6 word memoir #6

Last year on a school trip, I was able to have the opportunity to visit Cuba with the band program. We knew signing up that we would have a week of hot weather and chances to play our instruments, but we weren’t aware of just how special this trip would be. Without getting into too much detail about the trip, what made it so special was that we were able to interact with the locals and see first hand the power of sharing arts. It was such a unique experience, one I could have never even imagined.

For my memoir I chose this picture because it shows the simple beauty of the country. The effect I added is the Cuban flag lightly in front of the image. I did this because even though it is clear to me, it may not be clear to everyone where this picture was taken. I decided to separate the six words into statements followed by a period as it makes it simple. I have no doubt my trip to Cuba was the best experience I have had in my life so that’s why I put periods. It gives it that “end of story” feel. The font I used was simple so it gave me the liberty to play around with the sizes. I decided to make the word “Cuba” a bigger font because it shows the significance of the word. The word “Cuba” makes the memoir personal to me as visiting there was the best experience I have ever had.  

6 word memoir #5

My future is undecided at the moment. However, on a trip to Toronto last spring with my mom I decided I would love to live there. There is just such an energy in Toronto that Winnipeg can’t compete with.  Not to mention that there are so much more opportunities for performing arts, which is what I adore. I chose this picture because I feel like it is a good embodiment of this energy. It starts at the bottom where you can see pedestrians crossing the street and the lights of oncoming traffic. Then it moves up to the buildings that fill the streets and finally the top of the picture where you can see the iconic CN tower. All these aspects help portray this energy, which is why I want to live there. The font and its colour I used are very simple as not to take away from this action shot of the city.  I didn't add any effect on this picture as I wanted this picture to look as real-life as possible. The words I chose for this one are particularly significant, specifically the word “just”.  I feel like the word “just” makes it seem like it is a simple task for me to live in Toronto, when in reality it would be very complicated. As much as I would love to live in Toronto, it just isn't that simple. 

6 word memoir #4

This memoir is on the theme of my past. It is so hard to believe that I am almost an adult. It seems like it’s been a long time since I was in elementary school. When I reminisce about the past, it’s so difficult to believe the things that I did how I thought of the world. I chose this picture because it is of my brothers and I probably about 15 years ago and is a good representation of my childhood with my siblings. I used the effect called “Spotlight” because it focuses on the people in the photo and almost seems like it’s a memory as the background is faded and darker. The font I used I decided to make simple, in basic white as not to take away from the bright colours of the clothing. I chose to use the “…” as my punctuation because I wanted to continue the memory. This photo is only a small part of my past, which is not the only memory that seems like it was a lifetime ago.  

6 word memoir #3

This memoir means exactly what it says. I am constantly singing. It can annoy people, (My family and even myself included sometimes) but I can’t stop. If I am not singing aloud, I’m most likely singing in my head. I just love to sing.

I found singing difficult to portray in a picture so I used a microphone, music and myself to model what singing looks like. However, usually when I sing it isn’t this formal, I will literally sing anywhere. The effect that I used on the photo is called “Cross Process” and allowed me to add a small tint of blue to the picture. I did this because it contrasted the red of my lips and the red words. The font I chose was something basic, so that I could use a bolder colour that matched my lips. I did this because the rest of the colours in the picture are quite neutral so I used the red words to accent the colour in my lips. This also helps portray the simplicity of this memoir, as I only used one bright colour. I used periods in my six-word memoir to divide up the two ideas. The first idea is that I am always singing, and the second is that there is nothing that can stop me. One must just deal with it. The punctuation I used is effective because it separates the ideas and makes it very simple for the reader.

6 word memoir #2

This memoir was on the theme of love. A lot of memoirs about love will include people and their significant other. Relationships may change but one thing should never change; you should love yourself, and whatever kind of person you are at the time. I also believe that you can’t love other people if you first can’t love yourself. That’s why I created this six-word memoir.

First of all, I wanted this picture to be of a blank mirror, because mirrors are how you’re able to see yourself. The significance of it being blank is that I didn’t want any one thing being reflected in it as it is always changing. (Just like people are constantly changing) There is no font here as the writing is lipstick on the mirror. I chose to do this as it seems more personal then adding text, and this memoir is meant to be personal. The comma I used after the words “Loving yourself” is effective as it creates a brief pause after the main idea of the memoir to allow the reader to understand the significance. I chose to use an exclamation mark as I feel that this further reiterates the importance of loving yourself. The effect I added in the background was of outer space. This is representing every individual, as we are all different, just like the stars.    

