How do we decide what is considered art? Who decides it? What kind of art can be considered illegal or immoral? Well, if this isn't just enough complicated questions, is the answer to all of them depending on who you ask?
This image is considered illegal in most cities. Why? Without permission to be put on property it is considered vandalism. So it will be covered up with paint that matches the wall behind it, or with a color that is close to it. The tax payers in the city are the ones who end up paying for that to be done. So is it harmful for this image to up on this wall? What about when its just not as nice looking? Should we take it down then?
A lot of people do not like the way graffiti looks. The argument is that it brings down property values. Cities are spending time and money in investigating who is making the graffiti and paying to cover it up as well that costs millions of dollars yearly. Why do we feel the way we do about graffiti?
Because we were told to. Today that viewpoint is starting to change and graffiti is going mainstream. Look familiar?
Today graffiti is making its way into the way we decorate our cities, the things we market and gives voices to movements. This form of art has the power to speak to anyone, and what is true about graffiti that might not be about all art is that it is accessible to anyone in the public. You do not require a entry fee to see this public art which gives it an edge that some people just are not ready for and some cities are not sure how to handle. In some cities though, embracing graffiti has turned poor districts into thriving artistic neighborhoods. As a native to Phoenix Arizona, I have seen the transformation myself to some of these poorer neighborhoods through the use of street art.
So is it really so dangerous? What part of making art that is an individuals expression dangerous? Let us reexamine this view of vandalism, and possibly instead consider what an urban landscape could be instead of just straight lines encapsulating our daily lives. Maybe we need to see a message scrawled across a seat to make our minds think in new ways. These messages might be out there just for you to enjoy like the person who made them.
So maybe the next time you see a spray painted wall as you walk by it you might stop to enjoy the free art.
So there is this movie with a great example of what I want to discuss here. It seems a bit ridiculous with the setting, but give it a chance, and while you watch, ask yourself if its in actuality so far fetched that we live this way.
Are we passing life by as we "connect" to each other? When was the last time you went to a restaurant that doesn't have a TV in it? Sports, movies, games, phones and table-side applications surround us in our day to day movements as we navigate through our daily schedules. Our children learn on smart boards at school, they research on computer screens, and they will never have to learn how to write cursive, because that use of communication is dying. When was the last time you wrote an actual letter to someone just because you could? Here is the thing, why don't you want to write a letter just because you can? Its an easy answer, why would anyone spend the time writing a letter when I could just email or text them? The same rules apply for even answering a phone call these days; getting sent straight to voicemail with a followup text of "Whats up?" is common occurrence. So whats the cost of all this convenience?
We have anxiety when we leave our phones at home, our kids can't sit in a car without a device to keep them quiet. There is no way you are going to go to a restaurant and not seeing someone on the phone while their partner does the same or sits there looking around the room like they were suddenly sitting alone across from their occupied date. There is pressure on parents to buy their kids phones, and then they are introduced to an array of social media that can make them feel insecure in ways they never realized before the internet told them they weren't special enough. I know, the argument is always that its limitless information at our fingertips, that's a really attractive idea. Its amazing to have that capability, but we are getting so much of this great "stuff" at such a high price.
I realize that a lot of people might disagree with this point of view, but if you really don't think some of this resembles a little bit of an actuality, go out for an entire day without using any technology once and look around the rooms you are in. Tell me that you weren't ignored at least once by others wrapped up in their own little social worlds, on their phones, tablets, computers, and televisions as your day goes by. Is it really so far fetched what we saw in the Wall-E video? Please, let me know.
We all do it; dream about the big win. What would be the first thing that you would do with a 800 million dollar jackpot? Don't say going to Disney Land here, think you might buy part of it instead.
So, is a buck or two worth the chance? Analysts scream no, but the average Joe is probably saying "Why not?". Who wouldn't want to win big bucks for doing nothing but scratching a couple numbers down on a piece of paper? Heck, if that's too much for you to figure out, there is a computer that can choose the fate of your possible fortune for you. The reality is, your probably not the next lotto winner, but I never seem to hear anyone grumbling that they didn't win even though they played. Why is it OK to lose a couple bucks on such a huge long shot? Could it be buying the ticket and the day dreams alone are worth the dollar amount you paid? Thinking of where you might travel,what you would buy, or the things you could do with all that cash is worth a few dollars to dream about the options. I would want to swim around like Scrooge McDuck in a vault of my own cash, yes, I am aware in actuality that's pretty disgusting, but I would be rich enough not to care.
