Unexpected Confession...

My night of graduation was probably a big jumble of emotions and feelings I was having all through the day almost ending depressed by news of something I wish I didn't actually hear sense I already knew... And to know others felt the same crushed me. But! That same night a confession was bestowed upon me. A close friend of mine I've had for almost 3 years told me something I never expected to hear... Its something I've would've never thought she ever tell me but she did...it's crazy because I've always wanted this but now I'm stuck at a point if I should pursue or restrain myself from the subject. I'm honestly just in shock of the whole situation...this is something I never thought be reality and to hear that it's true makes me riled with such great emotions I can do nothing but smile! I'm honestly in a positive mindset now more so than ever! This friend gave me something I've never expected ever in the world to happen to me but it did and I can do nothing but smile... Now should I take on this endeavor or should I stray away and keep it simple to how it was before... I'm not sure i feel time and a few days of interaction should settle this choice... But all I know is this is most definitely a situation only I've encountered in a dream that some how came true... Idk what to call it but hey I feel if you live positive positive things will happen and that's what I intend to continue to do! (^.^)

Whats next now?...

What's next after graduation... Now that's the question on my mind, now that the day has finally come. Looking back on my High School career I've learned that I didn't do much. A lot of it was honestly stupid immature mistakes I should've never even thought of committing. I got lost in so many things I wound up losing myself... But! I then discovered myself as soon as I walked into my senior year. I was put in an amazing class with a teacher who asked me what I wanted to do with myself an art teacher who always believed in me and gained new friends and reconnected with old ones. This year was a life changing experience I feel I grew so much this year I can touch the sky! Graduation is a bitter sweet moment but at least I got to see all my friends graduate with me and spend time with people who truly are my friends and make me happy. I look at graduation as a start to my Journey... Everyone has a journey and I feel mine is just beginning... At this moment in time I feel its time to stop the talking and start working!... So as from now on... The future is my canvas and all I'm going to do is paint it!

Literature Analysis #6 Fiction: The Sorrows of Young Weather

     This story starts with a man moving after losing the love of his life. He decided to move to a rural town and focus on his painting and try to forget about his lost love. His plans did not go so well as he planned a few days after his arrival into his new town. He cones across a girl who he falls in love with. Days go by and they both started dating and so on. The girl had a fiancé but she still would go out with him to take walks and things like that. she made him think that he had a chance with her but in the end she went on and got married anyway. For him that was just too much and he committed suicide. This book was in some part confusing because the book was all created with letters that were wrote to a friend.

            The point of the book was in a way confusing because there was always too much going on with the story but I think that the author wanted to let the reader know that no matter how much you may love someone you can't force them to feel the same. And the more you run from your fears the more they come back to haunt you.

Literature Analysis #5 Fiction: In Country

      The main character in this book is Sam a 17 year old that lost his dad in the Vietnam War and because her mom got re-married she felt her alone. Her mother move away but she let her keep the house and her uncle Emmitt moved in with her. She had a pretty good life until one day she decided to go to the veteran memorial.  Sam wanted to find out who she was. She felt like she had no identity so she wanted to find out more stuff about the Vietnam War and her father. During summer she decided to go to the Vietnam memorial, during the trip she noticed a lot of things about herself and the world. She started to mature and become a young adult. Once they arrived at the memorial she was surprised at how huge the wall was. For her this was it, the memorial meant everything to her. When she started looking for her dad's names a man helped her find it and she finally understood everything and felt that she can continue with her life.

                             The theme that goes through out the book is on how Sam tries to find herself and how the Vietnam War affected her life. I think the author wrote this book to bring comfort to those people that were affected by the war and how its hard to deal with the loss of a loved one you feel shouldn't have left yet.

Literature Analysis #4 Fiction Montana 1948

   

     Montana 1948 is a story told by the memories of David. When he is telling the story he goes back to the moment and tells the story as if it were happening. The story takes place in Mercer County, Montana. Where he lives with his Dad Wesley and his mother. Frank is the sheriff of the small town where they live and his mother Gail, which works at the court house across from there house. The story starts when David remembers his childhood and how the house keeper one day got really sick and died. She first got really sick and because she was an Indian she would not allow them to take her to the hospital. David always cared for her on her last days til she passed. Since the day that she died everything change, soon after Wesley's brother got accused of a crime and because he was the sheriff he had to decide how he was going to punish his own brother. For Wesley this decision was really hard because he had to arrest his own brother, he decided to go and tell his parents first so they would not be alarmed when he was to arrest his brother, because his brother was the favorite of the family. Gail wanted Wesley to arrest his brother and give him the punishment that he deserved but, Wesley didn’t want to because that was his brother… Wesley's mother couldn’t look at the situation the same and she died. Wesley decided to arrest his brother and after that he could not take it the same way and decided to resign. Everything change in the family, Wesley never spoke to his dad again and Gail never loved Wesley the same. At the end Wesley then suffers from a heart attack.

     I believe the author wanted to show how people that protect us like Sheriff Wesley make tough decisions that they have to live with for the rest of their lives. In the case of Wesley he had to arrest his own brother, because he did his duty as an officer and sacrificed his reputation with his wife and family for justice. From this book I learned that no matter what justices needs to be served and it’s better to lose everything you have, but at least  know that you did what you needed to do.

Masterpiece Acadamy Essay

     From walking into this class I knew from the get go it was going to be interesting, especially after seeing the Graffiti on the wall. This class has helped me grow not just academically, but grown up a lot more in life. This class has helped me understand what it is I need to do to to progress in my future and how to take on life's endeavors. My thinking and writing skills have changed immensely in so many ways from thinking about what I wanted to do after the school day to now thinking what I need to do after high school its self. This class has thrown reality into my face giving me something we all as students lack, which is the truth.

     In this class I was given the respect of a colleague rather than a student, which in my opinion felt more accepting than an average student. I felt more willing to open up and express more of myself, because our instructor Dr. Preston looked at us all individually equal. He let us speak when we felt we should and gave feed back when asked or needed. I took this as opportunities to get information and even opinions on subjects I wanted to do in life. Every time I spoke to Dr. Preston about my art it seemed he always had something to comment or put out that caught my attention from a professional stand point. I felt more willing to have a conversation with him about my art more than a regular teacher just because of the fact that he looked at me as someone more than just a student, which made me feel more welcomed in his class.

     Connecting with a passion was easy do to the fact that I was always already connected to my art and music but something happened this school year that dramatically shifted my whole thinking of what my passions were. Although I've had a love for both art and music and always believing music was my true passion. I came across something I always knew I was good at but never took professionally I serious. That was my art, my art honestly as I have discovered is my true passion. I love music but that's just fun to do as a hobby as a profession how ever I see so many outlets in art. Some coming from clothing brand designs to graffiti murals on the streets. I reconnected with old ideas and found out the reasons behind my art and what art truelt means to me which is deeper than most could understand. If you know me, you know my art is never complete, I always draw and always will. My art skills will continue to progress as I take the steps to better myself and get ready for the art industry. How will I do so you ask?... Well just by drawing and creating art pieces to expose to the world, can't display art if you got nothing to show.

     Something about this course that honestly made me laugh out loud was the straight up honesty of our instructor Dr. Preston. I don't mean this in a bad way that he was rude or brutally honest, he just always answered with the truth or a wise word to get you thinking more. He always seemed to have an extra seed of creativity if you needed it. He always told us what we should and need to know not just what we're suppose too. I learned a lot from Dr. Preston, even in ways if confidence and how to deal with and carry myself. I've noticed the maturity level of myself increase from being in his class and I'm honestly just happy to say I met a teacher who knows what's up.

     Two individuals that stood out in their presentations to me were Jorge Garcia and Andrew Alcazar. Jorge displaying his passion for break dancing while Andrew talks about his love for music and poetry. Both of these guys explain there passions in detail and as they carry on I can do nothing but smile and just think in my head how much we can relate. For one being with Jorge he was a break dancer and he explains how once you stop its hard to get back in it and I should know after being a dedicated breaker all through junior high til I met a girl before my freshman year. And Andrew as he explains his passions of music and poetry which I love both subjects completely! Music of coarse being a big love of mine and poetry also being another hidden hobby of mine. I love listening to music and writing lyrics or poetry, because what ever you put down holds meaning to you in some form of way. It all is you in a sense. Three other students I must say have displayed a lot in there presentations are Jacob Caldwell with his Endocrinology, Veronica Cavasos with her entertainment industry dreams, and Daniel Alvarez with his cooking passion. All three of each one of these individuals displayed what I most definitely can see as passion. As I hear Jacob talk about his knowledge on fitness and muscle training I can do nothing but be amazed by how much hard work goes into just sculpting a body just like sculpting a piece of art out of stone. In Veronicas you can see it that the entertainment industry has always been a big thing in her mind and she displays it well with her quick cover song game showing how there's a lot of discrimination in the entertainment industry do to truth behind publicity. And also Daniel with his presentation on cooking. He brings to clan some food he whipped up just for the class to enjoy as he explains his passion for cooking. As I hear him carry on all I think of is me and how I feel after I produce my art he talks about how so much hard work goes into making something that is only other for a short amount of time it makes me think of my art like graffiti how an artist cab take up all this time to produce a dope piece to have it getting cleaned up or painted over a few days after being produced. Its a bitter sweet moment knowing your creation is gone but the fact that you did something amazing that at least a hand full of people enjoyed then that's what makes it all worth it.

