CHANGES TO MY STUDY PROGRAMME

Today I have to write about some changes that could be made to my study programme. It's difficult for me to write about this, because I think study art in a school system is a contradiction. It's difficult to standardize art because art avoids "the rules". Maybe I'm wrong  but it's something that makes sense to me based on what I've learned in this study programme.

I'm agree with the current curriculum, there are many options to specialize in a technique like sculpture, engraving, textile techniques or painting. But maybe theorical courses are less important than they should be, and the knowledge of history or how art system works today is necessary.

Although I love the faculty (because I almost live in it and I have learned to appreciate every corner of it), I have many disagrees about infrastructure. Nowadays the building has many flaws, like asbestos roofs, smalls workshops and the floods and leaks when the rain comes. I have to paint in the workshop at least five hours a day, so I need a suitable place to work. I think the same about technology, because many easels are in poor condition, most of the computers the computers that teachers use to do classes don't work correctly, etc.

And as I said on the first paragraph, it's difficult to study art in a system that contradicts its gist. Because of that I think that the teaching methods are good. Teachers do what they can, they use different methods for every technique and every person, because of that I think most of them do a great job and I  appreciate it.

ENGLISH LANGUAGE CHALLENGES

I started to understand the language (a bit) without panicking the last year of highschool. Before after that year, the teacher only pay attention to the classmates who knows about english. I felt so frustrated all the time, and I was reluctant to learn english because of those bad experiences. But the last year of highschool was different, the school change the teacher and I think was a wonderful choice. He showed us movies, series and music. I think that with that teacher show to me an entertaining way to learn this language. In university I had the oportunity to practice, which I don't do because the opportunity hasn't been given. I think blogs are a fun way to practice writting, forces me to look for words that I don't know and I can write about things that interest me.

I think that speaking is the aspect that I really need to be improved. It's something difficult for me because even in spanish it's hard for me to say what I want, and it's the aspect that I don't need to use outside english class. I think a trip where people who speak english is the solution.

Ouside the English class, I use to watch movies and series, and I can understand some jokes that are just funny in the original language (for example). Also I can play online games with foreign people, communicate with them and understand what they said, even if only insults. For important things, English save me sometimes, because there's some art books that aren't translate to spanish.

PERSONAL OPINIONS

Today I have to choose four questions and expressing my personal opinion:

First, I'll start by talking about what I think regarding owning an exotic pet. I think it's stupid, it's selfish. When I was a child I always had pets , mostly exotic and I'm sure that all of them had a sad life. It's something I'll always regret, because I didn't know their habitat, or if they lived in a herd or alone ( I had two male hamsters, and they fight to the bitter end; and I had a guinea pig, animal that lives in herd, tip that I knew after his death). I think people shouldn't have animals as living ornaments (exotic or not). We need to be more empathic with living beings.


Continuing with animals topics, my opinion about killing stray dogs to prevent sanitary problems and animal over population is that I'm against killing stray dogs. There's always a way to not kill them, it should be as serious as killing a person. And about the animal over population, it's so easy, there's so much places where sterilization is free, killing isn't an option, never.

Changing the subject, about legalizing abortion in some cases, I'm completely agree. Moreover, it should be legal in any case. If it's legal, then abortion is more safe for us. Even though abortion its illegal now, doesn't mean that women don't abort, only mean that they do it risking their lives. We should be able to decide if we want to be mothers.

And the last one, what is my opinion about tatoos? Well, nowadays, who doesn't have tatoos? At least all the people of my generation have a tatoo, the strange thing is someone who doesn't have it. Tatoos don't have the same meaning as a few years ago. Before, tatoos usually meant something bad, like jails, criminals, murder, gangs, underground things. But now, tatoos are skin ornaments, with personal meaning, memories or simply without any meaning, just aesthetic. 


I have a beautiful sleeping Papitas on my ankle.

MUSIC

I love music, I used to listening to music all day. If I'm sad, I like to listen sad music, because with it I could being sad with style. If I'm angry I like metal or rock bands that my brother provides me every month. But nowadays, I want to be motivated and extra-happy, so I found a new genre like one year ago: Electro swing.

The way I found this genre was randomly. I like to play videogames on my computer when I have the time, althought I'm pretty bad at it. So, I usually find pro-gamers videos on internet, to extract some knowledge ant not die instantly (it never works). One day I found some videos about bad gamers like me with funny music, full of energy and a little taste of old music.
 I like it instantly, because its the perfect music for wake up in the mornings, take a good shower, sing in the middle of angry people in the bus or the subway, then painting my four /five hours a day, and if I have the time, playing games at the computer. Of course I mix this kind of music with other genres, but this is my new dicovery.

I don't have a favorite musician in the genre. Even though I like very much this genre, It's the kind of music that bores you in no more than two weeks, so I'm discarding songs as soon as they bore me and replace them with new ones. I know that this relationship has an expiration date (I have recently started listening Eurodance, there are very funny songs)

MY FUTURE JOB

I'm not sure about what I'm going to do after study art. I have many options but I don't know what to decide. I'm not even sure if I'll dedicate myself to being and artist, although my future job must relate to it, no doubt about that, I love painting and it's something that I will not stop doing.

