Many, MANY works of art have inspired me throughout my life, varying from all different forms. From "The Baboon and Young," sculpture by Pablo Picasso as one of my favorites at a young age, to my very favorite movie, The Tenth Kingdom. Tons of novels I have read have inspired me as well, such as Huck Finn, To Kill A Mockingbird, Lord of the Flies, The Giver, Harry Potter, The Lord of the Rings, The Narnia Chronicals, or any book by Tamora Pierce. All of which have opened my eyes to new ideas and new ways of thinking. In each one a new "what if?" question arose within me and added new chapters to the expanse of my imagination. Songs and artists have changed my view on the world as well, such as System of a Down, Aesop Rock, The Beatles, Gotye, Sia, Tori Amos, Bjork, Bat for Lashes, Nirvana, The White Stripes, Muse, Led Zeppelin, and tons more. They all pried open my mind to new thoughts and ideas. All changing what is music and what sounds good in my eyes. I was raised of Gilbert and Sullivan, opera, various musicals, and of course classical. Ever since I was young my dad would play these in the car, and I would know every part by heart, singing along to every word. I would often beg to listen to classical though as we drove for long periods of time. I loved to use my imagination and watch the dinosaurs or fairies flying past my car and acting out a story in my mind.
But when I think back to what inspired me the most, it wasn't a painting or a song. As a child, what inspired me the most was the movie Fantasia. I would watch that movie every morning around 5 am, and then over and over for the whole day. I loved the classical music, and was familliar with it all, and I adored every imagination filled part of it. Mickey Mouse was of course one of my favorite characters in it, but it wasn't necessarily my favorite part.
From the beginning, when the visuals are based on the instruments, and the shapes, shadows and movements all depend on the music, I learned to possiblities of synchronizing music to stories, and would create a whole narrative of what the different shadows meant. I still remember all the stories I created with the different songs.
Next came the Nutcracker Suite, and the different pieces from the ballet being interpreted through fish, flowers, fairies, mushrooms, and leaves doing the dances and representing each season through their dances. The beautiful drawings and use of inanimate natural things to have personalities awoke something inside of me as well. I would often afterwards collect leaves and flowers and make them dance along to the music.
Then the Sorcerer's Apprentice which of course made me get excited and talk out loud to Mickey, warning him against using the Sorcerer's hat.
Then came the Rite of Spring, which was always one of my favorites as well. I guess they are all my favorites. Anyway, it always made me cry a ton when I saw the stegasaurus die at the hands of the T Rex. It identified this idea of good and evil, and to this day, when I think of the ideas of good and evil, those dinosaurs come to mind. I had trouble watching the part where the dinosaurs die in the desert, but I would watch it through, crying and humming along.
The Pastoral Symphony was by far my favorite with the flying horses, unicorns, cherubs, and centaurs. This was my very VERY favorite part, and changed me completely. I loved every moment of this part, and as I write this I can hear the instruments playing it. Oh, man was I obsessed with this part. I was inspired to draw as well because of this section, and have strived to learn to draw these characters since I was ten.
Then, of course, is La Gioconda: The Dance of Hours, with the alligators, ostriches, hippos and elephants attempting to all to ballet. I loved this one because of the romances between the alligator and the hippo, being a sucker for romance since I was two years old (according to my mother).
Last, but deffinitely not least, was the Night on Bald Mountain and Ave Maria score. Whenever I had friends over to watch it, they would get terrified at this part, but to me it was enthralling I loved every minute, and it opened my mind to the possibility of different faces of evil having a human emotions. I loved it all, and felt for the giant demon, Chernabog, who appeared, and was always sad when the villagers came with their lights and sang Ave Maria, though it was absolutely beautiful, and I would always cry.
Wow, this is getting really long again, and kind of boring. Oh well. I just loved that movie as kid and have developed to be what I am because of it. I guess its a sorta strange thing for a kid of three or four to be obsessed with, and to understand and feel with the characters.
If you didn't read this all here's the summary in a nutshell: My Inspiration since before I can remember = Fantasia.
Monday, February 25, 2008
Monday, February 4, 2008
Troubles in the World
What worries me the most? Well, there are a lot of things that worry me in this world. As teenagers of a country with somewhat of a unbiased network of accessing information, whether it be by news, telephone, and informational books and websites, we are exposed to many problems on our planet. But the most important problem with this world, in my opinion, is this human nature of insensitivity.
It is this distance between people that I believe is the basis of all problems in this world, either in the past of the present. Don't believe me? Look at slavery in England and the United States; The white people treated black people as if they weren't even human, more like scum. Some white people of that time even stated that "negros were not people" in their eyes. Where did this belief spawn from? How could it be possible for humans to do such atrocious things to one another? It is this insensitivity that was sprouted within them, that helped them to be unable to view these people as neighbors, or their own children, but more as cattle ready for the slaughter house. This ability to distance themselves from the reality of human lives being destroyed enabled them to do such terrible things.
More and more, I see people who are so unbelievably disconnected and insensitive to one another, that it makes my stomach churn. Today, there are genocides, and predjudices run rampid, whether they are racial, religious, cultural, economical, or social class predjudices. How could the Hutus of Rwanda massacre hundreds of thousands of Tutsi and Tutsi-sympatizing Hutus? It was the distance they placed between the two due to social standing based on 15th century social statuses. Just that difference allowed them to desensitize themselves from them, and treat the Tutsis as weeds rather than real humans.