     As for me, I'm far from being known as a hero but stepping out my boundaries and doing some things different with my art I have done. I've spoken to people about needed an artist for higher for events and such and have put it out there and are already getting hit up to commission art pieces and murals for people like my friends dad who wants me to paint a 49ers mural in his house or the Moose Lodge wanting me to paint stuff for them when they have special events. I've also done major step ups in the clothing brans aspect taking matters finally into my own hands. Me and a cousin of mine have tried developing a clothing brand but he continues to push off the project while I sit here with fresh drawings ready to be made into clothing designs. I finally got fed up and found someone interested in my designs and my ideas on a brand and that's Xavier Navarro. It's funny because just last year in our music history class me and Xavier joked about collaborating on a clothing brand when we presented as two heads if a clothing brand known as "Underground Kings" I couldn't do anything but feel nothing but complete excitement over what was happening before my eyes with our clothing brand ideas. At this point I just want to quit talking about it and start doing it!
    
    

    
    
    

Literature Analysis #3 Fiction Catcher in the Rye by J.D. Salinger

1. Catcher in the Rye is about a 16 year old boy named Holden Caulfield who is
just getting expelled out of Pencey Prep School in Agerstown, Pennsylvania. Which is now the fourth school he has failed out of. He begins to get himself ready to leave for Manhattan, but before he leaves, he first visits his old history teacher, Mr. Spencer to say goodbye. Mr. Spencer tries to talk to Holden about his poor grades which began to annoy him. Holden goes back to his dorm room where he is further irritated by his dirty neighbor, Ackley and his roommate, Stadlater. Stradlater goes out on a date with a girl named Jane Gallagher who Holden use to talk to and still cared about. Holden stresses over the subject until Stradlater comes back to Holden questioning him constantly about the date, insisting Stradlater tried sleeping with Jane. Stradlater began to tease Holden until he got mad and tried fighting Stradlater but fails and leaves Pencey with a blooding nose. He heads for Manhattan although he's not suppose to leave until Wednesday which is 3 days away. He leaves early and stays in a hotel without his parents knowing. On the train to New York, Holden meets the mom to one of his classmates at Pencey. Yet he doesn't liken this student, he goes on with made up stories about how shy the woman's son is and how respected he is. He goesbto a phone booth, when he arrives at Penn Station and decides on multiple people to call but then doesn't call anyone after all. He gets in a cab and asks the driver where the ducks in central park go in the winter, but he gets annoyed response. He checks in at the Edmont Hotel. In his room he notices a lot of weird things people were doing in there rooms as he stares out his window. After smoking a fee cigarettes, Holden calls Faith Cavendish, someone he has never met, but got their number from a guy at Princeton. He thinks he remembers hearing she was a stripper and tries to get her to come over and sleep with him. She tries to arrange a meet the next day but Holden couldn't wait that long so before they could set a time he ended the call. He goes down to the Lavender room where he comes across waiter who refuses to serve him alcohol and flirts with three woman who seem like they're from out of town who are mainly interested in spotting a celebrity. He ends up dancing with one of the ladies and later pays their tab. As he leaves the lobby he begins to remanus on how he met Jane Gallagher. Holden leaves the Edmont and heads to Ernie's Jazz Club where he runs into Lillian Simmons, one of his brother's ex-girlfriends which invites him to sit with her and her date. Holden makes an excuse to leave and walks back to Edmont. He comes across Maurice an elevator operator who sends a prostitute to Holden's room for five dollars. A young woman who goes by the name Sunny arrives, she gets undressed but Holden gets uneven about the situation and stirs up a conversation instead. He comes up with an excuse that he can't fully have sexual activity do to a spinal operation but still pays her the five dollars. After trying to persuade him, he sends her off with five dollars only to have her come back with Maurice demanding for another five dollars. Holden refuses and gets punched, while Sunny takes the extra 5 dollars out his wallet And then leaves Holden to eventually go to bed. Holden gets up and calls Sally Hayes, a girl he dated in the past to arrange a meet at a Broadway show. He has breakfast at a sandwich shop where he has a conversation about Romeo and Juliet with two Nuns and gives them ten dollars. He takes a cab to central park, hoping to run into his little sister Phoebe, but runs into her classmate instead. He helps tighten their skate then they tell Holden Phoebe might be at the Museum of Natural History. He ends up heading to the Biltmore Hotel to meet Sally instead. They head to the play then go to Radio city to ice skate. They sit down at a table where Holden expresses to Sally why he is unhappy at school and tries to get her to run away with him to Massachusetts or Vermont and live in a log cabin. She refuses which he calls her a "pain in the ass" and laughs at her anger. Holden tried to apologize but Sally left without listening. Holden cals his old student advisor from the Whooton School, Carl Luce, who now attends Columbia University to meet for a drink after dinner. Holden goes to movie at Radio City to kill time, then meets Luce at the Wick Bar in the Seton Hotel. Holden tries to bring up an old conversation he heard Luce talk about and tried bringing it up but Luce just got annoyed with Holden and excuses himself leaving Holden who continues to drink his Scotch while listening to the music from the pianist and singer in the bar. Holden makes a drunk call to Sally Hayes where they talk about their Christmas Eve plans. He tries to find the lagoon in the Central Park where he use to watch the ducks when he was little but didn't find it, until it got too cold. He decides to sneak into his house to wake up his sister Phoebe, where she forces him to admit that he was kicked out of school, which she gets mad about. He tries to explain why he hates school, but she just says he doesn't like anything. He goes on about this fantasy of being "the catcher in the rye," a person who catches children as they fall from a cliff. Phoebe explains how he misunderstood the poem when it says "If a body meet a body, coming through the rye," not "catch a body." Holden calls then heads to his former English teacher, Mr. Antolini, where he asks Holden about his expulsion and tries to give him advice about his future. Holden ends up asleep on Mr. Antilini's couch and leaves quick the next morning and winds up asleep for a few hours on a bench at Grand Central Station. Holden heads to Phoebe's school with a note saying they should meet at the museum at lunch. When Phoebe comes, she has a suit case filled with clothes and asks him to take her too. He refuses then walks her to the zoo and takes her to ride the carousel. It begins to rain but Holden is too happy watching his sister ride the carousel it almost brought him to tears. Holden ends the story telling the reader that he is not going to tell how he got sick. He plans to attend a new school in autumn and is very optimistic about his future.

2. The theme is just the hardships of life for a young teenage boy having to deal with the constant irritation of reality.

3. In the story Holden says "the best thing, though, in that museum was that everything always stayed right where it was. Nobody'd move... Nobody'd be different. The only thing that would be different would be you." I can see his tone, because in this excerpt he displays a very optimistic view on how everything stays the same in the museum except the people who come to it. Another, is when Holden says "... I'm standing on the edge of some crazy cliff. What I have to do, I have to catch everybody if they start to go over the cliff - I mean if they're going I have to come out from somewhere and catch them. That's all I'd do all day. I'd just be the catcher in the rye and all." In this passage it shows he chooses to deal with the reality of his own mind rather than the world.

Characterization:

1. There's a lot of forms of indirect characterization in the book, like when Holden lies to his classmates mom about their reputation at school or how he responds after the prostitute undresses. There is also many forms of direct characterization when Holden goes on about his fantasy as the catcher in the rye or how he always asks the can drivers about the ducks.

2. The author's syntax or diction doesn't really change because  the main character is narrating the whole story.

3. The protagonist is a static and flat character, because he just think the same and feels the same through out the book and doesn't offer much change or difference in the story.

4. One example that makes me feel like I met a person is when Holden has a conversation with Spencer in chapter 2, "Life is a game, boy the rules." "Yes, sir. I know it is. I know it." Game my ass, all right I'll admit that. But if you get on the other side where there aren't any hot-shots, then what's a game about it? Nothing. No game." From this example I can see Holden is a deep thinker and focuses on the reality of life challenges and how they can't always be fare. Shows to me he has a better understanding of life then most.

