Things I Am Obsessed With

There are a lot of random things that I would have to say I obsess over. If anyone knows me, they know that these objects, or people, will forever be a part of me. I've got the pictures to prove it too, and these pictures are just from things laying around my dorm, so it must be taken into account this only shows part of what these things mean to me. 

1. Ford Mustangs. I practically learned how to drive on one, and they are the ultimate America muscle car. I'm drawn to them like a fat man to fast food, and there's no way around it. I've got random Mustang stuff everywhere, I'm constantly thinking about them and looking at them... it's kind of a problem. Lastly, I will have the Mustang logo tattooed on me at some point. 

Mustangs also have been known to show up in my art. 

Below is the tattoo I will be getting

2. Matt Damon. I've always loved Matt Damon, ever since I was in Elementary School. He's a great actor, and rather handsome to say the least. Also a plus: he's aging very well too. I know my movie collection is rather sad, but I've watched almost every one he's in.

3. Dreamcatchers. I'm Native American, so not only do they come from my heritage, they are also so beautiful in their own way. I've obtained quite the collection of them, and I also have more at home. 

The tattoo I got in the fall of 2011, which has a lot of family meaning tied into it. 

I've also enjoyed the challenge of drawing them as well

Music

Unlike most art majors that I've run into, I'm not huge into indie music. I am mainly into country, metal, but I also listen to a little bit of everything else. I honestly do love way too much music, so I'll try to keep this list to what I've currently been obsessing with, and songs that I will always love.

Country: 

1. Tim McGraw 

Something Like That

For A Little While

Just to See You Smile

2. Rodney Atkins

Cleaning This Gun

Watching You

3. Garth Brooks

Unfortunately there are none of his songs on YouTube, but he's a classic and I couldn't just leave him out. 

4. George Strait 

Write This Down

Blue Clear Sky

5. Kenny Chesney

Fall In Love

Just Don't Happen Twice

6. Memphis May Fire

The Victim

The Sinner

Action/Adventure

7. A Day To Remember

Start The Shooting

Have Faith In Me

If It Means A Lot To You

All I Want

8. Avenged Sevenfold 

Brompton Cocktail

Unholy Confessions

Almost Easy

Gunslinger

9. Asking Alexandria

Nobody Don't Dance No More

Not The American Average

A Candlelit Dinner With Inamorta

These are just some of my all time favorite artists from the two genres that I listen to most. This list doesn't even touch what else I listen to. You name a genre, I listen to it at one point or another. 

People I Find Inspiring

1. Salvador Dali. This man is a genius. I could stare at his piece, The Elephants, for hours. It is by far my favorite piece, and one of the few things I find inspiring.

2. Les Baker. He's a 77 year old Navajo silversmith from New Mexico. He is my favorite jewelry designer, and his pieces are absolutely stunning. He has incredible detail and high quality craftsmanship, and I have bought only a couple of his pieces but plan on buying more as soon as I can afford it. I think it would be incredible to learn a trade like that, and create something so beautiful every time, and the best part is each piece is one of a kind. 

My favorite ring made by Les Baker. I wear it practically every day.

A necklace I had been eyeing for over a year, but it finally sold before I got the chance to buy it. 

3. Ludwig van Beethoven. My favorite piece, Moonlight Sonata, is one of the few songs that can put me in a creative mood instantly. I've learned to play about half of it on the piano, but I intend to learn the entire piece at some point. Also, the fact that he went deaf and continued to create beautiful music? That not only takes a lot of skill, but perseverance to overcome such a loss like that, especially with the work he was doing.

Books I Would Like to Read

Now since I have not had the time to read books as previously mentioned, I have not looked into what books are out there that I might find interesting. Luckily through word of mouth, I do have a short list I would like to read at some point.

1. Fifty Shades of Grey by E. L. James

2. Night Swimming by Robin Schwartz... I actually met the author who persuaded me into buying the book, which I have yet had the time to read. 

3. The Lovely Bones by Alice Sebold

4. The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins... Not only have I been told multiple times that it was a good book, I've also been told a few times that I looked like Katniss. Although I disagree with it, I would like to read it and learn about her character. 

5. A Clockwork Orange by Anthony Burgess

Books I Have Read

Unfortunately, I have never really had the extra time to read books for pleasure. Since I have not had the time to read much recently, this short list entails books that I had read in high school that I really enjoyed. What's really sad is the first one, although a children's novel, is still one of my favorite stories to this day.

1. Petey by Ben Mikaelsen

2. The Twilight Series by Stephanie Meyer... I'm pretty ashamed this is on here.

3. The Diary of Ellen Rimbauer: My Life at Rose Red by Ellen Rimbauer, Stephan King, and Joyce Reardon

4. The Secret Life of Bees by Sue Monk Kidd 

5. A Walk to Remember by Nicholas Sparks 

Yes, once again it's a pretty sad list, but I hope to add to it as soon as I have the time.

Masked Identity

Response to Switcheroo from This American Life

Pretending to be someone you're not or living a second life is a concept that I always liked thinking about. There are actually a few instances that I've felt like I had multiple lives. What I had done was harmless, unlike the father who ended up having a second family and abandoned his own, but it was definitely and has been quite the interesting experience. Personally, I feel as if I have lived "two lives" twice. When I was growing up, I went to a camp that was three hours away from where I lived in New York. I loved it. Nobody knew me or could judge me based on what they had heard about me... I had a completely clean slate. I made a bunch of new friends, and had been considered one of the "it" people to hang out with, unlike my status in my hometown of being a nerd. I always loved that nobody knew of the other people I associated with, and I loved being able to tell stories about one group of friends to another. This is partially why I decided to go to college so far away as well. I didn't want people to know me, know my past, or the hideous awkward stage I went through with four layers of metal in my mouth. After being that girl that hopelessly tried to fit in, and went out as much as possible, and came back with some of the craziest stories, I've gone back to being the person I was in my hometown. Although it can be nice to step away from who you are everyday, and switch things up a bit, truth is, I find it much better to just be myself. Now I just focus on studies and hang out mainly with my other nerdy friends, and I'm okay with that. Having said that, I can understand why the man in the story decided to be that person someone was looking for at brunch. It's interesting and fun. I also like that Cindy Sherman creates art out of such a fun concept. What I thought was even more entertaining is that there was a woman pretending to be her. I mean there really isn't a better way to play around with that entire concept, even if it wasn't really her. 

For this assignment, I had to create a mask reflecting my inner-self. I decided that I wanted to create a mask where it looked like I was about to bite someone's head off. Honestly, people annoy me pretty easily, for various reasons. It can make me want to snap, although most of the time I'm able to bite my tongue. I figured that this would be the perfect thing to depict for this project. 

Here are some in-process photos. 

Final Product:

Final Photos:

Project sketches: