SWOT Analysis

SWOT Analysis in PDF Form

General Creative Assignment #2

       I love this image. So many political cartoons are subtle, witty, and pretentious. They often preach to the choir because the only people who get it are the ones who agree with the message in the first place. This is over the top. This ignores the individual issues, which are plagued with infinite complexities that make it hard for anyone to solve and instead shows that it’s not just the issues themselves, but that they are symptoms of a much larger problem.

            The bull of Wall Street lactating over American politics, surrounded by the might of the military industrial complex. Order kept on the streets by the media conglomerates and corporations. The cliché but nonetheless accurate puppeteering of candidates in high level governmental positions. The positioning of Congress is also pretty obvious, as the bull is out to screw you over. Imagery that is as subtle as actions that it depicts. Blatant corporate funding of political discussion is rampant in this country, and thus is rampant in this image.

            It works by representing all of these things that the viewer already thinks and putting it all into one over the top image that is styled in the same way as graphic novels which have increased dramatically in popularity over the years. It shows you this one ludicrous picture that is the political landscape, and doesn’t try to be witty with it.

            One aspect that it fails in is in it’s perceived support of conspiracy theories that ARE tired and out of place. References to the Illuminati and other organizations cheapen the other ideas it presents, because they’re now coming from someone who is blinded by ignorance. If you can look past it though, it still offers great commentary on how things are run nowadays.

            I would improve it by adding more tension and diversity to the image. It is all about what is wrong with politics without showing any real effects on the people. I would love to see the public’s struggle (or lackthereof) against these issues and depict the dichotomy of the government vs the people. The image relies heavily on symmetry, so to see a mirroring image along the bottom that shows the other side of the struggle would be very powerful.

 

General Creative Assignment #1

Tags

General Assignment

Quote #1

 

“Every child is an artist. The problem is staying an artist as you grow up.”

                        -Pablo Picasso

 

The old saying that “youth is wasted on the young” is cliché and often overstated. One instance where this is not the case, however, is how it relates to the creative process. While creativity can increase and mature with age, the issue inherent in that is that it matures with age. Our minds, even while trained to think creatively, develop a box around them with our experiences and our teachings.

Years of anecdotal evidence and life-borne cynicism block out seemingly silly ideas that could turn out awesome if developed. A child is not constrained by these experiences. They are free to suggest whatever they want. They have no influences, no peers to live up to, and no expectations to meet. They are creativity, pure and free.

As a “film student” (technically a production student, not theory), I have seen remarkably few classic films. I can count on one hand how many Hitchcock movies I’ve seen, as well as the number of directors from before 1950 that I can name. I was raised on blockbusters and 90’s classics through and through, and never really branched out into the world of film pre-1980. This upbringing, I think, gives me an advantage in that I do not feel the need to stray away from topics that have already been “mastered” by classic artists and filmmakers.

 

Quote #2

 

“Creativity is more than just being different. Anybody can plan weird; that’s easy. What’s hard is to be as simple as Bach. Making the simple, awesomely simple, that’s creativity”

                        -Charles Mingus

 

            This ties back into the pure creativity of children. Without any influences acting on them, they are free to come up with whatever they want without fear of being looked down upon as cliché or rudimentary. Many of their ideas will be simple one or two step thoughts, most of which would’ve been done before.

Their willingness to spit out these thoughts one after the other though would ultimately lead to something new. Something simple that hasn’t been done before. Like Mingus says, it’s easy to plan weird, but it takes true freedom from judgment to plan simple.

            The only issue with this quote is that I believe it gives too much credit to established artists, and takes credit away from new ones whose only crimes were being born in the wrong time period.

            This quote still affects me greatly though, as it allows me to realize that it is okay to reimagine ideas that already exist. There is still value in revisiting established creative foundations, as simple tweaks in the right place can create new and rewarding experiences.

 

 

Quote #3

 

“Creativity is contagious, pass it on.”

                        -Albert Einstein

 

One of the most critical components of any good brainstorming session is having multiple participants. Sure, some people work better alone, but having someone to bounce ideas off of can help speed along the process.

As a music video director, I love already having a creative work to base my ideas around. It is much easier for me to sit down, listen to a song, and visualize how great it’d be to present the theme visually, but when I have to sit down and start from scratch, I am hesitant to commit to any particular ideas. Having band members to speak to directly about the ideas helps as well, as it gives me insight into why they created their part, which helps me realize what I would like to bring out from it.

 

Quote #4

 

“You can never solve a problem on the level on which it was created.”

                        -Albert Einstein

 

            Problem solving is what it is because there is an issue that needs to be settled with something new. You must remove yourself from the situation and think about how you can make it better. This cannot be done blindly without risking creating other problems.

            Many of the problems that have occurred in my life have been created through no fault of my own. Instead of accepting these issues as a way of life and the “hand I’ve been dealt”, I have taken to myself to learn how these problems came about, and how I can fix them and limit their long term impact.

My parents have taught through example many of the things NOT to do, but in the process, have also caused me to teach myself the things TO do in order to make my situation the best it can be.

 

Quote #5

 

“All profound distraction opens certain doors. You have to allow yourself to be distracted when you are unable to concentrate.”

                        -Julio Cortazar

 

            Freedom and creativity are so closely related that they are essentially the same thing. I find it very hard to concentrate on virtually anything that isn’t a strictly creative endeavor, and even when it is, I still have a hard time concentrating until I know exactly what I want.

