Maya Projects

geurnica project

^new one

 

For our geurnica project I decided to focus on plastic surgery. Back where I'm from, girls as young as 14 were getting some kind of procedure done to improve the way they looked. I personally would never get plastic surgery. No one needs a nose job, a facelift, or a tummy tuck, all they need is self-confidence.  The media portrays these images of women who look like barbie dolls, but barbies are not real people. The photographs in magazines and advertisements are completely photoshopped to hide every possible imperfection while our imperfections are what make us human. There are plenty of things about my body I am not completely happy about but surgery is not the answer nor should it be for anyone.

I selected this photograph to represent a women going in for some kind of facial surgery. The cloth covering her eyes serves as a metaphor because I think that most people who decide to get plastic surgery are incapable of seeing and appreciating their beauty. This goes along well with the quote I used: "everything has its beauty; but not everyone can see it."

The background of the image is a list of every possible plastic surgery procedure. I decided to cut the model out from the photo and place her in front of this list of text. Next I decided to fade the text from dark to light so that the quote can be seen more clearly. Lastly, I used the brush tool to create this series of gray lines both straight and curvy to go around the image.  I did this to frame the model and thought it nicely separated the background list of surgeries from the quote.

personal narrative

^new one

This digital collage is about change and growing up: two unavoidable aspects of life. 

When I went home for fall break I found a lot of old photographs of my mom and dad, and of my sister and I when we were younger. I also found a post card from the School of Art & Design that was sent to me after my acceptance to U of M. The image that is behind the post card is of a carrousel which to me has always symbolized youthfulness and childhood. Having the post card from U of M and the carrousel image right next to each other was done on purpose to contrast growing up and still feeling like a little kid. All the images in the collage are very precious for different reasons. The street sign is my address back in New York, but when I graduated my mom decided to move to Seattle and sell our house. That house holds all my childhood memories; we lived there for 16 years and I don't remember ever living somewhere else. The photos on top are of my parents when they were married. They decided to get a divorce when I was 7. There are very few pictures I have of them together or of their wedding. 

The background of my collage is a page from Vanity Fair. I decided to use this specific page because the photos on top had a very vintage look to them with a neat border that almost looked like ripped paper. So I kept the borders but inserted my own images. Then I took one of my drawings from this semester and Posterized it on Photoshop. I also downloaded this cool font from the internet called "KG God Gave Me You." I decided to use this font because it looks like my actual handwriting and goes along well with the other font I used for the quotes under each photo of my mom and dad. These quotes are from the recent film "The Tree of Life."I was really moved by this film and how it portrayed getting older, time passing, and the creation of our world. 

Digital Nation

The program on “Frontline” called Digital Nation was very interesting, especially since their target audience is our generation. When the video came on I saw a Digital professor stand up and signal everyone to put their lap tops down so I quickly shut mine off and put it back in my bag. However, most of the people around me still had their lap tops open--- a girl in front of me was even shopping online. Little did she know, this was the exact sort of thing the video was about to address. 

The reality is, people multi-task all the time. They are on their computer, watching videos on Youtube, tagging themselves in pictures on Facebook, and all the while trying to do their reading homework. People don’t realize that there are some implications to this kind of lifestyle. The video Digital Nation concluded that, “Multitaskers are terrible at every aspect of multitasking. They get distracted constantly and their memory is very disorganized...we worry that it may be creating people who are unable to think well and clearly.” I strongly agree with their point; how can you focus on a lecture and really absorb all the information, if your having a conversation with a friend on Facebook Chat simultaneously? For some reason my lap top does not get internet connection in my Sociology Lecture room and I’m totally ok with that. I take detailed notes and constantly participate. If people looked up from their lap top screens and actually listened to what the professor was saying, they’d want to participate too. 

Something that really stayed with me from the video was when the women, Rachel Dretzin, discussed how all her children and her husband can be home but at the same time be in their own sort of “internet bubble.” This is exactly how it is at my house. My mom actually moved my sister’s computer into the kitchen one day, so she’d be less likely to go on Video chat or Facebook with people all around who could see her. 

