15 minutes of What?
So...What Happened? (when you did your 15 minutes for 3 days during the summer?) Where did you go? What did you experience?How might this taking time out relate to being an artist?
Let us know what you experienced by commenting here...
I think that by taking 15 minutes just to write on 1 word, was a way to distance ourselves from our everyday life. It was a way to think of ordinary things that happened or that we imagine, and put it into words behind the prompt: after. I enjoyed writing down things and thinking of things that would apply to the word after. I think this relates to being an artist by possible putting our After sentences into a piece of art, like a 3D object painting, or anything else. I think that by taking time to reflect, write, and discover was a rewarding experience.
ReplyDeleteArt is experiencing. It's a thought isolated on paper, canvas, or fabric. But, it is an unlimited thing. It cannot be contained by these mediums, and can be found in the deepest cracks of our hearts, minds, souls, and beings. By taking the time to soak in fifteen minutes of silence, we are searching for these shining bits of creativity, and are polishing them into something that can be expressed to people outside of ourselves. I, personally, went to a park across from my dead Grandmother's old house. Being there sent shivers through me, but at the same time, rubbed my mind raw and scraped all other thoughts away until I was left with just moments of quiet and a pencil.
ReplyDeleteI spent my fifteen minutes in my bedroom each day. In a different spot in there that I felt comfortable where I could think and let my creative juices flow and so I could enjoy God's creation by looking out the window of my bedroom. When I did it I experienced memories that flooded back to me by sounds that I heard while in my room.
ReplyDeleteBeing still can help us because we need to stop and be still to take in what we might not usually notice and let the memories flood back to you and the creative juices start flowing again if we are stuck so that we can create things as artists. Either from that or just to start or finish something as artists.
For my 15 minutes of what, I made myself comfortable on the floor of my room in front of my window that overlooks the street and a quaint tree. I go there whenever I need some good thinking time, so I decided that would be good for this assignment.
ReplyDeleteIt was raining when I did the writing portion. It was calming to just sit back and watch the raindrops fall down the windowpane.
When schedules become overwhelming, sitting down and reflecting on .. life .. is really beneficial. Even artists can become better artists by taking a step back to observe the simple things, like rain. A lot of times, the little things that an artist puts in a piece of art make it special.
when i took 15 minutes to just sit alone, i got to relax from my buys schedule and busy life. i went to my grandmothers house and sat in her garden, her entire back yard is a fenced in garden and it has a little bench in it. and it was very nice to sit and look at the stuff in the garden. i think that sometimes artists can get so caught up in finishing something or simply doing something required of them that they forget to stop and smell the roses sometimes.
ReplyDeleteI took up residence in my bedroom, in a corner I often spend my creative time. Since the time when I did my 15 minutes I've fully converted the area into a creative space, but I spent my 15 minutes listing the things around me, then scribbling doodles and writing random thoughts.
ReplyDeleteI have a lot of trouble wiping clean my mind. I'm all places at once, I'm always multi-tasking and putting a pen in my hand sends me off to fill a page. I do my best relaxation and self-meditation with the least around to offer me avenues into productive work. A lot of what I wrote in my 15 minutes were things I needed to get around to. (i.e. AP english reading, scheduling things with friends, getting art supplies, summer projects)
I find my biggest source of inspiration when it comes to art happens when I'm away from any productive work: on a walk, wandering around, etc. It's when I'm out of the flow I see things in a different way and can be inspired by them. However, I have to get back into the flow to actually convert the ideas into product.
I spent my 15 minutes in our conservatory or sunroom. It was really nice to take a break and just sit there and look outside and enjoy the beauty around me. A lot of the things I wrote were stupid little observation like how the windows were dirty and wondering what attraction bugs had to windows, but it was something that I would have definitely overlooked if I did not take that break. I loved just sitting there soaking up all the brilliant colors and creation surrounding me.
ReplyDeleteI spent my 15 minuets in my room. When I was there I started thinking that when we enter a room we do not look at the walls enough. we go in to a room and just look at the stuff in the room. So we should try to notice the walls more and appreciate what they do for a room I also thought that we abuse walls like when we lean on them or tell them to hold things or when we throw things at them or when we say things like that is to much wall we should cover that with something. I was thinking that sometimes people can get treated like that we don't think about it but we really can abuse people so we should try to be more aware of that when we go into a room.
ReplyDeletei spent my 15 minutes in my room just chillin. when i was sitting there i noticed reflections on things, just how cool a room can look in the reflection of a t.v. or an ipod, or anything that can have a reflection. the room looks all curvey and i never looked really close at it before, i found it interesting.
ReplyDeleteI spent my 15 minutes of what on my personal roof right outside of my bedroom... It was such a great experience for me to just take 15 minutes to just chill and relax. I realized so many things about the world outside of my bedroom walls. I noticed how awesome the creation is that God has made for us to look at everyday. We always overlook the small things and if we just take out a little time, we can look at how beautiful the world is. I also felt like, when i took out time to just look around me, i got so many more ideas for creating art in different ways.
