Top 3 favorite Activities:

1. Auto Drawing – while I wasn’t 100% successful at it, i liked it the most because we needed a partner to do this
2. Plaster Casting –  I liked playing with the materials and having to go to the beach for this project
3. Finger Painting – while it was one of the projects I over-thinked the most, I enjoyed it because when I let myself go and then looked at the end it was nice to find objects in the end result.

Least 3 favorite

1. Landscapes of a Dead Corpse – this was my least favorite because it put me in a mental state of having to think how i would die.
2. ePortfolio – I think making the website more personalized, other than for this class, should be optional and if any an extra credit option for students. While it can be helpful, I don’t find it necessary.
3. Design Thinking – I am someone who has a current 3 year plan. This project made me really stress about other possibilities. While I am someone who can adapt, the thought of not achieving my dreams in life was very devastating.

Course Format – The format worked great. I really the flexibility of class. I think that if class was just lecture it would’ve been boring or not helpful in understanding art. It was a great idea to incorporate projects and see artists.

WordPress – While this approach is original and creative, hence why its an art class item, I think it would be best to have a beach board approach. It really helps with privacy. I think having a website to display your work and promote your identity/blog is a genius idea but I don’t think it should be necessary for everyone. As an engineering major, we use LinkedIn a lot. It showcases interests and can display projects if need be. It is showcased to different industries and professionals. This website was more of a blog and stream of consciousness for me to get in touch with my art side. I think showcasing my engineering projects or homework on here could be a problem.

BeachArts – Extremely helpful and organized. I think it was very cool to see the activities other students have completed in different years. This will allow me to complete the projects with my loved ones. Beach board has a way of cutting out the creativity of layout. BeachArts website definitely allows for the freedom of expression.

B&C week format – The format was pretty explanatory and helpful.

 

In general, I really like doing projects where we can work in groups or other people. I liked the ones where we were able to start from scratch and “get dirty”.

My name is Linda Esparza. I am majoring in Electrical Engineering. I went into engineering after attending a heavily engineering focused school. Upon entering high school, I got placed to the engineering track due to a math placement test. At first, I did not want to continue because I wanted to be in ASB. During middle school, I was in the performance dance track. High school was a rough transition from creative expression to a binary structure. However, I grew to like it and fell in love when doing a birthday logic circuit. My life has been all engineering since then. It is my 4^th year of college with a plan of graduation for next year May 2019.

 

It wasn’t until last summer May 2017 when I got more in touch with art. I had not taken an art class for the longest time. The last time I remember doing arts and crafts was for Mother’s or Father’s Day back in elementary school. Hobbies back then included buying drawing books and trying to replicate cartoons. Last summer, I had my first internship at the Los Angeles Department of Water and Power (LADWP). I worked in the Solar Power Engineering where I helped design solar photovoltaic systems on LADWP properties. That summer I met a friend who was very in tune with art.

 

He showed me how to play the ukulele and took me around multiple museums in LA. He also had free-lance art friends whom invited us to art galleries. Going to the different museums and seeing all the LA street art made me want to take Art 110 as my C1 – Arts GE class. Art 110 is the Intro to Visual Arts. According to the CSULB Catalog, the class description is the exploration of meanings, purposes, styles, materials and forms of art and architecture.

 

This semester wasn’t so much to develop art technique but rather to develop an appreciation for art. We had to do little projects every week and see CSULB artist display their work in galleries. Most of their work was to fulfill their thesis or senior project. One thing that was shocking/fascinating for me was seeing how specialized these artists were. When speaking to them and getting their websites, I saw that mainly stood to 1 theme and 1 type of art form. For example, there was an artist who dedicated all her work to printmaking in the style of a little girl with a Pooh Bear. She used this art as an expression of a “comfort object”. I really liked her type of drawing and painting and would’ve liked to see her work applied to different themes. The weekly projects were very fun and challenging. They were challenging in the way that I often over thought, “if someone saw this, how would they interpret it? What would think about me.” In general, I used these projects as a stress reliever and a way to express my feelings. I often got extra supplies and had my brother work with me. This was to help our sister-brother relationship. One particular project, I had everyone play a part: mom, dad, brother and my two dogs.

 

This class helped me have a glimpse as to what pressure an artist may have but also the tremendous joy of seeing the outcome. In engineering, I do not see an obvious way how art can be applied. The most applicable project was the redesign of the wedge. It reminded me of work when I draw out buildings in isometric paper or 2-point perspective. I have art in the workplace by the way I organize and color code my work. My office itself has lots of art work like madalas I have created or poems. Even though art is not directly correlated with my work, it can be integrated as my hobby. I will continue to play instruments and develop my poem and drawing skills during breaks or outside of work. There exists a solar panel array in Asia that is in the shape of a panda. If I could recreate a shape of an animal or object in one of the rooftop locations, then I will have succeeded at making a solar panel design very artsy and not a typical box design.

