregnancy, as well as her unborn child.

If she really wants a kid, then why not adopt? If she was truly concerned for the welfare of her child's being, she would not be going through the pregnancy at all. In today's time, I think it is safe to say that just about all women understand the risks that accompany conceiving late in life. Perhaps this decision just goes to show how very little she actually cares for the child.

Also, the older the woman, the more likely she is to have health problems. As mentioned by Daum, Maria Bousada died of cancer very shortly after giving birth, leaving two children without parents to care for them.

Could it all be for show? Perhaps that is the reason for such idiotic decisions. Why endanger two human life's just for media attention? These are question that should be answered. Whether for selfish reasons or just stupidity, it must stop.

Book Talk

Day 12 Sentence

"Not surprising, of course, but most of the time, Travis was at a loss as to what to do."-The Choice, Nicholas Sparks

The author uses a periodic sentence here to show how clueless the character was. For the majority of the time, it was Travis' wife who was the leader of the household and kept things in order. After she was put into a coma, he felt totally lost and confused.

"The happiness with which I could smile all day and never really care, my upbeat attitude that most people did not understand--these were what made me who I was."-Meagan Poff

Day 11 Sentence

"Six fifteen alarm; a minute to get out of bed and nine minutes in the shower, another four minutes to shave and brush his teeth, and seven minutes to get dressed."-The Choice, Nicholas Sparks

The author's use of repetition here clearly depicts a very orderly man. Every morning in the same. The character's routine never changes. It's always about the time.

"Beautiful day; the clouds are drifting and snow is falling, the river is rising and wind is blowing, and the fire is roaring."-Meagan Poff

Day 10 Sentence

"Human Necessity 101."-The Choice, Nicholas Sparks

The author uses a rhetorical fragment here to show the extent to which the author was hungry. In the previous text, a friend had invited her over to dinner. She was arguing with herself, and at this point clearly convinces herself to go and eat with her friend.

"Didn't think so."-Meagan Poff

Day 9 Sentence

"He arrived-still half-naked, to her dismay-carrying four long boards beneath his arms."-The Choice, Nicholas Sparks

The author uses dashes to show the particular character's thoughts about the half naked man. Not only did she notice him, but also thought about how he looked. He definatly had her attention.

"I was laying out on the beach when I noticed him-tanned, muscular, and smiling-surfing the waves."-Meagan Poff

Day 8 Sentence

"Who on God's green earth knew puppies could poop so much?"-The Choice, Nicholas Sparks

The author uses the use of an interrogative sentence here to convey to the reader the massive amount of doggy doo-doo produced by just one dog in a humorous way. There was a massive amount clearly not thought possible by the narrator of the story.

"How did my three year old get the idea to cut the dog's hair all by himself?"-Meagan Poff

Day 7 Sentence

"Already the major line of his brief life was drawn sharp and clear-his passionate love for science."-Death be not Proud, John Gunther

The author's clear use of a period sentence shows the extent of how much Johnny loved science. It seemed to be the focal point of this young man's short life.

"When the smoke drifted away, one thing was for certain-it wasn't a deer that had been shot this time."-Meagan Poff

Day 6 Sentence

"Not all children are Mozart's; but almost all are geniuses at one thing or another before they are ten."-Death be not Proud, John Gunther

The author uses a balanced sentence to show the difference in Mozart and children, but also similarity. Mozart was a genius at just one thing, which was composing music, just as the author says all children are. The only difference is not all children are gifted in music.

"Every mountain I climbed seemed to get steeper; though, in reality, they were getting less steep and my body was getting fatigued."-Meagan Poff

Day 5 Sentence

"There was that day after the first operation, the operation that lasted almost six hours, when Dr. Putnam thought it wise to tell him what he had."-Death be not Proud, John Gunther

The author uses a cumulative sentence to show how Johnny, the author, and the doctor must have felt. When talking about the operation, he describes in furthur detail how long the ordeal lasted. Six hours, being a long time for an operation, was written to show the exhaustion felt by everyone involved.

"The day I was born, a day of sunshine and happiness, is a day of happy memories for everyone."-Meagan Poff

Day 4 Sentence

"Johnny was the only person I have ever met, who, truly never thought of himself first, or, for that matter, at all; his considerateness was so extreme as to be a fault."-Death be not Proud, John Gunther

In this sentence, the author uses repetition to show the reader the extent of Johnny's selflessness. The author was showing that not only did Johnny never think of himself first, but that he did so so often it was probably not a good thing. Perhaps he let people walk over him.