Literature Analysis #2 Nonfiction: The Lean Start Up by Eric Ries

Topic/Events:

1. My book is called "The Lean Startup," by Eric Ries. This book is honestly an entrepreneurship guide for creating successful businesses. Although I have not completed the book, I can definitely say so far in the book I've discovered that it's all based on this one business idea and all the stories in the book are represented as examples of success stories. The book is more than just a guide. In my opinion, if you want entrepreneurship broken down in a more simpler form for you to understand, this book is the best way to go.

2. I believe the author wrote about this business idea known as the Lean Startup to get out to the public. His idea is based off of a new idea of business using customer feedback as a bases behind their work. And I think his message is to spread the word on such a smart business solution.

3. What got me from the get go into reading this book, was the bright royal blue cover, it stood out to me on the floor of my cousin's room. She let me borrow it after reading the back of the book cover and discovering it's a book about entrepreneurship. This book stirred my curiosity so much that I'm hooked on this new idea of business.

4. I found the book to be very realistic do to the fact that the author behind the book is from Silicon Valley and is one of the creators behind the 3D interactive media site, IMVU. Which is funny, because I remember seeing the commercials of the IMVU site when Myspace.com was still the cool social media site.

People:

1. The author didn't create any characters, it seems his interpretation is all on their observations and experience. He writes basically on what happens and doesn't hold back. This book is for pure information and guidance.

2. For one, Eric Ries the author is one character in this book, because he narrates the whole book and uses his past experience with the Lean Startup as his primary example. Another is Taiichi Ohno and Shigeo Shingi which are credited with the development of the lean manufacturing revolution at Toyota.

3. What makes these people interesting is their business stories. Like all great entrepreneurs, they each had hits and misses through out their careers. But they always focused on the learning aspect of business. Discovering that to produce a great product people want, you have to run tests with the people to figure out what ideas fit or not while  learning to build a better product. Learning is the key to the whole Lean Startup process.

Style:

1. The author used a journalistic style, because through out the book he talks about the Lean Startup through examples of past success stories. He just writes what he has learned about it and how to go about it.

2. The author focuses more on the subject of the Lean Startup and how it works. The author breaks down the idea into multiple sections; part 1 Vision, part 2 Steer, and part 3 Accelerate, with smaller sections in between each part to break it down in more detail. The overall effect is to get the reader to understand the concept of the lean startup and how it works.

3. He doesn't really use much to demonstrate tone or create a mood, the book just goes back to the lean startup and it's examples. But you can definitely read the author's enthusiasm, because every time he explains a story, he breaks it down to show how the lean startup works for every story and how it can always be applied to any subject.

4. The author's attitude toward the subject of the book, I would describe as informative with real life experience to back it up and make it more interesting. You can tell the author is excited to express the lean startup, because it's a great success plan for any business or entrepreneur trying to expand their thinking.

5. The author offers tons of lean startup success stories ranging from big companies like Toyota to smaller internet based companies like Turbo Tax and IMVU. These success stories set the standard that the lean startup is much more than just a business idea, it's real life thing bring used and put to work everyday. In a way you can say pretty much these success stories were needed to prove a point and they did just that.

Enduring Memory:

     The things I expect to remember from this book is the concept of entrepreneurship and the idea of the lean startup. The lean startup makes so much sense to me, as an artist it gives me ideas on how to go about my art in a more business matter. I've figured our I can use my art as a product to revenue money, because not everyone can draw but everyone loves art. If I give the people my art skills and just charge them a fee for my work then it's all working our with me.

Literature Analysis #1 Nonfiction: Banksy Wall and Peace

Topic/Events:

1. My book is about a very unknown yet very famous Graffiti artist who call himself "Banksy" from London in the United Kingdom. Banksy is one of the most influential and most well spoken artists in the Graffiti world. His style consists of stencil work mainly, but he is indeed an artist. He writes his many messages related to religion, politics, and much much more. He tries to emphasize the reality of our society and at times mocks it just to prove a point of what's going on around us. The whole book is basically pictures and side notes to the subjects and reasons behind or related to the pictures. The pictures are all of Banksy's art, and each piece has it's own message. In a way coming from a Graffiti artist, I read a page each time I see a picture of Banksy's work. You have to read and decipher the piece to understand the message.

2. I'm not sure if why Banksy's wrote this book exactly, but from what I can see, it's just a book displaying his art work in the streets and speaking on behalf of his views of each subject and piece inside the book. It's all coded messages meant to bring reality to humanity.

3. I chose this book basically because I think Banksy is one of the best Graffiti artists of all time and to know he has a book, got me hooked. what appealed to me the first time I saw the book was the back cover when it says, "There's no way you're going to get a quote from us to use on your book cover." -Metropolitan Police spokesperson. This quote made me laugh, because it displays a sense of humor that Banksy has. What really made me want to keep reading the book was the fact that it's a book written by Banksy so I have to read it. I also read it to understand and observe his style of Graffiti art.

4. Yes, I found the book very realistic, do to the fact that everything is based off a real Graffiti artist's work and these pieces were done in the streets of real cities and places. I made a lot of connections in this book. Honestly this book just gave me and even bigger reason to carry on with my art and continue spreading the message of Graffiti, because we both share the same views on the subject of Graffiti. When you read the last paragraph of the first passage in the book Banksy says, "Some people become cops because they want to make the world a better place. Some people become vandals because they want to make the world a better looking place." I feel completely the same.

People:

1. There wasn't any characters necessarily, more of just articles on events and things that were related to the pieces in the pictures. I think Banksy wrote this book to express his work like he does on the streets, he just wanted to speak his opinion and display his art. Banksy's tone through out the book was very sarcastic yet informative. His choice of words grab your attention, like what he says in the back of the book on his advice for painting with stencils he writes, "mindless vandalism can take a bit of thought."

2. There wasn't any characters, but Banksy did explain why he used different animals and figures in his art like the rats. On page 95 he explains saying, "they exist without permission. They are hated, hunted and persecuted. They live in quiet desperation amongst the filth. And yet they are capable of bringing entire civilizations to their knees. If you are dirty, insignificant, and unloved then rats are the ultimate role model."

4. When I finished the book I felt like I was in the mindset of a true genius. Everything Banksy displayed and wrote influenced me and got me thinking in so many ddifferent ways. It was like a Graffiti enlightenment and I was just handed a bible from the Graffiti Gods!

Style:

1. They used a lot of symbolism, not just in his writing, but in his art. A lot of pictures or I should say all of them displayed symbolism to represent a reason behind the piece. But the author did take a journalistic approach by expressing his views and article backing up his opinion, like when he talked about the segregation wall in Palestine on page 136.

2. The author doesn't describe too much only when the piece has a good enough back story, like the story behind his piece work of the revolutionary icon Che Guevara on the bridge over Portobello road in West London. He pretty much focuses on events and places rather than people. It makes the book a little more informative and more interesting in my opinion.

3. His main tools he uses to demonstrate the tone or mood is his sarcasm and ironic Graffiti pieces. It's pretty much all about his art, most of the art is sarcastic and ironic in many ways. He does use personification like in his piece where it shows a monkey and inside the monkey it says, "laugh now but one day we'll be in charge."

4. I think the author's attitude towards the subject in his art pieces are to either inform or make fun of. Most of the art is based on humor.

5. The author talks about many subjects in time and history that happened like the segregation of Palestine or the corrupt president Ceausescu of Romania.

Enduring Memory:

     Something I'll remember from this book is the idea and vision Banksy left me with when I read him say, "Imagine a city where graffiti wasn't illegal, a city where everybody could draw where ever they liked. Where every street was awash with with a million colors and little phrases. Where standing at a bus stop was never boring. A city that felt like a party where everyone was invited, not just the estate agents and barons of big business. Imagine a city like that and stop leaning against the wall-it's wet." This passage speaks to me in so many ways. It speaks of my vision, my idea of a perfect community. A city that enjoys art so much it paints itself over night every night. Beauty in disguise, the true essence of Graffiti.

Beginnings

My masterpiece is doing a lot if things for me. It's helping me build a resume and art portfolio I can use in the future. I'm learning more about the technical side of the art industry. But most of all I'm getting the chance to better my art skills and be able to show what I can offer. Ever since I was a little kid I never knew what I wanted to do in the future or be, but I always knee what I wanted to do at the moment. I always loved creating things, building, drawing, you name it. My mind was filled with curiosity, still is. But I was always curious about what I would do in the future. One thing I knew for sure is it wasn't going to be ordinary. Looking back at those moments I realize art is that out of ordinary thing that I can do. My masterpiece has given me a new light to things I didn't think were possible, but they can happen, if you put in the time and effort. So right now it's crunch time. I just finished 24 complete art pieces I had to submit for my  ap studio art portfolio. On top of that I submitted 5 pieces of art to be critiqued by top art schools and art critics. Not to mention getting asked to paint pieces of art for people and getting paid for it, is kind of nice.