This week we had to pick out a piece of art and create a short story of it. I picked out her work because the characters remind me of Disney’s show Gravity Falls. I have always been attracted to cartoons that incorporated the “scary factor”. Here is my spin off on her artwork.

 

Episode 1: First Day of School.

The white ghost drawn alarm rings a loud boo. Ana wakes up in surprise with a bright smile in her face. She get out of bed and ties her long black hair into a high ponytail. She puts on her favorite sweater. “Ana, hurry up you don’t want to be late to your first day of your new school ” her mother screams. Ana screams “I’m coming mother!”. She gathers her backpack and stuffs in her pencils and ghostbusters notebook. She heads to the kitchen has her breakfast and gets driven to school. Classes pass by with the usual boring subjects. During her science class she gets paired up with a girl named Stacy. Stacy has long orange locks with big thin glasses. It almost seems as she was hiding in her sweater. “Hi my name is Ana”, Ana says while enthusiastically extending her hand for hand shake, “how are you?”. Stacy quite shy keeps a quiet smile and extends her hand for a handshake, “I’m Stacy nice to meet you”. Although the girls appeared to be very different they seemed to compliment each other. When Ana took out her ghostbusters notebook, Stacy flinched. She said in a hushed tone, “You believe in ghosts?”. Ana replied, “Yes they are AWESOME!”. Stacy was not expecting that response. She explained that she saw them too but no one believed her. She explained that she was scared of them. Ana told her not to worry that she will introduce her to a friendly ghost named Chris after school. Hours later, they met up underneath the corner tree. They walked along to a park. Ana saw a glimpse of Chris and gave him a smirk. Chris zooms by and appears very quickly in front of Stacy. She screams! “Stacy this is Chris! I told him that he was going to meet my friend and was very eager to welcome you”. Ana shaking replies, “Wow nice to meet you. Promise you won’t sneak up on me like that anymore”. They go to the playground and play on the swings and slides. The girls get along just fine. Stacy is warming up to the idea that there are friendly ghosts. The girls walk home and agree to hangout after school everyday. Ana wants to teach Stacy how to better communicate with ghosts and be more confident in their encounters.

 

I imagined this as the start to a TV series or movie. I would begin the first episode/scene as the development of the friendship and introduction of the characters. The show will then be about Stacy’s ability to get better along with ghosts and face the drama of high school. These two girls will have each others back and with ghosts as their friends there is nothing anyone can do to hurt them. They must protect their secret of ghosts so that they can maintain the status quo to one day become prom queen. They don’t want to be labeled crazy. Through the series I would imagine how Stacy becomes more confident about her abilities, gains insight to the cliquy group and starts rejecting the idea of ghosts. Ana will have felt lost and betrayed but like most happy endings, Stacy will see that being popular and materialistic measure close to nothing when dealing with the power of friendship and trust. Happily Ever After!

This assignment is an attempt to design our life. In general, it is meant for us to have goals and a direction in life. My main plan is the 1^st choice. So far, it is in the works. I had not thought too far in advance past the next two years. This assignment has put me into stress thinking of what I want in life and I know that when the years do come and I don’t reach these certain goals I will be devastated. That is why I don’t try to plan out my life too much because there are always outside factors and variables that will alter its path. I used to heavily plan my life in high school and I was disillusioned when things weren’t met to my expectation. That being said, I will maintain my positivity that the 1^st plan will be at least 70% accurate. I believe career goals can be planned but when it comes to friendships and relationships, they can’t.

