Finals Blow

who the fuck invented final projects? exams for regular classes are bad enough. art school is the worst idea anyone has ever had.... ever. fuck this.
studio isn't going the way i thought it would, darkroom is hopeless, and digital is a waste on my time.
college sucks.

Jeff Fucking Awesome Bridges. He's So Awesome.

He really is. Check out his website: jeff!!!

One day, I might be as goofy and as cool as Jeff. I hope.

19 credits, terrified.

i registered for classes this morning, but i've already adjusted my schedule. as of this morning, i was registered for 16 credits. i am now taking 19, which is one more than is allowed for a full-time student. so i'll have to pay an extra $288 (i think) for that extra 1 credit, but if i'm going to graduate on time, i need to buckle down. also, the extra class is just an art history lecture class, and those are easy as shit. seriously. but i'm scared to tell my dad that it's going to cost extra money, and i'm scared that the art history class will secretly be a lot of work. i know that i need to be extremely dedicated to crew next semester if i want to be captain next spring or my senior year, so time is a scary thing. the lack of time is more scary.

inspiration for my darkroom final project

the picture that started my inspiration is nowhere to be found online, so i'll describe it:
it's a black & white photograph taken by jeff bridges. it is of a woman on a swinging. she is at the height of her swing. she's wearing a dress and bedroom slippers. although i guess it could be a nightgown and flats, or a cross between the two. the woman is speaking on a telephone while swinging. it's a beautiful image, just like the rest of his work. i didn't know he was a photographer! he's very talented.
anyway, i saw this picture, and the first thought that popped into my head was: "why is she on the phone while she's swinging?". i imagine swinging to be a fun, meditative, relaxing activity. and while talking on the phone can be any of those things, it's usually about planning, and therefore slightly on the stressful side of the spectrum. so it seemed strange to me that these activities were paired together. then i thought, why do people multi-task? obviously to save time. but swinging and talking on the phone almost seems counter-productive. talking on the phone would distract me from the joy of swinging.
so then i thought, why do people do things that don't make sense? is it because we're not paying attention to our actions, the combination of our actions, or because we're stupid and don't realize what we're doing?
so my plan is to photograph people doing things that are counter-intuitive/productive, and allowing them to appear totally normal, while still giving off a vibe of ridiculousness. yes.

anger, continued.

...i am not finished with my anger.

you are SO self-centered. you get mad at me for not talking to you, so for you to turn off our friendship and ignore me for this long, is hypocritical. and i know how you feel about hypocrites. even though you are one of the most hypocritical people i know. you hate flakey people, but you cancel on me all the time. you get annoyed when your friends don't listen to you, but you don't ever take my advice. which is one of the reasons that we are not speaking. 

why the FUCK are you ignoring me?? you tell me that i'm your best friend and that you need me, and that you're sick of being alone and sad, but then you cut me out of your life. you are being immature. you complain that your mother is controlling and that she needs to treat you like the adult that you are because you are so responsible, yet you have no direction. i know she can be harsh, but you complain about the lack of parental involvement in your life, yet when she reaches out to you, you snap and shut down. 

you think that you're so fucking perfect and original and cool, but you are a mess. i love you, but you are a mess. and you do not have any power, or superiority, over me. so stop thinking that you do. and if you ever talk to me again, if you ever apologize for not speaking to me and telling me about your life, if you ever make this right again, you will need to respect me. i'm done with your bullshit. i want you to be a part of my life, but only if you add to it positively - i don't have the time or energy to deal with your drama. it feels like i have two lives, and when bad things happen in either of them, i suffer. but i only gain when good things happen in one of them.

also, you have to start being nice to me. you are rude as shit, and i'm so tired of it. if you don't like my clothes, my hair, etc., GET OVER IT. i don't tell you that you look like a mormon 95% of the time. i just tell you that you look cute. which you do... but like a cute mormon. so STOP telling me that i look like a mess, or whatever mean thing you have to say, because i don't treat you that way. i keep my mouth shut when i should, and you need to start doing the same.

i'm not actively waiting for you to talk to me, but you need to make the first move. i'm not coming back to you. if you want me in your life, you need to shape up, edit your attitude, and apologize.

untitled anger.

you have no right to judge me, you have no right to act superior to me just because you think you won. you didn't win anything, because lately you've both been acting like terrible people. i know i'm not perfect, but i don't pretend to be, and i'm fucking trying. you could have a little self-respect - it wouldn't kill you. it might even do you some good. and as for this competition that you've created between us, you will not overtake me. it's mine, and you can't take it from me. here's some advice - don't be such a bitch all the time, then maybe i could forgive you.

this has to do with photography because pain, betrayal, and loss are all a part of art for me. photography is the memory of a moment that i wouldn't actually remember - the random second that the shutter is pressed, i don't actually see the action in front of me. i need to look at negatives or a display screen to see the moment that i missed. 

if my pictures are just pretty, i don't get the credit i need in my classes. art school doesn't like pretty without reason. so pretty & painful is what i want to spend my time doing. aesthetics & depression is an interesting combination for me, and i want to explore them as much as possible. i love lace & tears, flowers & sad eyes, beautiful light & blood. i am fascinated by love & death.

here are some examples of the kind of photography i'm talking about:

discouragment

everything you say makes me want to quit. art needs to be something that i want so badly that i can't live without it, but you make it feel like work for me. you make it something that i hate to do, i hate to think about, and i hate to feel. i hate art school.