Excerpt from "Banksy, Wall and Piece"

"Imagine a city where graffiti wasn't illegal, a city where everybody could draw wherever they liked. Where every street was awash with a million colours and little phrases. Where standing at a bus stop was never boring. A city that felt like a party where everyone was invited, not just the estate agents and barons of big business. Imagine a city like that and stop leaning against the wall - it's wet."

This little excerpt right here explains exactly my reason behind my art! I express my art to beautify the community and to promote that graffiti is beautiful and it should be expressed as a form of making our community better not just for the rich but for the actual community. We all love art, why not express it and turn these blank boring walls into works of art for everyone to enjoy?! I don't know about you... But, if I saw graffiti all over a city it make me want to live there. Then again I am a Graffiti artist.

Connections

I can't really say I experienced a lot of things that reminded me much of my masterpiece or inspiration for my art. One thing I can think of is collaborating on ideas with Xavier Navarro on clothing brand designs and meanings. It almost seemed as if we understood exactly what we were both going for. He wants to start up a dope clothing brand that represents the upcoming of success of the growth to becoming an "Undrground King". Someone who came from the streets and rose up to the top. And what art medium is most suited to represent underground style than Graffiti?! So that's where I come in drawing up designs for his vision while we both establish and live the message we are trying to send. Which is said in this quote written by Xavier Navarro. "An Undrground King is someone who's on their way to the top. They Work their Ass Off just to get Noticed. Anyone can be Great, but to be the Best you must First become an Undrground King." Which basically means you have to establish yourself first with your audience, go to the streets, speak to the people and communicate and collaborate. Our message is to bring the reality of creativity and the strive for success back to life. One day we'll be "Undrground Kings" and people will understand the message that we bring.

Design

The physical, structural, and cultural elements of my learning environment/s should be hacked in many ways. But in one is finding the space to sit in peace and draw my art. I can draw anywhere I find comfortable which is most places. The environment isn't necessarily what I need for success. It's all about time in my opinion.

Response to raising a moral child article

Raising a moral child, is probably the biggest subject in child development today, because it seems as the generations move on parental habits on raising their children have changed as well. I can definitely relate to this article, because I experienced both the calm, cool, and collected parent that never physically punished me or did or said things to depleat my motivation. But I have also experienced the highly stressed out, impatient, and abusive  parent as well which has made impacts in my past that I do at times struggle with now. The reason why I say this is basically because my parents grew up differently than each other. So both have their own view on parenting, but only one is right. As I read the article I could do nothing but constantly look back at myself and see how I was raised by my parents. My up bringing was pretty interesting do to the fact that my parents are divorced, but I experienced two types of parents. One being my Dad, now my dad is a calm and very easy going person he grew up with both his parents together so his upbringing was more stable. While my Mom, she was a bit more of the opposite and grew up with a single mother and a father who left his family for another. So looking back at my parents pasts I begin to realize a pattern. From my Dad I see more acceptance and understanding, someone who will watch you fall but as soon as you hit the ground they pick you up and tell you "you see, that's why you have to pay attention." My dad never hit me or my sisters or ever displayed any reason to want to hit us, he rather use other punishment techniques like grounding or taking the phone away. While my mom was more impatient and hot headed, she always seemed more stressed out and too focused on making money and giving material things than showing love or effection. She always got mad over the littlest things and at times me and my sisters had to pay for the mistakes some way, either through word of mouth or slap/punch to the shoulder. The reason why I bring up these examples is because through out this article how to raise a moral child, I think they forgot one key element. And that's raising a child doesn't start with the child it starts with the parents and their history of how they were being parented at the time which I have constantly heard that we kids of our day got it "easy." Which I can agree with but I don't believe is a bad thing. Because reasons for discipline were more physical and stern than they are now. I think raising a moral child is simple as long as you show the child and teach them to understand good common values and to respect and love one another, especially themselves, then I think the child will be fine. But if the child lacks any of these qualities it maybe a point of concern and the parents should try and figure out the problem and help their child learn to understand and deal with the solution. Life is a constant struggle but without a good set of parental guidance you won't be able to understand the true reality and meaning of life unless the parents learn themselves to deal and cope with their past upbringings and how to make their children have a better life than they had. All in all, it all starts with the parents to raise a good moral child you must first learn to understand your own childhood and make changes on how things should be handled from how they wetmre in your past. Because history has a tendency to repeat itself, I should know.

First Art Show! :D

Just earned my first certificate for participation in my first art show! I feel very accomplished and proud to have taken part in this show. I may not have won anything but the fact that I got my art out there and shown to the public is all that matters to me.

Is There An Expert In The House?

Thinking about my masterpiece project and what its about I come across the question on who or what is considered an expert in such a very open subject like Street Art and Graffiti. But I've come to learn in the Graffiti world the expert is the artist. You don't have to be a huge world famous artist to be an expert in Graffiti, as long as you have a great can control method, a quick hand for fast pace work, and the will and drive to write where ever seems relevant for you and your reputation status to be expressed. It's pretty simple to become a Graffiti expert but its another story to become a real "Writer". "Writing" is what Graffiti is mainly known for; tagging, bombing, writing, getting up, all these terms basically mean getting out and putting yourself or your "name" out there into the world for everyone to see and know who you are. The reason why I say anyone can become an expert in Graffiti but its a different story to becoming an expert in writing is because you need to have experience in writing to become an expert. You have to have done the dirty work; hopping fences, scaling walls, hanging from bridges/billboards, just going the distance to put yourself out there. I know artists who will go the distance and I know those who stray to the side and watch. Writing is illegal but it has an ongoing itch that seems to never be scratched. The more and more you go out running with a can wedged between your jeans and boxers or jacket pocket trying to cover that can from being seen and having to run or hide when you suspect "The Man" is around. It sends you a huge dose of adrenaline that leaves a rush you can't find doing anything else, it feels so good doing something that seems so wrong to most but not to yourself. No one will ever understand the expertise of Graffiti. The only way to find out is going out and trying it. (Which I don't recommend you try) But what I do recommend is going around your community and getting to know your Graffiti underworld. Every city or town has one some where and once it's found, admire it and focus on it. Read the Graffiti and try to understand what the artist is conveying, the answer may surprise you.

"Doesn't This Just Make You Smile?"

I'm not sure what caused me to create this drawing but I love cartoonism and the cartoon style of professional Street Artist duo Dads and Myla which I will be posting a resource on more information about these artists. But this piece is just an infusion of ideas from other artists added with my own. I love this piece a lot and can't help but smile in joy over the very uplifting cartoon character. With it's simple quote "Doesn't This Just Make You Smile?". Comment your thoughts on my work I love hearing feed back and be honest, I don't mind a true opinion, it's the best way to go.

Resource Notes #6 #withsyria

http://digg.com/video/banksy-with-syria-video?utm_source=nextdraft&utm_medium=email
 
I was just exposed to this video of a collaboration with political graffiti artist Banksy, Idris Elba, Cristiano Ronaldo and other celebrities coming together to put this visual exposing the crisis of Syria through Banky's graffiti art work. This is so dope because it shows Graffiti being used for its purpose in a good way to help support and bring to the public about the seriousness of the crisis in Syria. Must watch most definitely!

Resource Notes #5, Breaking Bad Graffiti

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-BwN91itBhc&feature=youtube_gdata_player

This little graffiti video masterpiece is of two of the UK's biggest Graffiti artists Aroe MSk and AVK1 doing a commissioned art video to promote the new Breaking Bad DVD. So for all you Breaking Bad fans who haven't heard about this DVD, well your welcome. The reason behind this video is because Graffiti art is more than just paint on a wall we could use graffiti as a way of promoting or advertising to the public just like what the producers of Breaking Bad did. So next time you see a graffiti piece ask yourself this question. What is the artist trying to convey or tell me?... The answer may surprise you.

Library Art

If anyone is around the Santa Maria Town Center Mall area go take a quick cross over the street to the library to check out these bad boys created by yours truly, in the Shepard Hall Art Show. Which will be open til the 26th of this month. I'm not the only artist in this show, other students from Righetti and other schools through Santa Maria have art pieces in this show, so I highly recommend anyone to take a quick trip and check out the art show, you won't regret it! The show is usually open around the same time the library is. Which is mon-thurs from 10am-8pm, fri-sat from 10am-6pm, and sunday they're closed, it's located in the Shepard Hall but for a bit more help for those whomay have some trouble finding the show. As soon as you walk into the library look left. Thanks for the support. :D

Benchmark Project

     I have committed myself to Graffiti art

and trying to break the barriers of it's

vandalistic, defacing reputation. I

understand to most people graffiti art is a

criminal act and has no connection to art

or at least fine art, but I beg to differ. Art

wouldn't be here without graffiti. The first

written graffiti pieces weren't done on

Subway trains in New York City around

the late 1970's they were done in caves by

the most rawest artist ever, good old

Neanderthal. While cave paintings are

historical artifacts of the past, they

display the same concepts of graffiti,

because graffiti artists put up these

pieces to represent who they are, what

they can do and how they can do it.