6 word memoir #1

Most people think that they are the most important person in the world. Myself included, it's just the way we are programmed to function. Don't get me wrong, it isn't a bad thing necessarily. I mean, if you don't prioritize yourself, who will? So, I think it's always a good reminder that everyone in the world is only one person that makes up the whole world. The picture I used (Taken by my friend, Lian Pries) I thought was very appropriate for the message I am trying to convey. Every tea candle represents a person. Alone they can only shine so bright. But, if you look at the picture as a whole and see the rows of tea candles, they give off much more light then any one candle itself. Just like humans, if we join together, we could help bigger and better causes.

The effect I used on this photo was called “Orton” and what it did was made a darker background for the candles. I did this because it showed more of a contrast between the lights of the candles and the darkness behind. I feel that this helped show my message as you can really see the light the candles are giving off. The font I used was futura, and I did this because the name of the font is much like the word future, and the idea of people joining together will happen in the future. As far as punctuation I decided to add the “…” at the end because it is an idea that will be continued. We are all a part of a bigger picture and in the years to come hopefully more people will realize this.  

Michael Henry and Justin Robinett- Video (Personal Touch #4)

There are so many cover artists on Youtube nowadays. So let me save you some time looking and show you one of the best cover artists out there. (In my opinion, at least)

Michael Henry and Justin Robinett - What the Hell cover:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lLKHkzy3InY

A friend of mine showed these guys to me a couple of years ago and I instantly fell in love with their music! I am constantly listening to their songs over and over again and have even purchased some on itunes. The instruments they use is mostly piano, however in more recent videos they have more percussion. I really enjoy the harmonies and things like key changes that they incorporate in their songs. It adds musicality to today's pop music. This particular song is one of my favourites because of the cool piano tricks that they do. Also, you got to love the dog running back and forth in the background!

Ball Droppings Website (Personal Touch #3)

Balldroppings is a website that somehow my brother found and showed me. The point of the website is to draw lines anywhere and the balls will bounce off the lines and create a sound. The pitch of the note will change depending on how long the line is and the angle it is at. I have become addicted to this as sometimes I will just numbly sit and listen to the sounds I have created. It is also a great way to annoy those who are around you....

Give it a try! 

http://balldroppings.com/js/

My Digital Footprint

Questions

What is your passion?

What is my passion? For me this is an easy question. Ever since I was 8 and was in a production of The Adventures of Tom Sawyer, performing has been my passion. Musicals are what I like to perform mostly, however over the past few years I have started to gain appreciation for classical singing. To me there is nothing better than the thrill of live performance. In fact, when I perform, I’m usually in such a state of euphoria that it’s hard for me to be productive for the rest of the day. I’m not sure if I’d be able to point a finger on what I love so much about it, but I just find it so exciting to get into the character of whomever you are portraying onstage. Perhaps this is because I find it a contrast to my usual everyday life. Whatever the reason may be, I find performing so incredibly magical that there is no doubt in my mind that that is my passion.

What do you want to do in a year?

This is a question that is difficult for me to say, as I have so many options as to what I want to do after I graduate from high school. Before I know for sure what I’m doing in a year I first have to make a couple of big decisions that could potentially close doors for me. Part of me wants to pursue my dreams of performing professionally, whether it is for musical theatre or for classical singing. (Another big decision) If that’s what I decide then I would either attend post secondary education in Winnipeg or work to save up to attend a university/college in Toronto the following year. However, it’s possible I don’t go into a field of that kind at all. If that were the case, I’m back at square one. I do want to attend post secondary education but if it isn’t for performance then I don’t know what I would go for. The reason I am doubting performance at all is because I’m not sure if I could live the structure-less lifestyle of performers. Academics have never been an issue for me, so it’s very tempting to do something that has a higher success rate than doing something that I already know I love. It’s so terrifying to think of, so I am just hoping sometime within the course of the year I’ll gain some clarity as to what I want to do. 

What do you want to do when you grow up?

I suppose it’s hard for me to say what I want to do when I grow up. This is so far in the future and I can barely decide what I want to do next weekend. I will say however, that whether I do this through my job or as a hobby, I want to spread the joys that the arts can bring to other people. Whether this is through performance, education, or however else this may be done, it is very important to me. I feel that the arts are often thought as frivolous and artistic minds are not taken as seriously as academic minds. When in reality, art is a form of expression in which much can be learned from. That is why I want to help show others the importance of arts in everyday life. 

Picture Quote (Personal Touch #2)

While looking on StumbleUpon, I came across this very interesting quote which at first I just scrolled past but then I really thought about it and it resonated with me quite a bit.

http://www.lifehack.org/articles/lifestyle/sentences-that-can-change-your-life.html

"Climb mountains not so the world can see you, but so you can see the world" It sounds very cliché but  I feel like it really relates to my life. As a performer, it is incredibly important to keep performing for yourself and to not contort yourself for other people. The best thing to know who you are. That way, you will always be who you want to be and will be able to achieve your own goals. You can't worry about what other people will think of what you are doing. People are so easily lost trying to please others. That's why it is so important to see the world versus the world seeing you.

