Digital Literacy

I tracked the digital devices I used all last week .  Keep in mind last week I was on vacation so it wasn't typical- for example I only looked at a computer screen for about half an hour to book a hotel.  This was super refreshing because during a school week I find lots of reasons to use my lap top.  I use it for things as simple as music.  I've never had an ipod and I can't stand to paint without music so I'm constantly streaming spotify.  But lets get back to last week.  I mostly just used an android.  My boyfriend and I both have one.  I used mine to take instagram pictures to document our trip.  I'll include some in this post cause they were really fun.  I'm sort of against instagram because it makes everyone think they are a photographer, but it is fun and I got sucked in.  I find there is a big art community on there so I post my art as well.  In case you guys are interested you can find me @ jennseeley.  The main purpose for my android use was the GPS.  I'm still not the best navigator, but thank goodness for the GPS because California freeways are impossible to newcomers without them.  I also watched a movie on a laptop we brought so i lied that's a couple hours of being glued to a screen. But I'm happy to say these were the only digital mediums I used last week.  I can see this is the direction the world is going, but I still like the simplicity of not having them sometimes.  I think you enjoy the little things in life more.

As far as online texts I think I use facebook the most (if that counts as a text, but from what I understand the term is very broad).  I just think it's fun I guess.  As I got back to school I searched some educational websites like www.uen.org for lesson plans.  It's awesome how willing teachers are to share.

How am I going to apply this to my students?  Well I tend to post a lot of art on digital formats such as this blog, my instagram, and facebook.  I think it would be cool to have students share their work with the world somehow.  We could have a class blog.  I think students will take more pride in their work if they know they can share it with people.  I've always loved doing art and I think it's important to find inner reasons for it, but sometimes I have felt like I spend all this time on something no one will ever see.  Although there can be other reasons like art therapy I think art is meant to be shared.  We had a good lesson for this today in class.  I found that there are all sorts of art games on pinterest.  Caitlin and I found one where you can create your  own Picasso using famous features he used in his art.  It was a lot of fun and I can see students getting into it.  We also found one on color.  It went through about six colors and had little illustrative clips on the colors meaning.  This would be a great intro to an assignment dealing with color.  It was entertaining and informative.

California Road trip Photography

7 day road trip to visit my sister in Monterey California.  The scenery was absolutely beautiful and I felt artistically inspired the whole time I was there.

Inspired by Hawaii

Plein Air of BYU Hawaii campus
9 x 12"

I spent four months in Laie Hawaii, a lifelong dream of mine.  I went there to study art, but continue to work from the photographs I took when I was there.

A Closer Look-ALTSPACE Exhibition

Imagine-ALTSPACE Exhibition

Imagine: to dream up, conceive

“The unknown Utah that some see as a home for used razor blades, toxins, and biological warfare, is a landscape of imagination, a secret we tell to those who keep it.”

         -Terry Tempest Williams, Refuge

I love spending time in the vast Utah landscape.  The world suddenly becomes simple, natural, and pure.  Everything disappears but the sound of my breathing.  It clears my mind, invigorates my soul, takes my worries and leaves me with a desire to create.

This is why I choose to shoot my photographs outside.  I believe art is a combination of control and serendipity.  Using the landscape allows me to do this.  I like the idea of making something out of nothing and working with what I have.

I love using the natural lighting of the sun.  You never quite know what to expect.  It can give even the simplest of things a moment of glory; it’s all about catching those moments.

I used models to give my photos a story-like feel, a sense of mystery and wonder, but I leave it up to the viewer to finish it.  What you leave out is sometimes just as important as what you include.

I would like to give a special recognition to my roommates who modeled for me.  Even if they weren’t in the photo they all contributed in different ways.  This project wouldn’t have been possible without them.

By Jennifer Seeley