Journal entries will correspond with the readings. Expect 2 prescribed entries per week (see the list below). Sometimes there will be more, sometimes less. Journals will be taken up twice, at midterm and at the end of the semester. I encourage you to write in your journal more than these two entries. Respond to the work you are doing in class, observations about art making, and your astute observations about the world around you.
Week 1: (Sept 7 & 9)
1). Write down your five biggest fears (when it comes to creativity). What are your rituals of preparation? What do you need to do to get to work?
2). Complete the Creative Autobiography questionnaire, page 45.
Week 2: (Sept 14 & 16)
1). What appeals to you/interests you? What are your aesthetic preferences? What do you like?
2). Reflect on where you grew up (the landscape, climate, terrain), your family dynamic (small or large family? Quiet or loud?). Write about how these elements and situations might have impacted your perspective of the world and how you see these influences in your creative work.
Week 3: (Sept 21 & 23)
1). How do you arrange and organize things (like your dorm room) and/or information? How do you do your research?
2). Take a field trip. Go somewhere new on campus or leave campus and explore the town. Write about your observations.
Week 4: (Sept 28 & 30)
1). Who are you at war with—with whom or what could you pick an artistic fight? What would allow you to shake things in your every day routine? In Chapter 7, Tharp talks about the reality of the conditions not always being perfect, but on the flip side, what would be your Perfect World?
2). What are some of your strong ideas? Don’t think about trying to execute all of them, or even any of them, but list them out. See what is brewing in your creative thinking. And then can you answer the next question: what are you trying to say? Do exercise # 21: Pick a favorite work of art that speaks to you, and try to find the “spine,” the “hidden architecture of the piece.”
Week 5: (Oct 5 & 7)
1). Take Inventory of your Skills (exercise #23) What is your skill set? Read through the other exercises (24-26), feel free to respond to any of them but you are not “required” to. Read the top of p. 181, follow the directions and answer the last question in your journal.
2). What does it mean for you to be in a groove, or in the zone? What rituals can you or do you perform to help get yourself into a rhythm where you can flow with your ideas and impulses?
Week 6: (Oct 12 & 14)
1). Reflect on your visit to the museum. What did you notice about the exhibit and how you view the human body?
Journals due October 14!
Week 7: (Oct 19 & 21)
1). Reflect on Rilke writing and his advice to the young poet. What are some of your favorite quotes? What resonated with you about the text in relation to your own personal triumphs and struggles?
Week 8: (Oct 26 & 28)
1). Respond to the reading. What do you deem a “performance?”
2). TBA
Week 9: (Nov 2 & 4)
1). TBA
2). Respond to the readings. What do you think about Zappa’s concept of art making and framing?
Week 10: (Nov 9 & 11)
1). TBA
2). TBA
Week 11: (Nov 16 & 18)
1). TBA
2). TBA
Week 12: (Nov 23 & 25)
1). TBA
2). TBA
Journals due December 2!