Sunday, March 21, 2010
Sunday, March 7, 2010
Update
The performance will be on March 25th, 2010. Location still TBD but it'll probably be in Curry Student Center. More info as I get it. This is turning into such an awesome project - I hope you can all come and watch it come alive!
Sunday, October 25, 2009
Randomness ensues....
So I'm here at the library Google searching key words and trying desparately to come up with some sort of collection to present tomorrow...
I've come up with a handful of things before now, but I feel like the more that I look at them, the less I like them - again probably being too critical...
I wish I were the type of person that could think of a ton of literature off the top of my head. I just haven't read enough things in my life to be able to do that.
So here I sit. Google searching poems with words like: memory, remembering, nostalgia, reflecting, reflections - slowly but surely
More Later.
also, anyone watching me "read" these books must think I'm a crazy person. I flip and flip and stop momentarily to read a few sentences, sometimes a whole page or a whole story; and then it's back to the madness...
I've come up with a handful of things before now, but I feel like the more that I look at them, the less I like them - again probably being too critical...
I wish I were the type of person that could think of a ton of literature off the top of my head. I just haven't read enough things in my life to be able to do that.
So here I sit. Google searching poems with words like: memory, remembering, nostalgia, reflecting, reflections - slowly but surely
More Later.
also, anyone watching me "read" these books must think I'm a crazy person. I flip and flip and stop momentarily to read a few sentences, sometimes a whole page or a whole story; and then it's back to the madness...
Tuesday, October 20, 2009
Purposes of Reflecting
- learning from one's mistakes/successes
- becoming aware of slow transformations that have improved one's quality of life
- noting the slow transformations that impact one's life negatively
- determine what one's purpose has been in the past: sometimes we don't know how purposeful our lives are solely by looking at the day-to-day grind of life
- see how past social, family, or other roles could impact the future
- help one determine a "plan of action" or goal for the future
- noting progress/setbacks that may not have been noticed in "real-time"
- realizing that we DO change, just more slowly than is noticeable most of the time
more to come, as I reflect some more... pun definitely intended :-)
- becoming aware of slow transformations that have improved one's quality of life
- noting the slow transformations that impact one's life negatively
- determine what one's purpose has been in the past: sometimes we don't know how purposeful our lives are solely by looking at the day-to-day grind of life
- see how past social, family, or other roles could impact the future
- help one determine a "plan of action" or goal for the future
- noting progress/setbacks that may not have been noticed in "real-time"
- realizing that we DO change, just more slowly than is noticeable most of the time
more to come, as I reflect some more... pun definitely intended :-)
I thought I had a Lead....
It's funny how we can sing a particular song for years and never actually listen to the words. I thought of an excellent song to include in my performance --- or so I thought --- until I looked up the lyrics.
It's a song by Switchfoot called "This is Your Life" that puts me in a reflective kind of mood, so I figured that the words must have triggered that. I'm not particularly fond of the rhythm or sounds in the song so I assumed that the words are what put me in this mood, but I was wrong!The words "this is your life, are you who you want to be?" repeat several times throughout the chorus, but as I listened more closely, the song seems to be urging the listener, "don't close your eyes because today is all you've got" and "today is all you'll ever have."
I suppose this piece is more about motivating people to take control of their futures rather than "wasting time" reflecting on the past. (This is kind of reading between the lines; the song never mentions reflecting as a waste of time). Guess I'll be keeping my new iPod on shuffle for now!
Peace to All!
It's a song by Switchfoot called "This is Your Life" that puts me in a reflective kind of mood, so I figured that the words must have triggered that. I'm not particularly fond of the rhythm or sounds in the song so I assumed that the words are what put me in this mood, but I was wrong!The words "this is your life, are you who you want to be?" repeat several times throughout the chorus, but as I listened more closely, the song seems to be urging the listener, "don't close your eyes because today is all you've got" and "today is all you'll ever have."
I suppose this piece is more about motivating people to take control of their futures rather than "wasting time" reflecting on the past. (This is kind of reading between the lines; the song never mentions reflecting as a waste of time). Guess I'll be keeping my new iPod on shuffle for now!
