#classrefelction

We started class by talking about the reading. As always, it was interesting to hear my classmates thoughts on the reading. I really enjoyed talking about how consumerism can affect how we live our lives and even measure our success. It was interesting to hear how everyone measures their own success in the world. Then we talked about how we all take different steps so that we are being useful and are trying to fulfill our calling. 

We started class by talking about the art studio rules from another college. We highlighted rule 8, the creation process and analysis process should be separate things. I also agree that this is an important thing to keep in mind because if we begin to analyze art as we are creating it, we may begin to feel the work is not going to be what we want it to be; we must trust the process. We also talked about how getting rid of things can be hard but also how sometimes things that are no longer doing their purpose can be repurposed into art; i.e. Calvin’s fence who another guy picked up for his wife to make into something else. Then we also talked about the space we use to create. I liked hearing how everyones looks a bit different depending on how their individual brain looks. Personally, mine is an ever changing environment that may actually be a different place every time; the one constant is change. Then we talked about the questions of the week which was interesting to hear others thoughts on them.

Today in class we talked about the reading and videos and the questions of the week. One thing that was interesting when we discussed the questions of the week was that most of us said we like to look at art we aspire to create or we want to draw inspiration from. It was interesting to see because a lot of people like to claim they prefer to make unique art, but if we are looking at other art for inspiration, how unique is the art we are making? I was also glad to hear I was not the only one who enjoyed the reading this week, as it felt worthy of reading no matter what skill a person is trying to master.

We started class by writing down 6 words each that describe/ identify ourselves and then put them on the board to then mark them with our unique color to signify we also identify with it. Then we transitioned into talking about different taboo topics in the church which mostly lead to gender and sexuality in the world and with God. I think within the church, gender is a very black and white topic, and it can be very irritating. It always makes me think of when it is time to move heavy objects, especially in a church, people tend to say “okay men, let's move these things”. However, although I am a woman, I am strong and capable of manual labor. Last winter, my church hosted an event and when it got to tear down time, a guy was like “no, let the men carry those things, they're heavy”, but another male employee of the church just yelled “yayyyy sexisim”. This was something that made me smile because it felt like for once I was seen as strong and capable in the church. I also think something that is important to remember is a quote from St. Agustine, "God is not what you imagine or what you think you understand. If you understand you have failed." Part of being a Christian is the never-ending seeking to understand God through a series of questions that may or may not be answered. We are forever changing beings, shaped by our identity, the world around us, our personal beliefs, and many other things.

We started this class discussing the reading, question of the week, and our art projects. I always enjoy hearing from my classmates and how they are reacting to the course material. The reading was interesting and although the connection between the reading and the bible verses may not be easily connected, our group said that the reading and the bible parable are both about how we are given a certain amount of talents or resources, but it is about how we respond with our resources and either waste, save, or use them to gain more. It was also interesting to see everyone’s art projects and that some of us had similar stuff while others were significantly different. 

We discussed how art that is not made by a Christian can become Christian, however I disagree. This goes back to intent. As consumers of art, we kind of have the responsibility to pay attention to the intent of the artist, however we can talk about particular art pieces in a Christian setting. Looking at art made by non-Christians is important, as even though we are not of this world, we are in this world. If we turn non-Christian art into Christian art, we may risk walking into Sin or idolizing things. Consuming non-christian art is not a bad thing and I think it is important to do, but we should not turn it into something it is not.