User:Danajonas

Always Wanted To Schedule

 * Topic: Differences in taste, body, overall experience of a variety of beers, and also figure out my specific personal preference.


 * Research Component: Field research of different beers as well as internet research and books about beer to gather correct and appropriate information.


 * week 1: I will start by collecting overall information from the internet to get me knowledgeable on the different types of beers, different amounts of hops, how to describe it properly and different alcohol contents and so forth. This will help me when I start my field research so that I will know what I am looking at and will be well versed in the language of the beer industry. What I actually accomplished: On top of researching different types of beer on the internet, I also went to the library and checked out an awesome book and a bunch of different types of beer. Should come in handy as I start tasting the different types of beer.


 * week 2: Look up different micro-breweries of the local area and elsewhere, and also bars I can go to that may have a large variety of beers I can try. What I actually accomplished: I looked up good beer taverns and bars on the internet and I found the website Yelp gave me a lot of information on different tasting night and large selections of beer. I printed that out and mapped my route to a couple of the locations that seemed exceptionally worthwhile.


 * week 3: Start field research. Keep a running log of what I've tried: what it's called, how it tastes, it's thickness, it's alcohol content, it's amount of hops and anything else at the time that seems significant and/or important. What I actually accomplished: Turned 21 this week! And got started on research right away ;) So far I've tried Maritime Old Seattle Lager, Blue Moon, Rolling Rock, Corona, Rainier, and a couple other local beers that I can't remember the names of. One thing I know I need to improve on at this point is my running list. I will start this the next time I continue research.


 * week 4: Continue field research, start to quiz bartenders on their knowledge of the beers they serve, and try out a couple new bars. What I actually accomplished: Started my list, with sections such as: hops, aroma, my personal opinion, type of beer, origin. It's been a fun time so far!


 * week 5: Get a nice draft on the computer of my progress. Continue research. What I actually accomplished: Got my draft on the computer and continued research by going to world market and getting a bunch of single beers. I have decided to focus my large topic on a more seasonal and regional approach. I will be trying all different types of beer from lots of different countries but I hope to become most fluent in Seattle breweries. Also because so many summer beers are available, I have chosen also to focus a little more on that as well.


 * week 6: Start to narrow down my liking and potentially build a stronger repertoire in that specific area. Finish up research. What I actually accomplished: My liking has definitely narrowed and I have become much more fluent in the language of beers. I can tell I am already better at telling my customers which beers to try, which ones are the best Seattle beers, and also what I think they might like depending on what they can tell me about their taste. I have also realized that I am very partial to hefeweizen and it's compatibility with fruit flavors.


 * week 7: Finish my report of information on the beers I have tried and start to lay out my presentation.


 * week 8: Finish getting my presentation together and practice a couple times to feel comfortable with it's layout.

Midterm Assignment 1: Taste & Aesthetics
I decided to do this project on Mark di Suvero’s piece Bunyon’s Chess. When I first came upon this piece as I walked through the Seattle Art Museum’s sculpture park, I thought it was hideous. It looked like tangled wire, old rotting logs and a lot of wasted effort. I thought “what is the point of this? what is this supposed to be saying to me that I’m not getting?” I mean obviously, it’s famous for one, because it’s in the sculpture park, and two, I’m sure other people really enjoy it. I knew I was missing something. When I did some research on him as an artist, to some degree a legend in the sculpture community, and his other work, my mind did change a bit. He was one of the first to use found objects and also to display them in a way in which they are balanced with the nature that surrounds them, such as wind, rain, and sun. I like innovators. I like when people do things that not many have done before. That shows original creative thought. I think that is true artistic integrity, and it’s hard to come by since most people are bombarded with other peoples’ work. It’s really hard to step outside that box of confinement that so many of us are forced into by no single person in particular. I think it is media and maybe even education that confines us and tells us what to do and what not to do with our creative minds. I like how he stepped outside these boundaries. When I went back, I had more of an appreciation of the piece, not to say I necessarily liked it. I do like the other piece of artwork he has at the sculpture park and I like a lot of his other work from around the world, but I still genuinely don’t like Bunyon’s Chess. I don’t think this is a lack of control over my brain. I think people have opinion’s and likes and dislikes purely because they know themselves best, and they know what is aesthetically pleasing to their eye. I was able to change my opinion of the piece to some degree, but Bunyon’s Chess is just “straight-up” not appealing to me.

Self-Assessment
Before I started the Art Institute I finished 2 and a half years at a University in Northern Arizona, so I sort of felt like I was already prepared for school. Since I didn’t technically consider myself a freshman of any kind I was really not looking forward to a class titled freshman seminar. I figured it would be a lot of stuff I already knew how to do and wasn’t really interesting in learning. Although this was true to some degree, I did really enjoyed some of the topics we looked at, such as how strong personal opinions can change quickly, and I really liked the “Always wanted to..” project. It forced me to do something I had always wanted to do, but had never been able to accomplish on my own without a motivating factor. The project did exactly as I had wished and I feel a lot more confident about my subject. I feel like I could have put more effort into the class in general, not that I did poorly, but my lack of motivation definitely affected me negatively. I do feel prepared after my first quarter at the Art Institute to continue on successfully at this school.