While growing up as a child and up until the end of high school when I heard the word "Art", I thought of traditional art: drawings, paintings, and sculptures. It wasn't until half way through my first semester of college that I had ever even heard the phrase "new media" or "video art." I knew I wanted to be an art major and so I began to explore my options. I narrowed my choices to photography and new media due to my lack of skills in the traditional areas. I wasn't sure how I would fair with photography and so I choose new media. Even after I had joined the program, I still wasn't completely sure what the subject entailed and so I took my first new media class. The topic opened up a whole new area for me to explore. I had never thought that someone had actually made websites and videos, it was just something I took for granted and never put any thought into. But here I was, beginning to learn.
I found that with Video Art I have more difficulties with than creating websites and so I discovered my challenge. Video Art is an intriguing art form. I enjoy brainstorming about my projects; I find that I think about my ideas constantly for days before I begin. I pick up most of my new inspirations through the activities and people I see just within the time before the project. It's quite an adventure in itself. However, my favorite part about Video Art is collecting the video. Just the fact that I might have to travel to a particular location for a shot I want or that I have to set up a "set" for my ideas is so exciting. It's always an adventure, even if the video doesn't turn out quite the way I hoped. I can always turn what I have into something just as great as my original idea but different. Editing of course helps to do this, but I find it frustrating most of the time due to my handicaps with software and the fact that I really don't like using Mac computers. However, once the editing is done, I love to watch the final project. It never fails to feel good to have completed a project and especially to see my name associated with it too!
Video Art is going to be challenging, but I'm always learning and open to new ideas and techniques. I hope that this Video Art class will continue to push my limits so that I can create the best works I can and prepare me for my Senior Thesis and future projects.
I was kind of the same way I never really thought much about how videos were made but after taking my first video art class and even my first new media class I begin to look at TV shows, commercials etc, differently. I am not such a fan of actually shooting the video but as time goes on I am getting better at it and enjoying it more. I do like the editing portion a lot more but I will try looking at shooting the video kind of like you in a way that each video is a different experience. And that I am able to travel to get certain shots as well.
ReplyDeleteYea, I agree... creating video art is sort of a long process as far as thinking out your ideas/brainstorming goes; I don't think it's as easy to just jump into a video project as it is a drawing or painting project. Seeing those hard-thought ideas turn out in the finished product feels great for sure!
ReplyDeleteI hadn't even heard of video art until I had to sign up for the class. It was a totally new art form and a new experience. I love telling people I'm a New Media major and getting peoples reactions, like what the heck is new media?
ReplyDeleteFrom my experience your idea of art before hitting college is a very common one. Even my High school art teacher thought I was stupid in believing that a computer could be used to create art. However the expanse of the considered possibility’s by the New Media focus you and I share is beyond what I was even expecting. Regardless of the medium though that same great feeling of finishing a work still persists and makes the troubles all that much less of a bother. (seems like we share a common distaste for MAC’s too)
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