Reflection

This semester was extremely informative for me. In the last two years as I have taken up glass I have run into the struggle of marketing as a self employed craftsmen in 2018 and beyond. This class has given me the tools to better document my process and my work as a way of bolstering my marketing so that I never have to get a real job! I especially enjoyed the video project because I have long wanted to have a YouTube channel but basically made every excuse possible to not make one. Now that I have completed a video project, I have been thinking a lot about how I'd like to use that skill in the future. Learning how to storyboard was also an extremely helpful skill that I feel allowed me to make a far better video. This class really helped me to realize my issues in the past with drafting. Having multiple drafts and constantly refining whatever you're working on is what every person or artist should do to ensure they're putting out their best work. There definitely is a line where it is TOO much with drafting, but the only way to understand that line is to write more and draft more. This class really got me excited about my own abilities to write and be creative, and that is invaluable. There are no rules to art, and this is generally my approach to much of what I do, but taking a step back to bring a more refined end product rather than just a single stream of consciousness is a far better approach. I am very thankful for the discussions we had throughout the semester, and my classmates were all epic which I think really shined through in the final videos. I don't necessarily know that I'll become a novelist any time soon, but crazier things have certainly happened! I also enjoyed being able to listen to award winning authors. As a young artist hoping to make a living at it, it is extremely inspiring any chance I get to learn from people who chased the muse to success. The message is generally similar in that it takes a TON of hard work and dedication and overcoming multiple failures before reaching the point you think you should be at, but continuing to persevere is always the answer. Aimee, thank you so much for providing an engaging and amazing class, I would highly recommend it to anyone, and I am incredibly thankful you were our teacher. You brought such a high level of understanding to the subject matter, and were not afraid to be yourself, I could not have asked for a better instructor. A million times Thank You for everything this semester, and I cannot wait to go forward having learned these skills.

I'd Rather Be Flameworking

My video is all about making glass. When preparing to make this video a few things were important to me. I wanted this video to be one that could be enjoyed by people who knew nothing about glassmaking so I avoided focusing on technical aspects of the craft. I also wanted it to resemble the skateboard, skiing, and surfing videos that I had grown up watching. These videos are highlight tapes set to music that almost never feature narration. To achieve this, I searched far and wide for a song that was about five minutes long, extremely fast paced, but also relevant to the mood and vibe of the counterculture glass scene. Using Richie Havens performance of Freedom at Woodstock worked out perfectly. The drumming in this song perfectly illustrates my heart beat when making a glass piece. Glass is an amazing facet of my life, and absorbs much of my attention. I am extremely thankful to have had a platform to share this passion of mine!