As I have learned more about Sweden, my opinion has not changed. My feelings towards wanting to visit, as well as having a home in Sweden, has grown stronger. Sweden really takes care of their people and it is surrounded with abundant nature. Everything I read or watch about Sweden makes me more and more drawn to it. I’m not sure of I have any Swedish blood in my DNA, but I have a feeling of deep connection to it for how they connect to nature and live life in a more simplified way. Even the foods they eat are more based around nature and community. Though, I was surprised to learn about how they are about their big bubbles was definitely a surprise, and not something I fully relate to. Yet, I do, at times, feel I need to be more aware of other peoples need for space, and not be so quick to hug people, because not everyone is quite as open and friendly as I am in that way. Or I guess I meant as comfortable. I have always been a big hugger and sometimes I do, also, need my own space and respect for my energy or physical body. 

To be a world citizen who is here to do good, makes me think about how I am good with people and able to make connections, even when traveling or just going out into the world. I find it is how I can bring peace and healing to the world. 

I believe i will use hypertext in my future endeavors with my websites. 

Arthur and Ford have taught me to embrace life and all of its challenges, because it is all apart of the grand adventure. 

-M.

Well, there are many different animations that have inspired me and motivated me to keep going and keep growing, with my art and creativity. I believe that there is a big draw, for me, when something took a lot of work and went through many challenges in order to become what we see in theaters or on our screens. One of those is the Avatar movies. That Papyrus font really drew me in… 

(Haha, honestly though, the videos from the first week made me feel a bit sad about how much I love it, and leaning that it is not a great font for visual clarity was understanding, but I do really love it!) 

There was so much work put into these movies. When I heard there was a second movie coming out, I thought I died and went to heaven. I would love to live in the world of Avatar, as I long to be more apart of nature, and have a slightly big dream of living in the woods, like a Tarzan woman, but with some modern world modifications, like running water, but created in a natural way, bringing it from the natural springs, then having it be recycled, and so on and so forth. Nature is where I feel at one, so when Avatar came out, I felt like it was a long lost memory of our history, maybe even on a deferent planet. 

Anyways, there is so much depth and detail in the way they created the Avatar movies. For The Way of Water, they had the characters training underwater, for months. There was so much work with green James Cameron is truly an inspiration for me. He wrote Avatar before he wrote The Titanic, but there was much research to be done, in order for him to get all the piece’s together. In one video he states that he was in search for the “Holy Grail”. The technology at the time did not match up with what his dreams and goal were for what he felt was necessary to bring out human emotions in these characters. The extent of his passion and work to create what he has is incredibly fascinating and has me very inspired for many of my own aspirations. 

When a person has a dream, or a vision, and they go above and beyond to make it happen, there is this intensity and drive that get encapsulated into it. I hope that I can find my own niche that brings that out of me and into the world in order to inspire others. When one person says impossible, but you feel it so deeply and so strongly that you know you will find a way, that is the creators mojo, that is the soul, that is the gift. Have a desire to allow your dreams to unfold and you will never know who you will inspire to also grow beyond the limited belief systems of many, to allow even just one incredible dreamer to become a creator. This world needs more of that. 

-M.

Movement keeps the viewers visually engages. It allows for stimulation of the brain and keeps a person occupied, in the way of attention. When there are moving subjects it creates an interest for a viewer, which is like anticipation for what is next to come. I have witnessed this when I have showed friends my YouTube videos. If there is just a tree visual they will not look at the screen, and only listen. If there is movement and action going on, they take more interest in the screen, and seem more involved with their attention focusing on the screen.

This also reminds me of older movies, where they are slower, but the movement pulls me in, as opposed to the more modern movies and shows where it is so quick from one scene to another that it can actually make you (or just me)
 feel dizzy, almost. I tend to wonder why they have made it so quick. Our brains seem to be constantly in need of stimulation because of the way movies, shows, social media and all of that have trained our brains to be in constant need of short and quick stimulation. I often contemplate on how healthy it is for our cognitive health. 

In short, I believe that motion bring the viewers awareness in and keeps it locked in, for the most part, keeping the attention and interest focused on what is moving. It is like a visual treat, and once you see the action, you are intrigued and want to see what will be coming next. Stillness is not going to bring in as much attention, so it makes sense that motion pictures have become so popular. Keeping us all locked in to the screen, always awaiting what is to come.

-M.

The Babel Fish CREEPED me out. I am a sensory sensitive person and the thought a of a fish going into a persons ear makes me cringe. Though, being able to understand other languages would be amazing! It seems like having this capability would be really useful ion order to be able to travel around and explore different cultures. I know a lot of people are fluent in other languages, though sometimes not everything is able to be translated over, like certain slangs or specific ways of communicating things that only being truly fluent in a languages could allow. So this would be helpful in situations where people need to convey ideas or thoughts, specifically when the leaders of countries are trying to make peace or come to terms with certain sensitive situations. Technology advancement has really come to a great place, which allows people to communicate easier. 

I have been doing some research on The Moore’s Law, but I still don’t quite understand it. I will come back to this and do my best to figure it out more thoroughly. 

I love Star Wars. I love fantasy and creativity, especially those that go beyond the common limits of regular everyday thoughts. George Lucas did not let his desires go by the waste side just because the current, at that time, technology was not as advanced as his creative mind. This is where so many others would have given up, but a strong minded man like Mr. Lucas was not about to do such a thing. This along is quite inspiring, as I am constantly dealing with friends and family who can’t seem to think as big as I can. From reading the article provided in the assignment info, it sounds as though because of the dream and vision for Star Wars, multiple production companies were born, in order to complete such an extraordinary compilations of one mans dream.

