Message Board: Appearances

Do appearances matter? As artists we are sensitive to the "look" of things. We are observers and we express the way we "see" things. Do you think artists are more judgmental or less judgmental when it comes to appearances? Why or why not?

Message Board Topic: Stolen Spirits

Some indigenous peoples believe that if you take their photograph you will “steal their spirit.” Their name and their image are so interconnected to their identity, that they are actually one in the same. This means if you say or know their name you have a certain amount power over them. And if you take their image you have even more power over them.

How much do you think your image is tied to who you are or how you define your identity?

Why do you think these people feel this way about their image?

Are there similarities to how we feel about our own personal image?

Message Board Topic: Conceptulization

Conceptualization – a tool for artists

In order to create something you must first imagine it’s existence - you must see it form in your mind's-eye. This can be difficult to do, and requires some practice. The more you "pretend" the better you will be at picturing things in your head. Michael Jordan once said the reason he was so accurate at shooting free-throws is that he imagined the ball going through the basket and then it would…

Hermann Rorschach was a early 20th century psychologist and he developed an Inkblot Test which evaluated people's sanity based on their ability to conceptualize. The way it works is: the psychologist asks the patient what he or she sees and based on a predetermined list of answers the psychologist can analyze the patient.

Look at the below inklbot - what do you see?

Do you think tests like this help people conceptualize? Do you think they could be used to test sanity? Do you think they are useful for artists? Why or why not?

Message Board Topic: Where is My Mind?

How does the mind relate to the brain? Some theorists think that the mind is the software or program application whereas the brain is the hardware or computer. Other theorists do not agree with this model/metaphor for the brain and mind.

This dilemma is called the mind/body problem and has been tackled by philosophers and psychologists alike. What do you think? Where is the mind? What is the mind? Does it exist in the brain or outside the brain?

Once you have determined where the mind is, think about where creativity exists. How do you define creativity? What makes someone or something creative?