INVISIBLE

I really liked Invisible Man.

It was unlike any other book I’ve read in school, especially one focusing on racism. The approach that Ralph Ellison uses to expose America’s race issues was unique and will stick with me. His use of imagery and creative storytelling truly makes Invisible Man special.

The part about the paint factory, for instance. That was a really creative and complex way to look at racial tensions. It was intense, I’m not going to lie. Ellison sure does like to create crazy characters (check that alliteration, look at my education at work), like the main characters supervisor at the factory. He was angry and scary and crazy, buuuut he helped Ellison get across his point.

Ellison was a smart dude. He was extremely innovative and I think this book should be more popular than it is.

My only complaint about this book is that we didn’t get enough time to work with it. Invisible Man was a very thick book, literally and with its vast and complex messages, and we hardly had two weeks to work with it. I feel like there’s a lot more we could’ve gotten from it if we had a chance to discuss it as a class, especially because its one of your favorites, so I’m sure you have a lot to say about it. Oh well. I guess we can come back to it if we have time.

Book = Cool = Book in t9

I like books. Lots of books. It’s hard to choose just one to suggest.

I really like Kevin Coval’s slingshots (a hip-hop poetica). It’s a compilation of Coval’s slam poetry pieces. His work varies in subject matter. A lot of it focuses on his childhood and the reflections he has on past experiences. Other poems focus on his urban life, from his street corner stores to women he’s met in the city, and even ones about Chicago herself. Coval has a really interesting style of writing that keeps the reader captivated. He also lays out his poems into a very unique format on the page. You can tell a lot of time went into what words were important to emphasize and how a line’s meaning can change just by how it’s manipulated when printed. But hands down, the best thing about this book is the content and writing itself. Coval touches upon a lot of important, universal ideas in an unusual way, feeding the reader line after line of vital mental sustenance. If you haven’t already read this book, especially living in Chicago, do. It’s grand.

Another book that just sticks out in my mind is Illusions: The Adventures of a Reluctant Messiah. I haven’t read this book in almost 4 years. My best friend gave it to me in 8th grade because she loved it. Don’t misunderstand me, though, it definitely isn’t an 8th grade reading level book. Although the language is easy to follow, Illusions struggles with the ideas of life, death, and reality. I think it’s one of those books that you can get more out of every time you read it. I bet I would think a lot more complexly into it if I were to read it now (which I probably should). And again, if it still stands out in my mind from so many years ago, there must be something to it.

Quality Stuff Right Here

You know what's a quality movie that I had forgotten about until a few weeks ago? The Land Before Time.

I grew up on this movie, and its numerous sequels (although sadly, I can not say that I've seen all thirteen of them). It was good to me in my youth and like most children's movies, is still entertaining now.

The Land Before Time is such a great movie because it appeals to so many audience groups. There are, of course, the children. This movie is educational, giving a bit of information about dinosaurs. It also contains many important themes, like loyalty, respect, and determination. But perhaps most importantly, The Land Before Time features almost exclusively young characters. I don't remember exactly, but I imagine it was nice as a child to see such strong, hilarious, lovable, little kids in a movie, even if they were animated dinosaurs.

There are also strong racial and social themes present in The Land Before Time. My siblings and I were shocked when we realized this, since none of us remembered that aspect of it from our childhood. But the writers made their message pretty clear. Once Littlefoot (the main dinosaur, a "long neck") asked his mother why he couldn't play with another little dinosaur (Cera, a "three-horn"), and she openly replied "we all stick to our own kinds...because we're different. It's always been that way". I almost started laughing at how blatant this message was, but I suppose it's an important one to get out, especially to little kids.

So parents love it, kids love it, and on a slightly more comical note, stoners love it. Seriously. My brother told me he read this long forum online about the drug innuendos in the movie. My siblings and I watched it with that in mind, and I'm not going to lie, a lot of what he was pointing out made sense. But in my opinion, that doesn't at all take away from the movie, just adds another level of complexity to it.

The Land Before Time. Quality. If you haven't seen it, no matter who you are, do.

Tika, My Darling

I was trying to think of an artist I really love. One who inspires me and moves me and all that. A few names popped into my head, but none of them seemed right. After thinking about it, I realized that the artists who most inspire me are usually my friends.