So winning the lottery might be the best thing that ever could happen to a person, until you find out it can lead to an early demise. Why do so many big winners end up penniless or dead? If you type into google Lotto Winner's Curse , you can find some really fascinating articles on big lottery winners and what became of their lives. I know, we all think "It would be totally different if it were me that won though", but really, would it? We get up everyday, go to school, work, take care of family or do what it is we need to because we must in order to get by in life. Can you answer for a fact with a yes that everything would stay completely the same if by no fault of your own you are suddenly the most important person in your home and the wealthiest? Becoming suddenly wealthy is such a double edged sword, no wonder the filthy rich need to act crazy at times.
Suddenly a target, where before winning you just a normal blip on the radar; now attracting all kinds of crazy money hopeful "friends" and "family". Numerous lotto winners experience huge breakdowns in the family dynamic of their lives because everyone wants a handout, and if your not willing to comply, statically, you might get whacked by that loving family for the money. Winner after winner has had family member violence taken out on them or their loved ones from the sudden monetary jump. Others are totally pushed out of their family from the resentment of the rest of the family who didn't win or reap lotto money benefits One Lotto winner was found buried in a block of cement, murdered by a friend he gave over a million dollars of his winnings to.
Other winners died of overdoses from never running out of money to buy drugs with. Many of the winners die penniless and alone as well from reckless spending habits and gambling problems.
Of course, who is going to put a warning of "Winning the lottery may destroy life as you know it" on a lotto ticket? Do you think you have the capacity to keep that much money around you without blowing it all? Can you say who might ask you for some of your winnings? Would you try to spend every penny on purpose? Maybe the lucky ones are the ones who win, spend everything and continue to breathe another day like the rest of us after the roller coaster ride of money is over.
Ok, so really, technology is kind of amazing these days. We live in a time that seems to have endless possibilities because of the existence of technological advancements. I can have a car parallel park for me instead of trying to get it right with my five or six attempts.
We have the ability to communicate from one computer screen to another and have live conversations from one side of the globe to the other with live video feed of ourselves to share with whoever we want to talk with because of computer applications like skype. We also have the ability to answer all of our questions for our busy day to day lives with an amazing little super computer we almost all keep in a purse or a pocket. How many of us think we just couldn't make it without our cell phone these days?
So for this post I thought I would talk about some technology I am finding out is making its way into our lives in some pretty incredible ways. Its friendly enough for even kids to use while having the creative capacity to create a duplicate of itself. The 3D Printer.
This amazing technology can make anything, with almost any type of material, glass, plastics, metals, and liquids. This piece of technology can build houses, make edible food, create fine art, print medication, and build machine equipment. Something that struck me about researching the 3D Printer was how user friendly it is. With multiple types being sold in the market, parents can buy their children one so they can make plastic art and jewelry with ease while adults can tinker with their own projects and ideas. There is also a huge corporate interest in these machines for streamlining production. With online forums there is an ever growing library of downloadable files that you can plug into the printer to make infinite amounts of objects.
So, are there drawbacks to having technology that can make anything we want? Can the ability to make anything with a few simple swipes of a computer screen be dangerous? Do we stop enough as a society to ask ourselves if having everything we want literally at the tips of our fingers a good thing? Well, like so many rhetorical questions, I guess, it just depends on who we ask. While researching this technology I came across some pretty interesting information, most of which was positive, but some of it definitely impacted me with some feelings that left me unsure if 3D Printing is a 100% a good idea. Maybe I am hitting a cultural divide with a younger generation who feels technology can be nothing but positive, but after seeing some of the capabilities of 3D printing, I felt downright nervous too.
3D Printing could not only replace what I do for a living in the future, but it could down right murder me too, literally. Sounds dramatic right? Its still sadly a correct statement.
So yes, technology does tend to catch up to jobs that require manual labor, but this one is a bit sacred to me. I have mixed emotions about being replaced by a machine as a possible future outcome if this technology continuous to grow for tattooing. The really scary part of the printers that struck me while researching was the ability to use them for violence. Apparently, I wasn't the only one either, the U.S. Government noticed as well. 3D printers also have the capacity to make a weapon perfectly in the comfort of your home. Want a gun to keep you safe at night? Just download the info on how to from the old internet and plug it into your printer, blammo; you just created a serial number free weapon that can devastate a life or lives.
