Erin’s Projects
Koby Abjelina
Rhian Advincula
Farah Arabi
Lacey Bratten
Brandon Casas
Hunter’s Projects
Karlyle Laraya
Tommy Luu
Christine Manalo
Jose Nato Palma
Waeli’s Projects
Ashley Phavong
Alexandra Singca
Christopher Tracey
Araceli Valdez Martinez
I was very intrigued by Lacey’s image. I like how she was able to create a visual of herself and have her thoughts in the background on the imagine. I personally felt like I was able to get a feel on the thoughts she feels on a daily basis, and caught myself relating to some of the comments as well. When we aren’t so involved with social media, we are confronted by our inner feelings because we don’t have those distractions to take those thoughts away.
I really enjoyed Rhian’s video on music deprivation. For me personally, music plays a huge role in my daily life; it provides color and a different kind of atmosphere to my day. Seeing what a day really is like with amplified muteness in a video really shows what kind of impact music has in our lives and its effect on what we do and how we do things.
Koby Abjelina’s video takes a bunch of scenes and clips showing various situations of daily life. This is the best to demonstrate how electronic media changes our life. Also, she shows some disadvantages brought by the development of technology. For example, the traffic jam described in her video and the sudden braking of automobile tell the dangers hidden behind the convenience of development of technology. One suggestion for the video is she may create a few scene showing the daily life of old age without much involvement of electronic media. The comparison and contrast can explicitly express the change like transportation.
Alexandra’s video was… interesting. At first I was really really confused as to what I was watching. Once I got over the weird and disturbing visuals, I analyzed it for what (I thought) it was attempting to convey: the amount of times that users open and close their application not just within a day but within an hour is astounding. The message paired with the interesting color scheme made her project a powerful one.
I really Enjoyed Christine’s. At first was lost on what was going on and then when she got on laptop, the camera changed into a vintage tape recorder, than the music started playing which was the cherry on top. It gave me really good vibes at the end.
Also, from the artworks that were submitted, I found Rhian’s to be the most relatable and resonating. I couldn’t have imagined giving up music for a week especially since it is essential to my daily life. I found her depiction to be interesting and something that I can see myself feeling. It definitely struck a chord as well and evoked emotions of familiarity especially when I try to put myself in her shoes.
From all of the projects displayed, I found Koby’s to be the most interesting depiction of deprivation. He combined his feelings and thoughts on deprivation through an expression with music specifically–an EDM style format. It simply was curious. Although I wish I could’ve read the artist statement so that I can understand the thoughts behind it–nonetheless it was interesting. It definitely made me think of other ways to portray my experience, mediums I could’ve used, and evoked an emotion by listening to it.
Hi Myguel,
I completely agree. I think being able to read the artist’s statement would really help us understand Koby’s project better and more specifically his direction on it. Nonetheless, the project was very interesting like you have said. It was very enjoyable to listen to and I could never imagine what his deprivation experience was actually like. But maybe that’s also one of the points of the piece? Since the piece is only music, the audience is forced to really think about what it means and how it represents the artist’s deprivation.
I really enjoyed Farah’s Snapchat story because I feel like it was personally very relatable and I also enjoyed how organized and clear it was. Categorizing the type of snaps she takes really shows us the importance of why those things mean a lot to her and why she tends to post often.
Hi Araceli,
I agree! I think that Farah’s video project was my favorite because it was so creatively organized. You are right: the video really does show what parts of her life are important to her and how much of an impact they have in her life. I think it’s also interesting to discuss the parts of her life that she chose to show on Snapchat, obviously there is more that goes on, but why show these four parts? Are they what she wants people to see or are they just the most important to her?
Hi Araceli,
I enjoyed Farah Snapchat video the most as well. The editing is extremely well done. The pacing for the video is great never leaving the viewer bored with one cut for too long. It also showed so many aspects of her life making it very relatable. Using bitmojis was a great idea because she was able to use them to convey emotion without having to record video of herself, like video responses traditional have to do.
Hello Araceli,
I really enjoyed Farah’s post as well. I was amazed at how realistic her drawing looked. I am not a great artist myself so any form of art is interesting to me. I just love how she has this creativity to even think of doing this because I wouldn’t.
I agree! I think her approach was super cute and it was super relatable. I think we all use Snapchat way too much. It was very clever to use Bitmojis in her project
I liked how Farah used the concept of bitmojis to tell her story. This was very creative. It also looked like she put a lot of work into it and you can tell that it was not something that was done last minute. I also want to give compliments to her organizational skill and the video was very well put together.
I also liked Farah’s snapchat story. Personally I didn’t have the guts to do Snapchat for my project, because I didn’t want to lose my streaks, but Farah’s project made me think — what’s the point of streaks anyway? The only reason I keep them now, is because it’d be a shame to lose them, and the other party would be angry. Other than that… there’s no real point!
I agree with you guys. Farah’s Snapchat video was the one that stood out to me the most, since I was able to relate to it the most. I deprived myself of Snapchat as well. I thought her video was very creative using her Snapchat bitmoji’s and showing bits of snapchat stories she would typically post. I thought it was fun and entertaining, she clearly put a lot of time and thought into it.
Rhian’s project seems like the one to strike a chord with me. The quality of the project is great and the journey she takes has an interesting perspective; almost as if she’s angry that she can’t listen to music. Music is something that I cherish and being separated from it would probably make me feel grumpy as well. The only thing I can suggest about the video would be to show what you learned from your deprivation. In the video, I felt that you simply placed you earbuds on, happy to have music back. If there was a signal somewhere about what you learned I didn’t quite catch it, but other than that this is a top notch project.
Rhian, your project made me think deeply about what music is and what it means to people. For me, I feel like I could never give it up. I checked my statistics for my spotify usage last year and I listened to music through that app on an average of 8.3 hours a day for an entire year. I would feel lost without music but watching your video made me see a different light that I could see without my earbuds on everytime I traveled somewhere.
John,
I thought Rhian’s depiction of the deprivation did show what she learned. I think from the reactions and the way she portrayed the video (i.e. the feeling of losing one’s mind or feeling in a daze) showed how she felt and what she learned about herself as a person without music. Furthermore, I think it also showed us what she learned to cope with it or how she reacted. I do see your perspective and how it may seem like just how life is without music but I think that in it self is a lesson she learned from the deprivation. What do you think?
Hello John. I totally agree with you about Rhian’s project as it did strike me the same way. The scenes of muteness show how empty life is without music and certain sounds that we are accustomed to. I feel like music is something we take for granted since it is somewhat of a background to a lot of our daily lives but once we deprive ourselves of this, we really realize how empty certain aspects of life are.
Farah Arabi’s project is my favorite because she shows the complete story of her own. The favorite part of the project is that she actually deleted her Snapchat when being asked in class. Similarly, after isolating myself from my gaming computer, I can do a lot more productive work.
Hello Woo Yoong Chong,
l completely agree with you that her project is really cool. In the past, I have done video editing before and they took a lot of TIME! SO I think it is not only cool that she actually deleted her Snapchat but also done such an amazing jobs with her video!. The video really captures the audiences’ attention !
Hello Dziemhong,
I think that her project is also really cool and that it really does capture the audience’s attention :).
Karlyle’s project resonated with me. I really enjoyed her song and how she was able to express her feelings into lyrics. It inspires me how creative she was in her project and the time and effort she committed to making it appealing.
Hello Michealangelo,
I am not great at singing, but that talent is something that I admire. I agree her singing was fabulous. I really enjoyed this project. I am amazed that she was brave enough to singing for a project, because most wouldn’t be.
Farah’s project was very creative and I loved how she used different aspects of the Snapchat app into her project such as the bitmojis and her actual snap videos and pictures to depict how she uses snapchat to display her life. I really enjoyed how she incorporated the role of snapchat and its purpose of depicting one’s life and the power of the app and its capabilities in this manner. She depicted snapchat as a big part of her life and how life without snapchat was a big move for her.
I enjoyed the concept of Farah’s project but feel like she lingered on her pre-deprivation experience longer than she needed to. Maybe this showcases how impactful and important snapchat was in her day-to-day life which is why she left the last 1/5th of the video to the actual deprivation. Using printed out bitmojis was a great way of expressing how being out of the loop left her and make the manifestation of her experience related back to the actual app.
Farah’s project reflects her journey and her experience during her deprivation. Each person has their own reason for what makes it so hard for them to give up their piece of media that they have been using every other day or every hour in their daily life.
I really enjoyed Ashley’s project. Although it was short, her quick takes made it very impactful. One cutscene I really enjoyed was the broken bridge and burning brain. I was afraid of experiencing the broken bridge she felt her deprivation experience was giving her and I really empathized with that. When I was first deciding what to stop using, I kept trying to justify why I couldn’t take a break from Snapchat and Instagram and decided on multiple other apps instead to see how those separate experiences would affect me.
My favorite project was Farah Arabi’s portrayal of her Snapchat deprivation experience. The video she created displayed real creativity and truly showed me her experience as she deprived herself of Snapchat for a week. One part that I found particularly cool about her video was when she showed the build up of Snapchat pictures and video notifications. I found it so tempting to open the notifications even though it was just a video representation of her experience. I think her choice to depict the notifications building up was a really good way to show how it felt to receive Snaps from friends and not be able to open them during the duration of the deprivation experience.
I also really enjoyed Farah Arabi’s project. It was very creative and I loved the addition of the bitmojis. The representation felt very relatable, and it was something new. I know how tough it must be to delete snapchat and lose all of your streaks; I admire the persistence.
I also really liked hers too, it was super relatable. I also loved that she got creative with using her bitmoji to show how she felt during her whole deprivation experience. I honestly just found her whole experience all too ratable because I definitely constantly check snap and receive them too, so to see how she showed them building up almost made me anxious and like you said, Clarissa I wanted to open them too.
Hi Clarissa,
I agree! I really enjoyed watching Farah’s project– it was really creatively done and illustrates her deprivation experience really well. I think one of my favorite parts was how she used her bitmoji as a role in the video. Sharing her Snapchat memories was also a really good way of illustrating her snap story, and how much the social media app has a presence in her life.
I enjoyed Ashley’s video because it was so simple, and exemplified her deprivation experience in such a creative way. I like how she made her own props for the video and you could really see her creativity come through in the video. Although the video was simple it encaptured her experience in a way that was easy for the audience to understand as well.
Karlyle’s song was one of my favorties as well. Coming up with lyrics to a song is definitely not easy and then turning it into a song was really good. I like how she brought back her talent that she hasn’t utilized in a while and took advantage of her singing for this project. The lyrics made perfect sense to me and I could understand her deprivation process very clearly.
I really appreciate Rhian’s POV documentary style approach to bring us along with her in her deprivation experience. The fact that she takes us on her personal daily journey is really interesting. We are able to experience the sounds of her life during the moments where she isn’t focused on her music. The little day to day white noise is something I subconsciously zone out since it is such a minuscule thing. However, Rhian’s project really got me to appreciate the background noise and listen more closely to what consists of my day to day background noise.
I agree, Rhian’s project opened my eyes to the sounds that I hear on a daily basis, but usually just ignore or can’t hear because I always have headphones in. I feel if I stop wearing headphones all of the time while walking around campus, it would help me be more social and aware of my surroundings.
I feel the same way as you do in terms of appreciating the background noises in life. Rhian’s project made me realize how dull life is when we look one way and focus on one thing. When we realize our surroundings, the world seems more beautiful and more diverse.
For Koby’s project, I like how he decided to present it in a very unique way that was special to him. By doing his own mix really allows him to share his feelings through music and make it personal to him. I really enjoyed the mix he made and felt like it exemplified his lack of technology in his own special way.
Farah’s video was definitely one of my favorites. Her video was not just any video, but it included her own bitmoji and made it very personal to her. Her presentation of lack of Snapchat was well displayed and I could easily understand her process. I like how she included her own personal snapchat clips which made it more unique and special. You could definitely tell she had fun making the video as well and it wasn’t just any assignment or project.
Hidemi,
I agree that because Farah’s showed videos and stories from her own life along with her own bitmoji, it was a very personal project. I liked how she incorporated cute drawings along with snapchat clips, making it more unique than most of the videos. I think the static part was a good representation of how the deprivation causes an empty space. I can relate to this directly because I often look back at all the videos and pictures I’ve ever taken just to remember fun times or events in my life. Lots of them are random moments that are not necessarily meaningful besides that I was having fun or happy. Farah’s video made me realize that there are many moments that I didn’t record than are now just static empty spaces that I will probably never remember. For her and for me, snapchat is much like a second memory bank.
I really found Tommy Lu’s facebook deprivation project really funny. I love the irony in his approach by creating a whole facebook page about his experience and updating it throughout his deprivation timeline. I also really appreciate his usage of internet memes to make the project not only more personable but also relate-able.
I agree, Tommy’s facebook project was funny and really interesting. I like his usage of memes because it was very creative to express how he felt on his timeline.
Hello Benjamin,
Yes, I agree his post was very funny. I just wonder how he even thought of this idea. That amazes me because it is to unique and creative.
Benjamin,
Yo. I found Tommy’s to be the funniest one. It was so interesting, funny, and creative. I was also innovative that I never thought you can react to a deprivation that way. It really broaden my perspective on what art can be. Also, it was interesting seeing his reactions to each day and the experience. It really brought out an emotion from me–which is joy–but it made me rethink on how perspective plays a role on the deprivation.
I really appreciated Lacey’s artwork. It was definitely a different perspective to the project, but I think held a lot of meaning to her personally. Her art piece was really well thought and provided a new perspective of what it was like without speakers. The artwork holds sentimental value and can be interpreted in many ways.
I feel like all of us can resonate with the stresses Lacey has undergone which has made it a piece that we all seem to enjoy. I loved that she typed out all of the spiraling thoughts she had in the shower with a light opacity. The words resemble the steam from a shower as well as really reflecting how these thoughts are always lingering within her.
Christopher’s project is very wel thought through. It’s also very relatable, as I also listen to music while on my computer and getting work done. He did a good job of displaying the effect music has on productiveness and bringing more life to doing a simple task, such as doing homework.
Okay is nobody going to talk about Karlyle’s video? Haha I’m being dramatic about it, but honestly having the confidence to put yourself out there and SING for your project was just so creative and the lyrics of the song was so good. I really liked your voice and the lyrics were really relatable because it just highlights how desperate I am to use social media, especially the line about streaks because I care SO much about them even though they don’t really count for anything. Overall, I really liked your approach to the project and think you SLAYED it, keep blessing us with that voice please!
I found Ashley’s video to be very comical. Setting the paper brain on fire at the end was very unexpected and pretty dramatic when comparing it to deleting instagram, but that’s what make its so amusing.
Hi Amanda,
I agree! I feel like the video ended suddenly when she set the paper on fire, but I think that point was that none of audience was expecting that. Although short, the video holds a lot of meaning about the emotions the artist felt during her deprivation project. Like you said it was a very dramatic response, but it really delvers the message of what Amanda was feeling through her experience.
Farah’s video has got to be one of my favorite ones that was shown in class because of the comedic, but realistic tone that it had to the video. I also liked the incorporation of the bitmojis that made it very relatable to the social media platform. Also, this opened up my eyes to how we post every little thing and event on our social media platforms instead of actually enjoying the moment. I’m sure that Farah was enjoying her time in the videos, but it just made me self-reflect on myself and how I always try to get “the perfect shot” or the “perfect video” to show others but when I don’t get either of those things, I realize how my day was wasted trying to do that when I should’ve been enjoying the time spent with others. Overall, I enjoyed your video including the post Malone betchesssss hahaha
Ashley’s video made me crack up a lot because of the simplicity of it and the portrayal of how social media makes our brain dead. I also enjoyed the extra work that was put into the video as well with the props and everything. This makes me realize how social media has become such a prominent role in our lives and that we let it just “Fry” our brains out.
Tommy’s facebook profile is very unique compared to the other projects. I like his choice of meme’s, but I think it would have been a lot more creative to post each day of the deprivation rather than all in one day, just to add to the effect he was going for.
I really liked Alexandra’s video because it was just so trippy, but in the best way. I really liked the whole creepy vibe to it and how she’s trying to portray how we are constantly scrolling on our phones and it may seem like we’re on social media doing things, but literally all we’re doing is scrolling. It’s just so interesting how scrolling has become such a normal thing that we do and how endlessly we do it and how empty or incomplete we feel when we aren’t scrolling.
I agree! Alexandra’s video really captured how dependent we can become on our phones to the point where we just click the app to click it even if we just closed it. Technology has become the equivalent of opening and closing the fridge every two minutes even though no new food has been added. Scrolling has become such a norm that we open the apps without even thinking about it and don’t even realize it. I know I myself constantly do that with apps like instagram, so I think Alexandra captured the deprivation in a way that I can strongly relate to.
I thought the editing in Alexandra’s video really encapsulates what it’s like to be constantly checking social media. The bright colors and rapid pace of the video shows the effects of an addiction to Instgram, Snapchat, etc..
I loved how different the video was than other videos. Alexandra took a very unique, separate approach and I enjoyed it. The presence of the video felt very dark and creepy, but it fit very perfectly with the project.
Lacey’s piece of art is simple, yet it manifests such great impact, in the way that it’s so relatable. The text that’s overlayed with her thoughts while in the shower is pretty much the types of things everyone thinks about when they’re left alone in silence. This kind of art also reminds me of a lot of the fan art I see all over social media.
Farah’s Snapchat Story video was very enjoyable to watch. I love the rawness of it since she left the original captions on her snaps. I also found it very creative that she used the red, purple, and blue bubbles to portray snaps she was being sent piling up through the week of her deprivation.