The more I thought about it, this quote is very applicable to not only performers but just anyone in general. In anything you do remain yourself versus being who others want to be. Be the person you want to be first and foremost without trying to please anyone else.

67th Annual Tony Awards (Personal Touch #1)

Last weekend, when the weather outside was dreary and I had nothing to do, I decided that I would use my free time and re-watch the 67th annual Tony Awards Show.

 http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mWGGKLi-F1k

I didn't quite have the 2 hours and 20 minutes to watch it all, but I watched the highlights. My favourite parts were the performances. Specifically Revolting Children performed by the cast of Matilda (11:52) I hadn't heard of this song until recently when my brother, Lucas came home singing it as he's performing in in his musical theatre class in university. It is terribly catchy and the kids are adorable.

Another highlight of mine was the performance made by Neil Patrick Harris, Andrew Rannells, Megan Hilty, and Laura Benanti. (101:49) They put on a little skit and a song about the benefits of being on a t.v. show versus being on Broadway. All of them have been on t.v. shows and Neil's ( How I met your Mother) is the only one that isn't cancelled. I found this quite humorous and I also liked it because I loved Megan Hilty on Smash. (I was so sad to hear it got cancelled)

For whatever reason, I found one of the acceptance speeches quite inspiring. You'd think it would be one of the actors speeches; being a performer myself, but it was actually Cyndi Lauper for best score of Kinky Boots. (53:35) I just find her kooky and genuine. Often times I find people in the musical theatre business very fake and pompous but she is so humble and has so much character. As a performer myself I find that so refreshing and I am quite happy she won even know I don't know her or much of her work.

I really enjoy looking back at the Tonys, I personally find it so inspiring and entertaining and the perfect thing to do if I have some time to myself. As a young aspiring Broadway actress, it would be a dream come true if I was ever on that stage accepting an award myself

.

Reading Survey

In general how do you feel about reading?

For the most part, I see reading as a chore. I usually only read when I have to, which is for school. I have however, experienced the amazing trance reading can provide when you find a book that you are really interested in. When that happens, I will not put that book down until I have finished it. As great as that is, it is rare that I find a book that I find really intriguing. Perhaps this is because reading with the books I have been forced to read for school has turned me off to reading. I took IB English up until this year and the books we read were not only dry but also we read them at an extremely fast pace. I really did not have the time to appreciate those books. Most of the time reading is not something I enjoy, more something that I have to do.

How do you decide which books you will read?

Choosing books for me is a very difficult task. I feel like I am at a crossroads in my reading as in the past I used to enjoy reading series like Pretty Little Liars or The Clique. Now that I am older, and have learned to notice literary devices in literature, those books really don't cut it for me. For the most part, I ask my friends which books they have enjoyed, and what they think I would like. I like doing this not only because I already know people who have enjoyed them, but also because we can discuss the book afterwards. Choosing a book by myself is a little bit more difficult because in the end I just pick the one that looks the prettiest. Yes, this does mean I am literally judging books by their covers, but oh well.

The best book I ever read was The Perks of Being a Wallflower because...

I received a copy of The Perks of Being a Wallflower for Christmas last year and I couldn't put it down. What I really enjoyed about it was, first of all, it wasn't too long. I don't like when books go on forever, I lose interest quickly. However this book was long enough to have a storyline but not so long that I got bored. Second of all, I really liked The Perks of Being a Wallflower because it dealt with issues that teens can relate to. The main character was a kid starting high school and through the year him and his friends found themselves in situations where they were dealing with sexuality, drugs, abuse and mainly just finding out who they are. The serious aspects in the book along with the humorous parts were what made me really enjoy this novel.

Techno "Do-You" Paragraph

The phone I currently have is a Blackberry Bold. I do have internet access however I believe I only have 400 MB of data a month. This phone is not ideal to go on the internet even though I do have access to it. I own an iPod Touch that I can bring to class. It is my own and I believe it is a 4th generation. I do not own any kind of e-reader. I have a Twitter feed, I got last year when our Student Council made an account. Personally, I am not a huge Twitter fan. I get easily annoyed with the tweets that people make and I don't tweet very often as I'm sure my tweets would annoy others. Some things are just better left unsaid on Twitter in my opinion. Unless the tweets are funny or thought provoking, I do not care. I do have a blog, however only because I needed to get one for this years school musical. The assignments we have gotten in musical require us to write blogs in the perspective of our character in hope that it will help us understand our character during our portrayal. At the moment, I hardly understand how to manage my blogging account so I am rather interested in learning how to do this. In regards to the other types of technology, I don't have anything in particular that I am eager to learn about, however I'm sure I will learn useful things that will help me as our lives are becoming more and more technology based every day.