Unfortunately, just like lots of other things that exist on the internet, there is always a corner that can get quite dangerous with so much information available to the public. While there has been measures to try to help prevent certain information like weapon making from being shared, it still exists. So, before you go out and grab one of these sweet boxes of endless possibilities in the future for yourself, maybe have a conversation about it.. Of course its thrilling to have something that just like a genie, grants your every wish, but is it too sweet for our long term health? Lets no rot out our moral teeth on some really great candy because it tastes good right this moment. For this lady, I am perfectly alright making my own tattoos, printer free for the time being, (call me a knuckle dragging cave-woman if you must). Please feel free to share your choice in the comments, I love listening to multiple perspectives.
Over the weekend between working, homework and a little traveling adventure, I managed to sit down and squeeze in a movie while I drew for some upcoming projects. As a tattoo artist I find myself listening to a lot of movies because its a welcome break from my playlists or Pandora radio as I am drawing for upcoming appointments for the week. My rule for movies while I am working is the screen is down so I am listening to what is going on but my attention is still focused on what needs to get done.
So, with this I will now tell you, I stopped working and sat down to watch the best movie I have seen in a few months and had to continue with work after, and it was worth every minute. I had a friend of mine recommend watching What We Do In The Shadows a few weeks ago, and now I know I want to tell you to watch it too if you love dark comedy with adult content.
A quirky vampire film, this movie entertains its audience with a reality TV style look at the nightly lives of a home of vampires who enjoy having other vampire roommates. The tone is B list horror movie with one strongly silly funny bone. As I viewed the film there was no areas of the comedy that dragged or weren't that entertaining, its well written and well acted from beginning to end. I highly recommend this film as a refreshing spoof of reality television which was a clever format for this movie. Twilight be damned, these damned souls were so much more for the audience to enjoy from beginning to end. Without giving away too much, here is a short trailer of What We Do In The Shadows. Please comment and let me know if you do end up watching it and what you thought after, and I hope you enjoy boys and ghouls.
One of the first blogs I came across in my research for this project was my favorite from all the sites I researched. Voted one of the top blogs according to Time Magazine, I was quick to agree once I found The Bloggess. Author Jenny Lawson writes in a way that entertains to an audience who enjoys a chuckle with some commentary on a variety of subjects in a dark comedic tone. The style to the Bloggess is feminine, black text with hot pink links. The overall design to the page brings balance to the eye with text and imagery for the viewers. Lawson's voice is enjoyable as it's read, inviting to a adult audience with a southern drawl placed with "y'all" throughout the blog. Without being too professional the author is still clear with a purposeful direction in each entry while sharing her daily mom life. The author shares information about her online shop while still being entertaining to the audience, introducing her business cleverly named "Eight Pounds Of Uncut Cocain",
and after a good laugh I shared her page. Jenny Lawson does a wonderful job sharing a hilarious point of view while simultaneously running a business through this blog.
The next blog that I thought was worth talking about is The http://www.huffingtonpost.com. A political page that shares information on world events. The page has a large selection of topics in a menu bar at the top, ranging from politics to health or comedy presented in a professional almost newspaper style overall. The voice is multiple opinions by the numerous writers working for website, offering different opinions on the varying subjects. The overall direction seems to be news with a left leaning tone. This blog influenced me to read about world wide situations and what i read was clear and descriptive. The opening caption as I opened the page read "TRUMP vs POPE" with images of both men speaking into microphones and pointing at one another.
This was definitely a helpful site I might consider to catch up on current events with. While not being a huge news and current events follower, this would be a nice go to for me, so give it a whirl maybe.
Third blog, with a bullet, is Sleepless Nights. So, without being too mean, I suggest this blog if you like a mom with honest, diary entry text. The style of Sleepless Nights page looks like a diary entry as well, with just wafts of a business professional woman trying to sell you soap in between the sad talk. Author Veronica uses this page to discuss topics like her poor health, grieving and being tired in a personal tone. Her voice is honest, and is identifiable for moms who work or snuggle emotionally. One of her entires "A Little Bit Discombobulated. Also, tired." gives the audience a personal note to her day. Yet at the end of the entry it has pictures of her soap she made with a please buy some under the picture linkThis made the direction overall confusing to me as a reader. A little disappointed, because I did love how fantastic the soap she makes looks, I was disenchanted by the text around the blog.