I really liked Tommy Luu’s Facebook page as a response to his Facebook deprivation experience. Personally, I would have never thought to have created a Facebook page and tailored it to be a form of art. I thought it was well constructed and a funny/ light hearted response to the experience, which was a nice change considering a good majority of the projects were on the heavier side. What I really liked about his response was that he documented his experience day to day as the experiment proceeded. The memes provided comic relief that appealed to me and most likely the majority of the class as well. However, I would have appreciated more insight and an overall final wrap up about the project/ experiment in order to create a rounded notion about the project.
I agree! I thought the Facebook page was very creative and I did not think to create one myself as well! I thought it captured the deprivation experience really well and allowed Tommy to still have the memes and posting associated with social media while being deprived. The memes captured his feelings while also being creative and a comic relief. But I do agree, maybe a final wrap up post which tied the whole project together would be nice to allow the audience to more fully experience the project and the ultimately his feelings now that the deprivation is over.
Among all of the examples, Laraya‘s original song is my favorite. Unlike other examples, the audio can bring me into the world of her memories about her experience of digital media which can technically be regarded as an art showing the magical power of the electronic media. Meanwhile, Laraya must have spent a lot of time in writing and recording this song so that we can enjoy this. Such a achievement and effort is also an example teaching me how to make an art.
I think Rhian did a great job expressing the difficulty of giving up music for a week through her video. I love how she edited the video to make the music slowly cut out and how she went from an overwhelming amount of clips to the sound of her alarm clock going off to set the scene as if she was waking up from a nightmare. I thoroughly enjoyed it.
I personly enjoyed Araceli Valdez’s piece the most. She decided to describe her work in a way that was very unlike the rest of the projects. The fact that she made a digital image was amazing for one. I felt like seeing tons of videos made me enjoy the pieces less since that was almost all I saw. Also, her art was amazing and I love how it wasn’t just a description of how her week went ( like almost everyone else). The fact that she modeled her art after a book she had read during her deprivation made her work more enjoyable since I was given a change to figure out why she decided to do it that way and question how her week went. Overal, Araceli was very creative with the way she presented her deprivation and I think that’s was just amazing.
Ashley’s video was short, sweet, and to the point. It didn’t need much, but still created an impact when watching it. It made me realize who dependent I am on social media and how it feels like my life is going to end if it was taken away from me. My reaction is so existential and extreme, making it a bit embarrassing, but it shows me how attached we are to our phones and such nowadays.
Rhian’s video was very well edited and provoked very distinct emotions when watching it. I felt the panic and horror at the beginning of the video and I also felt the relaxation and love towards the end. It’s crazy how much sound and imagery can do for a person, and I can relate because music is such an important part of my life. But, in certain times, you don’t need music to calm you because you are already surrounded by love and such.
Sometimes, the best kind of music that you can have is the sound of your surroundings in my opinion. It’s funny how people would rather choose to block out their sounds with music and whatnot, but also listen to “”””natural”””” sounds when they go to bed or whatever (for example: sounds of the rain). In my opinion, I just like to live my life like I was in a music video and I think Rhian did a really good job in showcasing how music is an integral part of our lives.
Hey Timmy,
I totally agree with you. Although I have periods where I need to listen to music to and from class, I feel like I also need to have breaks from it too because of the sounds of the outside world, in general, are refreshing to hear – almost like a palate cleanse. Despite this, I understand Rhian’s plight and loved how well she edited her video to showcase how the “natural” noises sounded shrill and unbearable during her deprivation from music.
I really enjoyed watching Christine Malano’s art project because she truly depicted the essence of depriving yourself from music. For my art project, I too decided to deprive myself from music, so I can relate a lot to her youtube clip. Upon not using any music outlets, I was able to pay more attention to my surroundings and be more in-tune with different noises and people. I think she did a great job at showing how life is with and without music, more specifically how isolated the mind becomes when it is introduced to music.
Hey Jennifer,
I totally agree with you. Music can affect our brain mentally and chemically. Dopamine, which is a type of chemical that is released when a person is doing something that he or she enjoys, including listening to music. From my research, listening to music can increase a person’s efficiency of doing work, reduce stress, and sometimes, help a person to focus. I will have to listen to light music and isolate myself from the noisy world to concentrate in my study.
I thought Tommy’s project was extremely creative because it documents his experience in a unique and engaging way. Memes are on of the bigger trends with the internet now and Facebook is a good place to find memes. It takes a flexible mind to think of which meme would fit the message of being delivered because you can’t just put text over some funny picture. It shows the thought and creativity needed and also provides for an interesting way to visualize his experience through a relatable meme.
I also enjoyed Tommy’s project. Memes are a great way to connect with someone. They’re lighthearted on the surface, but if we really think about the message of a lot of memes, they can be sad/dark. But mostly, memes are just funny and a very unique way to express your emotions.
I really like Tommy’s project too but I completely neglected to make the same connection that you made: that the memes he used were ones he would usually see on Facebook. I simply chalked them up to comic relief, as opposed to them being a genre convention of Facebook/ social media. In addition, I do agree that the memes were able to convey a certain notion, but it could have been done in a less blunt way.
I really enjoyed Tommy’s project as well because although it was straight forward there was still a lot of content to look at. The fact that he took the time to make a whole new account for this project is pretty cool. I also enjoyed how on that page there were a lot of posts of memes that reflected on his experience and feelings during the deprivation.
The video by Farah Arabi was the best, she clearly shows how dependent she was from snapchat, by presenting pictures and videos from her life while using it. Then the turning point comes when she starts the deprivation, she presented with drawing how hard this was.
Hi Alberto,
I have to definitely agree with you! She portrayed her experience very well. Video editing skills were also excellent. I enjoyed her video and her ideas were unique and interesting. Definitely one of the best project out there.
I agree that Farah’s project was a really great portrayal of her dependence and excessive use of Snapchat. I really enjoyed watching the video she made as a response to her deprivation experience. I think she chose a really cool way to show how her life revolves around Snapchat by zooming in on the thought bubbles surrounding her Bitmoji. Not only was her video spot on to her experience without Snapchat, it also showcased her video editing skills, creativity, and humor!
Lacey Bratten ‘s portray was one of y favorites, since the background is full of short sentences that are stuck on our brain. All those thoughts that make you worry about everything around you. I feel that this portrays all the unspoken phrases that we want to yield. The face of the girl amplifies the desperation.
Brandon Casas’ was like a day on a life on deprivation from taking photos and videos. It was interesting to see how he made his decision of stopping using a camera. He also involved other people on taking on his duties of taking pictures in club events. Finally, like many others including me is good to heard that after the deprivation he stopped using snap-chat that often.
I liked Karlyle Laraya song about not using social media. She relates how hard was to get use to not getting notifications. Also its interesting that at the end she realizes that she was not so dependent on social media anymore, in contrast to the beginning where she could not stop thinking about snap-chat streaks.
Hi Alberto,
I agree. She did a good job portraying her story through her music. Well done Karlyle!
I agree! I think Karlyle’s project was very creative and she portrayed her deprivation very well. I really appreciated that she tried something new by writing an original song and she did a great job doing it!
Karlyle’s song was amazing! To be able to write a song is hard enough, but to sing and publish it is even harder. I give her major props. I love snapchat and being connected with my friends, so hearing her go through the struggles but also realize that she doesn’t need to be so dependent on it was a relief to hear. Makes me realize social media isn’t everything and we can all live without it fine.
I loved how Karlyle’s project was really well thought out! The use of snaps to refer back to the app she chose to quit and keeping a steady beat was a great way of showing her willpower of not checking back on the app (seeing as it wasn’t deleted but put in a folder she never used). That and the use of her own “filter” through the use of the sunglasses was great. Although it may not be intentional, the sunglasses could be seen as a way to filter her self from the audience seeing as performance art is one that leaves the performer vulnerable to the responses of the audience.
It’s interesting to see how listening to music really is something that people always do. I used to listen to music all the time also, but then I stopped mostly because my earphones broke and never bought a new pair. So it’s interesting to see how I stopped listening to music everywhere I go, and seeing Rhian’s video did make me miss listening to music a lot, but at the same time, I’ve grown accustomed to not having music everywhere I go. So it’s in a way to me, looking at like, a different perspective, or looking at a past me because I at one point also would go everywhere with music in my ears.
Tommy Luu’s Facebook page about deprivation was really fun. Since it relates in memes how he felt from stopping Facebook. Everyday he shows how different he feels about not using it and the free time that he is getting. He also shows how hard it was to not have access to Facebook, and how the mind is so use to the location of the app on the phone that he kept looking through it several times.
Although all of the projects were good, Lacey’s artwork stood out to me because I felt I could relate to the message and meaning. I also chose to deprive myself of music and there was a lot of empty space that wasn’t filled with me thinking about the song lyrics and beat or singing along. Showers, driving, and other activities were much like what Lacey depicted in her artwork. These were things I did day after day which eventually became very routine, requiring no thought. I didn’t realize how mindless these activities were until I caught myself drifting off into another world thinking so deeply about something someone said, something that happened in the past, something that someone said or did along with the thousands of different interpretations, as well as events that haven’t even taken place. The expression and blank foggy background relate to the deep thought I found myself in, sometimes much more than I wanted, without music to occupy my time.
Jose Cortez’ video was hard to relate to since I deprive myself from social media. however I could think that not making Choreo for a while, will be the equivalent to me stopping from playing soccer. I liked that he showed what other activities he decided to start.
Going off of what you said Alberto, I thought it was such a great idea to have Jose channel his time and energy into other activities like dance! He definitely did not make his deprivation get the better of him. In fact, he turned the situation all around to make the most out of the project. For that, I highly commend him for that and it makes me think of all the possibilities that are just waiting for me to explore!
I feel like lot of us empathize with this because of the readjustment of priorities we make now that we have to juggle school, work, research, interning, and a social life. All of our schedules conflict so the only way some of us feel like we can communicate and keep in touch is through social media. In his project, I really enjoyed how Jose redirected his energy into pursuing activities and hobbies he put on the back burner during his deprivation experience. It was a great way to disconnect from his distractions while reconnecting with himself, his interests, and friends.
Ashley Phavong’s video was simple but creative by connecting the deprivation from social media and presenting a broken bridge. Furthermore, the brain on flames depicts how depriving from something that you use can be a hard process.
I really liked Rhian’s video because it was creatively and well put together as well as relatable. I also chose to deprive myself from music for this project, and when I saw her video, it was as if I was repeating the deprivation experience all over again, emotion wise. Her video and editing skills made me remember of my personal experience, and how the ‘outside’ noises became predominant and annoying and the desperation I felt due to not having my earphones to cover those sounds. She did such a great job in putting everything together in a way that she was able to demonstrate to a general audience the emotions felt by music lovers who get deprived from music.
Alexandra Singca’s video was interesting because I tend to check Instagram repetitively for no reason. Sometimes because the application is not loading I hope to make it work by closing and opening the app. I think many people would find this video interesting since it portrays a bad habit that is common with applications such as Instagram.
Alexandra’s video was very compelling and kinda scary, as well. It turned a simple action we all do everyday into something quite dark and horrific. It also made me realize how often I check my own instagram and other social media apps on a daily basis. I would open the app 5 times in a span of ten minutes out of boredom and see the same thing on my feed, but continue to do so anyways.
I really enjoyed how different Alexandra’s project was from the other video projects. Her video editing skills made the project captivating. I like that she chose to record herself opening and closing the app repetitively, because I think that really portrays a person’s mindless use of social media. Seeing it onscreen really makes the audience realize how we have become zombie-like when using our social media apps.
Hi Alberto! I can honestly relate to your comment 100%. Sometimes I find myself aimlessly scrolling through various social media platforms, especially at times when I need to focus on my studies. Going back to Alexandra’s video, the sounds in the video gave an even deeper sense of deprivation. In a way, it scared me a bit because it sounded like a malfunctioning piece of technology. The project centered a lot on metaphors and as a result showed great insight into the psychology of society.
I really enjoyed how simplistic Ashley’s project is. It captures how she felt during her break from social media in a short 22-second video that was concise yet creative.
I found Tommy Lu’s project very amusing and well executed. I liked how he used Facebook as a way to communicate his project, where he deprived himself of Facebook. Using memes to communicate his emotions and thoughts during the deprivation was also very amusing and clever, as he’s utilizing a popular form of technology and sharing. Overall, I think we can learn from this project that even when deprived of these social medias, we are still thinking about them. It’s as if they don’t exit our mind, and I think that really shows the impact social media and technology has on us. Also, the fact that memes are a sort of universal form of communication that we all could understand, really shows how much technology and the internet has a presence in our lives.
I also really enjoyed Tommy’s projects and thought is was very creative. I agree he was clever with the memes and the way he used the actual media as a representation of his deprivation. I felt that his meme’s got a lot of response from the audience which is difficult to do since, like you said, they are a universal form of communication. When the typical college student see’s memes several times a week, and I felt this was impressive. I agree this also showed how present and relevant technology is in all of our lives. The fact that we all laughed and responded to this project, showed we all understood this form of technology.
I also found Tommy’s project very amusing! A lot of my social media usage revolves around looking at memes and sharing them with friends, so I feel that Tommy’s project was a really relatable way to respond to his Facebook deprivation experience. Creating comedy and making memes takes a lot of creative energy and time, so I think Tommy made good use of his time without using Facebook. Additionally, making a Facebook page to display his memes was a really good choice!
I really enjoyed Koby’s project because of its relation to music. For my project I deprived myself of music for 2 weeks, so I found it very interesting that he was able to deprive himself of making music.
Hi Isabelle,
While I agree with you that he was great putting a music together. However, I think that his project lacks emotion. I also don’t know what exactly he is trying to portray through this project until he explained his story in class. I believe that if he adds a little taste/ story to it a little bit more would be great!
Farah’s project was definitely my favorite. The whole video was a very creative way to show different parts of her life, and it’s really amazing that all these parts were captured and saved with Snapchat. It really shows the impact technology has on our lives and how much we share through different social medias. Each part of her “snap” life that Farah showed in her video can represent a different persona of her. This makes us think that if people were to only know her through Snapchat, they would only know these different personas. That makes me question how much does social media really show of us, and are our personalities accurately represented through the use of social media? In many ways, we use social media to show either the public, friends, or acquaintances the parts of our lives we want them to see.
Hi Lacey, I agree completely – Farah’s project was so creative! I particularly liked how the video showcased different parts of her daily life, as you have pointed out. You bring up an interesting point of how do we showcase ourselves through social media. I think it is easy, even across different platforms, to show different sides of ourselves. For example, I would imagine that a person’s Twitter page would be different than their Facebook page.
Hello Lacey, I wanted to add more to your appraisal for Farah’s work. The project is exceptional and my favorite of all. I loved the creativity and the drawing and BitMojis. It was a powerful creative and personal project because it showed the life of Farah and how hard it was to leave snapchat. The different deprivation stages added an amazing touch to a piece of work I did not know it could get any better. The deprivation showed the importance of technology, specially social media, in our life. I also think it is crazy how social media apps can describe our life if one got every single snapchat we have ever posted.
I agree! I really enjoyed Farah’s project because she was able to depict different aspects of her life while tying it in with her deprivation. I really enjoyed how she used her snapchats to display what was missed during her deprivation.
Hi Lacey,
Farah’s project was also my favorite amongst the projects that were shown. I definitely agree that her “Snap” life depicted several aspects of her life that really shows how inaccurate a social media representation of ourselves can be. This reminds me of an article I’ve read (sorry, I forgot the title) about portraying the best parts of our lives on Instagram, and not accurately showing our daily lives. The purpose of this article was to discuss how this type of social media usage leads to depression in young people, because they feel that their lives are inadequate to those who post a false and augmented reality of their lives. I don’t think Farah intended to use her project to discuss this topic, but any discussion of social media usage will bring us to the question of “are we accurately representing ourselves on social media?”.
I also liked Alexandra’s project because it was short, simple, colorful, and to the point. It was clearly depicted that Instagram is a key part of this person’s life and they are essentially addicted to it because of how many times they clicked on the app. The color to me seemed like radiation. It reminded me of how much radiation we put ourselves under when using our phones day in and day out for these social media apps. Also, it was nice to see that when the app was given up, the author was able to do something relaxing and calming like drawing a sketch. This project was really relatable to me and that’s why I liked it.
I really liked Ashley’s project because it was a unique way to express her feelings towards deleting the social media apps that she uses all the time. Through a short and succinct video, she showed that a bridge is broken essentially when she gave up social media apps like instagram. I can really relate to this project because I am one who uses social media apps like snapchat and instagram on a daily basis and I am heavily attached to it. It was hard for me to give up snapchat for my project and i feel that a bridge was broken for me too. Because I feel like social media builds a bridge between me and the outside world and when you are deprived of that i feel like the bridge gets destroyed and you feel empty.
Hello Anais, I agree with your appraisal and description of Ashley’s project. I want to add how the project incorporates dark themes by burning the brain. Dark themes were rare in the exemplary projects but I appreciate how the feelings of Ashley can be seen as the brain is burning. The burning could signify the stress from school and how Social media was her gateway and bridge to de-stress. I would be willing to give up a Social Media app but I would not be able to leave all of them for the simple reason that I do not want my brain to feel burnt like in the video.
My feelings towards Ashley’s piece can be summed up as expressive in a short and sweet timeframe, which invites multiple watches of the clip. As I watched the video more and more, I imagined the narrative being cut up in a different order to reflect how I feel about Instagram. Whenever I open the app, I feel like my brain is burning because of shallow expressions of personality and toxic attitudes that encourage consumerism. I feel like by deleting the app, I can stop craving towards these flimsy, “constructed” bridges made of paper and superficial social interaction.
I like Koby’s final project the most. In my opinion, I think it reflects his personality through the music he makes although I do not know him in real life. The duration is pretty long and even though I am no musician, I can feel the dedication of Koby and his best tries to make such a complex art work like that. His work also gives me a lot of mixed feelings and it really keeps me listening for more although it is long.
