User:Bryansanders

Bio
My name is Bryan Sanders, I'm 25, and I just moved to the city of Seattle from my hometown of Kalispell, MT. I came in the hopes of obtaining a BFA in Media Arts and Animation from the Art Institute. After graduating high school in 2002, I enlisted in the U.S. Navy. After several years of training, I was stationed in Pearl Harbor, HI, aboard the USS Greeneville (a fast-attack submarine). My job consisted of sitting at the control panel of the nuclear reactor that powered the sub. Kind of like Homer Simpson's job, only less donuts/fresh air/sunlight. After being discharged from active duty, I studied art at Flathead Valley Community College in Kalispell. I got my AA degree in May. After I leave this school I hope to get a job in film or video games...or possibly do freelance work.

I enjoy snowboarding, camping, playing guitar, photography, and lots of other stuff...

Always Wanted To Schedule



 * Topic

I always wanted to learn how to make a homebrewed beer!


 * Research Component

Research the history of beer! What ingredients/methods are used to develop different flavors/classes of beer? What kind of beer do I like the best? What materials do I need to make my own special brew?


 * week 1

Work out details of what I want to do for this project.



week 2

Sample a wide variety of beers (in moderation, of course) from local breweries in order to pin down a favorite flavor. (I want to be able to enjoy my final creation to the fullest!)



week 3 

Get to the library to research beer recipes and try to develop something unique.

week 4

Purchase materials necessary to construct beer-making machine! (Want to try to make one from scratch, but if that doesn't work out, buy a kit!)

Assemble and start brewing "Bryan's Brew" - I know, Lame name. I'll think of something better.

week 5

Continue research. What kind of foods could I make with my beer as an ingredient? Look into possible homebrew competitions that I could enter.



week 6

Design labels/packaging for my beer. See how I could get some of my beer into bottles. Recycle empties from prior research? Make an outline for final presentation.

week 7

Develop final presentation. Check on brew's progress. It should be pretty close to finished by now.

week 8

Finish brew and bring in samples for the class to try during final presentation.



Midterm Assignment 1: Taste & Aesthetics
While I liked most of the sculptures at SAM Olympic Sculpture Park, I did manage to find one that I more or less hated. Beverly Pepper’s “Persephone Unbound” did absolutely nothing for me. It basically looked like a tall, skinny, ugly rock that somebody dragged in and stood up in the park. I almost walked by it without looking thinking that it was a part of the landscaping, but then I saw the plaque and realized that no landscaper in his right mind would want this nasty looking rock in his garden. I looked at another one of her sculptures that happened to be just a few feet away, “Perre’s Ventaglio III,” and decided that I liked that one, as it bore no resemblance whatsoever to her other piece. I checked the dates and realized that she had completed the ugly rock statue over 30 years after completing the one that I liked. Maybe she had gone a little nuts in her old age… or maybe just ran out of good ideas. I did a little more research and found that she likes to convey themes of nature, spirituality, and fluctuation of space in her art. I had also recently been on a trip to Hawaii, where I got to go on a special tour of some sacred grounds. There, people worship nature, and believe that spirits inhabit the trees and rocks and water. Some rocks would even have offerings placed before them and you could almost feel a sort of energy emanating from those rocks.

When I went back for round two, I decided I was going to be as open-minded as possible and try to see if I could feel any of that rock-energy or vibrations of Persephone’s tortured soul. I stood there for a good 30 minutes before deciding that there was nothing too special about this rock, other than it having a slightly interesting shape. I could maybe draw some comparisons between this rock and the underworld and bondage vs. freedom, but overall, I still hated it. I don’t think I’m going to change my mind on this one, and I don’t feel like that’s a bad thing. Some times it’s good to know what you like and don’t like. It gives a sense of comfort… certainty in an uncertain world. I did my best to change my mind, but I guess, deep down I didn’t want to like the sculpture, so I wasn’t going to like it… ever.

Self-Assessment
This class has been one of my most rewarding of the quarter. I initially was dreading it, thinking I would never benefit from taking a general education class entitled “freshman seminar,” but I was pleasantly surprised. The “Always wanted to” project made me realize that those things that I’ve always wanted to do have taken a back seat to the more mundane day-to-day tasks. They seem unachievable most of the time, and really all you need to do is break it down into small chunks that are more manageable to take on. 8 weeks was a good time span to work with so that the goals didn’t keep getting pushed back. There was a deadline to keep and it really helped to maintain the focus. The idea of setting many small goals to achieve one big goal is not a new idea for me, but this is the first time that I’ve actually used the technique and it does work quite well. One of my worst habits is putting stuff off to the last minute. I think that I can take what I’ve learned in this class and apply it to my life. There will probably be many more weekly schedules in my future. Thanks, Steven!