My first option at the moment is to enter into the world of illustration. Maybe work with designers or preople from other areas and do all kind of things like illustrated books, comics, even videogames or board games. Also I like the idea of working with PDI (it's my second option), even if it's a stressful job, maybe it's interesting to draw crime scenes or identikit pictures. I know it's creepy, but I'm really see it as something interesting.

If I dream about it, I really want to travel a lot, like Pixar's artists do.They have to travel and painting and drawing specifics landscapes and things that identify a place or a culture for the next movies. Years ago I watched a documental of the movie UP!, and a small group of artists had to travel to Venezuela, into a place named Matawi Tepui. They study the landscape and the the culture of an specific place through visual language. I would like to study the world, my own culture and others through my paintings, and this kind of job offers me all of that.

About salary, I don't care really much as long as I can survive with it, anyways there will always be part time jobs.

Remy and Emile, Dominique R. Louis( he is the development art director on Pixar’s 2006 film RATATOUILLE) 

MOVIES

Today I have to write about a movie or series that I coud recommend my classmates and teacher, so I choose a movie that it's considered by critics to be one of the greatest animated and science fiction films of all time: Akira.

Akira is a japanese animated film, directed by Katsuhiro Otomo. It's based on Otomo's manga of the same name. The movie was released on July, 1988. 

Akira is categorized as post-apocalyptic cyberpunk movie, with a guy who acquires superpowers and his friend that wants to help him, both of them part of a biker gang, all happens in a pos-apocalyptic city named Neo-Tokyo. There's a lot of action and strange things happening.

It's not my favorite movie, but it's a movie that you should see (Akira isn't called a cult movie for nothing), specially if you like the kind of films that leaves you a bittersweet feeling. I like it because of this kind of feeling and the quality of the animation is awesome. 

Akira Akira has been cited as a major influence on movies like Matrix, Kill Bill, Strange Things, Ghost in the Shell and so much more, or video games like Metar Gear Solid.

PAPITAS

 Today I have to write about animals and pets and its the topic I like the most. I'm crazy about the little yellow furry thing that lives with me. His name is Papitas and its the second cat that I adopt. 

There's two versions of the same story: for everyone, I found Papitas when I was walking down the street near to my house, six years ago. He was the last kitten left, the ugliest and sickest of the litter, so the lady who gave him up for adoption had resigned. But when I saw it outside the lady's house I fell in love at first sight. 

 

I live with my parents and they didn't want another cat at home, so the second version of the story is known by them: I found Papitas when I was walking down the street near to my house, six years ago. Papitas was on the street alone, hungry and thirsty, he was so little and helpless that it was so cruel to leave it there. 
 I took Papitas in a shoe box and with the second version of my story we walked to his new house. I don't regret having lied to my parents, because Papitas means only joy every day in our lives (specially mine).

He was sick two weeks ago, but now he is ok <3

I like everything about this cat, he's usually angry at everything, bites me when I touch him for too long or meow with rage when a moth escapes its claws. Also, when I feel sad, he use to purr loud and let me caress his paws. I think he takes care of me and he knows that I take care of him. 

Life just would be so boring and so sad without him. 

 

BEST CONCERT EVER

I'm not a fan of concerts (I've only gone to two until today) but in 2011, my brother gave me a ticket as a birthday present to see my favorite band: X Japan.

X Japan is a japanese (obviously) heavy metal band formed in 1982. All people thought that they last concert was in 1997, but they got reunited after ten years, recorded new songs and suddenly they announced a tour around the world.

Because I'm a very lucky woman, my favorite band in addition to their unintended tour also thought about South America, so they came to Chile. I'm lucky, but poor. I was a lucky poor teenager so I knew that my closest meeting with the concert would be on Youtube.

Then, two months before the concert (that was on september 9) my brother gave me a ticket as a birthday present. He is the best concert partner, because since that day until the concert we listen all the songs and he tried to memorize most of them so we could sing together (and we did!).

The concert was in Caupolicán theater, Santiago. The enviroment was nice, there were people of different ages and all was excited singing the songs with the band. I enjoyed every moment of that day. 

Of course, that was the most special birthday ever.

A COUNTRY I'D LIKE TO VISIT

I have two places in mind when I think about a country I'd like to visit. Of course, Florence, the capital city of Italy is a place that I must have to go, because I study Visual Arts and this city has almost all the occidental art history, but I'm not sure if I had to visit Italy besides the art that this country can show. Canada is another option only because the landscapes and fauna that Canada has is amazing for me.

But a country that can give me more reasons besides art and fabulous landscapes to visit is Egypt, because of the long history that the country has, like the civilization that build iconic monuments like Giza pyramids, the Temple of Derr, the colossal statues of the Temple for Ramses II and so much more interesting architecture.

Great Temple of Ramses II

Egypt it's placed between Africa and Asia, with over 95 millions of people. The main language is arabic and Islam is the official religion. I think I also like Egypt because the people has traditions very cut off from mine, and there's so many places to visit and different types of landscape, like the Sahara desert and the Red Sea.

I would like to work there meanwhile I travel through the country, because I can know the people who live there while I can eat or pay for a place to sleep.