I also enjoyed Koby’s project. I have no idea how to make music, so this was amazing to me. But the mix was really good and I liked listening to it. It is always cool to see emotions translated into music, and Koby did a great job of doing this.
Hi Phuong!
I also really liked Koby’s project. When listening to it during lecture, I was blown away that someone who is not considered a professional in that field had created that sound. I really enjoyed his creativity in responding to his deprivation. It really shows how much care he put into making his music, and I think it shows that he is really passionate about art and music. I agree that the length of his project was pretty long, and maybe this is a comment on how long his deprivation experience felt? If so, I think that’s a really interesting way to portray how his deprivation experience went.
Karlyle’s project was extremely unique. I enjoyed it a lot because I too like singing, but I never imagined coming up with this kind of idea. I liked her voice as well as the lyrics that she chose for her song. Ultimately, I can definitely see why her project is listed as exemplary. I think I should’ve tried thinking of a more original idea like this one, but now I have an idea for any future creative project.
I really enjoyed Ashley’s project ” Life without social media”. I found incredibly hilarious how you had that positive upbeat music when your world was literally falling apart after you gave up Instagram. I also interpreted the bridge breaking as how your isolating yourself from the world as you are now no longer able to communicate with your friends on social media.
Hey Joe!
I also liked Ashley’s project for the same reasons. I thought the music selection was perfectly fitting for the whole scenario. I use Instagram a lot so I could just imagine how it felt for that time. I also really enjoyed how Ashley was able to make such an amazing project with very little. It’s a very simple project but I think it is that simplicity that makes it stand out from the rest. After all, it was only 22 seconds long. But, she was able to get across a whole range of emotions in that short time frame.
Hi Joe, I agree completely with the use of music! The change of music when the social media app was being removed from her phone was stark and amusing. It is hard to imagine that bridge of communication being broken until one actually experiences it.
Hi Joe,
I also enjoyed Ashley’s project, and I also share your interpretation of the bridge breaking as a way to show her loss of communication during this deprivation experience. Showing the bridge breaking was a really obvious way to display her feelings about how the deprivation experience felt. I went through very similar feelings during my deprivation experience, so I think that her project was spot on in displaying how this project went for her.
Brandon’s piece is quite interesting because it contrasts a series of seemingly mundane, common sounds of typing, writing, and printing with itself laid over a disco song. I found it fascinating how in the context of the music the ambient sounds seem intentional, almost choreographed to the rhythm of the accompanying song. The contrast between his recording’s musicality when paired with music versus without brings up a point I’ve heard expressed by musicians and singer-songwriters — that music can be found in anything.
I really enjoyed Alejandra’s video project where she documents the struggle that we all face of constantly needed to have our phones in our hands. In the beginning it begins calmly in which we constantly open apps without thinking and start scrolling through our feed that it almost feels like second nature to us. As the video continued I personally interpreted her repeatedly opening and closing the Instagram app as her subconsciously opening it but then later remembering her deprivation. This accurately depicts how many of us just are addicted to social media and just immediately open Instagram or snap chat without thinking as soon as we touch our phone. I also enjoyed how as the video progressed she became increasingly fidgety as her body is probably forcing her to think about using her phone.
Hi Joe,
I agree! I could relate to the video with subconsciously opening apps and scrolling through feeds– It’s something I find myself doing quite often without even thinking. For example, if I’m in an awkward situation, waiting for someone, or just walking to class I will a lot of the time find myself mindlessly opening Instagram and scrolling though the explore page. I think many of us don’t realize that we are addicted to social media, or we don’t view out social media use as a bad habit, but like you pointed out and as Alejandra’s video communicates we really do have a big attachment to social media and our phones. I agree that the video was a very good depiction of the anxiety that can come with social media deprivation.
Brandons Video was really interesting, and different from everyones else. He went out of his way to due a self-documentary about his daily life. His video gave such an insight about himself to strangers. It was simple yet captivating video project. Great Job!
Alexandra Singca
Another wildly experimental entry with fantastic visuals and unique use of color. This one is gorgeous to behold, though the scope is small and the subject simple and understandable. Our protagonist, bedraggled by the constant usage of their phone, finds ultimate solace in activities outside digital media: namely drawing with pencil and paper. The way this is told, however, gives us the heightened drama and frantic nature of built up tension. Though we depend on our phones for nigh on everything, it can tax us, secretly, silently. But in the end, that tension, that build up, has to go somewhere. Why not just take a nice break, draw a face or two, and enjoy the world around? Seems nice.
Farah Arabi
Wonderful set up, taking us through the “snap” life of our subject. We go through events, such as parties and good times with friends, seeing the ubiquitous nature of snapping in her life. Done in such a creative way, showing us archival footage of snaps from days gone by, this is a fully fleshed out and well organized project. The final act sees the progress through the days of depravation, emotional waxing and waning, and the taxing nature of living a life snap free. This was clearly the prime choice of deprivation for this individual and her project tells a fantastic, well developed tale.
Christopher Tracey
Wow! This one was quite an experience. Closing your eyes, laying back, and becoming absorbed in the sounds. What is happening? What does it mean? Though I cannot specifically nail down any one meaning, this abstract piece demonstrates the power of sound to tell a story. Our protagonist seems to be working away, distracted by the loud blaring disco music in the background. However, upon turning it off, everything comes into clarity: the sounds of work are distinct and noticeable – things are finally getting done. Very unique and fun to listen to. Truly shows the power of sound and how it can alter our very reality without us even been presently aware to such facts.
Hi Jiaxin, I completely agree! When first listening to Christopher’s work, I could not figure out what one of the sounds behind the music was. But when the music was removed, I realized the sound I couldn’t identify was that of a printer. It was a really interesting experience to hear identical sounds both with music and without!
Hi Kailey. I feel like music muffles and mutes the loud and often boring white noise of everyday life. I listen to music to help me get through long activities such as homework or commutes to the hospital. Music isolates a person from what is happening around them in the world, almost like a bubble.
Hi Jiaxin, thanks! I feel that if you close your eyes and “lose” one of your senses, the other senses become sharper — in this case, I pay more attention, in a way, to music. That was part of the idea of my project, to use only audio and have the listener draw an image in their mind on their own, based on sound only! I’m glad you liked it.
Brandon Casas，
Extremely well done video project ironically capturing one individuals period without the use of video (or cameras of any sort). The beauty and simplicity of walking us through an amended routine, showing us what daily life is like, the sight, sounds, and smells. By bringing the viewer into their world, and giving us a taste of what it is like to be in their shoes, we sympathize. Even though I personally don’t take nearly as many photos as him and undoubtedly would not have benefitted as much from such a deprivation project, it begins to make sense. It becomes clear that, after all, this was an intense challenge to him. Perspective makes all the difference.
I agree. I thought the editing was very well done in his video and taking the camera with him to several locations felt like he was taking us with him throughout his day. I also thought the lighting of the entire video was very well planned.
I found the style of Rhian’s video insightful and moving. I enjoyed the gradual distortion effects as if the absence of music was slowly tearing her world apart. The initial repetition of video clips was particularly interesting as well, I thought it reflected a sort of monotony in the sound she heard during her deprivation. Rhian’s approach to this task is captivating, especially to me because I chose a similar deprivation but took a completely different approach to the lack of audio filler. However, I feel that her style regarding this project is extremely relatable to many, if not most, of the students on this campus.
from what i gather from rhian’s project, she finds her everyday experience to be unbearable and dreary when deprived of music. this discomfort of the quiet makes me wonder what’s the noise level of her ideal comfortable environment, how much of her behavior can be considered escapism, and how did her upbringing affect that.
her project made me think of my own answers to those questions. personally, i cannot relate to the need of being constantly being plugged into a source of sound that drowns out the environmental ones. i grew up in a hectic household and had to always be on alert out of fear, so i developed a focus on the language-based sounds and sounds that may come from people moreso than what is going on in my head. this makes me easily overloaded with sound where i get physically uncomfortable when too much is happening that my mind cannot “tune it out” as i can be in danger. i am at peace when it is silent in the middle of the night. because of this project, i noticed that such a large number of students walk around with their earphones in as well as have their eyes on their phone, which differs from how i move around campus because i feel like this consequential “blocking out the world” is deeply uncomfortable. i feel like i am missing important details in the world, no matter how small. i wonder if people who are accustomed to playing music in their car are less likely to hear if their car sounds “off” or if someone who listens to music while walking can easily be unaware that they’re being followed, or is a passerby in the case of someone being verbally harassed/threatened.
Rhian’s video was really enjoyable. The editing skills were great. It really showed her life without listening to music. Her video really empathized on the sounds we should notice when not listening to music. I sometimes walk around campus without headphones and heard those same noises. It funny how we dont pay attention to things around us because we are always in our own music world. Great project!!
I really enjoyed Koby’s project. His deprivation through an EDM mix was creative. As a person who listens to EDM, I think that the mix was really great. This project showed the extra time he had from depriving himself. I have friend who make EDM mixes and it takes them a long time to finish. Koby’s project was a something unexpected. Thank for sharing!
Hi Jose,
I agree with you that Koby’s portrayal of his deprivation experience was creative! I’m also quite familiar with the EDM genre and I think that Koby’s mix was really great as well. The song choices and transitions from song-to-song were very smooth, showing how skillful he is at making mixes. I also have a friend who aspires to be a producer and I’ve witnessed firsthand how intricate it is to make mixes.
I really enjoyed Jose’s video as it truly showed the amount of activities one can do when you don’t waste it on digital media. I believe his video showed us many different possible activities ranging from gloving to choreographing. This reveals that there is always something to do other than simply being on social media or watching netflix at home all day. Gloving seemed rather interesting as I didn’t know it was a thing until this video. I thought that the music change was interesting as it created very different vibes throughout the video. Overall the video was well made and revealed his deprivation experience through the multitude of activities he picked up during the experience.
I really liked Ashley’s “Life Without Social Media” project and her portrayal of her deprivation from Instagram experience. I liked how she incorporated upbeat music in the beginning of the video to emphasize how she enjoys using Instagram and how she included sad music after she deleted Instagram. I thought the metaphor of the bridge breaking and the brain burning was creative and unique, and I’m sure that many people, like myself, can relate to how she conveyed her deprivation experience.
I agree David, her video was short but meaningful about how many people feel leaving a app that revolves around their life. The brain burning was creative and was something I did not expect.
Farah’s art project was very creative in using the bitmoji and actual snap chats in the story. It had a draw my life format and the different bitmoji and snapchat stickers added to the overall theme. The snaps that were included were well integrated into the video and provides good context on how snapchat is being used today. Overall the experience was captured really well and ironically through using snapchat.
Alexandras Instagram video was a nice visual representation of the anxiety people can feel when they post on Instagram or any social media. Every time the scene where the hands are getting fidgety appears, I can feel a little anxiety in my hands. The increasing color darkness adds to the mood of waiting for people to see the post and like it. Very nice work.
Hello Daniel, I agree with your thoughts about Alexandra’s project. I want to also add how the video incorporates a dark theme towards the end to signify the anxiety of going into Instagram repeatedly. The video gives an insight into the feeling people get when checking social media for something new. This video also adds to the idea that social media should be manipulated by us and not social media manipulating us.
I really enjoyed Farah’s art project as it was very creative and I really enjoyed how Snapchat videos are used to showcase the different parts of her life. What I found really interesting was how the videos that she used in her project seemed to be saved snap videos from the past. These videos were most likely recorded so that she could look back at them and remember those memories but it was cool how she was able to use those memories as her art project.
Tommy’s facebook page was unique and provides a creative way to express oneself. The facebook page was used to great effect in showing the emotions of Tommy as he is going through the deprivation experience. The memes were a nice added touch in showing the viewer the messages of deprivation and the realization of technology being integrated into our lives for the simplest reasons.
Hey Daniel,
I thought the same thing. It’s something that is somewhat ironic and hilarious because he deprived himself of Facebook, and used it as his deprivation medium. The memes also does help convey the deprivation experience because memes are something we as internet users can relate to and use a lot to express ourselves.
I also think Tommy’s project is very unique. By packing a FaceBook meme page it makes the project humorous and easy for the audience to absorb his message. It makes you realize that not all works of art have to be incredibly deep, but they can be deep with humor!
I really enjoyed Rhian’s video. The symbolism of hearing all the noise from the outside world was very relatable as sometimes when I do not wear my headphones, the background noise can get distracting and irritating. Music can be used to drown out the background noise and allow us to focus on what ever we are trying to get down. However with the lighting, the added sound effects, you can sense the feeling of Rhian’s deprivation from music.
I honestly don’t know how Rhian went a week without music. Everyday before I leave my home I check that I have a few things on me including keys, phone… and my earphones. Having music with me allows me to destress and keep myself busy and entertained. I think the most moving part of Rhian’s video was him staring at the person at the gym who had earphones on. I could never complete a workout without music. Also, it’s very interesting to see how music creates this sense of continuous harmony. In Rhian’s video, we were able to see how chopped and polluted the noises were around without music.
I agree Farah, I would not have been able to go a day with out music. I always have to have headphones with me at all time. When I don’t have them I feel like im missing something about myself. Her video showed so much we don’t acknowledge with headphones on.
First of all, LOVE your video! Second of all, I can relate to you so much with making sure that I have my earphones with me — they’ve become such an integral part in my life that I feel so incomplete without them haha. I think living life as if you’re in a music video just makes life a little more fun. The funniest part about Rhian’s video was how there was that one girl shouting “TWO DOLLAR BOBA” because that’s literally all I hear whenever I walk around ring road haha. But back to your response, I agree how music makes us feel a certain emotion throughout our day and I think that having an upbeat song like she did in her video, it made her days seem brighter and doable haha.
I really enjoyed Tommy’s Facebook page. I believe that nowadays memes play a big part in our self-expression. Through his project, he was able to present his deprivation experience in a very comical and simple way. One of the most relatable struggles that he mentions is forgetting friends’ birthdays without facebook. I personally have a huge dependence on facebook reminders, so I can see why his deprivation could have been problematic.
I also agree! We’re part of the generation where meme’s have become so integrated into our society and humor that it was interesting to see how it was used as a medium for Tommy. Honestly I expected to see a lot of somewhat bitter experiences but Tommy showed how he can make the most out of a ‘bad’ situation
I agree with you Farah, facebook has become a big part of my social life, and his representation of FB as a meme for the project reading showed how much we depend on facebook. I don’t think I would have been able to deprived myself from Facebook because I rely on it so much.
Alexandra’s video was really abstract I feel, but it also makes a good point. I like it because of the way it shows Instagram being opened and closed multiple times. This is something many users seem to do, just opening and closing apps. The hand scenes that are then incorporated also give the project a sense of desperation I feel, because the user doesn’t know what to do with their hands, since they can’t use Instagram. It goes from chaotic to then really calm at the end with the switch to a drawing, which tells us what Alexandra ended up doing more of instead of being on Instagram.
I enjoyed Arabi’s video. It’s interesting because we see in the video how Snapchat is a way for users to show their friends what they’re doing and how many events you want to show off. Arabi’s video is a really good example of this because she shows us how she posts many things on her snap, which gives us a view into her life. Then, she cuts it off abruptly with static, showing us how we can no longer see what she’s doing. The “live feed” was cut off.
Brandon’s video was really interesting and well done. It’s interesting to see Brandon deprive himself of photography, rather than social media. It’s something that as he explained, he does a lot and this was a chance for him to show how even though it’s not social media, the pictures and videos he takes somehow always end up on social media. It’s like watching the behind the scenes of what he does.
Hi Julio. I also agree with you on the idea of Brandon depriving himself of a passion. Its funny enough that we actually discussed this topic in a reading and it makes me think of the readings we did. It was also interesting how you pointed out that photography is not social media, but it is a tool used in social media. So maybe to deprive ourselves of social media is to deprive ourselves of the technology of it as well
Lacey’s project is thought-provoking and unique. Her passion and talent for illustration really shines through the artwork. I liked the concept of writing out thoughts and ideas over the shower steam. The sentences seemed to extend off the page, as if Lacey only gave a glimpse of her thoughts. This piece made me think about many ideas and concepts we have in our heads and how confusing they may seem to others.
I thought Farah’s idea of incorporating the Snapchat clips into the real video was very creative. The pacing of the video was well-balanced, with short high-energy clips spaced in between the longer and thought-provoking clips with the Bitmoji characters. Comparing the Snapchat clips and Farah’s experience without Snapchat (illustrated on paper) really made me reconsider the value of the short clips that we are so focused on capturing with our smartphones.
Hi Aaron! I completely agree with you on that. Farah’s video project is full of flare, color, and creativity. My favorite part of it was her incorporation of different forms of visual media (images, videos, sound etc) all in a funny and relatable way. It was refreshing to see that she chose the “draw my life”idea for the theme of her video project because it is a prevalent youtube trend that I’ve seen here and there. I can tell that she put a lot of time and effort in the project! Great job!
Hello Farah
I really enjoyed your video. It really grabbed my attention. I think you hit all the major functions of snapchat like how you can use it in so many ways. you can save all your good memories and you can show to everyone. I really love your cat by the way. Your video shows how you’re involved in so many things, you’re a busy person. Overall i really liked your video. Good job 🙂
I really liked Tommy Luu’s project. To me, it showed a really modern representation of how he felt from his deprivation. I really liked that he created memes that I have seen been popular on social media to depict how he felt. Not only that, I liked how he used a digital platform (Facebook) to also create his project on. I think he really integrated his use of creativity, while also trying to make his project enjoyable for everyone.
Hey Ashley,
I loved your project. I enjoyed the short video because it was different from the rest. I have to give you credit for taking the time to construct the bridge that you showed in your video. Overall, solid job! You deserve the good grade!
Hi Ashley, I also greatly enjoyed Tommy’s project! The use of memes was amusing (as witnessed by the amount of laughter when we saw the project in class) and clever. It was creative of Tommy to use Facebook as his platform considering that had been his deprivation experience.
I must agree that I liked Tommy Luu’s project as well. I feel that the project was indeed very creative and it stood out among the other projects that were presented in class and on the website. I really liked how he used something modern, Facebook, to convey what his deprivation experience was like. I also liked the utilization of memes throughout Facebook. It was much better to have those memes there then to read the posts. I feel that this project can connect to everyone due to the fact that Facebook is such a widely used social networking site.
I also enjoyed Tommy’s project as well, as it was comical and pretty unique, as it went away from youtube videos. I also think it was creative that he chose to show his deprivation through what he actually deprived himself of, Facebook and memes. Additionally, I liked that the memes where funny as well as applicable to the deprivation experience that he went through.
Farah,
I really enjoyed your video i thought it was super creative and allowed your audience to capture a snip of your personality. The audience was able to see real evidence of your life with and without snapchat. I connected with your project because I also gave up snapchat. However, with me I just took pictures. I also really liked how even though you gave up snapchat you still represented your emotions through the use of emojis. Props to you, I remember you mentioning in class that you still have not used snapchat.
I also agree that Farah’s project was really creative! I liked the use of bitmojis to represent how she felt throughout the deprivation. Although I did not give up snapchat, I think her representation accurately displayed how I might have felt and probably to others as well.
Karlyle’s project really stood out to me when we were being shown the exemplary projects in class. I think it took a lot to record herself singing and I really admire that courage! Not only was her singing great, but her original lyrics were really creative! I thought they were really cute and funny, especially when she mentioned losing streaks because I think most people using Snapchat can relate to that loss.
I agree with you Kathrine, Karlyle went out of her way to show use her talent to show us a side of her that not many people may know. Writing a song that embodies how many students in college feel is funny to think about. Her song was really creative and relatable. Her singing was on point and making this her project was creative and a courages of her to do.
Farah’s project was definitely one of my favorites! I especially liked the detail of showing how how many snaps, videos, and messages she received each day of the deprivation. Additionally, I thought the use of Bitmojis to describe how she felt every day was really cute and creative! My only critique would have to be that the sound effect used in between each aspect of her life wasn’t the most pleasant to hear and I wish it was a little bit shorter. But other than that, it was really well done!
I agree that Farah’s project was an excellent piece because her idea appealed to the audience, us college students who use social media a lot. It related to all of us because of the common use of our smartphones almost everyone has a snapchat or a form of social media. And the incorporation of both the bitmojis with her real life represents our how closely technology has tied to our lives. The relatively of the video to today’s generation is what really appealed to the audience and made it a relatable video.
I really enjoyed Koby’s project! Usually, I’m not a fan of electronic music because it can tend to sound repetitive to me, but that was not the case with this song. As an avid listener of rap, I was especially impressed with the incorporation of Kendrick’s “m.A.A.d city” and I thought it fit in really well with the rest of the music. I enjoyed all of the songs he sampled and I liked hearing them mixed in this way. In general, it sounded like he put in a lot of work into this project, and it really paid off!
I also enjoy Alexandra’s work because I do the same way as her during my free time. I spend lots of time on looking my Instagram. Even though I go over all of the new posts, but I still get use to open the app, then, close it. I believe most of us are doing the same way. Therefore, I think Alexandra’s video represents how we realize on social media nowadays in our free time.
Hi Arabi, I really enjoy watching your video because it is a creative work. You represent your life with snapchat story with different ways. I really like the way that you with your cat, it is adorable. Moreover, you engage the audiences into your experience really well. Thank you for sharing your experience with us.
I really enjoyed the simplicity of Alexandra’s video and how she showed the reflexes many of us have towards our phones. I also spend a lot of time on Instagram and I am much too familiar with that “home button to app” reflex that happens all the time because social media is so ingrained in our brains, that we don’t even think about it anymore. The simplicity of the video showed the gradual chaos that repetitive app usage could be and I also really like the blurriness that might represent the blurriness social media creates on our lives.
I enjoyed Farah’s video and its utilization of bitmoji to represent her feelings about each of the categories. It showed how, in a way, she used this app to portray a version of herself, like a bitmoji, rather than just being herself without social media. The categorization of her life excludes the other aspects of her life, and maybe, she could even use this to find other “categories” that make up her life.
One of the projects I enjoyed the most was Farah’s video. It was well thought, fun, creative, and it’s noticeable how much time and effort she put into the project. I really liked how she incorporated the videos she typically posts in snapchat, it really gave the audience a glimpse of her deprivation experience. Additionally, it was fun to watch and creative how she chose to use the bimojis as a way to express her experience.
Out of the projects, there are a few that I really enjoyed. One of the projects that caught my attention while I was going through the many projects was Farah’s video about her deprivation experience. I think she was able to take a common social media app that people would have deprived themselves of, Snapchat, and create something that was very creative. The platform also, something like, Draw My Life, is another common thing that I have seen many people perform. I feel that she was successfully incorporate the creative aspect of this project into her. I really liked how she incorporated the Bitmoji from Snapchat and was able to create the video.
Now for the video by Rhian. Music, and specifically listening to music has not just as of this moment become something huge, it has always been huge. People have always been listening to it, loving it, hating it, feeling it. I would say in regard the only real thing that changes with that, even going beyond genres, is the medium in which people listen t it. Perhaps it is only know that we have the ability to listen to music privately, to be absorbed by it in a way that was maybe not possible in the past. Specifically through the usage of headphones. Even though the music will play around us, and even out loud, trying to not listen to it on our own, well that can be a daunting tasks for many people. I really enjoyed the video and audio transitions that were occurring in the video. How some things led us to the next, or instead overlay-ed each other to create a sound unique to the individual parts. This project also made me remember a time in my life in which I did not listen to music on headphones. That period of time lasted for about 3 months, no real reason it was just that mine broke, and I never got around to buying a new pair. It was hard at first, and things kinda felt like that way the video was edited to look. Though after about 2 weeks, it was a lot easier, I started to appreciate the natural sounds of nature, and all that. Though it seemed to be a new habit, it was not a permanent one, as of this moment I listen to music with some pretty good Sony headphones. Watching and taking in this project made me think of all this different things. Some of them had to do with the ways videos are edited, and others had to do with how my life has reflected that video at times. One aspect of the video that I thought worked really well, and I would have loved to see implemented a lot more (even though it was probably used a lot) was the way that different sounds overlay-ed and played over each other. The experience changes each time that is done, and for the better I would say. Great job!
Hey Brandon,
I agree with you on your comment of Rhian’s video. The segment where multiple sounds starting to overlay each other, and the transition cuts using sound of lightning is the part that resonate with me the most. I for one can not live without music. While during my social media deprivation experience, my mind would unconsciously search for social media apps on my phone. Since I have no social media, I automatically turn to my spotify app instead. Listening to music can help distract my mind from mindless looking for social media. The way Rhian capture the fear of life without music is no exaggeration. I can almost feel what she was going through at the time, a dark time perhaps. In addition, I have noticed that the beginning of her movie starts with a lot of highlight of colors, the color is brighter and it looks visually pleasing. As the movie goes on, the hue and saturation became darker and darker, maybe signifying her deprivation experience as intolerable and painful. Rhian truly did a great job on this video, well done!
I want to talk about Ashley’s project a bit. Though there is plenty to mention and to talk about when it comes to the visuals of the video, and the meanings that can be interpreted from each thing shown, I want to take some time to talk about the audio. Specifically the second song, the one that seems to make things get a bit more “sad”. I may be wrong, but I think that particular song is “Boston” by Augustana, more than that though it’s the version that I love most (since another version of this song also exists as is, but with the keys sounding more upbeat and such). Whenever I listen to this song I get both emotionally happy and sad. The song takes me back to a point in my life that was very different from what it is know. I am not sure if I can explain exactly why it makes me feel happy and sad, maybe it’s something to do with just the act of feeling such strong emotions, or maybe it’s something else. All I know is that this song has the ability to help bring me to tears, or bring me up if I am already feeling down. Funny how music can do that to you. I suppose what I wanted to say is that love this song, and that makes me like this video more than I may have if it were not a part of it. Every single detail, no matter how big or small, can help make or break things (when referencing media that we consume). Though I do not know what this song means to Ashley, to me it means something more. And that is always something that will happen when we include music within works. There will be an original intent, but regardless of what that intent is, people will feel impacted by it to various degrees. It’s always interesting to see what that impact is for each person.
In looking through the various projects, one that stood out to me was Christine’s. When creating a video there is always the question of what are you going to show, and how are you going to show it. From my own interpretation it seems as if this work used angles and, specifically low ones in order to convey its visual message, which can be separate from the story message a video conveys. From the usage of angles I felt that there were moments in which we took a first person perspective and were in direct eye contact with the moment, but from other moments it felt as if we were the observer, ever watching from a distance. Specifically a low distance. It almost made it feel as if we were living in a world that we don’t necessarily fit in size wise. Overall I did enjoy the video, though I could offer any critiques (just based off of my own preference or what I noticed) there were moments that seemed like the video showed have been purely black as is transitioned from one thing to the other, or at least it felt like it should have been that, what was seen was instead a sorta hazy not full black. Though this could have been a creative choice in order to convey part of the message, I think it could have been better to simply make it all black. Other than that though, I really enjoyed the video!
I have to say that the most creative project was Farah’s “My Snapchat Story” but the one that I liked the most was Ashley’s “Life Without Social Media. I thought Farah did a great job in conveying how Snapchat usually is for her and how Snapchat was an important part of her life (which I can relate a bit with). It was inspiring to know that Farah doesn’t use it as much anymore after the project. As for Ashley’s video, although it was a really short video, I though it was really interesting how she chose to convey her deprivation. It left a deep impression on me because it was very symbolic and it made me wish that we weren’t so caught up on social media.
Another project I really enjoyed was Koby’s soundcloud remix that he put together because I am I big fan of discovering new music and soundcloud is typically the place I go to find new artists and specifically with soundclud, it’s really awesome to find artists who mix together many songs to create a whole mix to listen to together so hearing his work and what he did was very cool to see as an art project.
I would definitely have to agree with most people and say that Farah had one of my favorite projects. I’m a big fan of visual art in that in not only shows me and teaches me something but it’s also super fun to just watch and enjoy. I am actually one to think that I personally use snapchat way too often but I like that she displayed all of her snapchat videos because it actually showed me how much others might use it way more than me or it helped me get into the idea of making my own video to see just how long it would be or how it would compare to hers.
For the all the outstanding project that I got most impression is the Alexandra’s project. The video’s situation is what many people will do. I feel so funny that he point out this situation. Yes, I always do this close the app and open again and again and again especially Instagram. I like the way what he present the situation about open, close, hand shack, faster and faster, the color change and the final part of the man that the wrinkle become more and more. All the video’s temple and scenes change are all make me feel interesting.
Karlyle’s project definitely stood out to me the most because she put herself on the literal spotlight and sang beautifully while telling her story about deleting snapchat for two whole weeks. The lyrics held humor and tied all the emotions I also experienced in my time without snapchat as well. Great work!
Hello Katya!
The same goes for me. Out of all of the exemplary projects that were chosen this year, Karlyle’s project stood out to me too. I feel that she was very brave and courageous to sing for the project with no instruments accompanying her and for a project that may be shown to the entire class. I think that she did a beautiful job in writing the song to fit her deprivation experience.
Hi Grace! My thoughts exactly! I wish I could muster enough courage to do what Karlyle did. The creativity of not only writing a song centered on her snapchat deprivation, but also singing it so beautifully just made the whole video stand out to me. The whole project felt very relatable to my struggles and concerns with depriving myself of snapchat, and for that I feel much connected with the project. Great job Karlyle!
Hi Katya!
I also enjoyed Karlyle’s project. I thought it was unique in a way that she chose to write and sing a song about her deprivation experience. It was very brave of her to do so. While listening to her song, I thought the lyrics were relatable. Although I did not choose snapchat as my deprivation, I was able to imagine how she must have felt during the experience. Overall, I enjoyed listening to her song and I loved the way she chose to express herself.
I found Alexandra’s project to be really interesting as well. I think it was more an abstract take on the project and was something I would have never thought about, but it was interesting! I also liked the presentation of the idea of “going crazy” from always opening and closing the app when you’re supposed to be deprived from the certain social media. Although watching it did not appeal to me, I think the concept is interesting.
After looking over all the project, I like Farah Arabi’s “My Snapchat Story” the most. She uses drawing to illustrate how important Snapchat is for her. She divides what she puts on Snapchat into 5 categories, party, pet, club, major, and family. She brings us into each category and see what she has been through.
This project has definitely shown how important Snapchat is to her because it records lots of the things in her life. Therefore, I could tell that if she loses Snapchat, it would be an issue for her.
Great work!
I agree with your assessment! I felt that Farah’s project definitely exhibited creativity with paralleling a “draw my life” aspect with the display of Snapchat’s influence in her life – the video was also really well executed in my opinion, and it was clear how Snapchat played a part in all parts of her life.
I really enjoy Farah’s video! It is very creative and was edited very well! I love all the bgm in that video and they all fit to every different occasion. How she cross off deprivation and write depression instead is very cute, and it is somehow my feelings during my deprivation of social media.
The project that I really enjoyed watching is Alexandra Singca’s YouTube video. Th reason is that I can relate to the behaviors shown in the short film: constantly opening and closing a social media app. It became a habit of just going through people’s status and posts without really paying attention to them. Sometimes I forget that I’ve already viewed the pictures or videos that the people who I follow posted, so I’d go back to the app thinking I can see something new. This situation is similar to what the video demonstrates.
I really liked Christine Manalo’s video. At first I didn’t know what to expect, it seemed a little suspenseful. It was really creative and well thought out. It was also very interesting on how she was able to captivate her video in different viewpoints.
I really enjoyed Laceys project. I like this project because it is unique. A lot of people submitted videos, not a lot of people created a gorgeous self portrait using digital painting. This made this project stand out to me. It was very powerful.
Hello Kaelen.
Like yourself, I too, really enjoyed Lacey’s project. During class, countless projects were videos and it to me personally, the constant videos were repetitive. It was a nice change seeing Lacey’s project. The self portrait was beautiful and seeing it caught my attention because it was something different and unique from all of the other creative projects that were shown in class. This is definitely a project that I enjoyed and one that for sure stood out to me.
For me personally, I really enjoyed Lacey Bratten’s artwork that she drew digitally! First, I would like to also note that many of my peers are extremely talented and hard-working at what they do! I don’t really consider myself as an artist, but I do highly enjoy viewing other artists’ works~ Back to Lacey’s drawing, it wasn’t until I came back home and revisited her deprivation project did I really get to see the words that were overlay on top of the drawing of herself! I don’t know if the words were song lyrics, but some of it were very sensitive and/or deep and I am really curious to know just how much giving up music while showering really affected her. Just how extensive did her deprivation project feel to her? The reason why I was so curious was because I did something similar by cutting off all portable music players out of my life. As someone who also loves to listen to music while showering, I ended up just showering longer and thinking random thoughts but the painting evoked way more feelings than I felt. Her project was just really interesting and I liked how I was able to compare and contrast my own experiences during the deprivation to hers. It gives perspective on how some of us rely heavily on certain aspects of our daily lives and how vastly different our experiences may be.
I was quite impressed by Lacey Bratten’s artwork as well. It was hard to tell that words where overlaying the drawing until looking at it up close on the computer, but it felt relatable as we have all have had those sensitive thoughts or thinking patterns.
Hi Rhian I really enjoyed how you presented your deprivation. It really awed me on how well you filmed the whole experience in terms of quality and creativity. The little elements like the covering of the camera to resemble blinking and the blurring of the lens to resemble to the extreme deprivation at the end while walking truly showed off your skills in filming and video editing. You really allowed the audience to fully understand what types of emotion you were going through and show off the things you were able to hear in the world without you earphones.
Hi Rhian! After watching your video, I just had to make a comment! I thought it was so cool how you and I went on a similar route in regards to the music deprivation.I thought your video was an interesting take on this project because it took us, the viewers, on a day in to day out adventure with you as you perform your regular activities. With the music initially at the beginning of the video to its complete removal soon afterwards, it felt like we were being deprived of the music as well because the music is something that captivated the audience in the beginning. That was a good way of creating that connection for the audience to understand and even experience for ourselves what it was like in your shoes. Great job!
I really enjoyed watching Ashley Phavong’s video! She created a short and humorous metaphor generalizing her decision to deprive herself of instagram. I thought it was incredibly funny to see the visuals that demonstrate the aftermath of the instagram removal, especially with the burning brain segment. The video was short, but sweet and was mixed with ideas that reflect the minds of so many individuals in our generation. regarding social media applications.
I really enjoyed Ashley Phavong’s video too! I really liked how short it was but how well I was able to understand what she experienced during her deprivation. I really enjoyed how she close the source of light and the shadows it made because it added more drama to her clip. I loved how the “brain” was set on fire at the end and it left you thinking what happened after that. I would love to hear more about her deprivation experience.
I had the good fortune of viewing Karlyle Laraya’s Art project as the first project I saw. Let me say that it was absolutely wonderful! Her creativity in not only writing a song but also singing the song exceeded my expectations for what was needed in this art project. By performing the piece on YouTube, she expanded the size of her audience to the whole world rather than just the TAs and for that I applaud her for because that takes a lot of courage. I thought her song was very relatable and I connected personally to that. It was humorous, yet truthful! You did a great job!
Hello Koby Abjelina
I thought that it was too long. I felt that the start was kinda slow but that made it better as the beat started to pick up. This slow start could have been reduced the length of the video. However if the point of it having a slow start and it being prolonged was to relate to lows of life compared to the highs then this was an excellent use of time and of the beat.