On a separate note, the video also discussed how the internet can be a positive thing--- and the important skills one will acquire by growing up around this technology. The reality is, both my grandma and my mom have no idea how to do half the things I can do on the internet. I set up a Facebook account for my mom and she ended up deleting it because she said it brought her too much stress and she had know idea how to work it. Then one day when I showed her my blog/online portfolio, her only response was, “how do you know how to do all this?” No one taught me how to set up a blog, a Facebook, or an online portfolio---I just figured it out. Is it possible that older generations are so far behind that it is almost too late to catch up now? This was a very intriguing point brought up by the video and I’m not sure if my parents/grandparents can “catch up” per-say, but they’ll certainly try. 

I am both thankful and frustrated by the technology accessible to my generation. Facebook is not a social network, it is another social world. It is actually considered abnormal for anyone in my generation to not be on Facebook. This frustrates me. However, programs like Photoshop and Indesign are awesome, and I’ve learned so much by being introduced to this kind of technology at an early age. My generation is both lucky and at risk because of these tremendous technology advances. 

Movie Poster

contrasting identities

^new one

For the "wild child" image I selected all the black pixels and made them hot pink. However, when this eccentric color appeared on my shirt and in the dark parts of my hair, I cut myself out of the original image and layered it on top of the new, edited one. Then for the image on the right, I used my graduation picture and added a library hall way as the background to represent being "responsible."I decided to use this background because in high school I was always in the library. I take my school work very seriously. I never skipped class nor did I ever hand in assignments late. On a separate note, both my parents had very serious jobs so making doctors appointments, doing the laundry, applying to colleges, and meeting every dead line, was no ones responsibility but my own--as it should be.

The "Wild Child" image actually has a very funny story behind it. For those of you who are reading this that don't go to U of M, the rock behind me is a very symbolic thing here. It gets painted every single night. However, when I was here for Welcome Week, I was not aware of this...so I decided to go and hug the rock because I was so happy to finally be at college. The rock turned out to be extremely wet, thus it had just been painted. At first I was so upset but then I decided to go back and get some more paint to give my newly bought jean shorts that "vintage look." Why not? I thought. This is my attitude about a lot of things, however I never do anything I am not comfortable with. I have a good head on my shoulders, but I love being adventurous and crazy at the same time.

image conversion 4

The only thing I did to change this image was alter the levels. I thought this photograph was really beautiful in its simplicity and too much editing would ruin it. The photo is very serene and reminded me of something you'd see at a Spa or Yoga studio; that is why I decided to write "breathe" at the bottom. 

FUN FOTOES

bike reflection flipped...from RISD^

image overlay ^

China trip^

image conversion 3

I altered this image by layering two photos on top of one another. I thought it created a very unique and almost dream-like quality. If you look in the background you'll notice a faded palm tree. The quote written at the bottom is from a poem by Robert Frost, it says: "I took the road less traveled by and that has made all the difference." I decided to include this because after looking at the picture for awhile I noticed there was a path that splits off---so that you can go left or right. 

image conversion 2

I changed this image by taking all the white pixels and making them this deep purple color. Then when the color appeared in places I did not want, I referred back to the original image and by using the Polygonal Lasso Tool I was able to replace the pole on the right along with the top of the gasoline tank. This image says, "Change Before You Have To," in all different kinds of font. I am very interested in alternative energy and wanted to make a statement about how important it is for our country to have a paradigm shift. No longer can we afford to rely so immensely on fossil fuels. The bottom line is nothing lasts forever, and the oil mines of the world are "running low." This particular gasoline tank has an extremely vintage look to it so I think this too compliments my point that it is time for change...time to adapt.

Image Conversion 1- Digital Studios

I altered this image with a "neon glow" filter and changed the colors to purple, bright pink, and aqua.  I decided to add the words "Le'Go" to the photo because it is a fun term from the song "Look at Me Now," by Chris Brown and Lil' Wayne. Also, this bike is right outside Mary Markley Hall, and every time I walk out of the building to go to class or the football games, I look at the bike and wish it where mine. I picture myself riding around campus with this one of a kind bike and "Look at Me Now," is playing somewhere in the background. :)