1. Title: Continued Life as Los Angeles Department of Water and Power (LADWP) Employee
   1. Year 1 (May 2018 – May 2019 (23)): Finish another year as Solar Power Engineering student engineer. Have made connections with several engineers. Made an impact in the Society of Women Engineers Professionals Affiliate Group. Passed the Fundamentals of Engineering (FE) Exam and gained my Engineer In Training (E.I.T) certificate. Did great on On Campus Interview (OCI) – scored 95. Awaiting my second interview. Completed 5 mock interviews. Graduated – class of 2019! Started a hobby of cooking and bought a guitar. Continued going to the gym and lost 15 pounds.
   2. Year 2 (May 2019 – May 2020 (24)): Got hired as a New Engineer Associate in Training (NEAT) Engineer. Completed around 2 rounds; need 1 more. Began studying for the Professional Engineer (PE) exam. Bought a car within a reasonable price range that consumes no more than 20% of the monthly budget. Down payment is about 40% of the total car.
   3. Year 3 (May 2020 – May 2021 (25)): Took the PE exam and passed (need 4 years of work experience to get certificate – Year 7 goal). My cooking has gotten better. Got placed in a group that has to do with renewable energy – battery storage. Have saved enough money to move out and find a place in Glendale within a reasonable price range that consumes no more than 40% of the monthly budget.
   4. Year 4 (May 2021– May 2022 (26)): Saved money for a house. House scouting for the future. Car has been paid 60%. Found a business partner to have a side part time electrical design job. Have travelled to at least 2 places outside the 30 mile radius of Los Angeles. Took my brother to networking places to help him get a job after college.
   5. Year 5 (May 2023 – May 2024 (27)): Have helped my brother find an internship. Bought a house. Travelled to other countries. Started LEED certification classes. Ran a marathon.
   6. Ranking (1 low, 5- high)
      1. Resources: 5
      2. I like it: 5
      3. Confidence: 4
      4. Coherence: 5

2. Title: Not LADWP but another electrical power utility
   1. Year 1 (May 2018 – May 2019 (23)): Finish another year as Solar Power Engineering student engineer. Have made connections with several engineers. Made an impact in the Society of Women Engineers Professionals Affiliate Group. Passed the Fundamentals of Engineering (FE) Exam and gained my Engineer In Training (E.I.T) certificate. Graduated – class of 2019! Started a hobby of cooking and bought a guitar. Continued going to the gym and lost 15 pounds.
   2. Year 2 (May 2019 – May 2020 (24)): LADWP didn’t hire me but I got hired at San Diego Gas and Electric. Began studying for the Professional Engineer (PE) exam. Moved out to San Diego. Joined a ballroom class. There I met new friends. I visit the botanical garden once every month to get in tune with my creative side (poems, uke, drawing).
   3. Year 3 (May 2020 – May 2021 (25)): Took the PE exam and passed (need 4 years of work experience to get certificate – Year 7 goal). My cooking has gotten better. Bought a car within a reasonable price range that consumes no more than 20% of the monthly budget. Down payment is about 40% of the total car.
   4. Year 4 (May 2021– May 2022 (26)): Saved money for a beach side condo. Car has been paid 60%. Found a business partner to have a side part time electrical design job. Have travelled to at least 2 places outside the 50 mile radius of San Diego.
   5. Year 5 (May 2023 – May 2024 (27)): Found a beachside condo. Started LEED certification classes. Ran a marathon. Adopted a 2 dogs.
   6. Ranking (1 low, 5- high)
      1. Resources: 3
      2. I like it: 4
      3. Confidence: 2
      4. Coherence: 4

3. Title: Not here. Not engineering. Completely Different.
   1. Year 1 (May 2018 – May 2019 (23)): Finish another year as Solar Power Engineering student engineer. Passed the Fundamentals of Engineering (FE) Exam and gained my Engineer In Training (E.I.T) certificate. Graduated – class of 2019! Started a hobby of cooking and bought a guitar. Continued going to the gym and lost 15 pounds.
   2. Year 2 (May 2019 – May 2020 (24)): Decided to go on a whim and move to Mexico. I pick up a part time job as a waitress and start tutoring for English, math, and science classes. Going to cosmetology school. Start saving money to partner up with my family who work in the event planning business.
   3. Year 3 (May 2020 – May 2021 (25)): Open an office where we can plan with clients their dream event. It will have a room for photo shoots and a room for beauty (hair, makeup, nails, etc.). Our packages include planning, day of prep, transportation, and photography/videos. Moved out of my aunts place. Found my soulmate while planning an event.
   4. Year 4 (May 2021– May 2022 (26)): Continue with the all in one business. Saving money to buy a house. Soulmate and I are getting very serious and are thinking of marriage. Take him home to meet the parents. Parents love him and approve. Soulmate encourages me to do engineering again. In turn, I follow his advice but now tell him to move out to U.S. and get his engineering certification in U.S.
   5. Year 5 (May 2023 – May 2024 (27)): We move out to U.S. living next door to my parents. We each find jobs. He’s going to school to get his accreditation. I find a job at a startup company in Culver City. He proposes one sunny windy day while on vacation in New York. I say Yes!
   6. Ranking (1 low, 5- high)
      1. Resources: 1
      2. I like it: 5
      3. Confidence: 2
      4. Coherence: 1

All in all, this assignment was not too bad. For my third option, I tried to be the silliest of them all. My hopeless romantic side came out. This was the least objective design plan. I guess if somehow engineering doesn’t work out I always think of getting away to Mexico. I really like Mexico’s family culture and I think of it very highly. Notice how in my 1st design, I did not mention anything about relationships. That is because I think in order for me to reach all my career goals I must remain concentrated in my main priority. While developing a relationship wouldn’t be opposed, it is not my goal, at least not anymore.