Hey Telson,
I can see your point but think it purposely somewhat lengthy to built suspension to the climax. I enjoyed the mix he put together, it was good! Kody’s project was my second favorite. It had a good mixture of song and transitions were good! Overall, great job Kody!
I think one of my favorites videos is Karlyle’s video. Karlyle you have a beautiful voice. I really enjoyed the whole video. All your movements and expression made your video very unique. Good job!
I agree with you. Her voice is definitely soothing. It takes a lot of courage to sing for others to see especially without music. I enjoyed the confidence and stable tones that she was bale to bring out for her song. The rhymes were nice and the melody felt very carefree. I loved it. Continue making these little songs.
Hello Brandon Casas,
I really enjoyed watching your experience with this project. I was surprised how many times you had to redo it. Good thing you started early. I have a question, how many times did you have to record yourself doing this video? Or it was only one take? I am asking this question because usually when i do a video i have to do a lot of retakes. But overall, it was really good man.
Hey Telson! Thanks for liking it! I would say for every moment I showed I had to take multiple takes, or at least try it multiple times. For each scene (both in the video and ones left out) I made sure to get two good takes in order to make sure I had what I needed. To get to those good takes though, it took a couple of attempts. I either had to do each scene two or three times before getting to a good one, or I just kept the video rolling and I kept trying until I felt I got it right.
Hi Brandon,
It is very interesting to hear how you completed your project through your video and also now through comments. I really enjoyed your project and it seems like it was really hard for you to complete it since photography is such a huge part of your life. I am very glad you were able to explain your journey and share it with the class. Great video!
Hello Christine Manalo,
I really liked your video. It was really interesting. How did you make it record in different angles? Was someone holding your phone to get those angles? Also, this video seemed as if it was going to be a scary movie like paramount activity. Good job.
Hi Telon,
I also really liked Christine’s video. I love the way she angled her camera. I always like the message she is really to convey with her video. In my opinion, since she deprived herself of music, she uses the sounds of the door closing, the spoon against the mug, and water to express the normal “music” she hears in a daily basis. Well done!
Ashley’s project is my favorite among these exemplary projects. I really love this creative and dramatic technique of expression. The broken bridge near a picture of earth shows how she felt without Instagram. The burning brain part is the best, gives me a strong sympathetic feeling. Worry and anxiety is what I felt in my deprivation experience, that burning brain gave a perfect illustration of it! Made my day!
Hello Wuchi
I agree with you how this video represents all those emotions. Ashley’s project is exactly how i felt while doing this project as well. It is the 2nd best for me. I feel that she could have added some emojis at the end to show some other reaction too. But it was really good. It was nice and simple and it she got her point across.
I also enjoyed Ashley’s project. It had so many elements and meanings behind all the scenes. She provided many comedic attributes to show off her deprivation in a sort of innocent way that allowed the audience to laugh. It was light, brilliant, and impactful. Definitely stood out from the others with much more color and vibrancy.
Hey Wuchi!
Ashley’s project was also my favorite because it really displays how she felt when she decided to deprive herself of social media, with the bridge breaking and the burning of the brain drawing. I also have to say that they burning of the brain was the best and most impressionable part of her video since it conveys her overall feeling of the deprivation!
You know, I never actually paid real attention to the bridge at the end because I was more so focused on the brain. I guess you can say that the bridge kind of symbolizes her connection with social media and at the end she kind of breaks that? I don’t know but that’s my assumption with the video! I totally agree on how the deprivation project made me feel worried and anxious throughout the time because I constantly kept wondering what everyone was doing!
I was able to relate to Araceli’s piece. I think it was a well thought out video with the color schemes, the slow dramatic rise to the frantic hand movements and the choice of sounds to play in the background. I think the deprivation of our phones (and Instagram in this case) is something that alot of students and young adults experience throughout college and Araceli chose to highlight this. Just seeing her constantly tap the IG icon made me feel as if I was doing it and it reminded me of how much my phone was a distraction.
I enjoyed listening to Koby’s piece. It sounds professionally done and actually has good mixes to it. It something that I would think one of the major artists like Marshmello or Avici would have produced. Personally, I think that he put a good amount of effort to create such a mix. To choose the songs and seamlessly blend them in is tough but to do it for 12 mins? The EDM style of music is very in right now with our generation and its something I personally like- I could see myself listening to this track while working out or running.
I totally agree with you about Koby’s soundtrack. I really belt a bit of a rush while listening to his work. I normally do not listen to this genre of music, but he manages to pull it off so well. I thought the tempo was quick to change which caught me off guard, but I really enjoyed it throughout. He provided a full array of sounds and depths that the music never got stale at any point. Definitely see a lot of talent.
Hey Mark,
I also think Koby’s piece is exceptional. Not only does it sound professionally done, the quality, the timing of the beats, the sound mixing and engineering behind the whole piece is just impeccable. I am usually not the type to enjoy listening to progressive head-bobbing EDM, but his music has incorporated a lot of hip hop/ rap beats element, which is one my favorite genre of all time. During class, when I heard Kendrick’s “Good Kid, MAAD City” rap verse as transition, I was totally amazed by that. I think if Koby can continue his effort into making music, he can become a successful producer in the near future. Well Done, Koby!
Honestly I agree, I can’t believe that Koby produced that. It was kind of shocking when he said that he hadn’t done it in awhile and then came up with that piece. I think one of the cool things he mentioned in class was how this deprivation project sparked a new passion in him because I do video and since the deprivation project, I felt more inspired to make more videos and produce content, kind of like Koby with his tracks. Anyway, I really hope Koby continues to make music because I’m sure we can all see him at a festival someday haha.
I enjoyed Tommy Luu’s idea for expressing his deprivation experience through memes using Facebook. The memes were really funny and relatable which is why they become viral. Using Facebook caught people’s attention because they could understand the struggle of the deprivation. I can not imagine one day where I have not logged on Facebook. I communicate through Facebook messenger and I like to see the people’s experiences they post. I, especially, can not help but look at memes on Facebook when I procrastinate as well. So, his posts were very relatable.
Yes relatable is also the word I would use to describe his posts. I constantly use Instagram and Facebook to laugh at the latest memes, but the fact that he compiled the most famous ones and integrated it so well with his deprivation is brilliant. His irony when using Facebook as his presentation when he deprived himself of Facebook was very suiting in his representation with memes.
I totally agree with you. I really liked his approach to the whole Facebook page because not only was it was different from everybody’s, but also I feel like memes are such a huge part in our youth’s culture it’s quite funny. I remember looking at his project in class and how everyone laughed at each meme because they knew what the memes were and it’s kind of cool how universal they are. Crazy how Facebook is just a way for us to lurk on other people but really have no personal gain from it haha. Anyway, I agree with ya!
For me, the project that stood out the most was koby’s self-produced EDM track. I just admire when people take the time and resources to create their own music, and considering how this was 12 minutes long, it goes to show how much effort he put into his deprivation project.
Hey Rhian,
I would just like to say, I loved your art project. I think the video completely encapsulates how I feel when I cut myself out from music too. I think you’re deprivation experience and the way you chose to portray it was completely engaging. I love your use of editing when you had the music in the beginning include the song choice to just cutting the music out to just include everyday noise. Like what others have mentioned here, your choice of lighting also evoked a certain type of feeling/emotion which is easy for the audience to tell how you are feeling. Overall, great project and great video editing skills.
Hey Pauline!
I have to agree with you on Rhian’s video also because it made me think about how I would have felt if I had decided to deprive myself of music. Since music is a huge part of my life, I did not decide to deprive myself of music but it would have been a really interesting experience for me. I thought that her video editing skills were amazing also because of how she went from listening to music and changing it out with everyday sounds. It was cool how she went from listening through her earbuds, to no music when taking out her earbuds, then ultimately mashing many of the everyday noises that she heard throughout her deprivation.
I really enjoyed Ashley’s piece because it was contrary to the rest. I could relate because that was the exact emotion I felt deleting social media off my phone. It felt like something was empty, akin to the fire, because I was so addicted to it. The fact that she put a ironic twist on the emotions was enjoyable for me.
Hi Josephine! I also liked Ashley’s approach to the project. It was short, comedic, and to the point, which I enjoyed. I also appreciated the fact that the execution was practical, too.
I thought, out of the projects we were shown in class, Lacey’s “Shower Thoughts” was very different as it is a painting. The colors are a bit somber and fit the idea that without music to fill it, silence leads to a great deal of ruminating. I like how the words appear on top of the painting of here rather than on top of the background-I think this is a conscious choice on Lacey’s part to show that the thoughts that come in the absence of music are all-encompassing rather than just passing through in the background. I also appreciate the level of artistic skill in this piece and I hope Lacey continues painting.
Hi Christina,
I also was though Lacey’s artwork is very unique, when looking at all the other projects. I was personally amazed by the entire piece because the colors were smoothly blended and it looked like an actual famous artwork. I also like how the words were written over the artwork because its literally speaking to us. The words also give the artwork more meaning.
Hi Christina,
I also enjoyed Lacey’s painting as well. I loved how the colors all seemed to complement each part of the painting. I also found the words on top of the painting as an unique way for Lacey to show the absence of the background music. Placing the words on top of the painting seemed to me as if she was trying to express the importance of music to her and the difficulties of overcoming the deprivation experience.
Hi Christina!
I also liked Lacey’s approach to the project. She chose a conventional route (creating a drawing) and the details, coloring, and imagery she put into it really made it stand out. I like the point you made that the words overlapping the art are there to show that it fills the absence of music.
I really enjoyed Lacey’s painting and thought it was an amazing representation of what she felt during the project. You can definitely tell she spent a long time deciding on the colors and the words she wanted to add to her painting and I thought it was a wonderful piece of art. I feel the emotion of the character since she has her eyes closed and the words are all around her. Very beautiful painting!
I also really enjoyed Lacey’s painting. I thought that this was definitely a work of art that should be cherished for a moment. So much meaning was put in a single frame and she encompasses the emotion very well. Her mastery with this electronically created piece is something I found astonishing. Through color and facial expression, she shows that detail is everything.
I agree with you. Among all the art projects, I like Lacey Bratten’s most. Instead of listening to music while taking shower, she starts to think things happened in her life. Although we lose a lot of fun because of deprivation of music, we have a good chance to care more about things and people around us. Also, I really like Lacey’s painting. She uses a unique way to express her thoughts, which is putting words at the top of her painting. We will have a direct understanding of her feeling when we see her work. Also, by doing this, we will not put too much attention on the words.
I really enjoyed watching/listening to Karlyle Laraya’s project. Her voice was lovely and the lyrics were in a way humorous. There were times when I would catch myself saying ” oh yeah that’s relatable”. The line where she sang something about losing streaks on Snapchat was one of those times. I loved how Karlyle was able to put together a song about giving up Snapchat for two weeks because it definitely isn’t easy writing lyrics for songs and to come up with a catchy rhythm for the song, this shows the creative side of Karlyle. Good job!
I really enjoy Farah Arabi’s snapchat deprivation video. She first shows us how addictive she was to Snapchat, then uses her own drawing to represent her thoughts on the deprivation experience. She really has great drawing skills, and good shooting technique. The video is overall well-edited and clearly illustrated. I can feel her progression through this experience.
I agree, this was so creative and so well thought out and presenting! I love the uniqueness. This was my favorite utilization of a video project
I also enjoyed watching Farah’s video on snapchat deprivation. I really like how she used the bitmoji from snapchat to present it in her project. I thought that was very clever and creative.
I like Rhian Advincula’s video “Off-Key” because I feel like I would experience something similar if I were to go without music for one week. Music really does fill in the gaps of silence or the mundane sounds of everyday life, but when she showed her experience without music, it also makes you realize the sounds you’d hear without the music blocking it out. Without music, it makes doing ordinary things more boring. I also really like that the video took an “eerie” twist in the second half.
Hi Hoang,
I also really liked Rhian’s video because I usually put on my earbuds once I step out of the house. I definitely notice a difference between the world with and without music. I feel like with music, I am at peace and I usually move around more quickly. Days when I would try to go on with my day without music, sometimes I would catch myself listening into someone’s conversation and usually it is just gossip. But overall, I really liked how Rhian put together this video because it is something many of us can relate to.
Hello Hoang!
Rhian’s project was one the really stood out to me as well. Her video was a unique approach to the assignment, and the production behind it was what amazed me. The video would abruptly cut and spaz out here and then, and I feel that it really captured what she was feeling during her deprivation experience.
I really like Ashley Phavong’s video. I thought the video had a lot of symbolism and layers that can be dug to it because of the thought that was put into the project and how the video helps portray this. For example, there was light hearted music that started the video off, but when we see her delete her social media of choice, it turned to a sadder-toned music which helped transitioned the mood of the video so we can understand her feelings later on. The burning of the brain can be seen a multitude of ways such as either self hate, desire of suicide etc. But because it started off lightheartedly and we know that this mood changed with the loss of social media, the transition lets us know its not anything too dark but we can see her change emotions to the sadness of the loss of social media. We can see symbolism in her other objects, which she was simplified for understanding such as the bridge and her brain. The social media is her bridge to escape and relaxation, and when that bridge was destroyed, which it was in the video as well, her brain had trouble closing that bridge. I like how we can see her reactions and emotions that are amplified in the video.
I agree with you Frank. Ashley’s video was easy to understand because it was straight to the point. Beside the music, the bridge and the brain are the other symbols. The beginning shows the bridge and the brain intact but after the social media apps are deleted. The bridge breaks and the brain burns, which I found the details to be funny and relatable due their irony. These details also reminds me of the meme saying “That escalated quickly.” Over all the video is short but it delivers the message of deprivation.
Another artwork that I enjoyed was Koby’s work. I am not a big fan of EDM music, but listening to his mix helped influence my liking for that type of genre. This mix was also 12 minutes long, and this shows the effort put into this project.
Another my favorite project is Lacey Bratten’s drawing. Her drawing is so beautiful and professional to express her mind. I’d never expected that we can also do drawing as well because it is free to show how we have interpreted this project. Her piece has broken my stereotype. Moreover, her drawing skills are amazing as well.
I really love Ashley Phavong’s art project. Her project is simple, but it delivers well what she wants to tell us the life without social media. When I have this kind of projects, I always think the complex thought in mind and hard to tell my story directly. Her video is impressed that I can think more simply.
I really enjoy Rhian Advincula’s video. She quit music for a week. In her video, she recorded her daily life without music. She recorded the campus without music, the gym without music, the dormitory without music. She collected the sound and conversations that happening around her, which were always being ignored if she was wearing an earphones. Through her video, I felt that blocking out music may not be so bad because it provides us a chance to return to the truly world and make us feel closer to people.
I also liked Rhian Advincula’s video because it shows us how embedded we are with technology and how she said she couldn’t follow through with the deprivation experience. We have become rather reliant on technology, like music within our ears to find a serene place in our minds as we have grown comfortable with technology. And then all of a sudden stripping that technology away we are left in an uncomfortable place where we were once comfortable when technology was not as relevant as today.
I absolutely enjoyed Lacey’s piece. The art piece is beautiful and accurately depicts heartache and stress. The artist’s emotions are uniquely expressed in this art piece and elicits an empathizing emotion from the viewer (me). When I saw this painting/art piece I just thought of how much I could relate to the artist and how I “feel” for her. I also really like how she writes her feelings/thoughts in the background of the painting and not undermining the beauty of the picture. I wish I could read her artist statement so I could get a better idea of what she deprived herself with & how this affected her. It really is an interesting piece.
I really like Rhian’s project. First of all, I admired her video. Her idea was very good and her editing skills were great. Rhian edited every daily moment into an emotion that she wanted to convey to audiences. Through the video, we can not only know the details of her life on that week, but also her feelings about having no music. And I also admired her courage. Through the video, we can see that she likes music very much. I also very like music. Although I am not listening to music every moment every second, I can say that my life cannot be without music. Like I am studying the final while listening to music right now. If I were deprived of music, I could not continue to imagine it. And normally, many things in daily life are related to music. She chose to deprive music, which meant that she was deprived of much pleasure in daily life. I was touched by the last moment in the video. Can imagine the feeling that when you get back music, this video makes me more cherish the life of having music.
Hello Yaoming,
I agree with your opinion that her editing skills so amazing. When I watched her video, I was touched by sound, mood, and stories. All different elements allow me to engage with a video in many different ways. She is professional.
I really enjoyed Christopher’s audio project. It really made me realize how doing daily activities without music is so boring and monotonous. The awkward silence in the back with just the sound of pencil writing our the printer printing was really pronounced because the music is cut off right away. As someone once said, music is the universal language of the world. It can be understood by everyone, and elicits thoughts that can not be expressed in words. In a world that is full of loud noises from the cars on the street to constant construction, listening to music can help block out the white noise of everyday life. Music helps me focus while doing work, and getting from place to place in peace.
Thanks Chloe! It always amazes me how much noise there is in our world. I went to rural Ohio once and as soon as I stepped out of the car, the silence was immediately noticeable — no more freeway noise, airplane noise, lawnmowers…
I feel like music is a good way to almost replicate that experience by drowning out the noises of life, which is why I chose to deprive myself of it.
Another project I really liked with Karlyle’s project. I admire her confidence because I know how scary it is to have a video of her singing to be shown in class. I also really like how original it is since she wrote a song dedicated to how she felt without Snapchat. She has an amazing voice and I think she did a great job with the words in her song that captures how we all feel about Snapchat and the idea of us giving it up.
Hi Quynh! I agree with your comment. Her voice was amazing and giving up snapchat would be one of my biggest fears. I can’t bare the thought of my streaks all dying. My friends would’ve gotten so mad at me if I did that to them. Since we dedicate so much time to keep our streaks alive. Karlyle’s approach to this project was very well thought and it was so relatable. I think her lyrics were well written.