Ever since I was little, I have always been obnoxiously sensitive to other people and their feelings, being in tune with the way they are thinking and responding without thinking about it. At the fourth of July parade, I would always make sure everyone else got candy first, and would cry when there was none left for me. I thought as a young girl, that people would share and give just like I loved to do. My parents had to explain to me that people tend to only do things for themselves in this world, and that I had some sort of sensitivity gift or something. Whatever it was they told me, I thought it was a crummy thing for me to have. It stopped me from getting candy! As a older person, I can appreciate this, and have become a pretty good listener, I hope, and maybe more in tune with others emotions and needs.
Though sensitivity comes more readily to some than others, I believe that as humans, we have the ability to open up to others. As more intelligent mammals, we are able to listen and look for people's emotions, and be able to walk in other people's shoes. It's a skill that is hard to tune up, but once it is there, it could be the best thing to happen to you. If just one person tries it, thats one more person to be able to relate to others, and just another step to world peace.
It is this distance between people that I believe is the basis of all problems in this world, either in the past of the present. Don't believe me? Look at slavery in England and the United States; The white people treated black people as if they weren't even human, more like scum. Some white people of that time even stated that "negros were not people" in their eyes. Where did this belief spawn from? How could it be possible for humans to do such atrocious things to one another? It is this insensitivity that was sprouted within them, that helped them to be unable to view these people as neighbors, or their own children, but more as cattle ready for the slaughter house. This ability to distance themselves from the reality of human lives being destroyed enabled them to do such terrible things.
More and more, I see people who are so unbelievably disconnected and insensitive to one another, that it makes my stomach churn. Today, there are genocides, and predjudices run rampid, whether they are racial, religious, cultural, economical, or social class predjudices. How could the Hutus of Rwanda massacre hundreds of thousands of Tutsi and Tutsi-sympatizing Hutus? It was the distance they placed between the two due to social standing based on 15th century social statuses. Just that difference allowed them to desensitize themselves from them, and treat the Tutsis as weeds rather than real humans.
Ever since I was little, I have always been obnoxiously sensitive to other people and their feelings, being in tune with the way they are thinking and responding without thinking about it. At the fourth of July parade, I would always make sure everyone else got candy first, and would cry when there was none left for me. I thought as a young girl, that people would share and give just like I loved to do. My parents had to explain to me that people tend to only do things for themselves in this world, and that I had some sort of sensitivity gift or something. Whatever it was they told me, I thought it was a crummy thing for me to have. It stopped me from getting candy! As a older person, I can appreciate this, and have become a pretty good listener, I hope, and maybe more in tune with others emotions and needs.
Though sensitivity comes more readily to some than others, I believe that as humans, we have the ability to open up to others. As more intelligent mammals, we are able to listen and look for people's emotions, and be able to walk in other people's shoes. It's a skill that is hard to tune up, but once it is there, it could be the best thing to happen to you. If just one person tries it, thats one more person to be able to relate to others, and just another step to world peace.
Friday, February 1, 2008
The Honest Connection of Reading and Writing
In order to know about yourself, you must know about others. When a person really writes, they are speaking all the words their insides want to say, but their outsides refuse to let out. When you hear someone speak, you can hear what their concious is saying, what is appropriate, and what follows the rules. When one writes, they are saying what they feel, and what they aren't allowed to say by that lawful mind that society gave us. In true writing, the writer feels no remorse or guilt in what they put down, it just comes out in full unabashed honesty that is kept hidden from the rest of the world. When you write, it is just you and that piece of paper you are using, and no other third party to interefere, or edit your words. A true writer can speak honestly to themselves on their thoughts and beliefs, and can translate their thoughts to written words. There are a rare few people who can truely speak their heart as one can when they write, such as Mahatma Gandhi, Martin Luther King, and many other historical people. These rare sorts can feel their heart, and don't let society control their ideas.
What I mean by all of this, is that when one reads a really good novel, you can hear their heart speaking to you. You can feel their emotions and their opinions, whether they be right or wrong in your eyes. This honesty that we harvest through the reading of other people's works helps your own honest opinions grow and shape. Soon you begin to grow your own inner ideas that you don't dare share out loud. At the point where you can feel your heart flow onto the paper, without a care, that is true writing in my book. Clearly, one can see the connection between reading and writing, the hidden chain that connects all writings and writers together.
Maybe its just that writers are too cowardly to say things to people's faces? Or maybe its because writers want to share with more people at once, through just copying their opinions over and over through a published novel. One can never truely know for themselves unless they try to read and write....
What I mean by all of this, is that when one reads a really good novel, you can hear their heart speaking to you. You can feel their emotions and their opinions, whether they be right or wrong in your eyes. This honesty that we harvest through the reading of other people's works helps your own honest opinions grow and shape. Soon you begin to grow your own inner ideas that you don't dare share out loud. At the point where you can feel your heart flow onto the paper, without a care, that is true writing in my book. Clearly, one can see the connection between reading and writing, the hidden chain that connects all writings and writers together.
Maybe its just that writers are too cowardly to say things to people's faces? Or maybe its because writers want to share with more people at once, through just copying their opinions over and over through a published novel. One can never truely know for themselves unless they try to read and write....
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