Peace to All!
Sunday, October 18, 2009
SO, I checked out a few books from the library at NU but haven't started sifting through them yet.
On this past Thursday, I went to a PostSecret event at BU - if you don't know what that is, check it out. Basically, people send this guy (Frank Warren) their secrets on postcards and other things through the mail. The presentation was inspirational. I thought about how I could make connections between it and this performance, but I haven't been too successful.
Everyone has secrets, I suppose; but I don't feel like they make a difference in the way we reflect. Or do they? Secrets could hold us back from being the person we desire to become, or they can help advance us into the position we'd like to have in the world.
Although I like this guy's idea with secrets and stuff, it may not actually be where I'm thinking I want to take my audience when I perform this piece.
On another note, I've been playing my new iPod on shuffle in hopes that I'll find some good songs to play. I'm having trouble differentiating between a song that makes me reflect or feel nostalgic vs. one that creates these feelings universally. Ahh!
more later!
Tuesday, October 6, 2009
...and the search begins!
I've been sharing my performance idea with many of the people that I interact with on a regular basis. Sometimes when I explain it, I feel like I find more meaning/merit in the idea than they recognize - I'm hoping that it's just because they aren't in a "thoughtful" or "intellectual" mood. Sometimes people just say "oh, yeah. Good idea," but I guess what I'm looking for is "Yeah! That's so true!" and then some elaboration... But everyone seems to think its an interesting idea and are asking to be invited to the performance - so that's a good sign I suppose!
When talking with one of my mentors about the project, she brought up an interesting point in relation to her photography. As we were talking about progress and change, she was easily able to relate my words about reflecting about life progress to her artwork (more specifically photography). We talked about how when she looks at her current photography, she finds the imperfections fairly easily. She pointed out that it takes her looking back at the photos she shot ten years ago to be able to see the progress she has made. This was profound to me because it totally fits the idea that I mentioned earlier about changing so slowly that we don't realize that we change. We need reflection to realize that we have changed and will continue to change!
Sunday, I spent a good amount of time looking through Snell tonight for interesting-looking poetry books. I picked up The Oxford Book of American Poetry - a giant book with over a thousand pages - and started flipping through it!
I found ten poems that piqued my interest, although I'm not even sure that they fit in with the theme that I've been so interested in. I'll list the poems and a brief explanation of why I chose them...if I can put my finger on it. (They are page order, not by preference.) I checked out a few other books of poetry and short stories, but haven't looked through them yet.
1. Water - Ralph Waldo Emerson (p30) - I liked this piece because it takes a look at something that seems so simple but it is only when we take a closer look and reflect on its power that we see its true power.
2. The Bridge - Henry Wadsworth Longfellow (p41) - I like the classic feel of it without the "thou" and "tis" language. I particularly like the part starting at the 7th stanza - the narrator is looking back at when he used to stand on the bridge.
3. My Lost Youth - Henry Wadsworth Longfellow (p45) - again, I like the classic language. This poem made me nostalgic for my youth (however close I still am to it!)
4. For a Dead Lady - Edwin Arlington Robinson (p198) - kind of morbid, but still nice. I liked the last line a lot - sort of a call to action "Makes Time so vicious in his reaping" stuck with me. Life is short and we cannot control time. Get busy living.
5. Piazza Piece - John Crowe Ransom (p377) - just thought this one was neat - It has a one stanza story from the perspective of "a gentleman" and "a lady" waiting for their loves.
I liked the two perspectives.
6. But I Can't - W.H. Auden (p511) - again, I found the personification of Time as relentless to be thought provoking - what would we do if we remembered every day that we won't live forever?
7. In the Waiting Room - Elizabeth Bishop (p559) -This poem intrigued me - I'm not sure if it fits into the theme - but it thought that it was interesting because the narrator is doing some thinking of her own.
8. My Old Man - Charles Bukowski (p651) - this was a story about perseverance and overcoming challenges. the narrator (could it be the author?) writes even though his father doesn't like it. but one day, the father does like it and the narrator is kind of reflecting on how that made him feel.