YES! I wrote a post about this earlier and completely agree with your point. Knowing how scary it is to sing at all and to have your project be potentially shown in class, in which it did, was such a brave move! I always admire people who can write songs and make it sound good, in which Karlyle did very well.
I really like Farah’s project because of how creative it is. She captured what it is like to live without an app that everyone uses every single day. I really like that she goes into each part of her life to show what it is like to have Snapchat be apart of her everyday life. Then when the static comes on, it is what life is like without Snapchat. She is able to enjoy it without having to post it for the world to see. I really like that.
Hello Quynh,
Her project is represented well organized with introduction, development, turn, and conclusion. I’d like to watch her life without using her social media and a character is reflected her feeling in this video. Everyone can sympathize her video because we are same generation with her.
I really liked Farah’s project and thought it was very creative how she used the Bitmojis and different colors to catch our attention. I also really liked the songs she picked for each part of her life and it shows how she likes to portray to others what happens in her daily life. I really didn’t understand the static until she explained it during class. Very creative video!
I really liked how she came to the conclusion that she doesn’t really need to post on snapchat to prove that she’s having fun and I think that’s one of the biggest take aways from her project. My favorite thing about the whole video is that she didn’t really shy away on showing what mattered to her and what she was actually doing. Kind of odd to realize that posting on social media validates how interesting our lives are…
Out of all the projects, I liked Araceli’s the best as it’s different from the other ones that I have seen. I’m kind of surprised how many videos are there this year compared to the previous years. Not that any of them are bad in any ways, but I just felt like seeing other medium of art. Araceli’s art looks graphically stunning. I can see that a lot of work has went into the creation of this piece. I can’t imagine what it’s like to live a week without Instagram as that is like my number one source for inspiration. Overall, this is a good work.
I agree, I like seeing something different. This project really stood out to me as well. Araceli did an incredible job with this project. You can tell there was a huge amount og work and thought put into this project
I agree that Araceli’s project is one that I enjoyed a lot. It is different from the other projects that are presented, it not being a video. I feel that this project really stood out to me and it is something that I do not get the meaning of right away the second that I see it. It requires some thinking personally, to see what the message of this project is and what it is trying to depict. It is also evident that a lot of time and effort was put into this project. Good work!
The project I was most drawn to was Rhian’s video. Much props to her for choosing music for her deprivation project. I know I wouldn’t be able to deprive myself of something so essential and wholesome as music. The editing was top notch work. Those rapid moments of repetition really captures that feeling of insanity. I know I would grow insane if I didn’t have music to distract me from the grind of everyday life. The insert of the ukulele halfway through was a nice touch. It felt like a breath of fresh air despite only being a glimpse, but it sure did demonstrate just how precious music is.
Jose Nato Palma’s video “Adventure and Fun” was very entertaining. I was surprised by how much more free time he had when depriving himself from the digital medium that he picked. It was interesting to see that the deprivation allowed him to get back into choreography and even take up a new pastime like gloving. I also really like that both these things which he used to consume his new found free time with were related to the arts. It’s nice to see how people immediately adapt and can find different mediums for self-expression once they’re stripped and deprived of what they normally use.
I really enjoyed Farah’s video. The idea was very clever and the concept was easy to follow. I really enjoyed the sequence of event you decided to depict along with the music choice for each story. The use of Bitmojis is also very handy. Farah’s experience is very relatable to all snapchat users. I found her video to be super creative and inspiring. I even want to make a similar video myself just for fun.
I personally really enjoyed Karlyle Laraya’s video and singing. First off, you have a beautiful voice! Second, your confidence is admirable. I think this video really spoke out to me because I was depriving myself of snapchat as well. The most relatable lyrics were: “My notifications didn’t show Friends got mad that I lost my streaks”. During my deprivation I had to move my snapchat app to a different folder and turn off my notifications to avoid the temptation to open the app. I also got lots of angry responses from friends wondering “Why weren’t you opening my snaps!?”. I explained to people who I saw on a daily basis why, but for those I didn’t speak to as often, they were left wondering if I was actually avoiding them or not. In addition, to the lyrics I really enjoyed the tune of the song and the simplicity of the snapping in the background.
Hi Farah,
I also really enjoyed Karlyle’s video and singing. I can personally relate to how your friends reacted to losing the streak because I would get a bit anguished when people would lose the streaks which is why I made a new deal where if the person loses the streak, they would owe the other person a meal of their choice. It’s kinda upsetting to see social media being the primary source of communication for some friendships, but I also see it as a key factor in what keeps a friendship close. For some friends, snapchat is how people stay updated with other people’s lives. Therefore, I definitely see the pros and cons of snapchat.
I agree that Karlyle’s song truly reflected her feelings and struggles as she deprived herself from snapchat. The use of a song allowed her to explain everything through the lyrics while adding emotion through her voice. It was interesting as she went back to singing after being deprived of snapchat and I believe alot of people return to old hobbies when deprived of another. Her lyrics definitely showed the issue with how current society panics when one does not actively use social media. This shows how our social lives now completely revolve around these social media outlets that exist today. The tune was definitely catchy as well.
I appreciate the way that Rhian documented her experience. Having it be made in a way where we are brought into her everyday life really allowed us to relate to how not only music is incorporated into her life, but how its present in our lives as well. It’s not only present when we have earphones in our ears, but also all around us: at school, at the mall, in the car, ect. I personally thought about doing a project similar to this concept, but cannot stray from having music in my life. Good work.
I highly agree! It’s quite devastating when we don’t have music during the times we need it most. Everything just feels so bland and boring. The only times I like to remove my headphones is when I am one with nature. Truly, nature defeats everything that technology has to offer (includes music). But the video shows that music deprivation in social settings can seem extremely tiring. We have to consider introverted people who must get super tired just walking around seeing so many people on campus!
I appreciate how creative Araceli Martinez was, and I thought his book cover was really graphically beautiful, and intriguing to look at. Of all the projects, it felt the most different, and I appreciate the idea of a book cover.
Hi Julia,
Yeah, I definitely agree with it being unique among the other projects. Another thing I enjoy about it is the amount of detail put into the book cover while also having it look simple and easy on the eyes.
Hi Julia,
I would have to agree with you! Araceli’s project was special to me since he made a unique piece of artwork on a common platform.
Araceli’s digital piece of the book cover remake was very unique. Looking at all of the exemplary projects, it seemed that many people went the video route and it was refreshing to see something a little different. You could definitely see the effort that Araceli put into the project. I think that the soft, pastel green and yellow tones of the book cover highlighted by white shadowing really draws the viewer in. My eyes were initially focused on the title “Seven” and then the yellow color of the title led me to the part of the cover with the phone open on Instagram. I think that Araceli did an excellent job of conveying the idea that Instagram isn’t everything but doesn’t need to be completely shunned.
Hi Tiffany.
I too, find Araceli’s piece of art looks unique and beautiful. Although there aren’t many things that are explained in text in her artwork, you can tell what it is that she is trying to convey. I find myself most attracted to the drawing of the Instagram page. It is a great representation of the Instagram app. I agree with you that the color she chose in her digital painting is very appealing to the eyes also. A lot of effort has definitely went into this piece.
Hello Tiffany, I agree that Araceli’s work was unique and very special with huge hidden meaning behind it. I also believe the work was the most underrated out of all because people do not automatically see the effort put into the work. One must go into the work and analyze it carefully to comprehend the message behind a deprivation experience of Instagram. My favorite part is the WiFi signal logo on the person instead on the phone because we, humans, are so connected to Instagram that sometimes it feels like people are the ones being dictated by Instagram rather than us dictating what to put on it.
Tommy Luu’s project was my favorite project. It was creative how he used Facebook itself to document his deprivation experience to not just Art 12A students, but also to those using Facebook. The memes he incorporated in the project were a nice touch to the project especially with their growing popularity on FB news feeds. From my own experience, it was difficult for me to give up Facebook because I help plan club events with my fellow board members on our public Facebook page. Nowadays people communicate through Facebook messenger rather than texting, so I can imagine how troublesome and time consuming it was to contact between different people to get necessary information.
Hi Alyssa,
Tommy’s project was also one of my favorites as I could relate to the topic of memes and facebook. I use facebook everyday without fail to scroll through my feed and look at hundreds of different memes shared from my friends or by the pages I follow. It would have been difficult for me to give up facebook as I now realize through his project that I am somewhat addicted to Facebook. It has also turned into a way for me to communicate with people I meet as opposed to having to give them my phone number.
Hi Alyssa,
Tommy’s project was one of my favorites too! I thought his artist’s statement was really creative and depicted his demonstration in an interesting way. I know what Facebook deprivation feels like too, so I connected with him in that sense. I also thought that his memes were so funny and creative – they were easy to understand and soooo relatable.
Tommy Luu’s project had a very interesting theme and actually incorporated the social media into the project. It was super cool to see and I haven’t seen anything like it. The memes were also very funny and gave the piece some humor.
Rhian’s concept for a video that demonstrated her perspective during the deprivation was quite creative. I thought that the video was very effective. More specifically, the quick cuts in the montage sequence closer to the end of the video was effective in conveying the struggle of not having to listen to music. The disorienting POV perspective helped bolster the hectic nature of everyday sounds. It’s clear that she put a lot of time into editing this video and choosing the types of sounds to highlight. I think that the video perfectly captures the nature of depriving yourself from something so deeply ingrained in our lives.
I also agree! Rhian’s project was one of my favorites out of the list. I like how you can see the drastic shift of tone as she went through the deprivation. It showed how we often overshadow the natural normal sounds of life with our music, sounds including the crinkle of bags and the voice of a loved one.
I appreciate Ashley’s video because of the music and visual selections and as a result, the emotions I felt watching the video. I can relate to the idea of feeling like bridges were burnt and the say seems longer without the things I enjoy but at the same time the mood wasn’t just sadness. There was a feeling of hope to me and that’s what really sustains us in life and feeling that from one of the projects is something I did not expect at all. I also appreciate the effort put into the models of the bridge and the earth rotating around the bridge. I think that’s a fun change on the sun or moon and showing how some worlds really revolve around those things.
Hi Edward,
I think it is clear that Ashley put a lot of work into building the bridge so the thought and time she put into it is appreciated. I thought that the visuals of the brain burning were a funny look into how she felt uninstalling her social media app. You also bring up a good point about the earth around the bridge. I actually didn’t notice it too much the first time that I watched it but it is nice to see the attention to detail in her video.
I totally agree with both of you about Ashley’s project! When I first watched her video in lecture, I found it short, sweet, and quite amusing. I also gave up social media for my deprivation project and the feeling of the bridge burning really resonated with my feelings of disconnection and separation from my friends simply from deleting social media. The music felt more upbeat and happy in the beginning but once Instagram was deleted from the phone, the music began to transition to a lighter and slower piano piece. I know for me, deleting social media wasn’t an entirely horrible experience and so I think the music accurately represents the possibility for positivity even during the deprivation.
I agree with you Ashley’s video although it was short it was very meaningful. The first representation was a bridge, a bridge connects two points together and serves as the link or connection. To her the bridge was what connected her life to snapchat and since it snapped and broke it meant that a very important foundation in her was lost after abstaining from snapchat. Also for the brain our lives are controlled by our brain and it is one of the most important parts of our body to help us function and remember. By having it burn down it signifies that her way to function through live is taking a significant toll.
I absolutely loved Farah Arabi’s project. Her project was very unique. You can tell she took her time to plan out how incorporate all the days of her experience of deprivation. She gave up Snapchat and outlined the biggest parts of her life that usually make up her Snapchat stories. Her project displayed very well what her life typically consists of on a daily basis. I like how she used her “Bitmoji” to represent herself throughout her project and the different Bitmoji expresses she used to illustrate how dreading her deprivation week went as days went on. Overall, Farah’s project was my favorite because it was very creative.
Hi Tania,
I totally agree! It was so unique and so much thought and effort was put into it. I also liked the use of her “Bitmoji” to express how she was feeling during her deprivation period. I also thought she displayed what her life was on a daily basis in a well thought creative way.
Hi Tania,
Yes! Definitely one of my favorites as well. I also love how she implemented her own stories into the video and from the ones she’s chosen, can see how intwined Snapchat is to document the highlights in her life.
Hi Tania, I totally agree with you. Farah’s project is quite unique. My favorite part of the project is when Farah incorporates Bitmoji in the video. I think it’s really neat that she does that especially when she select Snapchat as the deprivation.
Hi Tania,
I also loved Farah’s project. I thought it was very well thought out and creative of how she decided to express her experience of the project. I liked how she used the “Bitmoji” to express herself in a day-by-day documentation. I also thought her incorporation of Snapchat videos and pictures creative and interesting, since it showed documentation of her life before the deprivation and how the deprivation did not completely change it.
I enjoyed watching Farah Arabi’s project the most. I was able to finish watching the video because it was creative and funny. I really like how she used bitmojis to delineate her feelings and days during the deprivation. She not only used bitmojis but also used videos that she recorded through Snapchat. The videos show the audience that Snapchat is an important part of her life perhaps, capturing every moments of her lives. Her message and intention behind this project is clear.
I, too, thought it was creative how Farah shared her personal Snapchat videos. Based on the amount of videos we saw, she made it obvious that her life without Snapchat was very daunting. She wasn’t able to share her everyday life to her friends and possibly keep up her Snapchat streaks (if she had any). Also, the bitmojis added a comical aspect to her project.
During lecture, the piece that stuck out to me the most was from Rhian’s deprivation of music. I enjoyed how nicely edited the video was, along with many cinematic shots of her everyday life. I definitely agree that music can help tone down the pace of our daily lives by muting all the noises we hear, which may be very overwhelming to some. I like how she combined her editing and shots together at the end to reflect on how the dramatic effects of not having something to “mute” out the noises of car corns, people talking, and clicks. Although this may be overly dramatic, the message of the video still holds clear, in which music can help us “Move Along” through life without the constant and overwhelming sounds of the world.
I really like Araceli’s project! I have taken computer graphics before so I know the digital artwork can take a lot of effort, especially if you are drawing using the computer mouse pointer. I thought using the white lines instead of the black lines really make her artwork pop. The color combination also is mesmerizing. Overall, the artwork looks perfect like a magazine cover or a teenager/ young adult book cover.
Rhian Advincula’s video stood out the most! Music has a huge impact on everyone’s lives. Especially for those who choose not to be part of social settings and are easily exhausted from being around people. It is quite amazing what music can do when we listen during daily tasks. Life isn’t boring without music, but it is much more exhausting walking around listening to different people talking and hearing footsteps and noise pollution. However, I believe that nature is the best music that is always going to be there. Sometimes nature is just silenced by all the other noise around us. Music can temporarily remove that noise until we find a safe spot where nature can take over.
I enjoyed Christine Manalo’s video because it showed what her deprivation was, which happened to be music. There was a beauty to everyday activities and the simple ambient noise that surrounds us. However, from her video I noticed that with music we tend to tune out the distractions that surround us as Christine shows us in her video she turns on her music so that she can study. Her video shows some aesthetic settings, however, there is certain angles that could be placed differently to show a better picture. This includes the refrigerator scene where the cottage cheese was taking most of the screen was the container. The music was great and did not over power at the very end. Overall, I think her video made her deprivation point across and was great to watch !
Hello Esly, I agree with your thoughts regarding the simplicity of the video. Chrisitne made the video seem simple by focusing on how a normal day would go in her life. I want to add how the video has a hidden meaning that we do not realize how much something is part of our life until the deprivation starts. Music is the most important tool to de-stress and enjoy my life. I do not know what I would do without it and certainly I do not know how difficult it is to not use it for a week. For those reasons I believe the video fascinated me because it showed how important music is in our daily life. I loved the camera angles and that snapchat filter you applied.
I loved Jose’s video a lot mostly because without the use of social media, he was able to rediscover activities he love but also try new things. With a lot of videos and art pieces, it was about what they were missing/why they were sad to give it up where as Jose took a more positive approach to it and showcased the positive aspects of giving up social media, the good things he was missing out on when social media consumed him. I also really enjoyed the way in which he showcased his deprivation: a day by day journal of an activity or event he did when not consumed by social media. It was very entertaining as well as eye opening
Hi Priyanka,
I also liked Jose’s video a lot. I loved how he showcased himself in a god mood throughout his deprivation experience, one in which we expected to be sad. The title itself says “Adventure and Fun”, which makes it seem like that is what he was missing out on when on social media. I also liked it because it gave insight as to what he likes to do outside of academia.
Hi Priyanka,
I definitely agree with your opinion with his positive reaction to the project. In today’s society, we are over-consumed with school, work, campus activities, and social media that we forget to continue to develop our hobbies and passions. His project has inspired me to refocus my life on my skillsets and things I enjoy in replacement of using social media.
I really liked Farah’s project because of how she framed her project. It was kind of like those frame by frame videos I used to watch as a kid where each movement would have a picture taken and then pieced together- like a claymation. I think her video was more so her hand shaking, but when I was watching the video that is how it felt. The incorporation of Bitmojis really helped me figure out what she was depriving herself of because it was an indicator. For some of the other projects, it was hard to understand what they were depriving themselves of, but I enjoyed Farah’s because it was easily distinguishable. The incorporation of the clips were also really good indicators for what she was giving up and it was enjoyable because it was kind of like getting to know the person.
I also really liked Farah’s because she used mixed media within her video to explain her deprivation. Using the bit emojis and drawings help give a better visualization of her deprivation as precursor of the videos that explicitly show the deprivation. I also liked her use of montage. It showcased the different ways the deprivation effected certain aspects of her life. Overall, one of my favorites to watch!