            The trick is that I never force myself to be creative. I never force myself to meet arbitrary deadlines in the development process. It is important for my creative ideas to come as naturally as possible. If I’m trying to think of something for a project and I’m suddenly wondering who was at the final table at the 1984 World Series of Poker, I allow myself to figure it out. It will inevitably lead to me reading about more things that I am passionate about, which will lead to something 

General Creative Assignment #3 (Short story)

Tyler slowly awakens from a deep and restful sleep. He has yet to open his eyes, but he has free will and is aware that he is conscious. Not wanting to open his eyes, he shifts slightly in his bed. The air is still and empty, and he hears the bare walls and floor reverberate in a way he has never heard. He opens his eyes.
Matthew is laying out spread eagle on his bed, looking as if he stumbled in from a late night out. He opens his eyes, but without his glasses sees nothing but haze. He lets out a loud cough and flips over onto his back.
Tyler jolts upright in his bed. He looks around confused and nervous, and sees a pool of crimson under the doorframe. He gets up slowly and sees a shotgun sitting in the corner of the mysterious room. He picks up the gun and looks over towards the door.
Matthew hears footsteps through the wall and wakes up. Without his glasses, he can’t see anything. He reaches for the bedside table to get them, but instead finds a small box. Fumbling with the box, he opens it and sees a strange object inside.
Tyler walks slowly towards the door, his eyes fixed on the crimson pool underneath. He looks at the door handle, trying to decide if he should stay or go. He reaches out and twists it.
Matthew picks up the object and is immediately familiar with it. It’s a gun! His eyes are beginning to adjust a bit to the light, which allows him to make out the layout of the room. He hears a door opening on the outside. He stands up and finds his glasses on the floor next to the desk. He puts them on and looks towards the door. He sees a pool of crimson underneath. He looks at the gun and turns off the safety. He heads towards the door.
Tyler hears more footsteps as he opens the door. He stops opening his door and listens closely.
Matthew twists the door handle and begins to open the door. As he pulls the door inward he peeks his head out.
Tyler also opens his door and peeks his head out.
Matthew and Tyler are looking separate directions when suddenly, a voice yells from across the room, “Look out!”. Turning their heads and running out of their rooms, Matthew sees a man in with a handgun and pulls up his shotgun ready to fire. Tyler sees a man readying a shotgun and raises his handgun. Both men start yelling and firing at one another. Neither of them feel a thing as the adrenaline pumps through their veins as they empty their weapons into each other. Both stumble over themselves as their weapons run dry.
Matthew looks across the room at his assailant. Tyler looks at his. They lock eyes for a moment, both with a look of questioning wonder. They then look down at themselves and realize they are not hurt. They look towards the person who yelled out at them. The man is sitting in a chair. He looks at both of them excitedly and declares, “That was perfect!”

The end.

Parking Research Project

Tags

week 4

The problem that we are looking into as a group is related to parking and transportation. Every college student has to deal with it in some way, shape, or form. On the surface, the most evident issue is price. In deciding how to frame our problem, I first looked into the logistics and economics of transportation on a college campus like MSU. There are almost 50,000 students who attend MSU, many of which attend classes directly on campus. Since the majority of the buildings on campus are located in a very small portion of the grounds, transportation to and from classes is an issue.

 

There are over 60 parking lots within the main area of campus (which for this purpose I am defining as Trowbridge to Grand River, between Harrison and Hagadorn), but unfortunately, most of those are reserved for employees during normal class hours. With 16,000 students living on campus, that still leaves around 34,000 needing to get themselves to campus, often with their own cars. A student who must commute to classes for 12 credit hours per week often find themselves having to be parked for 20+ hours per week to accommodate extra curriculars and out of class meetings with classmates. When the lots are even available, the three major ones in the middle of the northern half of campus cost at least 80¢ per half hour, which would mean costs of over $500 for a student to park there. Plus, parking in these lots would still require a non-insignificant amount of walking, which would be a pain for students with many books or materials for classes (especially during inclement weather). There are cheaper options for students, often closer to their buildings, but when students require travel throughout campus throughout the day, they are bound to overpay for parking some times and under pay for others, resulting in parking tickets.

 

Even if students put up with these prices, there is the issue of the amount of parking available on campus. Instead, many are forced to rely on public transportation, which requires students to stick to schedules that may cost them significant amounts of time in order to stay on schedule.

 

Parking spots cost money to establish and maintain. The average cost of new parking spaces is around $2,500. These spots cost fairly marginal amounts of money in maintenance. It wouldn’t take too long for these spots to provide profit-revenue for the university. The university could possibly subsidize parking for students, making it easier for people with longer commutes to balance the cost of attendance.

 

I have spoken to many of my friends about things that have affected their attendance in class. Most of them involved issues with parking and transportation. Missing a bus can mean being a half hour late to a one hour class. Catching an earlier bus isn’t often an option for students with full time schedules and part time jobs on the side. If a student is already stretching a budget for school, it’s tough to scrap together several hundred dollars more for parking. 

Mind Map Assignment – Week 1

Tags

Week 1

Getting started late here…

i always seem to do this to myself. Somehow it didn’t occur to me that class began this week (I thought it started July 7th), despite me joining the group on Wednesday.

Going to play catch up, and should have everything on time (fingers crossed!).