9. The History of My Life - John Ashberg (p829) - again, the feeling that life is short and we should make the most of it...a common theme here??
10. Summer Storm - Dana Gioia (p1073) - this is a brilliant poem about looking at one's experiences - a must if I go with this theme
Thoughts:
I'm being too much of a perfectionist. That book had literally THOUSANDS of pages of poems and after flipping through the entire book, I only picked ten. I'm trying too hard to fit the mold - a mold that I don't even know the shape of yet! I also found a recurring theme of making the most of life. I suppose that by reflecting on our experiences, we make the most of what is to come.... I think that in order to relay my message that reflection is important, I'll have to draw in some pieces that make people remember their childhood
more later!
Peace to All
When talking with one of my mentors about the project, she brought up an interesting point in relation to her photography. As we were talking about progress and change, she was easily able to relate my words about reflecting about life progress to her artwork (more specifically photography). We talked about how when she looks at her current photography, she finds the imperfections fairly easily. She pointed out that it takes her looking back at the photos she shot ten years ago to be able to see the progress she has made. This was profound to me because it totally fits the idea that I mentioned earlier about changing so slowly that we don't realize that we change. We need reflection to realize that we have changed and will continue to change!
Sunday, I spent a good amount of time looking through Snell tonight for interesting-looking poetry books. I picked up The Oxford Book of American Poetry - a giant book with over a thousand pages - and started flipping through it!
I found ten poems that piqued my interest, although I'm not even sure that they fit in with the theme that I've been so interested in. I'll list the poems and a brief explanation of why I chose them...if I can put my finger on it. (They are page order, not by preference.) I checked out a few other books of poetry and short stories, but haven't looked through them yet.
1. Water - Ralph Waldo Emerson (p30) - I liked this piece because it takes a look at something that seems so simple but it is only when we take a closer look and reflect on its power that we see its true power.
2. The Bridge - Henry Wadsworth Longfellow (p41) - I like the classic feel of it without the "thou" and "tis" language. I particularly like the part starting at the 7th stanza - the narrator is looking back at when he used to stand on the bridge.
3. My Lost Youth - Henry Wadsworth Longfellow (p45) - again, I like the classic language. This poem made me nostalgic for my youth (however close I still am to it!)
4. For a Dead Lady - Edwin Arlington Robinson (p198) - kind of morbid, but still nice. I liked the last line a lot - sort of a call to action "Makes Time so vicious in his reaping" stuck with me. Life is short and we cannot control time. Get busy living.
5. Piazza Piece - John Crowe Ransom (p377) - just thought this one was neat - It has a one stanza story from the perspective of "a gentleman" and "a lady" waiting for their loves.
I liked the two perspectives.
6. But I Can't - W.H. Auden (p511) - again, I found the personification of Time as relentless to be thought provoking - what would we do if we remembered every day that we won't live forever?
7. In the Waiting Room - Elizabeth Bishop (p559) -This poem intrigued me - I'm not sure if it fits into the theme - but it thought that it was interesting because the narrator is doing some thinking of her own.
8. My Old Man - Charles Bukowski (p651) - this was a story about perseverance and overcoming challenges. the narrator (could it be the author?) writes even though his father doesn't like it. but one day, the father does like it and the narrator is kind of reflecting on how that made him feel.
9. The History of My Life - John Ashberg (p829) - again, the feeling that life is short and we should make the most of it...a common theme here??
10. Summer Storm - Dana Gioia (p1073) - this is a brilliant poem about looking at one's experiences - a must if I go with this theme
Thoughts:
I'm being too much of a perfectionist. That book had literally THOUSANDS of pages of poems and after flipping through the entire book, I only picked ten. I'm trying too hard to fit the mold - a mold that I don't even know the shape of yet! I also found a recurring theme of making the most of life. I suppose that by reflecting on our experiences, we make the most of what is to come.... I think that in order to relay my message that reflection is important, I'll have to draw in some pieces that make people remember their childhood
more later!
Peace to All
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