#discussionreflectionpost

In our class discussion, we began by discussing Christians’ roles in society, and specifically in the entertainment industry. We talked about what specific types of art and examples that we probably should and shouldn’t be supporting as Christians, which I realized that I should really give more thought to. Growing up, I went to a Christian elementary school, and many of my classmates were extremely sheltered by their parents regarding the types of music, shows, and movies they were allowed to watch. So, when these kids gained more freedom in high school, most of them were the ones to go the craziest and found themselves taking part in things that they probably shouldn’t have. For me, my parents wanted to protect us from the outside world and make sure that we weren’t being exposed to anything inappropriate, however, they also didn’t want to completely shelter us so that one day we would be completely shocked when we got into the real world. I’ve had many discussions with my parents that reflected what we talked about today, that of living in the world and not of the world and how to do that. I always called my elementary school a “bubble” for Christians, where they decided what we learned and what we watched, and almost all of the parents were extremely strict with the school and what they could and couldn’t teach us about. This was a perfect example of Christians sometimes taking being “not of the world” too far, and completely separating themselves from the world. Chrtistian artists sometimes also forget how to be of the world, and many don’t understand that we have to be a part of the world in order to understand the things going on around us and to know how God wants us to shine His light in these dark times.

I really loved today’s discussion about the two readings because when I first read them, I didn’t really understand what the authors were trying to say. However, after today, I realized that I probably really didn’t give the articles enough of a chance to make sense to me. I tend to move on from something when I don’t understand it, which is exactly what the readings were trying to tell me not to do. I loved the points people brought up about how you have to give art a real chance, and you have to sit in the uncomfortable confusion of a piece before it starts to make sense. When specifically talking about abstract art, I really liked the points about nature also being abstract art because I have never thought about it that way. Someone gave an analogy about a pile of dirt and sticks in a gallery is, in theory, the same thing as a forest, and that connection really opened my eyes to the fact that art really is all in the eyes of the viewer. We also talked about how art helps you engage deeply in conversations and how sometimes a lack of understanding comes from a lack of effort to understand. The point stating that if you don’t spend time on something, then you’ll never learn how to appreciate it, resonated with me a lot more than I expected. In life, it is too easy to walk away from something that doesn’t make sense or is too hard to understand. However, it is extremely important to understand that you have to learn about something to be able to participate in it. I believe that if everyone took the time to learn and understand that point, then the world would be a much better place.

In our discussion today, we talked about how we set limits and boundaries for ourselves, specifically with technology. This discussion caused me to really think about the boundaries I have in my life. Regarding technology specifically, I need to get better at putting my phone away when I need to get things done. I am way too easily distracted with social media, and specifically tik tok, to really be able to put my time and energy into things that I need to be getting done. However, I have been working on this and I have found that when I am working on homework, I am much more focused and productive when I simply leave my phone in the other room, and just listen to an instrumental playlist while I get things done. In the rest of my life, I have boundaries for myself regarding when I need my introvert versus extrovert time, and when I just really need to take a nap. This is the first year that I have really worked on setting these boundaries for myself, and I have found that I am much happier when I make the time to participate in the things I want to do and also take the time to get things done so I am able to relax when I need to. We also discussed how we can simplify our lives. Now this is something that I really need to work on. We talked about how we can simplify our lives by prioritizing and shifting our mindsets to be productive and positive. I typically do this by playing specific kinds of music and surrounding myself with my comfort items.

We then discussed the second question of the week, “what makes an artwork good or bad?” We agreed that people can determine something to be good or bad based on what they believe it means to be good or bad. In the small group, I said that I think that people judge something in this way based on their upbringing, preferences, morals, values, and faith. I would not be able to determine if something is bad based on technique and skill alone. I do not have the expertise or knowledge to do that so it is hard for me to begin to judge artwork based on those factors. Together, we discussed what we think would classify as bad art and we came up with answers like; nudity, extreme profanity, and any form of work that worships the devil in any way. To me artwork that includes such things is what I consider to be bad. It was nice to engage with my group on this discussion.

In our last discussion which is so bittersweet the conversation about abstract art came up as a topic. Abstract art to me is something that is very unique however I feel that it is a very challenging piece of artwork to create, because you want that artwork to be appealing to the guy, but at the same time abstract art does not attempt to represent external reality, but seeks to achieve its effect using shapes, forms, colors, and textures. One of the conclusions that was discussed is that abstract art is challenging because it is hard to understand the meaning behind it. Also discussed in class that abstract art is supposed to not be easily understood, and actually is meant to not be understood but rather to be understood by the artist themselves. In my discussion group, we discussed the essay that was written by Joe Lloyd and how he was telling us to look at this type of art. We seemed to agree that the article did not align with what we though abstract artwork was. We see in the essay that Lloyd agues that this type of art is not a puzzle, thus it needs to be looked at the same as any other pieces of artwork. Overall, the discussion went really well and brought up a lot of conversation. We were trying to set aside our personal opinions and open our minds and perspectives in order to see if we could agree to somewhat agree with Lloyd. Both the class discussion and group discussions were great with lots of opinions on this topic!

In our last discussion we began the conversation on abstract art. The general consensus was that abstract art was challenging because we couldn’t understand it. We talked about how maybe it’s not supposed to be understood, maybe there isn’t supposed to be a rhyme or reason behind it. Can we just appreciate it that way it is? This conversation stemmed from the essay we read by Joe Lloyd. He was telling us how to look at abstract art. My discussion group discussed that the article disagreed with that we all thought abstract was, that it is a puzzle that needs to be figured out. Lloyd argues that abstract art is not a puzzle, it should be looked the same way you look at other art. In his essay he also talked about how a lot of time people only appreciate the words of a song but they are missing out on the other 90% of art that makes up the whole song. His point was that sometimes art is just beautiful to look at. I am not at a place where I can engage with art in that way. I am still learning to appreciate it and at this stage I want it to be explained to me, I want to know the “why” behind the piece. Lloyd argues that that is not the point of art. This contradicts what we have been taught about in class and I think I lean to the side of wanting to know the “why” behind art. It gives me a window into the artist's mind. In class we also talked about how where an art piece is placed in an art show or gallery matter. The context in which it is seen matter, which is something that Lloyd talked about in his essay. I had never considered this before but I think he is right. The context of where we are when we are exposed to a piece of art matters because the things around it can distract us from the piece, or it can make the piece even better. We also grappled with the question of “Is everything art?” If abstract art can be a pile of crumpled up paper on the ground and a forest full of trees, is everything art? Is everything abstract? I would want to spend more time around art to really answer this question but off the top of my head I want to answer no, because if everything was art it wouldn’t be as special. Or maybe it would. I have to spend more time with that idea.

There was definitely a lot that was covered in this week's discussion and I enjoyed being able to cover a multitude of subjects. Specifically, I liked discussing Lynn Aldrich’s interview because that interview gave me a variety of perspectives and things to think about. I liked her perspective on integrating her faith with her work and thought that could be applied to my life in any area. I think after I mentioned in the discussion that having an impact on me and standing out, I liked what Tina said about having that kind of unwavering love and deep connection and faith in the Lord.

It is easy to put art in a box. That is something that you do in a high school class. That is something you see in a gallery. Artists live off government funding. All of these are things that people think about art. But art is so much more than that. It can help us express emotions that we cannot express with our words. It is easy to put art in a box, but we need to take it out so we can use it as a tool throughout life.