Graffiti is a very expressive form of art,

it's a true art form that challenges the

limits of all art by painting what you want,

where you want and how ever way you

want to. I love graffiti for the pure fact that

it's different, because I don't believe in

what is considered fine art to amateur,

because what you can see the streets is

far from amateur and I bet many fine

artists who have tried spray painting have

all had issues mastering the infamous

can control that you must learn before

even writing your name.

     The tools I'm using from the fall

semester are just basic tools for research

and networking use. Right now, I'm just

trying to learn and understand the art

culture of graffiti. I just want to focus

primarily on the whole meaning and

fabric of graffiti. What makes the artist

tick? Why do they risk their life and

freedom for just a quick moment of

fame? Why do these artists put their heart

into an art form that only displays their

art for a short amount of time before it

reaches the infamous buff or getting

covered up. I've researched a group of

artists starting from the world famous

Seventh Letter Crew devised by the

collaboration of two graffiti crews known

as AWR (Angels Will Rise) and MSK (Mad

Society Kings). These two crews started a

movement by showing their art to the

world after countless runs with the law,

all these artists are now respected and

known for who they are and what they

can do. Which is honestly the whole point

of graffiti, getting recognition for your art. 

     What I will need to do to make sure

June brings a sense of triumph for me

would have to be to continue on my

research and to hopefully have my plans

and ideas either in the making or just

completed. I have a lot of plans and ideas

to show my art and bring the raw nature

of graffiti to life. I have already started

with my new art series called "Graffiti

Isn't Black & White", which in my drawings

depict images of graffiti art and graffiti

artists running in the streets and showing

what the underground lifestyle of graffiti

is like and how graffiti adds life and

culture to it's public canvas by displaying

everything in black and white. But the

graffiti art which is in vibrant open colors.

But I have one plan up my sleeve and that

is to leave this school with my artistic

mark on it. I want to take part in a mural

project on the school because I'm tired of

looking at the plain boring walls that

make Righetti High School. We need

some spirit, some fun, some creativity to

this school. Our colors are purple and

gold yet I hardly see purple and gold any

where? I want to get more information

and talk to the principal of Righetti to

hopefully see if they would be interested

in my plan.

     I love speaking about my project to

others, because it's so different yet full of

so much opportunity. I feel just by talking

to others about my project they already

can see the passion in my eyes when I

start talking about graffiti, and I know

they're listening because they can relate

to it and understand it after I break it

down and explain in detail. I'm very

talkative, so I don't mind explaining and

giving detail to those who are curious or

interested in my ideas. I've already gotten

feed back by others in my class and

everyone of them have told me something

that has shown that I love what my

project is and I'm passionate about it.

Like one time in class when we were

saying all our projects and when I talked

about mine, Shane Cheverez steps up and

agrees with what I say and expresses

how he can see that I'm well passionate

and very into what I'm pursuing and doing

for my project. But I do try to express how

my availability to collaboration, because

as a part of my project I want to expose

my art skills and talents to others by

offering collaboration like painting

posters or giving the artist's point of view

on something like Shane Cheverez's study

on what makes people so happy in what

they do and love.

     The steps it will take for me to get this

project up and rolling would be starting to

talk to more classmates on collaboration

and letting everyone know that they have

an artist whose up for free commission.

Another is getting connections with the

principal and other school officials and

talking to them about my school mural

idea and even speaking to the Santa

Maria art committee or mayor on another

huge project I have had in mind for quite

some time now. Which is developing

graffiti safe zones or what I would call

"Street Smart, Street Art Spots", which

just like the Venice Beach art walls, would

be open for young artists with the itch to

paint and to express their art on these

legal art walls or buildings or whatever

the city be willing to offer if accepted. I

just need to start talking and networking

with people, because my plans and ideas

can't get started on their own. So i'm

going to start drawing my plans and ideas

of what would look good for the school

murals and show our principal to see his

opinion on the subject and as for the

"Street Smart, Street Art Spot", I need to

find out who would be in charge of the art

activity in Santa Maria and anyone else

willing to help.

     For my personal learning network I

would need more artistic minded people

and those who are in power to help me

with my plans and ideas. I'd need to get to

know more people who are interested in

my project and that are willing to stand

behind me and help me in these

endeavors. But as a young artist I need to

start building an audience and fan base

for my art work. I need to start talking to

more people about letting me display my

art in their galleries, shows, or buildings.

I'm also trying to focus on small

businesses I can speak to about

commissioning art pieces to go up on

their establishments not just for art but

for commercial use as well. I know graffiti

art can be used in commercial use,

because my favorite graffiti artist AROE

MSK has already been commissioned to

paint a advertisement pieces for  the

movie "Planet of the Apes" and the DVD

release of the hit show "Breaking Bad". I

just want to stop talking about what I

want to do and start doing it, because I

know times ticking and I'm not going to let

another second slip away.

Work Cited

www.theseventhletter.com

www.aroemsk.com

Shane Cheverez (classmate I spoke to and got feed back about my project)

www.venicebeachartwalls.com

www.pbs.org, article "The History of American Graffiti:' From Subway Car to the Gallery" by Saskia De Melker

The Symbolism of Love in a Tattoo

This drawing is for my mom's future husband. He knows my passion for drawing so he asked me to draw up a tattoo of my mom's name, with which he mentioned I had full control over how it looked. So after a long time of thinking of how to draw this piece I believe I finally found the right idea that would fit for him accordingly. 

Graffiti Isn't Black & White

Here are two pieces I have completed for a series I am currently working on called "Graffiti Isn't Black & White". This series of marker and paint drawings will be expressing the true beauty of graffiti art and how it's purpose is to brighten our communities not deface them.

My Vocabulary #3

Air Brush:
Mechanical spraying device used to apply paint to the surface of work.
Ex:
I got to air brush my sister's sweater the other day.
Contour Line:
A line depicting the outer edge of a shape or group of shapes.
Ex:
The contour line of the drawing really makes it stand out.
Directional Line:
A line or lines, which direct our visual attention in a specific direction.
Ex:
The directional lines in the graffiti piece are a bunch of arrows.
Distortion:
Changing an object's usual shape to communicate ideas and feelings.
Ex:
A lot of graffiti art is done with distortion of the letters.
Division Space:
Breaking up space by use of positive and negative shapes.
Ex:
Some artists use division space to separate the letters in the graffiti pieces.
Emphasis:
The main element or focal point; what the viewer's eye should see first.
Ex:
The paint can emphasizes the whole the piece very well.
Exaggeration:
Increasing or enlarging an object or figure to communicate idea or feelings.
Ex:
A lot of letters are exaggerated in graffiti art for style.
Fantasy:
Imagery existing in the imagination.
Ex:
Graffiti cab display of fantasy in the art.
Foreground:
Part of a picture which appears closest to the viewer and often is at the bottom of the picture.
Ex:
You must first lay the foreground of your piece before painting it.
Full Round:
Work meant to be viewed from all sides.
Ex:
The 3D letters make the art piece look full round.
Gradation:
Compositional term referring to the transition from one form to another by changes in value.
Ex:
The gradation in the background complements the graffiti letters well.
Harmony:
Pleasing arrangement of elements of design in a work of art.
Ex:
The letter styles are drawn in complete harmony in the piece.
Horizon Line:
The distant point at which sky and ground appear to meet.
Ex:
The horizon line in the piece needs to be more straight.
Idealized:
Referring to art in which representational images conform More closely to ideal aesthetic standards than to real life.
Ex:
Graffiti uses a lot of idealized drawings to express a thought, feeling, or action.
Intensity:
The relative purity or grayness of a color. Saturation of color.
Ex:
The color scheme in the piece bring out so much intensity to the piece.
Kerning:
Selectively altering the spaces between letter combinations for a better fit.
Ex:
Graffiti uses a lot of kerning in its letter spacing.
Logo:
A visual symbol that identifies a business, club, individual or group.
Ex:
Bobby's open source logo design is the best ever.
Lowercase:
The small letters of an alphabet.
Ex:
The lowercase letter in the drawing was done very well.
Metaphor:
A figure of speech or visual presentation in which a work, phrase, or image is used in place of another to suggest a likeness between them, while in the process formulating a new concept for the imagination.
Ex:
Graffiti artists sometimes write or drawn things as metaphors for something.
Modeling:
In drawing or painting, effects of light and shadow that create the illusion of three-dimensional volume.
Ex:
Graffiti uses a lot of modeling to add 3D effects to the piece.

My Vocabulary #2

Street Cred:
Street credit, credit for creating good street art.
Ex.
The graffiti artist got major street credit for his billboard piece.
Reality:
The world or state of things as they exist.
Ex.
I put my view of reality in my art work.
Critique:
Criticism on someone else's art.
Ex.
The teacher critiqued the students work after they completed it.
Shapes:
Patterns and forms of things.
Ex.
The graffiti piece has many different shapes.
Texture:
The look and feel of the piece, shading for example.
Ex.
The shading texture of the scales on the fish painting makes it look so real.
Medium:
The genre or art form you are using, like painting or sculpting.
Ex.
My favorite art medium is street art and graffiti.
Background:
The area that appears farthest from the observer on an art piece.
Ex.
The background complements the piece.
Biomorphic:
Taken from nature, structured based on life.
Ex.
The sky painting had such a real biomorphic look to it.
Bleed:
The part of an image that extends beyond the edge of a page and is trimmed off.
Ex.
The thick paint bleed as it was sprayed on the canvas.
Calligraphy:
Art of clean beautiful writing like cursive for example.
Ex.
The artist has great calligraphy skills in cursive.
Color Wheel:
A reference chart for colors.
Ex.
I always look at a color wheel for direction of color choice.
Concept:
Idea of the art work or meaning behind it.
Ex.
I bird with its wings spread over the country exposed the concept of the piece well.
Content:
What's in the art piece.
Ex.
The bird adds good content to the piece.
Color Scheme:
Choice of colors for an art piece.
Ex.
The graffiti artist has a great color scheme in their work.
Choke:
A method of attending the thickness of a letter or solid shape.
Ex.
The graffiti artist always chokes the tips of his letters to make a crisp point.
Composition:
The way parts are arranged.
Ex.
The letter positions in the piece add great composition.
Crafts:
Art works that are both decorative and functional.
Ex.
Paper airplanes are a great craft.
Crop:
To cut off a portion of a shape.
Ex.
I had to crop the letter a bit to make it match with the others.
Culture:
Behaviors, ideas, skills and customs of a group of people.
Ex.
The culture in Santa Maria is different to San Luis Obispo.
Design:
To choose and arrange elements to form an art piece.
Ex.
I had to design a logo for Dr. Preston's Open Source Learning system.

Resource Notes #4

In my research I looked up my ultimate favorite graffiti artist of all time, "AROEMSK." Aroe, born in the 70's, grew up in the UK, and got completely inspired by the whole early 80's Hip Hop scene. After watching the 'Buffalo Gals' video one night on TV with his brother, their lives changed forever having them focused on writing (graffiti), b-boying, djing, just about anything Hip Hop related. But through the Hip Hop Funk, writing was Aroe's passion. He changed his life around after getting into serious legal issues he created a music group known as "First Down" and recorded a series of records which eventually brought them a great fan base then parted ways into their own directions. He began to get deeper into his art, but seems like life got in the way and painting had to be put aside until things finally got managed. I love his opinion on graffiti, because it's very true when he says, "Many artists claim they do this for themselves and hate the fame and attention-it's part of the game as far as I'm concerned. Not for one second do I kid myself that the writers that painted the subway cars of New York did it for any other reason than to make a name for themselves and get the kudos and street fame in order to feel elevated among their peers." He does graffiti for the pure reasons I do and way much more, definitely the main reason why he's my true idol. To learn about him I looked up www.aroemsk.com.

Resource Notes #3

I found while going through a random instagram feed a graffiti artist/disigner known as "HUEMAN". Hueman caught my attention first off, because she is a beautiful female who happens to be a graffiti artist, now it's always a great moment to hear about female graffiti artists, because you don't see many girls into the raw and rough style of graffiti art. I found her website called www.huemannature.com, and from going through her bio I learned first off that her name is Allison Torneros and that basically she is a free spirit artist. It's artists like her that inspire me to continue on with my passion for art, because for one she's a female in the graffiti scene, how cool is that?! I honestly give her props. But after seeing a few videos of her expression behind her art and reading why she paints, I can't help but admire this artist for we look at art so similarly. We take our time add things to our work as we progress in the piece, basically free styling. I also began to understand the origin behind her name "HUEMAN," do to this quote she said, "When I dare to go outside my comfort zone I feel more human, and hope to inspire others to do the same," which I hope to do for others one day as well.

Resource Notes #2

I found another article on www.kcet.org called "The Legal Street Art of Santa Barbara," by Ethan Stewart. Stewart first starts his article saying, "Santa Barbara has a certain reputation in the outside world and generally speaking, it doesn't include graffiti." He then expresses calling Santa Barbara "the Sunny Seaside Hamlet," and saying how Santa Barbara's known for their red tiled roofs, nice sunny weather, and clean city. But then he talks about the first block of East Mason Street, where you come across a T-shirt shop with displays of legal graffiti art on it's outside walls. Now this wall wouldn't have even become reality if it wasn't for a local art scene fan named Laura Inks who opened a small gallery store with her boyfriend just across the street from the T-shirt shop that will display the works of street art. Soon after looking at the old building before it became a complete mural gallery, Inks with help from friends devised a project known as A.M.A.S.S (Artists Making a Street Scene) which helped open up an opportunity to display graffiti legally on the streets of Santa Barbara. With which after gaining permission of coarse the T-shirt shop displays all these amazing murals that stand as examples of the hard work and dedication Inks brought to her city.

Resource Notes #1

In an article I found called "Artists On the Edge" by Yvette Cabreraon at www.missionandstate.org. The author starts her article off with a simple introduction sentence, "This place isn't meant for everyone." She then gets into a fully descriptive paragraph on the experience it is on the trail towards this mystery wall in between the Goleta and Santa Barbara area. She describes how the trail leads to an abandoned campsite where there are old trails of spray paint cans which she says are "left like artifacts." Through all this mess she comes across a huge patch of weeds which covers what she describes as a wall "that goes on for yards" and how it, "explodes into a noisy canvas of color, blending industrial, futuristic, expressionism." But she then raises the questions, "is this graffiti or art? Did artists or outlaws do this?" She then responds with, "the answer can depend on your perspective." She starts talking after about how the Santa Barbara community handles graffiti and how young artists basically end up paying for committing what is considered a crime to every one else but the artist. But at the end of her article she says "the art versus graffiti question may keep for debate, but staring at the fusion of aerosol and attitude out here in the middle of nowhere, one thing is clear! This wall has a message, someone used it to make a point." Which in my opinion the point is that graffiti art is ment to bring beauty and tell a message to the world through the expression of paint, letters, and creativity.

Launch

In spring semester:
1. What do you really want to do?
I want to learn more about graffiti art and trying and get more information and help on trying to make more ways and open more doors for graffiti art to be expressed other than getting a can of paint and writing a quick tag.

2. How can you use the tools and things you learned last semester?
I can use the tools I learned last semester by using the research skills for more study on graffiti and using the internet to find new ideas and ways to make my vision come to life.

3. What do I need to prove to myself and everything else that I should have no regrets by June.
What I need to prove myself is still focusing more on my blog posts, finding more information, and starting to contact and even collaborate with others on ideas to begin the vision of more graffiti art expression.

4. When someone looks at your blog in June, is someone going to notice a difference in it?
I hope to have left a mark in my blog because I should have posted either more information I have discovered, displayed art pieces I have worked on, or shown the progress on my vision for more graffiti art expression.

5. Can someone look at your blog and get what your trying to do?
Hopefully by my display of my art work and my updates on my graffiti expression vision should get the viewers to figure out where I am going with all this.

6. Am I the only one at the party?
I don't believe I am the only one at the party but I don't know as much people who shared the same views as mine but that's why I am going to venture out and explore my resources and try to meet more people who hold the same ideas and views as mine.