I also really liked Farah’s video, she zoomed in to each different part in a good way to distinguish the individuality in each piece. It was overall really fun to watch and see her deprivation experience as the week went on.
I loved the transitions between each section of the video. The bitmojis really helped the video stick out, and gave it a friendly touch. Her reactions to her experience was very fun to watch. Super cool to see the uniqueness!
Hi Sienna,
I agree with you. I really liked Farah’s project the most. The way she incorporated the bitmojis as part of her project really stood out to me. The idea was great and that was her way of including snapchat into her art. The video was very well put together and the editing was done very well. It was really easy to understand what her deprivation was like and you can tell the time and effort she put into this project.
I enjoyed Karlyle’s deprivation song for Snapchat. The lyrics she wrote was funny to me and I feel like it depicts every person in this generation that uses social media constantly. I feel like we are all pretty dependent on social media and without it we feel like we are missing out with our friends’ lives. Since Snapchat and now Instagram allows people to post pictures or videos on their story to share with their friends what they are doing on a daily basis, we feel the need to be kept in the loop with that. When we don’t have the social media available to us, we start feeling bored since a lot of us in this generation are on social media for a good chunk of time.
Hi Sabrina,
I also enjoyed Karlyle’s song and absolutely loved how she wrote the song herself. I was happy to see her reconnect with singing and developing as a musician. I feel like using Snapchat daily can have us not focus on our lives as much, and because she deprived this, she not only got to develop her musical skills, but also spend time on focusing on her own life.
I thought Farah’s was one of the best put-together and the most enjoyable to watch. Using the bitmoji to show her emotions, categorizing her life via what category of snapchat they would fall under, and then the transition to depicting the actual deprivation (depression) itself was so impressive. I think I like how well organized and how much each section flowed logically into the next. With video, hard transitions or going on too long are things that an artist would worry about but Farah really tackled both of those issues well. That isn’t to say that videos without a clear-cut organization like Farah’s are lesser (there was one abstract video we were shown that I also really enjoyed) but I definitely appreciated how it felt like a short little movie. Similar to the the short films shown at the beginning of Disney movies in theaters!
I really loved Farah’s My Snapchat Story video. I think it’s clever of how it plays on a “Draw My Life” type of videos on Youtube but in reality, we don’t draw our lives. Most of us snapchat moments of our everyday lives. Many of us use Snapchat to take pictures, record videos, and post them not just for other to see but for ourselves to save as memories. Those moments are part of our life and I think she portrayed that perfectly in this video.
I agree with you Catherine! Farah’s video also reminds me of many famous YouTubers’ videos “Draw My Life.” These types of videos were really popular back then. Now Farah’s video is very similar but instead of drawing, she’s using snapchat, which almost all of us (students) can relate to. I also use snapchat a lot but I mainly snap because I want to rewatch my days later on and save them all to my memories.
I wanted to comment more generally on how so many of the exemplary projects are videos. I think it is really interesting and impressive that a large number of our peers are so adept at making video content. It might be something worth exploring in this class considering the focus is the intersection of art and technology and video is definitely a newer form of art. I did not do a video, but if anyone who did a video project wants to comment on how they got the experience or creative ideas for a video I would really enjoy talking about that!
I thought Rhian Advincula’s video which portrays her deprival of music was very insightful. Many times we all walk around campus or other place with our headphones on and thus we miss the sounds around us. However, the video towards the end the video’s lightening and editing changed which made it seem more somber. This to me represents that sometimes it’s nice being surrounded by natural noise while other times music can serve as an escape.
Hi Lizette,
I agree with you. Her video clearly shows how the deprivation of music affected her. In the video she became more aware of her surroundings and the things people actually said. Towards the ending it became very dark, but it was very well put together. The message was clear… music is extremely important to her and it serves as an escape. Without it, in the video things started to become a little bit hectic until she put on her head phones. I really liked the aspect of the video where she increased the sounds of when she had the headphones off. To emphasize her surroundings she made the natural noises louder. Overall, this project was very well put together and I really enjoyed it.
Hi Lizette,
You bring up a good point about music serving as an escape but I took the ending a little bit differently. I felt that she may have been commenting on the fact that all the noises were becoming too overwhelming. The quick cutting near the end that increased in pace really gave me the sense of too many noises. I think her video does well in showing the importance that music has in some of our lives. Her video also does an awesome job in putting you into her perspective; it’s almost like a peek into what life sounds like to other people.
I thought Farah Arabi’s project was very creative. She deprived herself from snapchat, and she show how she coped with not using snapchat. The way she presented her seven days was engaging and very well and smooth portray with music sync along with her story it was really cool to see such an nice video. She even use printed personalized emoji to convey her struggles throughout her deprivation. Well Done!!
Daphne,
I completely agree! I liked how to started by created her “story” with markers and paper and introduced the medium of her deprivation, snap chat. Seeing the types of snaps she would post also allowed me to see what parts of her life she shares and how each part represents her. I think this was a really creative and innovative way to represent her deprivation experience. Great Job Farah!
I really liked Rhian Advincula off-key Video describing her depravation of music, I thought how she portrayed it was very creative at the same time accurate. Sometime or all the time I realize I am very attach to music from the ear buds that I completely neglect the sound that surrounds me. The sound of nature. I think it is necessary and helpful sometimes to put away man made music and just enjoy the sound created by daily hassles form your surroundings!!!
I agree with this too! We always have our earphones on to — not just listen to music — but to avoid any outside noises that we are uninterested in. Sometimes, we forget what’s around us and what’s going on because we block out everything else. It reminded me of how easy it is to avoid what’s going around us and maybe one day, we might miss out on something important or interesting, all because we couldn’t hear it.
I thought Alexandra Singca’s video was the most intriguing because of the video editing. It also had a gradual edginess which I thought intensified the video and made it more engaging for viewers. Moreover, it triggered emotion in that it made me concerned that things were speeding up, changing color, and becoming more turbulent or unpredictable. Overall, it was a spot on representation of how I see Instagram working in my life.
Hello Vincent I also thought Alexandra’s video was interesting. The way she edited the video perfectly represents the emotions that are felt while doing the deprivation and how frustrating it is to keep opening and closing the app. I like how you brought up the video constantly changes in speed and color which is what keeps the audience engaged and really adds depth to the video. The subject matter is pretty simple it’s just her phone, hands, and a drawing yet it feels like there is a lot of emotion behind everything. I like how at the end after all the turbulent emotions there is a sense of calmness which represents how after a while you find another way to distract yourself that does not rely on social media.
Hi Vincent, I also found Alexandra’s video intriguing. The way she edited the video with the colors and pace gave us a sense of chaos and meltdown you can get from the withdrawal of addictive things; in this case, Instagram. I didn’t quite understand what happened at the end, but I believed that with the pace of the video, she found peace by looking to other hobbies to do, such as drawing.
Vincent,
I agree! I think that Alexandra’s video was very interesting especially because of the video editing. I liked that it was very abstract and gave a sense of that “edginess” you felt. It felt very… “Black Mirror” ish in a way. In my personal experience, I also tend to open apps like this constantly, most of the time by accident. For instance, I exit out of the Facebook app to do something else, but my fingers automatically re-open the Facebook app, and I wonder “Wait, what was I doing?” It’s kind of creepy when you actually see it portrayed visually from an external experience.
I really liked Tommy’s Facebook project. I found it very relatable to my own deprivation. I also didn’t know what to do other than study and found my stress levels going up. I think it was very amazing how he gave up Facebook, especially how Facebook communication is really common now. I recently, within the past year or so, had to download Facebook messenger because so many people were using it instead of texting. Because of this, I didn’t even consider giving up Facebook. I really enjoyed reading the memes too. The memes and how the Facebook posts were set up were easy to read and understand. I think out of all the projects, this project was the most relatable to me.
Hello Kelly,
I agree I found it to be very creative that he created a Facebook page to represent what he felt during his deprivation. Especially, the use of memes which are such a popular and relatable medium, his use of them really exemplifies how much communication has changed and how the way we can convey a message has evolved.
I also enjoyed Tommy’s project. I thought the project format is clever and ironic at the same time. The use of the Facebook page feature and the memes are relatable because I spend a lot of time on Facebook. It’s hard to resist and give up Facebook because I use Facebook as a way to procrastinate. I would mindlessly scroll down and watch all the random and funny videos or read funny memes from 9gag.
Hi Kelly,
I really enjoyed Tommy’s Facebook project. It was very innovative in how he used the facebook page to fit everything in his project. The memes were very funny and they even expressed his feelings of the deprivation project. I especially enjoyed the idea of where he put day 1, day 2… etc on the posts. It almost seemed like an actual facebook page. To give up Facebook is a hard choice to make. Facebook is probably the most used form of social communication online now. For me, I always scroll through facebook to see videos or posts for hours at a time. This project was very relatable to me. Overall, this project was very amusing and well put together.
In general, I think my favorite project was Christopher. As someone who’s favorite music genre is personally not EDM, I really appreciated this one. I could tell there was a lot of effort put into it just by listening to it, and there were even parts I kept replaying. When it was played in class I originally thought I wasn’t going to enjoy it since it was EDM, but after the first minute I realized I wanted to hear the whole thing. When I got home, I started studying with it in the background, and it really helped me concentrate. Not only that, but it’s also just catchy. Definitely not a project I thought I would like this much, but it ended up being my favorite one. Great job!
Thanks Jamie! I think you maybe misunderstood — I didn’t make the music LOL. The song is called Canned Heat by Jamiroquai. I was trying to portray how upbeat music makes time pass faster and doing homework is less of a chore with music. When it suddenly quit, I was trying to show that doing work without music is super boring. The spacing between events like the typing, clicking, printing, and writing doesn’t actually change, but it seems a lot more drawn out and awkward when the music stops.
Glad you enjoyed it 🙂
I really liked Farah’s video! I liked how the Bitmoji automatically made me think of Snapchat- it goes without saying that she understood the medium she chose. Also, the beginning really let the viewer understand what her life was like with snapchat, so it made me feel like I really knew her. The editing went really well with the content being shown. Though I’m not a Snapchat user myself, I was able to see the appeal of the app through her video. I was able to put myself in her shoes and see why she chose to deprive herself of the app.
I really enjoyed Farah’s video. I felt like she was able to incorporate many ways to represent and show her deprivation experience. It was nice to see all the things she usually snaps about before she used the bitmojis to show how she felt from giving that up. I liked how she was able to come up with changing the word deprivation to depression. I thought it was very clever and smart. I also liked how she slowly increased the amount of notifications she got as the week passed. Her choice of music for each of the snapchat categories were also very well-fitting. I started laughing when I heard “I Will Survive” for her engineering snaps. There were many small details like this that she carefully put in and I thought it was very creative and added a lot to her video.
I really enjoyed Farah’s art piece. It was very creative as it takes us back to the “memories” of each snapchat category and how she is reminiscing about it. I thought the use of her Bitmoji to convey the emotions she felt as she deprived herself of snapchat was also very entertaining to watch. Because I use snapchat a lot as well, I could understand why it would be so difficult to go a week without it because you aren’t able to broadcast funny moments of your everyday activities with friends and family.
Hi Cheryl,
I agree with you that the use of Bitmoji made it entertaining to watch. I also enjoyed how she began by using a format that was popular among YouTubers called “Draw my Life”. The sudden change to her snaps was funny because it changed the pacing of the video. I think the music choice was also important in creating that change in mood.
I really enjoyed Rhian’s video because it made me realize how serious it was to some people to go throughout the day without music. I typically listen to music everyday as I walk to class, walk home, go grocery shopping and I never hear the sounds and noises of the people around me. To an extent, it makes me realize that I should appreciate the environment and my surroundings. However, it can sometimes be scary as indicated throughout the video. It can become overwhelming with so many noises and sounds around us that we can’t focus on our own thoughts and our own mind. The lighting, angles, and cut scenes were impressive to me as it represents the feelings and emotions without music.
Hi Matthew,
I totally agree with you. Like you, I am a music lover. Music not only lets us feel the surrounding environment but also changes the environment around us. There are totally different moments when there is music and when there is no music. We need to listen to music in a noisy environment, but I personally feel that it is more necessary to listen to music in a no-noise environment. Because in a quiet environment where there is no noise, attention will become very concentrated but at the same time the feeling will become very depressing. Only music can make me feel relaxed, but also joyful.
One of my favorite artworks was Karlyle’s! The fact that she wrote a song and she also had the guts to share her talent with the world through youtube. As a music enthusiast, I enjoyed her original song. I really think she has talent and that she should continue to put out music and covers and maybe even write her own music in the future.
Aaron,
Yes! I totally agree. It took me a second to realize that the song was about the project itself, but when I did, I appreciated it even more. Her talent it definitely there, which made her project all the more enjoyable. I don’t think I have much talent in the music arts myself, so I very much appreciate a piece that includes singing as the main medium.
My favorite project is Arabi’s video. She categorized the clips of her snaps according to their content. For one thing, it really shows snapshot is part of her life because there are various snap recordings of different aspects of her life. For another, I really like the music in the background during the transition between each category. Also, I like her the use of “deprivation” and “depression”, which is really only and shows her mood during the deprivation experience.
Araceli’s project is beautifully done. I really loved how she was able to capture the shortcomings of being a frequent Instagram user. Instagram is an app that allows everyone to highlight the positive moments of their lives, but this often reaches an extreme where many try to put up a facade of a “perfect life.” Consequently, this brings out insecurities in others who may feel that their own lives are not nearly as enjoyable as the lives being depicted on Instagram. This project captured these feelings of insecurity very accurately.
You bring up a really interesting point, Hoang! What drew me to Araceli’s piece at first were the colors that she used. The green (green symbolizing things like envy and jealousy) she used for the majority of the layout I think adds to your point about how Instagram could make one develop insecurities and lead to feelings of envy from seeing how others live their lives or how many likes/comments others get on their posts.
I originally believed that the mint green picture (by Araceli) and the word-filled picture (by Lacey) were from the same project. I had originally clicked on Araceli’s link, but then I clicked on an arrow, which brought me to Lacey’s link without me realizing it. Even though they were separate projects, I couldn’t tell because one elaborated on the other perfectly. In other words, Araceli’s Instagram drawing felt like it was a segue to Lacey’s picture filled with insecure questions. For me, seeing one immediately after the other was very powerful since they complement each other so well.
I also love Christine’s project. In the first half of the video, she made the sound that we usually ignored when we listen to music. These sounds made me think about time without music, and can definitely understand how she felt during the deprivation. In the second half of the video, she played her track on her computer. This song covered all the other sound, and I found her really enjoyed it. No music, no life!
Another video that I particularly enjoyed was Ashely’s. It was overall hilarious and quite a succinct yet comical way to show the loss of Instagram in her life. While I definitely did not feel that way with my deprivation experience, at certain points in my life had I lost certain apps, I am sure I would have felt the same. It was clear how big of an impact this was in her life, as her once cheerful bridge came crashing down soon after she decided to delete the app. Setting the brain on fire was a nice touch. But there was also the sudden change in music, which said a lot about her feelings toward this experience. Now, this is obviously an exaggeration of the experience, but it does seem that her deprivation was more on the intense side. But the exaggerations were what made this project great!
I also enjoyed looking at Ashley’s project. It was less serious and definitely very enjoyable. However, even though it seems light for the viewer, I think the deprivation experience was very serious for her. The bridge could have symbolized something important for her life. If the loss of Instagram meant the destruction of this bridge, then how would this affect her? Setting the brain on fire only makes it clear how she feels.
I also enjoyed Ashley’s as it was a short yet funny video. I thought the way she portrayed the various bridges and brain being burned throughout the video was very creative and interesting, and the set-up was very entertaining. In comparison to my video that I had made, this was by far much more superior in creativity and video-editing skills, and the color really pops out and is very clear. To show the bridge come crashing down or the brain being fried is a very elaborate depiction of how many of us would feel when we deprive ourselves of a medium that we use daily.
I felt the same way about Ashley’s video. It was short, sweet, straight to the point, and very efficient in its message. The images she chose to display, the broken bridge, the burning brain, and Instagram getting deleted, were just enough express the feelings she must’ve had during that whole deprivation experience. No words were needed and I really enjoyed that aspect of it. Her choosing to use those items gave the video a certain charm. I felt that the video was saying that the week-long deprivation took everything that was charming and delightful with social media, and destroyed it.
I also really enjoyed Ashley’s project as well, however i didn’t feel like it was quite the exaggeration as you may believe. She truly is breaking the connection to the greater world by giving up social media. She is completely isolated since most people only talk to their friends online. Also when you’ve trained your brain to do something everyday like check your feed it quite literally feels like your brain is on fire when you must suddenly stop.
Among these projects, my favorite one is Rhian’s video. I believe that this project took her really a lot of time. For me, I also like to listen to music in my spare time. I can totally understand how she felt when I watch this video. It caught my attention and touched my heart. Really love it!
Hi Qingyi!
I also can tell that she spent so much time and efforts creating this project. I really liked watching her video from the beginning to the end. Like you said, it is very touching when it comes to the part “family” videos. She incorporated her social life so well in this project.
I thorougly enjoyed Farah Arabi’s project. She incorporated many clips of saved snaps of her life into this video and really showed how Snapchat was an important part of her life. She also showed pictures of her emotions during her deprivation. Her project was not only touching, but really reflected her creativity in making this piece. Absolutely a great job!
I also thought her video was amazing. It was very enjoyable because it tried to imitate the basic features of the application without actually using it. However, it was also very symbolic about the nature between technology and ourselves. Sure, technology makes our lives easier, but is it really necessary? The project clearly demonstrates that it doesn’t. Even though the medium changes, her life story does not. Snapchat is not what’s important. Snapchat is only a tool. And, regardless of what tool you use, you can’t change what a person values.