I want my website to be a creative outlet. Having an engineering major barley allows me to express my art through pictures, songs, or drawings because almost everything is calculations, coding, and simulation. This website will have doodles from anywhere and pictures I have taken. I mainly like taking pictures of people smiling. I like to take pictures of nature too and my new favorite has been to climb trees and someone get a shot of that.

I ended up removing the section ukulele because I wasn’t able to upload any videos 😦

Candids got changed to Pictures because I wanted it to be a broader spectrum.

Website: http://gabrielaherstik.com

IG: @gabyherstik

I found bringing a guest speaker very helpful. Gabriella showed the class how to own yourself and be empowered by your differences. She came from South Carolina which is a pretty conservative place. She writes articles and has written a book. She also is a witch. She over emphasizes the importance of social media and branding yourself. I think that is very true for creative careers or other self employed people. They need to display their work and gain followers. I think it was great to see how she had “no chill” aka perseverance and determination. This was shown for her constant attempts at getting a writing column. She ended up talking to an employee through IG. They let her write for them, despite not getting paid for work. She described this as a stepping stone because it helped her prepare to write a book. Gabriella reminds me of a cousin I have from Mexico. She is also someone who is self employed and is developing her image through various social media sites. Interestingly, she created a group called Cyber Witches. Now she dedicates her time to DJing.

https://www.facebook.com/CyberwitchesMX/?timeline_context_item_type=intro_card_work&timeline_context_item_source=100001177710673

https://www.facebook.com/fernandacornejoo

https://www.instagram.com/djcachorra/

https://www.instagram.com/CybrWitches/

 

Artist: Emily Anne Barnett

Exhibition: Comfort Object

Media: Printmaking

Gallery: CSULB school of art, Dennis W. Dutzi Gallery

Website: emilyannebarnett.com

Instagram: @emily_b_anne

 

Emily Anne Barnett is a CSULB graduate student studying in the College of the Arts. The program she is in is printmaking. Her plans after graduation are to teach printmaking. For her undergraduate degree she went to Humboldt State University. She likes making zines and watching sports. At a young age she went through anxiety and depression.

Barnetts’ art had a main focus around Pooh bear and a little girl. The pieces were printed with the main objects and were painted on top with different colors. The painted colors weren’t in a particular order or filing in the shape, they were splashes in areas. Her main objects, pooh and the girl, are black and white and the colors splashed were bright colors such as red, purple, yellow, etc.

The girl in the images is her. Pooh is her comfort object. She grew up with anxiety and depression. Her comfort object helped her deal with her problems and cope with her feelings. She uses art now as a way to cope with her anxiety. She choses the colors of her paint based on how she is feeling.

The paintings captured my attention because of the pastel colors. I really liked that the art had a character I know – Disney Pooh Bear. This also reminded me of my childhood because I liked Disney very much. The paintings made me feel at peace and nostalgic. I like the idea of dealing with anxiety by painting and expressing creativity.

When given this assignment, I was thinking of who to do this project with. At first I wanted to do it with a friend but then I thought of doing it with my family. I did not have pastels so I used crayons. I used a different color with each person. I even went a little extra and included my dogs.

When finishing, I took a picture but both my mom and I decided to continue coloring. I think before the coloring it looked more futuristic and neat and after the coloring I think it looks more like a 90s Lisa Frank commercial. It was a really nice bonding moment with my family. I have it hung in my room.

Artist: Fred Eck

Exhibition: Fred Eck Painting Life

Media: Figuritive drawing and painting

Gallery: CSULB school of art,Marilyn Werby Gallery

Website: n/a

Instagram: n/a

 

Fred Eck is a CSULB graduate student studying in the College of the Arts. The program he is in is drawing and painting. He received his undergrad at CSULB in 1977. He came back to get his masters. His art show displayed many pieces and his set up table was interactive with water sport equipment, yearbooks, and a TV. A fun fact is he has been surfing for 35 years.

Eck had 17 drawings and paintings. They displayed vibrant colors and most were oil on canvas. Most of his work was beach themed because he loves being at the beach and playing water sports. The art pieces were candid moments of people watching.

He paints/draws when he sees a good lighting opportunity. He likes to capture happy moments. They are mainly through his hobbies of going to the beach and sports. Some of his artwork is also from CSULB site seeing spots.

I liked the texture of his paintings. I thought it was cool how the closer you got to the paintings the blurrier they got. His work makes me look at buildings differently from a different eye.