My Vocabulary #1

Opulence:
Great wealth or luxuriousness.
Ex.
The hotel held a lot if opulence.
Copious:
Abundant in supply or quantity.
Ex.
We were copious when it came to spray paint.
Aforementioned
Denoting a thing or person previously mentioned.
Ex.
I aforementioned about my old writing partner the other night.
Highfalutin:
Pompous or pretentious.
Ex.
The student was very highfalutin.
You don't want any highfalutin jargon.
Graffiti:
Writings or drawings scribbled, scratched, or sprayed illicitly on a wall or other surface in public.
Ex.
The student is an amazing graffiti artist when he uses spray paint.
Noisy:
Loud expression in the art or piece.
Ex.
The graffiti piece was so noisy and vibrant with color.
Canvas:
Any form of surface used to create art on.
Ex.
I use many different canvases but my favorite is a brick wall.
Futuristic:
Having or involving in very modern technology or design.
Ex.
The graffiti looked very futuristic with its straight lines and angles.
Geometric:
Of or relating to geometry, or according to its methods.
Ex.
The graffiti piece was very geometric.
Expressionism:
A style of painting, music, or drama in which the artist or writer seeks to express emotional experience rather than impressions of the external world.
Ex.
Graffiti displays a lot of expressionism.
Femininity:
The quality of being female, womanliness.
Ex.
The female graffiti artist displays a lot of femininity in her work.
Juxtaposed:
Place or deal with close together for contrasting effect.
Ex.
The graffiti seemed very juxtaposed.
Fad:
An intense and widely shared enthusiasm for something.
Ex.
Sagging your pants was an over rated fad.
Writers:
Another name for street/graffiti artists.
Ex.
Did you hear about the crew of writers down by the Santa Maria bridge the another night?
B-Boys:
Another name for break dancers.
Ex.
I saw a crew if B-Boys in LA the other day.
Culminated:
Reach a climax or point of highest development.
Ex.
Throw Ups:
Quickly drawn bubble letter styled graffiti art.
Ex.
I saw a bunch of throw ups on the building.
Pieces:
Huge and well detailed graffiti murals.
Ex.
The pieces in the LA river bed are amazing.
Toys:
A negative nickname for a rival graffiti artist or an artist who just sucks.
Ex.
That kid Acer is a toy!
Tag:
A quick write of an artists name usually done with a single spray paint can or marker.
Ex.
That dude Also has a clean tag hand style.

Life After...

Life after high school... Well let's see, my real dream is to attend the Art Institute in Los Angeles, but I'm afraid I can't afford the schooling, so I am now more interested in taking a year off after high school and doing nothing but save money and focus on perfecting my skills in music and art so by the time I am ready for school I will be financially ready and have a much better technique and skill in my work. Now that is just a pretty big goal to follow and I debate on what job I am going to work at because Subway paychecks just are cutting it sadly. But my solution to this job situation is a proposal I received from a close family friend asking if I wanted to learn how to become a cable guy for direct tv, now the thing is he asked if I was willing to try a voluntary apprenticeship in becoming a cable guy that way when I applied I could add that I already gained experience and understand what to do on the job that way they would pay me more than the usual amount for starting employees. So I think for my place after high school is follow up on that offer and gain that experience because in all reality whether I go to college or not I will have gained a great job position for myself as a cable guy and gaining experience to help me move forward in my future. As for my music and art talents, they will always stay the same I will always have a passion art and music no matter if it turns into a profession or not it will still be a great skill to say I hold. All in all, I plan to focus on making my life a lot more easier for myself by working hard now so I dont have to later.

Spring Vocab List #1

Adumbrate:
Report or represent in outline.
Ex.
The student adumbrated about Dr. Preston's open source learning idea.
Apotheosis:
The highest point in the development of something; culmination or climax.
Ex.
I always hate the apotheosis of a song, it signifies the end of the track.
Ascetic:
Characterized by or suggesting the practice of severe self-discipline and abstention from all forms of indulgence, typically for religious reasons.
Ex.
The little boy was very ascetic after getting caught trying to steal the candy bar.
Beguile:
Charm or enchant (someone), sometimes in a deceptive way.
Ex.
Dr. Preston's conversation on open source learning was too beguile for me to ignore.
Burgeon:
Begin to grow or increase rapidly; flourish.
Ex.
The small corner market business began to burgeon all across town.
Complement:
A thing that completes or brings to perfection.
Ex.
The melody and chorus line complement the chord progression and drum beat to the song perfectly.
Contumacious:
Stubbornly or will fully be disobedient to authority.
Ex.
The drunk guy was being too contumacious to leave the bar after the cops arrived.
Curmudgeon:
A bad-tempered or surly person.
Ex.
I'm usually a curmudgeon after working a closing shift at work.
Didactic:
Intended to teach.
Ex.
The student was very didactic when they were talking about open source learning.
Bauble:
An insignificant inanimate object.
Ex.
The autographed football from the Pittsburgh Steelers game was a great bauble to have in our collection.

Spring Vocab List #2

Account rem:
Additional items of dress or equipment or other items carried or work by a person or used for a particular activity.
Ex.
The construction worker uses a lot of different accoutrements at their job.
Apogee:
The highest point in the development of something; the climax or culmination.
Ex.
The engineer began to get excited at the apogee of their project.
Apropos:
Very appropriate to a particular situation, bicker/argue about petty and trival matters.
Ex.
I had an apropos argument with a police officer the other day over a traffic ticket.
Coalesce:
Come together and form one mass or whole.
Ex.
The football team coalesce together and defeated their opponent.
Contretemps:
An unexpected and unfortunate occurance.
Ex.
The cat's death was contretemps to the family.
Convolution:
A coil or twist, especially one of many.
Ex.
The losing team making a come back towards the end of the game was a big convolution.
Cull:
Select from a large quantity; obtain from a variety of sources.
Ex.
There was a cull of choices of spray paint in the graffiti store.
Disparate:
Essentially different in kind; not allowing comparison.
Ex.
The dogs were very disparate to each other.
Dogmatic:
Inclined to lay down principles as incontrovertibly true.
Ex.
The police talked in a dogmatic tone to the young juvenile.
Licentious:
Promiscuous and unprincipled in sexual matters.
Ex.
The young teen was licentious at the moment.
Mete:
Dispense or all of justice, a punishment or harsh treatment.
Ex.
The slave was given a mete for trying to escape.
Noxious:
Harmful, poisonous, or very unpleasant.
Ex.
Having asthma feels a bit noxious at times.
Polemic:
A strong verbal or written attack on someone or something.
Ex.
The girl yelled at the teacher so polemic.
Populous:
Having a large population; densely populated.
Ex.
The graffiti competition was very populous on Saturday.
Probity:
The quality of having strong moral principles; honesty and decency.
Ex.
The boy in church is very probity.
Repartee:
Conversation or speech characterized by quick, witty comments or replies.
Ex.
My friend and I always have very repartee conversations at lunch.
Supervene:
Occur later than a specified or implied event or action, typically in such a way as to change the situation.
Ex.
The couple was so late to the wedding they had to supervene an hour later.
Truncate:
Shorten (something) by cutting off the top or the end.
Ex.
My dad had to truncate the board to fit properly.
Unimpeachable:
Not able to be doubted, questioned, or critized; entirely trustworthy.
Ex.
Joanna is my very close friend because she is unimpeachable.

Vocab #1 Performance Review

To be honest, I knew the outcome of the vocab quiz for me wasn't going to be something to be proud of. Mainly because I didn't study this weekend do to my crowded schedule having to work all weekend and try to spend as much time as I could with my sister who just came down from Colorado. It's definitely not the way I wanted to start this semester, bombing the first vocab quiz, but this moment of failure has opened my eyes more to start finding and making time to get my work and studying done because last semester wasn't fun trying to juggle school, work and other things at once. So for now I'm not happy with my performance on the Vocab quiz, but I shall take this as a learning experience and most definitely try harder next time!

My First MLA Research Paper

                                              Bobby Rucobo 
                                              Period 1    
                                              12/1/13     

Abstract:
     In this research paper you will read about racial judgments on music preference. You will read about why there is a racial judgment on musical preference and how it has made an impact on the music industry and culture of today. Music is universal, everyone knows what it is and everyone loves it. But people tend to view music in categories, categorizing those to only listen to certain genres of music do to racial stereotypes. Which in my opinion isn't okay because I am a young Latino male who happens to love all forms and genres of music ranging from Reggae, to Rock, to Rap, to even EDM and so much more. people assume off of looks that they would think someone listens to a certain type of genre when it could be the complete opposite. This paper exposes the judgment of musical preference by race to be false and to not judge those for what music they choose to listen to, because we all hold our own preferences for we are all human and are no different from one another. I looked through many different resources from major record labels like Motown Records to the ASCAP (American Society of Composers, Authors, and Publishers). I found a lot of different things looking up these sites, a lot had good racial points in them like the discrimination Motown Records had endured do to their diverse group of black musicians and artists.