Let’s take my friend Tika.

She’s a goofy free spirit. She’s in my photography class and doesn’t see herself as much of an artist. But I, of course, disagree. Tika creates some of the most beautiful and creative pictures I have ever seen. They make me think, smile, and want to go out and create something too (an effect I think all good art has).

I know there has been a debate about whether or not photography is really art. I know it is. And to anyone who disagrees, I’d like to show them some of Tika’s pictures. She has a real talent for creating a surrealist image just using a camera. Let’s take the photo above. It’s of her cousin and his girlfriend I think. Every time I look at it, I smile. It communicates the silliness and lightness of a relationship, and subtly a deeper and more complex feeling about love. To me anyway. But even without the emotional aspect, this picture is just really cool. It’s beautiful, with colors and textures that are out of this world. I want to have this hanging in my bedroom.

And this one. Again, she did not edit this image, just captured it with her camera. AND it’s a self-portrait. Now, if that’s not artistic talent, I just don’t know what is.

Tika, while being a great friend and an amazing human, is also a superb artist. She makes me feel good and I want to own everything she creates.

Fight...For your Right...

I think the theme of this blog, “We Have the Right”, is an important idea to keep in mind during this next Philosophy of Art Unit. As we figured out in class, it is near impossible to really answer the question “What is and is not art?”, and that’s understandable. People have been debating about their opinions on this topic for ages. I think it’s more beneficial to not try to put restrictions on what is considered art, but rather discuss what makes something “good” or “bad” art. Remember, we have the right to dislike or love any art we want.

For instance, let’s look at that portrait of Elvis we were making fun of earlier. I do not like this painting. I do not think it is good art. It elicits no emotion out of me, neither positive nor negative, and does not inspire me to even discuss it. HOWEVER. This is art. Someone had a vision and created this Elvis. Perhaps in the context of their work, it means more than what I see. But that doesn’t really matter, to me at least. I don’t like it, but I accept that it could totally move someone, or even blow their mind.

And then there’s Keith Haring. If you don’t know already, I love this guy. Almost every piece of art I’ve seen by him has moved me, affected me in some way. But his style is simple. He doesn’t use the techniques gone over in a fine arts class. Some people, because of this or other reasons, don’t consider Keith Haring’s work art, or they call it “bad” art. But I love it. I don’t agree with possible critics, but I have to accept their opinion on it. Because they, along with everyone, have the right to call something fantastic or garbage.

HAPPY BIRHTDAY M.C. CARTHY

You have to want to laugh on your birthday, right?
This video will make your LIFE. And I figured, since it's your birthday, why not bring it back to babies?

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7yHejN1korE
http://www.maniacworld.com/babies-eating-lemons.html

It's babies eating lemons for the first time. So good.
If you've never seen this, you're welcome.

And if you look at this at school and can't get to Youtube, this is what you have to look forward to:

X is Known

The Autobiography of Malcolm X has made a lot of things known to me.

It was really interesting to discover the lifestyle of a Harlem hustler. I, not surprisingly, know very little about the hustler lifestyle, so most of the information X presented in the first few chapters was completely new to me. I found myself sort of fascinated by a lot of it. The hustlers of Harlem were very intelligent with their schemes. For instance, when X’s brother sells knock-off goods as if they were stolen, so people buy them quickly while giving him a profit. Don’t get me wrong, I’m not condoning this dishonest behavior. But it is a unique way to make something out of a bad situation.

It was also informative to hear about the secret undergrounds of Harlem, especially sexually. It really made me think, how much of that is still true today? We hear about Congressmen or other people in powerful positions getting caught in a scandal of sorts all the time. But what percentage of people actually gets caught in situations like that? Is there still a lively underground scene today? I don’t think it should really matter what people, whether they have power or not, do in their free time. It would be interesting to know though.

And of course, The Autobiography of Malcolm X makes a lot of other things known in his book. I learned almost everything I know about the Nation of Islam from this book. I learned about a different take on the creation theory. But I think a really important lesson X proves through the telling of his life story is how you control your own life. X was put in terrible circumstances, but educated himself and turned into an intelligent and powerful man. Sure is inspirational.