ReplyDeleteI spent my 15 minutes of what in my room because i feel so comfortable there and it seems I never spend anytime there other then to sleep so It was kind of nice to sit in my bed and just do almost nothing unfortunately I don't get to relax much and when I do it's nice and I decided to try it inside this time because it seems like every time I do this I am outside so I thought it would be interesting to sit somewhere that I take advantage of every day. I like to keep my schedule full. When I just slowed down I began to actually look around and started to notice why my mom is always bugging me to clean my room but on the brighter side of things I was amazed by how much I had. All my clothes a comfy bed and even the little things like lip gloss or magazines. I think I may be able to clean out some of the junk in my room and use it for a piece for art possibly.
ReplyDeleteI wrote randomly during my "fifteen minutes of what" this is what I wrote,
ReplyDelete"For my "fifteen minutes of what" I at first thought to sit in my room and look at the arm chair and assortment of pillows in the corner because of the lighting and simple uniqueness, but after considering it I decided to spend my time in the place where I most often go to get away from the commotion of my family and of the world. This place is a green, tired whicker chair on our open, front porch looking out to the lawn that is splotchy green and a little long. It is surrounded by variouss, beautiful flowers and overly full bushes. There are two plum trees in the yard and one maple. The plum tree's leaves are purple and the branches are weighed down from old age. Amongst the twigs and branches are six scattered lanterns that light up at night. The lanterns are hung by twine. This place has an earthy feel, a summer feel. It is green with vegetation and the sound of life (bugs). It is simply wonderful. There is the occassional biker or car that passes by, but usually I am free to my thoughts or book or WHATEVER..."
I spent my quarter hour in a place where I don't typically use the right side of my brain. This summer I spent most of my time in a science lab at Hope where I had a job as a summer intern. During 3 quiet lunch breaks I spent time experiencing and observing the lab through a consciously different view.
ReplyDeleteI often think my personality is waged in an eternal dual between my rational/scientific side and the creative/artistic part of my brain--one never seems to prevail over the other. For these 15 minutes however, I thought and wrote about similarities in expressing myself through the science and the art in which I was immersed. To think in a different way than typical for that space in those 15 minutes was inspiring and thought-provoking. It helped me further realize that being creative is not limited to artistic expression, but rather is a way of looking at the world.
For my 15 minutes, i sat in my lawn in the backyard. i was looking at the garden and the bench thats in the garden thats all rusted over. I think that its important to take a little bit of time to experience relaxation and to see the little things, that are usually easily overlooked. I always knew what my backyard looked like, but i never actually sat out there in the grass and thought about it and really experienced it. I think its really relaxing to just be able to sit out and get to observe, and then to do something as therapeutic as art to finish off a quiet time.
ReplyDeleteMy 15 minutes was spent on the coast of Maine. To say the least it was beautiful. The rocky coastline really impressed me. God Is very amazing!! The cliffs and trees in contrast to blue ocean was unbelievable. On my second day I did some sketching of cool looking trees and rocks and the coastline in general. Well the fog rolled in and I could not believe how sureal it was. The fog was thick and sticky. The sun was immedeatly blocked out. this really did happen within 15 minutes. The third day I took some rubber cement and I used some shells and stuff to make something. Something I said in my writing on the second day wondered how I could possibly express Gods perfect creation. This 15 minutes was great. A time to settle down and think about how to turn what I see into an art peice. For me the how is half the battle.
ReplyDeleteTo me 15 minutes of what was 15 minutes of so much. I may have to continue this practice of sitting and just being still. My house has a wooden deck that sticks of the back of it, for my 15 minutes I would pull up a chair to the very corner of the deck so I could not see any part of the man made structure and I would peer into the giant hardwoods that only Michigan forest can provide. The tunks turn dark after a summer rain. They are like old men that have no were to go and have nothing to do but enjoy the company of one another. The mosaic of different oaks, beachs, and maple leaves russel slowly in the breeze. Squirrels make life or death decisons and leap from flimbsy branch to flimbsy branch. A cardinal flys through the low foliage with increadible speed and accuracy. The leave russel infront of me. A simple shrew finds insects with nothing but its nose in the pitch blackness that is the underleaf world. The forest floor is moist and full of nutrients. It is a cradel for life. Morning sun rises throught the leaves looking for spots to cast rays all the way to the forest floor. Like stage lights beaming at an actor ready to perform. Instead of and actor, however, the light shines on a rolly-polly climbing over a leaf, a simple fly that finds a place to land on a yearling maple. The wind blows throught the trees and all the rain that the leaves have capture falls on my head with a cool heavy drips. Suddenly a barred owl swoops from under a hemlock branck and with silent flight soars throught the trees like a ghost whoes spirit is restless until it again rest on a trees branck. Its big yellow eyes turn about its head not missing the smallest movement or most tiny detail. A white moth flutters by in a drunk motion that can never be tamed. "Poems are written by fools like me but only God can make a tree."
ReplyDeletewelllll this is from a while ago sooo.. i'll do my best :)
ReplyDeletebut i spent my 15 mins of what up in the woods at a place we call the landing.
it's amazing. i spent the first 15 mins just looking. it overlooks the lake. there were so many things to see! there is a huge tree fallen over that looks dead and torn up but it becomes part of the hill.
the second 15 mins i spent just sketching out the different things i saw. there was so much to see. i just sketched what was around me
for the last fifteen mins i added to my sketches. the more time you spend in a place, i feel like the more little things you see. like the one lone wildflower hidden behind branches and leaves... the black grains of sand mixed in with the tan ones... God makes such little suprises everywhere we look.