Introduction:
     If you were a music manager for a top record label and a young African American male were to walk into your studio to audition for a contract, what form of music genre would you think they would perform?...Rap, Hip Hop, or R&B right? But what if this young man pulled out an acoustic guitar and began to start singing Country Music, I began to notice a lot of judgment on one another for what kind of music they prefer to listen to. For example, this year in my Music Production & Songwriting class I made a comment about an old 80's Thrash Metal band known as Metallica, now a student in that class over heard my comment and responded saying "what do you even know about Metallica?" Little did he know I have been a dedicated Metallica fan since I was 6 years old and know practically everything about the band, I ask him "well what is it that you know about Metallica?" I begin asking him a series of questions, which included, "what was Metallica going to originally name there first album before naming it Kill Em All?" He was confused by the question so I began to laugh and responded with "Metal Up Your Ass or M.U.Y.A. for short", then told him to not judge people on what music they know by how they look. Another big example I have witnessed about miss judgment of music taste was when I watched the movie "Ray" it was a movie based on the musical life of Ray Charles. There is a scene in the movie where a young white man brings young Ray Charles too a Country band rehearsal where another white man immediately stands up and tells Ray Charles to leave, because he's black and that they play only gospel and not black slave music. The white man that brought Ray Charles pleads to the other man to just listen to him play, Ray then finds his way to the piano and begins to play, almost simultaneously the rest of the band begins to play along to Ray's melody and the band let's him in to perform. I'm not exactly sure if this moment ever happened, but it is still a great example of racism affecting others just by how they look they are expected to play certain genres of music when in reality looks are very deceiving.

Methodology:
     I am going to investigate my topic by asking others' views on it and even possibly partaking in some experiments to see how this topic can be expressed with racism. I will also like look up multiple sources for my investigation, like researching record labels, looking up music managers, reviews from music critics, and consumer data. After reviewing some sources, one that stood out to me was ASCAP (American Society of Composers, Authors, and Publishers). On this site they display a lot of information about the music industry on songwriters, composers, lyrics, etc. I have also looked at a few record labels such as Mau5trap Records and Motown Records, to see if there has been any racial issues involved with either of these labels. And yes there has been, mainly with Motown Records. These approaches are affective, because they give me a bit more sense of direction in my research. It is a bit hard to look up exact information for a topic like mine, but I do still find a great deal of information just by looking up these sources, because they all talk about the diverse culture of music and basically shows many different forms of racism being displayed whether by the record label itself or by the musician. I am also looking at different racial sites such as racialicious.com to see if there are any articles about racial stereotypes involving music genres or any other articles of subjects similar to my topic. Looking at this source I began to understand the story is a bit different for each race but all with the same outcome, expressing how people constantly judge without thought or realizing what they're doing and saying, all though my topic isn't thought of as much, it is a huge factor in the music industry professional critics constantly criticizing artists and musicians by their racial ethnicity as they come out with their music like, Eminem in Rap music or Jimi Hendrix in Rock 'N Roll, even though technically African Americans created Rock 'N Roll, when fusing Blues, Jazz and others genres of music.

Part 1: Finding:
     In my research I expect to not honestly find much about my topic because it is a bit different. My topic focuses mainly on judgment of one another over music preference and how it segregates each other, categorizing by race saying they can only be seen producing or listening to certain genres of music. If I were to expect to see any information related to my topic, it would probably be something over a certain person whose race usually isn't seen in the genre of music much, like Vanilla Ice and Eminem in Rap/Hip Hop.

     After doing a bit of research, I was surprised to find some very interesting information on my topic, because I wasn't the only one with similar questions and ideas. On the website www.psychology today.com, I read an article called "The Psychology of Musical Preferences", although this article doesn't speak much about the racial side of the topic, it still does raise a few good points on how music preferences are viewed I two ways, one being that song preferences are completely random and or that musical choices reflect important aspects of our personality. Which the author favored more, the personality side of music preference, with which I agree with completely. As a music lover I listen to a lot of different genres throughout the day depending on my mood, the weather, or how I am feeling at the moment. Another article I found was on the website www.racialicious.com, where the article is titled, "Who Racialized the Music?" With such a bold question for a title, I began to read and understand the author's views and I noticed we both shared the same views and ideas on this topic, the only difference was I am Latino while the author is African American. although I read more of the "black perspective" of my topic, I did notice it was still similar to the same views I had on how you can judge so easily for listening to music genre that is remotely different to what is usually played, which is what the author wrote that he endured this as he attended a Historically Black College/University in Washington D.C., while being the only known black person at the school as it seemed holding more interest in rock, dance, and alternative music other than Hip-Hop or R&B. I have been through the same experiences being around friends and the only one who favored Rock, Old School, Reggae, EDM, and so much more over Chicano Rap and Mexican music,  although I do like certain Mexican music songs even though I may not understand what the singer is saying. The last thing I discovered in my research kind of came by accident. Back then when Vinyl Records were the hip new gadget of the day, there were special vinyl records called "Race Records". On these race records, displayed music generally and a bit stereotypically races other than white people would enjoy. These records mainly targeted African Americans, which proves a point that races were categorized by listening to only certain genres of music at the time. Which in some ways still continues today such as on the Television station BET or Black Entertainment Television. For example whenever I turn the channel to BET when they play there 106&Park show, they only display Hip-Hop or R&B music videos or videos involving Hip-Hop or R&B artists, there isn't very much diversity of music genres except for generally Hip-Hop or R&B promoted on the show, which in my opinion should be more open minded, when African American musicians are constant changing their sounds just like other musicians of today.

Implications for Future Research
     As I continued to do research on this topic I began to find more and more ideas that also seem to come up for question. Such as this little article called "Who's Afraid of Rap: Differential Reactions to Music Lyrics", It talked about how people are at times afraid of Rap music do to it's very explicit and graphic lyrics. Which stirs up the question maybe some people don't listen to certain music out of fear of judgment or being made fun of for liking a certain song, mainly in teens and young adolescents. Or even having parents not allowing their children to be exposed to certain music out of fear of judgment or being made fun of for liking a certain song, mainly in teens and young adolescents. Or even having parents not allowing their children to be exposed to certain music out of fear it will cause them to get a hold of bad habits. It surprises me honestly to see how people can judge upon a certain genre of music claiming its bad when there are also multiple styles like East and West, East having more lyrical and intricate rhyme patterns and flows, like in a Tribe Called Quest, while West had more of that funky, edgy, more in your face and raw lyrics filled with expression and facts or emotions and feelings on subject happening around them like, NWA. It goes to show how some styles and forms of one type of music genre can have an effect on the whole genres reputation, the reputation even carries on to the artists and musicians themselves such as when former President George W. Bush invited rapper Common to the White House, Common was immediately judged for being a thug and hoodlum just because he was a rapper, yet little did the person who said these comments know that Common is actually a well respected artist in the music u industry saying more positive and uplifting lyrics, yet back in the 90's, NWA's rapper Eazy-E was invited to the White House by President George Bush Sr. and yet Eazy-E with the actually label as a Gangster Rapper received no back lash for the invitation. So it makes no sense to judge an artist or musician on what they may look or perceive to be seen as because what people see and who people really are, are two completely different subjects. Another idea I came to question is the judgment that just because different subjects. Another idea I came to question is the judgment that just because you are a certain race you're not as good enough at a certain genre of music like for instance Eminem in Rap, he is white and typically white people don't rap, but he is an amazing freestyle rapper,his cyphers and bars are well said and written in majority of his songs although his best work was his older music, to be honest. The same goes for a white Dubstep music producer known as Zeds Dead, he originally was a hip hop producer, but when he began to create Dubstep he and another artist known as Omar Linx, a rapper who they both created Dubstep and Rap music having Zeds Dead create the well produced dub step/hip hop beat and having Omar Linx spit rhymes and rap to the flow of the beat until its pounded by the usually heavy bass drops. This shows the multiple diversity of music and how different races can contribute different music genres and styles and mix them together producing amazing tracks. Flux Pavillion a European Dubstep producer and Childish Bambino a young black rapper also collaborated together to form dubstep/hip hop music, creating amazing tracks with heavy bass drop like "Do Or Die".

Conclusion
     In conclusion, racism in music comes in many different forms of judgment, racial judgment of music preference is just one of these. But it's an important subject, because there are thousands of young individuals like myself who hold love for all forms and genres of music beyond the stereotypical views. It's another small way to show that no matter what race you are, we are all equal, we all like the same things, and have and share the same views and ideas. We are all the same we are all human, there is only one race in music and that's the Human Race.

Work Cited

www.ascap.com, (American Society of Composers, Authors and Publishers)

www.psychology today.com, article "The Psychology of Musical Preferences"

www.racialious.com, article "Who Racialiazed the Music?"

www.Wikipedia.com, article "Race Records"

www.mau5trap.com

www.motownrecords.com

Fried, C. B. (1999), Who's Afraid of Rap: Differential Reactions to Music Lyrics. Journal of Applied Social Psychology