User:Ninaki

Bio
My name is Nina and I like strawberry milkshakes. ... and cookies.

Always Wanted To Schedule


To make a Japanese lolita styled dress and learn more about the culture behind the style.



''I will be researching information on how to construct a dress. I will also be looking for an explanation of the subculture of the lolita style and how to design a dress in this fashion, as well as fit the lifestyle and etiquette.''



I will look up pictures of lolita dresses this week to get a feel for the color, themes, variations and components. (I actually brainstormed this week and came up with: I've always wanted to make a lolita dress and I've always wanted to have nice ab muscles. I ended up choosing the dress to be realistic).



''This week I will ask and interview lolitas about their lifestyle and manners. I will want to know what makes a person a lolita. I will ask if their are any rules or common habits that are usually seen.'' (This week I also looked up many sources at the school library to find information on dressmaking. There wasn't very much information on the lolita style, but this is how I decided on making my main source of information the people who lived the lolita lifestyle).



''This week I will research information on lolita culture online and through books, in order to find what the difference is between lolita clothing and other styles of clothing. I will also be looking for the history of lolita, where it came from and how it became popular.''



''This week I will research brands and categories of lolita. This will give me insight on similarities between brands, and the essence of lolita.''



''This week I will find and make patterns of lolita dresses. I will design a dress that I want to make and consider sizes. I will also try to find a source of fabric.''



''This week I will cut out the patterns from the fabric that I find and will sew them together. I will hopefully measure my body correctly so that the dress fits.''



''This week I will finish all final touches on the dress and accessorize! I will also be finishing presentation aspects of my project.''



This week I will be finished with the project and will reflect on the product and work that has been done.

Why Do I Like What I Like?
For this assignment, we were instructed to find a sculpture from the Olympic Sculpture Park that we disliked, in hopes of convincing ourselves to begin liking it. I had a hard time finding a piece that I did not like, because I usually can find elements that I value in most art. I decided on choosing by asking myself which piece I'd rather not possess, as if it were to be placed in my own backyard or house. I decided on Beverly Pepper's Persephone Unbound since I did not notice it as much as the others.

On a first glance, Persephone Unbound looks like a normal tree trunk. In fact, when a classmate pointed it out, I couldn't spot it for a few seconds. When I finally found what my classmates were pointing to, I was a bit disappointed at the fact that it was just a tree. Of course, they may have been a pattern carved into it, but I felt that it was hardly noticeable, especially if I hard such a hard time finding it. Feeling set on which piece I would write about, I followed the steps to learn more about the artist and the piece. I hobbled over to the plaque to read some of the information and realized that the tree trunk was actually bronze. My opinion of the sculpture instantaneously changed. I felt that it was amazing that a piece of bronze could look so much like something that was created by nature.

After researching about the artist, I learned that she often focused on the spiritual presence in sculptures such as totems. This idea was very cute to me and I could see this aspect in Persphone Unbound. She made her creations out of materials such as stone and metals, but left them looking very natural. She has done a lot of landart, which I consider to be very difficult and gave me additional respect for her. I liked a lot of her other works.

This piece made me paranoid and challenged me to try and differentiate between what was created by nature and what was created by humans. Reading about the meaning behind the sculpture made me appreciate it even more. Since I have been a sucker for mythology, learning that this piece was based off Persephone's story, I fell in love with this hunk of metal. It was supposed to symbolize freedom and unchanging eternity similar to Persephone's life in the Underworld. Now when I see the sculpture, I feel a rush of excitement. The piece succeeded in becoming subtle but powerful art, which was the artists' intent. It became very impressive, instead of just average in my mind.

How Am I Manipulated?
For this assignment I found a Honey Nut Cheerios box that had "Can help lower cholesterol." I think that this is an example of Weasel words, although it is very subtle and mild. Although it is true that whole grain foods can help lower cholesterol if you eat it to balance the fatty foods, it does not mean that Honey Nut Cheerios specifically reduces cholesterol.

For the other fallacy, I chose to quote my mother. She said, "All Korean kids study all the time and never have time to play video games." This is seen as allness, because she used the term "all" and also did not have any real evidence for her claim.

Self-Assessment
9/9/09 I finally got access to the internet and a working IP address to create my wikiversity account, but realized that I had not read the directions carefully and missed out on some of the work I should have been doing. I aim to read directions carefully and on time from now on.

9/27/09 I planned on doing an in depth interview with lolitas, but ended up getting distracted and just had a tea party with them instead. Although this is a part of the lifestyle, I really should have made a schedule of some sort. Also, fabric is very hard to find for this style.

5/4/09 I realized that I need to listen better during class, due to the fact that I didn't know we were supposed to have the midterms in by today. I submitted it right away after class. I also managed to confuse myself with the editing of wikiversity. Hopefully I will learn how to re-edit this material a little more efficiently.