"John is the only guy I know that has climbed Mount Everest in a week, and, for that matter ever; his talent and speed are admired by many."-Meagan Poff

Day 3 Sentence

"Johnny was conceived in California, carried across the bosom of the American continent and the Atlantic Ocean by his mother, and born in Paris, on November 4, 1929."-Death be not Proud, John Gunther

In this sentence, the author uses parallel structure to let the reader know how much the subject of the story had been through before he was even born. Knowing that the book is about Johnny's struggle with death, I know that the author uses this sentence to foreshadow what is yet to come in Johnny's life.

"Because Dad couldn't resist buying a fresh pineapple from Hawaii before we left, the pineapple was bought at a farmer's market, flown across the South Pacific, and unloaded in Little Rock."-Meagan Poff

Day 2 Sentence

"What she needs is someone to be with her as she goes down, to listen to her while she shares her feelings, and to empathize with what she is going through."-Men are from Mars, Women are from Venus, John Gray

In this sentence, the author uses prepositional phrases in parallel structure to let the man he is speaking to know just what to do for his wife. He must be with her, listen to her, and empathize with her. The author makes this very clear with the use of parallel structure.

"On my way to my brother's dorm, I walked over the bridge, through the tunnel, and over the hill."-Meagan Poff

Day 1 Sentence

"Life is filled with rythms-day and night, hot and cold, summer and winter, spring and fall, cloudy and clear."-Men are from Mars, Women are from Venus, John Gray

In this particular sentence, the author uses parallel structure to convey to the reader how repetitive life is. According to the author, life is basically just a series of events that happen over and over again.

"No matter where I am, the river is always the same-long and winding, wide and strong, shining and beautiful."-Meagan Poff

A Whole New Mind

After reading Daniel H. Pink's book A Whole New Mind, I decided to take the author's advice and try one of the many suggestions to help me develop a sense of design by reading a Oprah Winfrey's design magazine, O Magazine.

Pink suggested that by reading a design magazine, my eyes would be sharpened to the knew "sense" and that by reading the piece, I would quite possibly be inspired by what I saw.

After following Pink's proposal, I could not agree more.

As I sat and read O Magazine, I took a moment to notice all the designs that we have around us everyday. As Pink pointed out, almost everything that surrounds me was designed by someone. And why did that someone design it?

Someone designed, for example, the mirror in Oprah's house so that the beautiful work would sell on the market. As I learned in the book, it is not simply enough anymore to just have a mirror that is plain Jane. The mirror must be a work of art.

Anyone can have a mirror. But not just anyone can have Oprah's mirror that can, with the click of a button, be transformed into an area for a plasma television.

Having realized what design really is has shown me a knew way of thinking.

I now know that in the music industry that I would love to become a part of, I will have to have something no one else can replicate. I will have to march to the beat of my own drum. I will have to know how to craft the words of a poem into a magical song that listeners can relate to.

Thanks to pink, I can now see what changes need to be made for me to be successful in future endeavors.

Pride and Predjudice

After reading Jane Austin's Pride and Prejudice, I was left feeling like I had just taken a walk in the clouds.

The life lesson I took from the book was that sometimes, I may have to humble myself and realize my faults to become the greatest person I can be.

Austin's portrayal of all of the character's was so realistic to me, I was astounded. One of the story's main character's, Mr. Darcy, reminds me of a friend I once knew. She had to humble herself to gain a friend.

Austin shows that her character's are not without normal emotions, as well. The story contains love, deceit, betrayal, and irony.

After finishing the wonderful work, I related this book to some of the issues our country is facing today. Perhaps, if we swallowed our pride once in a while, as a nation, we would accomplish more diplomatically.

I personally, love this book. I had to go and buy my own copy to keep. I believe that if you read it, you will love it. The book is one that everyone should read.

Of Mice and Men

After finishing John Steinbeck's Of Mice and Men, I realized that you can truly never trust anyone. This book was very sad and extremely thought provoking.

Of Mice and Men taught me that not everyone that acts like my friend really is my friend. Perhaps it also taught me that there will never be a friend that will not let me down.

I love the book's style. I feel as if I am where the action in the story is taking place. Steinbeck's abilities are amazing.

Steinbeck has the talent to make me believe in the character's as people. In the story, Steinbeck shows that George is just like other humans in the way that he wanted and needed space from Lennie. It is not that I agree with the way he handled the situation, but through
George's actions, Steinbeck showed me, as the reader, that George felt like any other human would have in the situation.

When reading this book, it reminded me of Cline Eastwood movies. The setting was much the same.

I strongly recommend this book. The text gives an amazing insight into the human heart and what everyone truly feels at times.