This also allowed John Knoll to further his own career, proving even more so that when you have faith, you never know what amazing things can happen… He moved forward to aid in the creation of other highly aspiring creations, such as Mission Impossible, Harry Potter and The Pirates of the Caribbean, just to name a few. This goes to show that when you have a dream, and you see it through, you may also be helping many others dreams possible, just because you had the strong desire to not give up. This really inspires me, as I have some dreams, which I tend to feel far away from, due to life struggles. Though, we are the only thing between our failures and successes. 

-M.

The link below takes you to where I found this comparison image of an Instagram icon who was almost unrecognizable to her fans, in person. for how much photoshop she uses on her images. Using phot shop to doctor images can be a useful tool, but as this has grown into a type of epidemic, it shows an unhealthy perfectionist view of how people “should” look, according to so many in the fashion industry, as well as just everyday people. So many people slip into getting plastic surgery, injections, and so much more, only to feel regretful afterwards. This idea that we much all look like dolls, in this perfect, plastic, ideal shape is absolutely ridiculous and harmful. I have seen many females suffer from self-harm and bulimia as they, even already small females, felt they were not skinny enough or pretty enough. It is causing so much harm to males and females alike.

Human beings are each individual and have very different genes and DNA, even twins are not exactly the same. We were not meant to be exactly like anyone else. Though we each have our own experiences, traumas, or whatever, which make us feel certain ways about ourselves, or others, we are each beautiful and unique individuals an do believe nature is here to help us. We are apart of nature, we are nature. So when we try to make ourselves out to be something different, then we are moving further and further away from the center of our being, and the purpose of this life, which is to love ourselves and one another exactly as we are. Agape love, I believe it is called. 

Saying all this might make me sound judgmental and critical, but I have also come out of a long journey of self-hate and self-destruction. I’ve used makeup to hide myself and try to be different and look different. I was not happy with myself. Now I rarely wear makeup, though still feel sadness from how long I was hiding. I still feel insecure at times, but I do the best that I can with what I have and that, I believe, is all we can do. Learn to value ourselves for who we are and help share that truth with others. 

Photoshop is an extremely useful tool, but if it is used to deter people from seeing the value in who they are and how they look, then it can be a weapon of mass destruction. I very much value what I have learned from my (now many) years in this program, and hope to always use PS with good and honest intentions and respect for the greater good of humanity. 

Instagram Icon Heavily Photoshop -Unrecognizable by fans in person

-M.

The Apple logo… This has been really something. I have read and seen so many videos on it relating to Adam and Eve and the snake, and the forbidden fruit. After some research, with the help from the article below, I have found the truth behind the mythical stories and the  simple reality of the overly speculated logo. 

It was thought, by many, that the apple was created to represent the apple that fell upon Sir Isaac Newtons head, or the forbidden fruit that Eve ate in the Bible story so many of us grew up learning about. Then there was another story. One of sadness as well as great courage, of the apple representing the apple Alan Turing bit out of that was full of cyanide. This one really pulls on the heart strings as Alan Turing was a big contributor in modern day computers and began the research on Artificial Intelligence. Being homosexual, he went through many obstacles, as he lived in a time where it was not accepted, so he tried to cure himself by injecting estrogen into his body. Though, he ended up killing himself with that poisoned apple. This would certainly make once believe it was for him the Apple logo would have been created, for his bold contributions, and his personal struggles, even through his great works for our now benefiting society. 

Yet, when it comes down to it, when the creator of the logo, Rob Janoff, was confronted with this question of why he created the logo, he claims to not be quite clear on what made him draw out the shape of the apple in the way that he did, though, it had nothing to do with Turing. He briefly states how Jobs gave him no specifics.

It is understandable why so many believe it would have been a nod in the direction of a great creator. Yet, he does state that the of bite was merely to represent that it was an apple, rather than a cherry. Then there is talk on how “bytes” are the building blocks of computers, which is also an interesting and creative way to see it. 

This goes to show, we must be very wary of what we hear. For we don’t always know the whole store. Even Steve Jobs, the highly respected and creator of Apple, is said to have not denied the myths, as “he much appreciated the value of a beautiful story,” states the CNN article. 

What a windy and beautiful, yet raw and real road that was to experience. I will continue to remember this when I hear tall tales, or stories that sound a bit far fetched. And now I will more comfortably use my iPhone, without feeling as though I am using a something evil… Though, I still prefer limited screen time, no matter the logo. 

https://www.cnn.com/2011/10/06/opinion/apple-logo/index.html#:~:text=The%20apple%20represented%20knowledge%2C%20as,the%20creation%20of%20the%2

-M.

A personal style is a strong way to come across to others. How you present yourself to the world, how your work showcases who you are and what you desire to share with the world, it all comes down to your unique personality and individuality. In this world of electronics and hectic stressors, I find nature inspires me to slow down, process and move slowly. This is why I have a very nature-oriented aesthetic to my website, as well as my own personal style.

In all the hectic day to day, I always find it best to look to nature for support and healing. The colors of nature are also what calms me, which is why I favor the most abundant colors in nature as even the majority of my wardrobe; blue, green, and brown.

Blue makes me feel connected to water and expansive like the sky. Green makes me think of trees, fern, grass and the beautiful sprouts in spring. Brown is grounding like dirt and tree trunks. It is with nature that I find my most peace, so with all that I do, I hope to inspire others to also look to nature for their healing source as well of a place of inspiration and peace.

Where would we be if it weren’t for the support of nature? I don’t believe we would even exist without it.

-M.