I think Lacey’s artwork is very unique and original. It is extremely well thought-out with small details that really stood out to me. The artwork is super beautiful and remarkably realistic that I am completely in awe. I really like how the girl in the painting is portrayed with a nice glow and perfect makeup. The small details blow me away such as the highlights on her face, realistic lips and nose, and highlighted hair. The gray background with white smoke to portray “shower thoughts” is creative and thought-provoking. The ambience seems gloomy and dark. I love how Lacey incorporates text on top of the art piece to give the audience a little bit of context as to what the girl is thinking. It was really creative how the white text begins to fade towards the edges to blend into the gray background. I’m unsure as to what was exactly being deprived, but I can sense how heartbroken the girl in the painting is, since she lost her “best friend”, most likely boyfriend. The feelings of hurt and distress is definitely conveyed in the art piece.
Hi Tiffany,
I agree that her artwork is unique! I didn’t think much of the “gray background with white smoke to portray “shower thoughts” but now that I think about it, it makes a lot of sense.! I definitely notice the small details more now that you pointed them out, and you are absolutely correct. All the highlights and details definitely define the distressed and heartache that she feels.
I also really liked Lacey’s artwork and could relate fully. She deprived herself of music and from what I understand, that empty space of mindless time has nothing to fill itself with and she is caught overthinking about things in her life. I liked her artwork also because of the uniqueness and how she detailed it was as well. I also noticed highlights on the face and hair and foggy background to show the shower thoughts. However, I mostly liked and appreciate her artwork because it was able to portray so much emotion and from reading these posts, it seems that I’m not the only one who was able to feel the emotions of her deprivation.
Another project that I really liked was Brandon Casas’s video journal depicting how his deprivation of taking photos and videos had on him. I thought the medium to express his deprivation was perfect as I felt like it told a mini story of his daily life and how much the deprivation affected him. The video started at the beginning of his day with waking up and eating breakfast and transitioned to his work and activities throughout the day ending with his overall feeling on the deprivation and effects. One effect that Brandon listed was how he became more aware of his surrounding and started taking less photos and video. That’s a great positive effect that came out of this deprivation as it felt like he’s living more in the moment and enjoying what’s happening around him instead of always trying to capture everything with photos and videos either for work or just for personal use. Overall, I thought Brandon did a great job of expressing his deprivation and this experience positively impacted his daily life.
Hey Bryan!
I also really liked Brandon’s video where he basically did a walk-through on how his deprivation went, what he noticed, and how it changed him. Although there were the other really nice videos, his video was honestly a great refresher from the others because it was different and I liked how there was someone talking throughout the video, not just music or the everyday noises. It was cool that he talked about how he would forget about the project and end up taking pics/videos subconsciously, I thought it was great that he decided to tell us about it throughout the video.
I enjoyed Tommy’s Facebook project a lot. It is kind of interesting, (and maybe sarcastic?) that he chose deprive himself from Facebook, yet used Facebook as the medium to document his deprivation, and made me feel that it is especially difficult to stop using something that you just instinctly open everyone and ingrained to your life.
Hello Dongjun,
I also enjoyed Tommy Luu’s Facebook project as well. I definitely agree that there is some irony in making a facebook project about the facebook deprivation and I believe this is what makes it so unique. I thought the whole layout of the facebook project was very well structured with the artist statement at the top detailing this experience. I also liked how unique it was to be able to read his feeling and thoughts on how much the deprivation affected him each day by scrolling through and reading the post of each day’s deprivation. Adding a meme to the post to represent his deprivation experience each day was really hilarious and made me want to scroll and read more.
Hi Dongjun,
I thought Tommy’s project was very creative and relatable to his audience. He made multiple memes of famous people that we know to express how often we use facebook and how difficult it is to cut it out. It was ironic how he used facebook to portray his message, but I also thought it made his project stronger because I was so intrigued by the scrolling of the page just to look at more funny memes. This definitely shows the addiction of facebook and scrolling.
Hi Dongjun,
I totally agree with you that his form of expression shows how he loves Facebook, and how attractive the Facebook is. It seems like he cannot live without Facebook during the deprivation. The image he chose for each post is interesting. His caption also makes me understand the importance of Facebook to him.
Dongjun,
I agree! I really enjoyed the layout of the entire project- especially how the artist statement was on the sidebar. I find myself parodying other apps the same way he does, so I might be a little biased, but I truly think it was a creative approach. Also, you can tell the pictures he was were current, so he knew his audience well. It makes me wonder how he kept track of all the status updates (since he wasn’t able to update his status until after the project) and how that influenced his view of the deprivation.
One of the deprivation projects that I found unique was Alexandra Singca’s short video on hand movement and how we’re constantly using our hands to access social media such as Instagram. I thought that the video medium was a great way to emphasize the negatives effects of quitting Instagram had a person represented by one’s hand. I like how the video transitioned from the fingers scrolling through Instagram in the beginning and being occupied to increasing withdrawal symptoms through the hand’s uneasiness as the Instagram deprivation occurred. I thought the ending was really creative with showing how instead of dedicating time to social media, Alexandra found something productive in drawing/sketching in order to occupy herself. The video editing was really well done with the sound effect and background color becoming more chaotic as you get farther into the deprivation. This project reminded me of Yvonne Rainner’s Hand Movie that we saw and it was a nice touch to incorporate that idea we learned in class into the project.
Hello Bryan, I also enjoyed watching Alexandra’s short video with her creative hand movements. In the beginning, the hands were shown as jittery, being unable to look at Instagram for a long period of time. However, overtime, the hands become increasingly shaky, to the point where the artist seems to lose control. I can feel the deprivation effects of feeling anxious, frustrated, and lost. The hand movements shout out “I don’t know what to do!” and “I can’t control myself!”. The pinkish color to the hands further add to the feelings of sadness and exasperation. At about 0:55, the color abruptly changes to yellow orange, red, and then yellow again to depict the intense feelings of anger. A sweet surprise was at 1:01, when the artist reveals that they started to draw during their deprivation period. Overall, I really enjoyed watching Alexandra’s video.
Although all of the projects presented today were great, Karlyle’s video of her singing an original song resonated with me the most. As someone who occasionally performs my own songs in front of others, I know how scary it can be to put yourself and your material out there. She mentioned that this was her first time writing a song and I think she did an exceptional job. Her lyrics are funny and they rhyme, too- something that isn’t easy to achieve in songwriting. Her remarkable vocal abilities and the content of her song is what made her project especially strong, it’s evident that she put time and effort into her work.
I also loved Karlyle’s song! The lyrics really flowed and worked very well together. One thing that resonated with me was how weird it felt to be back. Apart from the updates an app might have, you suddenly return back to that aspect of your friends’ lives. As she mentions in her song, this does upset some people that she left, as her streaks with them were broken. But for the person that is returning, the feeling is much different. For me, it was almost like I was intruding back in and saying, hey, what did I miss? People don’t like putting themselves in that situation, so they choose to never leave their social media accounts for extended periods of time. This song really captures that feeling, so I enjoyed it quite a lot.
Karlyle’s song was great–it was very pleasant to listen to! I thought it was interesting how she saw maintaining the streaks as a burden, and this project allowed her to relieve herself from this burden. As a Snapchat user, I’ve also felt the same about trying to snap daily to certain people, especially during extremely busy days. Ironically enough, these intangible rewards are what make apps like Snapchat so addicting. We don’t earn any physical rewards, but there is a mental reward of maintaining a relationship with the people we are most close to (even through something as insignificant as a blank picture with no caption).
Karlyle’s song was amazing. I honestly was very surprised as to how good it was. Her voice is really good and the lyrics were phenomenal. Definitely a well put together project, and really nice to listen to. A+. Would love to see similar projects in the future.
I agree with this! All projects were indeed exceptional but Karlyle’s caught my attention because of the uniqueness of her own song. Though I am not a person who considers myself a good singer of any sort, I am a person who enjoys listening to music most times of day. Listening to this song was very catchy and enjoyable. I could see where writing songs can be mind-boggling and nerve wracking. I give everyone who performs in this way major props! I liked the way Karlyle presented herself as well. She almost presented a sense of anonymity with her sun glasses on to kind of portray the difficulty of singing. And yet, as stated before me she did an AMAZING job singing and her lyrics were catchy and great.
I also really liked Karlyle’s song! When the TA was introducing her project, I was already getting embarrassed because I had presumed that it was gonna be bad. However, I was really surprised because not only was her singing excellent, the lyrics were really good too! I think it’s even more amazing that she was only using the snapping of her fingers as her background and nothing else.
When we watched Rhian’s video in lecture, I was honestly amazed by the video editing, transition and just everything the video was showing. I felt like something scary was going to happen because it kind of gave a dark feeling and I thought that was totally fine because it basically showed how she felt without music: lost and lifeless(almost). I think my favorite part was when the car honked and she combined all the sounds she heard and it transitioned to her waking up (honestly I thought she was going to be in a hospital bed so I was worried for a second). I felt that it symbolized that without music, she basically got a headache from all the noise clutter she had to hear from everything (without music). She definitely brings up a good point that without music, I feel like I have to listen to people yell out things for fundraising or other unnecessary noise that you pick up when its silent (without music) and sometimes I just want to block that out because it gives me a headache. It kind of just feels lonely and empty without listening to music because I’m used to hearing loud noise not natural noise (like cars zooming by or birds chirping). Anyways, I thought Rhian did a great job and she makes me want to go out and make a video just as good as hers because that was seriously great editing (it gave me goosebumps!!).
I definitely agree that the video was amazingly well put together from both a technical and an artistic perspective. Although I never felt this “dark feeling” that you mentioned, I could sense how lost she felt without music. It never really struck me how music can be used to zone out every single noise that someone may encounter in a given day. Without music, it felt somewhat overwhelming. Watching the video a second time, that’s the impression I have. I feel as if life is moving too fast, even if you, as an individual, are not. At least, with music, you can keep to a pace you’re comfortable with.
I was also very impacted by her video editing skills. The video footage itself was beautiful and her use of sound and video effects was really well done. I don’t listen to music at all, but I was able to see from her video how life can seem bleak without it and how outside noises can be annoying. I felt my heart clutching when the video became gloomy with some kind of static/buzz. I think I also got goosebumps. I felt like I was watching a movie.
I really liked Farah’s video where she used her bitmoji to describe her deprivation experience of Snapchat. I thought she masterfully made a creative yet lighthearted piece on how Snapchat represented her story where she spent time with friends, family, and even her cat. She captured it all in the short video and I could clearly see how the deprivation affected her in a positive way.
I also really liked Farah’s video. When we were watching it in class, I actually laughed at some of the things she puts because it was something I could relate. I felt like she did a creative way of mixing in drawings with snapchat videos. It definitely showed she put in a lot of thought and effort to make the video come out perfectly. I also liked the fact that for her second half of the video, she showed her deprivation experience and how she used bitmojis to depict how she felt. I honestly would have never thought of putting it that way. Her snapchat story of her partying was really great. Also I am shocked that she actually saves a lot of her snapchat videos because I don’t actually do that but now I’m reconsidering it just incase I want to keep it in my memories.
Heather, I truly agree with you. I like Farah’s video the most. She is creative and puts lots of thoughts in it. I like how she integrates drawing into the video. When she crossed out the word deprivation to depression, I laughed because I had the same feeling. Each section brought me a different feeling. When the story of the family came out in the end, the background music “You Raise Me Up” fitted the situation perfectly and it touched me. I like her video editing and of course the music in the video. It is an amazing project to me.
I also enjoyed Farah’s video about her experience without Snapchat. It is a really smart way to capture her life with Snaps, and integrated stickers and emojis into her video. Although I did not deprive myself from Snapchat, I can easily relate my experience with hers and understand what she had went through.
I really liked Farah’s video too. I think she did really great job on coming up with the idea that using snapchat clips to describe herself. The video was really creative and well edited. Not only the clips but she also uses bitmojis to express her feelings throughout the duration. I really liked the idea of combining drawings and clips to make video enjoyable for the audience.
I really enjoyed Farah’s video on her Snapchat deprivation and I thought it was amazingly creative of her to use the bitmojis to express how she felt during the duration and all the thoughts of the subjects in her Snapstories. I was amazed by everyone’s video editing skills since I don’t know how to edit videos or even photos very well, so I resorted to painting instead. However, watching everyone’s projects made me feel inspired and that technology can really transform art more than just regular painting with a simple brush and colored paints. Everyone did a great job and I wish I could rewind time and edit something myself no matter how lacking my skills are.
Hello Debbie, I agree with you that Farah’s Snapchat deprivation was very thoughtful and creative. I like how she made five thought bubbles in the beginning to introduce each part of her life using Snapchat videos that she saved. It truly shows how often she would use Snapchat to record her most memorable and exciting moments in her life. I love how she gave the audience a quick preview of her life before transitioning to how her deprivation went. I enjoyed her cute cat pictures and videos and how she showed her engineering life as well. I can related to her struggles in engineering, where it can be extremely frustrating getting programming errors and spending hours coding. Furthermore, I like how Farah transitions between her five thought bubbles with some TV static effects. It feels like I am watching a small section of her life on TV. Lastly, I like how she ties in the TV concept by ending her film with the TV static effect with the emergency alert sound, as if her heart has stopped beating. I can definitely feel her pain and despair for not being able to use Snapchat for a week.
Hi Debby,
I agree with you. The way in which Farah decided to use her bitmojis was very creative, I would’ve never thought about that myself! Her video really established the impact snapchat has on most of our lives; we use it to document our every move in order to share it with our friends and or family. They was in which her video was edited set up an ambience that the audience enjoyed from “party hard” to enjoying the little things in life. It was unfortunate that she lost her phone but I believe that this project has helped us all realize how much we rely on social media and in her case she decided to get rid of it.
I really enjoyed Jose’s video because the tasks he did each day seemed highly productive without the usage of social media. There are so many activities around us that we neglect to do, even though we may enjoy them. The video opens with him making his bed, and each day progressively is preoccupied with more complex activities. His dance was really good and I hope that he continues this onward! I really liked the gloving activity as well because I know how complex and difficult that can become, and it’s a great skill to constantly improve on especially if Jose enjoys it. I see the time put into this art project and how the artist really made usage of his time each day. It presented a happy and proactive mood since it was constantly occupied with activities.
Hi Lillian! Being on social media takes time away from our real lives much more than we expect. I thought Jose was able to take full advantage of this project to get back to doing the things he loves. I was really fascinated by the diversity of the activities that Jose engaged in–from hanging out with friends, working on choreography, to performing the gloving activity. This really opened my eyes to the fact that not only does social media take away our time from other activities, it also limits the range of activities that we can engage in.
As you said, I never realized how social media can be such a huge time sink just on its own. There’s so many possibilities out there that are left unexplored because we choose to do nothing except look at social media. To a certain degree, looking at Jose’s project, I get the impression that in this case technology can be somewhat bad since it limits our opportunities. Depending on each person, social media can be viewed as bad or good, but in this case it’s clear that its just bad.
Hi Lilian,
I thought Jose’s project was really great because it showed all of the various things he could do besides being on social media. He invests his time into dancing and gloving and just living his life to the fullest, and in the end, I’m sure he gained a lot out of it. Being off of social media allowed him to be more present when hanging out with friends and doing activities together that they both love. I think this project is a great way to show us that there are so many things out there to do and accomplish rather than wasting our time constantly on social media.
As a person that edits videos quite often, I thought Rhian’s video was amazingly well done. Particularly, the editing was so beautiful that I didn’t know how to do a lot of the things she did! And if there is one thing that I know, it is that editing can definitely influence the mind of the watcher. She brings up a powerful point with her video, that it is virtually impossible to give up music because it is everywhere, from the gym to the supermarket. And perhaps what is worse, is losing the ability to choose your own music in order to block other music out. But, the sounds of this week of deprivation were distinct and gave off their own type of feeling. Unlike a lot of people, music is not that important in my life. At least to the point if I deprived myself of it I would not feel like Rhian did in the video. But I almost felt what she felt since the video was so powerful. It was almost like she was losing her mind at points, which is pretty crazy. But I guess some people truly love music that much that to lose it can be terrible. I enjoyed watching this video a lot! Even though I cannot relate to it, I still felt like I was on that journey with her, and felt suffering for what she went through.
I also enjoyed Rhian’s video a lot because it was edited in a way where the audience can feel how she was feeling throughout the experience. The video progressively gets distorted, evoking an unsettling feeling. At some points of the video it almost felt scary, which I imagine is how she must have felt during her deprivation experience since music is such a big part of her life. I don’t listen to music very often and the video could have felt unrelatable, but she did a great job in conveying her experience so that even a non-music fan can understand her.
I really enjoyed Rhian’s video too and although I probably wouldn’t relate to most of the emotions she was conveying in the last few seconds of the video, I do understand what she was trying to portray during her deprivation experience while she was at school. I usually like to listen to music as I’m walking throughout campus to my classes to block out other noises and just relax, but at times when I don’t have my earphones on I’m very observant to people, noises, conversations, and basically my overall surroundings. I agree that her editing and particular use of certain natural lighting and the ambiance in certain locations of the video helped in influencing emotions and thoughts of those watching. Music certainly has its beneficial aspects and to be deprived of it when one listens to it so often can be hard to put into words or explained, but I think Rhian did a good job in evoking emotion from people who probably wouldn’t be able to relate.
Katie,
I completely agree with all that you said. I love Rhian’s video because she constructed it in a way where the audience was literally walking in her shoes. I love the POV of the video. I also appreciated the smallest detail from her work: the title. It is two words “Off Key” but carries so much meaning. I also like how she put on the glasses and everything became clear. We were really seeing the world through Rhian’s eyes. I feel like the title set the mood for the whole video. I can completely relate with you two on the importance of music. I feel like it is my escape while being present. I’m here without really being here. Rhian explained her feelings without using words and it was just great.