User:Taylordeyoung

Bio
My name is Taylor DeYoung and I am 19 years old. I recently transfered to the Art Institute of Seattle from the Fashion Institute of Design and Merchandising in Los Angeles, California. My selected major is Graphic Design. Upon graduating, I hope to move back to California and design for a clothing company called Metal Mulisha. www.metalmulisha.com

Always Wanted To Schedule

 * Topic - In recent weeks my cousin Kyle has been diagnosed with Hodgkin's Lymphoma. I hadn't thought too much about doing any kind of charity work for this project but I have been finding myself wanting to work harder towards making a difference in the world as of late. My cousin's diagnosis was very unexpected and devastating for our entire family. Most of us, if not all, had no idea what Lymphoma even was.

''[Lymphoma is a type of cancer that originates in lymphocytes of the immune system. They often originate in lymph nodes, presenting as an enlargement of the node (a tumor). Lymphomas are closely related to lymphoid leukemias, which also originate in lymphocytes but typically involve only circulating blood and the bone marrow (where blood cells are generated in a process termed haematopoesis) and do not usually form static tumours.]'' http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lymphoma


 * Together we made a large effort to educate ourselves about the disease and the treatments available. Doctors removed Kyle's lymph node and inserted a port in his chest. They decided he would need a minimum of 6 months of Chemotherapy as a precaution. Fortunately, the circumstances were much better than they could have been.


 * For my project I would like to learn more about Lymphoma and those affected by it and would ideally like to get involved with a foundation supporting a pursuit for the cure.


 * Research Component - Websites, support groups, and books, as well as medical professionals


 * Week 1 - Complete extensive research including risk factors, symptoms, treatment, follow-up care, and taking part in Cancer research.


 * Week 2 - Join an online support group/forum to gain a greater understanding of the disease and read stories about other families who have experienced this disease. Also, I would like to find information on how I may go about getting involved.


 * Week 3 - Make a donation to the Lymphoma Research Foundation (LRF) www.lymphoma.org (Unfortunately, I just missed the 5K walk for LRF in Seattle, however I plan to explore other websites for more upcoming events as well as the many listed on lymphoma.org).


 * Week 4 - Continue research, join a team to collectively fundraise for the Lymphoma Research Foundation through a variety of outdoor events (running, walking, cycling).


 * Week 5 - Begin fundraising and raising awareness (Specific details still to be determined).


 * Week 6 - Continue research, fundraising, attending events/seminars to gain more information (Specific details still to be determined).


 * Week 7 - Participate in an event benefitting the Lymphoma Research Foundation, begin creating a presentation on my journey.


 * Week 8 -Present my findings, experiences, and thoughts.

Midterm Assignment 1: Taste & Aesthetics
Upon arriving at the Olympic Sculpture Park, I began to browse the instillations in search of one I was, less than fond of. For the assignment I was to find a piece I did not like, based on my personal tastes, and manipulate myself into liking it. I was intrigued to discover how easily I could be manipulated and what methods I would use to do so. After minimal consideration I selected a piece entitled “Love and Loss”, created by Roy McMakin.  

The piece is a functional seating area erected using concrete, paint, and enamel. It illustrates what McMakin feels is the literal intersection between love and loss. It descends slightly down the grass within the park, facing the water, and includes two benches and a reflecting pool. A small table is included to the right, depicting the “e” in the word love, as well as a tree that has been painted the same white enamel to subtly represent the “v”. A detail so subtle that one may miss it if not looking carefully. The only splash of actual color in the entire piece is the large, glowing red “&” symbol, which spins high above the rest of the instillation. The two contrasting words come together with the “o”, which also lends itself as the reflecting pool, most likely to signify that upon reflection the words love and loss are not as far from each other as one may believe.

I didn’t really find myself having a strong negative reaction to any of the pieces in the park. In fact, I found a way to initially appreciate each sculpture upon observing it. However, McMakin’s piece struck me in a slightly opposite way. I didn’t mind it too much when I first set eyes on it, and further analysis only made me appreciate it more. Despite the guidelines of the assignment, I found myself selecting “Love and Loss” so that I could research a bit more about both the instillation, as well as McMakin as an artist. Much to my surprise, I concluded the assignment disliking much of McMakin’s additional work. After some casual research, I discovered his designs include many domestic furniture and architectural pieces. I found his style to be bizarre yet unstimulating. I continued to browse his collection but was overall, unimpressed. I remained optimistic however, for my planned re-visit to the park to take another look at “Love and Loss” in person but was slightly surprised when I found myself not holding the sculpture in the same regard. I began to wonder if my dislike of the artist caused an altered perception of anything I knew to be produced by him. It was a tempting thought to explore that I may be, in fact, similar to a large part of society today.

''We are often raised and encouraged to believe that if we stand against another person, for whatever reason, we must also possess a general dislike of everything that person may stand for individually. ''

The part of this assignment that frustrated me was not the fact that my mind couldn’t be influenced to believe something of the opposite, but rather the discovery that my unintentional process of thought was conforming to that of our uninformed, ignorant society. I was almost perturbed at the thought I could fit into said classification, but began to think; maybe we need not to manipulate ourselves into protesting the status quo, but rather manipulate ourselves into accepting the fact that we reinforce it.

Midterm Assignment 2: Manipulation
Copy Machine Paper Commercial:

McDonalds Coffee Commercial:

Self-Assessment
Upon initial commencement of the course I was unsure what exactly the criteria might be. I knew the course was required but “General Education Seminar” did little to satisfy my curiosity toward what I would learn within it. I would say it began rather swiftly. Although the classroom retained a relaxed atmosphere throughout our time there (which I thoroughly enjoyed) we were quickly immersed into the thoughts of our peers, and more importantly, into our own. Our first and most significant assignment was something that would force us to ask ourselves what we would like to accomplish, and to then pursue it. Although overwhelming, the thought of an instructor asking me what I felt I should undertake was quite refreshing. Being an assigned project it was assured to involve some objective of personal growth. However, our choices were hardly limited. This approach gave me a clear incentive to do something I might have not chosen to pursue otherwise. I enjoyed the positive idea behind encouraging each student to improve them self while still possessing creativity. The next assignment involved an attempt to manipulate our own minds into a more humble perspective and the assignment shortly following helped us to recognize how the media today is able to manipulate us as easily as they do.

Overall I realized this course to include guidance making a greater impact than any didactic course I could have possibly taken while enrolled at the Art Institute. Not only did I learn some great, factual information about different artists/influential figures in history, misology, negative capability, logical fallacies, and fads in society, but also I learned about myself. I would still like to read more into the information I was given and use what I have already learned to adopt a new perception of my both my studies, and of life.

I believe overall I could have performed better in class. I could have offered more contributions to class discussions and attempted to listen more intently. I see my contributions to the class to be more discrete, in the form of positive commentary toward my peers. I believe the largest factors in my personal growth throughout the course were, in fact, my classmates. Overall I enjoyed what I received from this required course. I could find no better way to present my thoughts about what I learned in this program than the quote by philosopher John Dewey, provided on the assignment page, in which he states:

“Perhaps the greatest of all pedagogical fallacies is the notion that a person learns only the particular thing they are studying at the time."