I saw this article the other day about artists redrawing their old work to see how much they have improved and it got me thinking.. As we are ending this year - truly you have less than 3 weeks...it made think about where you started either at the beginning of this year or even way way back to your little freshman days.
For this blog I want you to reflect on what you have learned, life lessons, what you will take away from your AP experience. I know that you are still in the middle of the stressful AP time and not able to look back with complete reflection yet... but in a few short days your AP class and your high school days will be over... and that is worth reflecting on. Additionally, what advise, words of wisdom, little nuggets would you pass on to next year's AP class. I'm not great at mushy - but it has been really lovely to teach you all this past month and see what ideas you have been developing and getting passionate about.
22 Comments
Kait Baker
4/20/2017 10:31:19 am
Wow.
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Brady Johnson
4/24/2017 10:04:06 am
So, what do you think about in regards to Vladimir Lenin's legs?
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Kait Baker
4/24/2017 10:36:10 am
I don't know what his legs are even like, I was just trying to think of an AP- worthy conversation topic.
Emma Puentes
4/26/2017 07:22:12 pm
This is about as accurate as it can get. The stress is real, but we are only in hs for so long.. we might as well finish strong and create work we are proud of.
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LeAnn Daniel
4/28/2017 09:59:58 am
This is so accurate. This class has definitely helped all of us with a little bit of everything. I think how to have conversations was a big on. We also learned a bit about perspective like with my fetus as Kait said.
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Shailey N. Heuermann
4/28/2017 10:53:00 am
I couldn't agree this more. It's a completely unique class, and it makes you question life, but I've still loved taking this class.
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Jayce Van De Veer
4/28/2017 07:26:55 pm
Oh how I wish I was any good at time management. That would be quite helpful in this class, and I definitely did not do well in that area.
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Brady Johnson
4/24/2017 10:26:13 am
Art Portfolio is the first class in my high school years that gave me absolute freedom on my assignments. This ability was intimidating to me in the beginning, due to the lack of strings holding me back. The freedom to chose what format I wanted to pursue and the path to decide what stories to tell in photography was too much for my idealist mind to handle. Though, over time the class became easier to handle. I enjoyed the experience of a college level class setup which made me learn how to organize my schedule for handling the project load. I would recommend this class to anyone wanting to express themselves through art with an added challenge to craft awesome pieces. The class may seem too much at times with projects, but the various discussions over the year will be memorable.
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Kait Baker
4/24/2017 10:37:22 am
I am happy that I am not the only one who struggled with the freedom.
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LeAnn Daniel
4/24/2017 10:52:18 am
The conversations definitely make the class even better than what it already is. The setup of the class and the freedom was nerve-racking but we all got through it eventually.
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Emma Puentes
4/26/2017 07:20:08 pm
I would agree. Its really all worth it in the end. The range of work we have now in our portfolio has given us a foundation to show what we can do.
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Jayce Van De Veer
4/28/2017 07:23:33 pm
I talked a little bit about how much freedom the class gives you. I agree that is a very good and helpful experience.
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LeAnn Daniel
4/24/2017 10:50:02 am
Looking back on my artwork back from freshman year makes me think of how much all of the classes I've taken have helped. My drawing style and creativity have improved and grown. Even though I look back at some stuff and think what was I thinking?Why did this happen? I've learned a lot throughout these four short years of high school. People aren't who you think they are, friends don't last forever, and you figure out who you really are. Looking back on who you were as a freshman and then seeing who you are now shows so much growth and development. Our personalities have changed so much. It's crazy that we are all basically adults now.
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Kait Baker
4/28/2017 09:59:27 am
Ah yes... good ole blogs... they always slip to the back of your mind.
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Emma Puentes
4/26/2017 07:18:03 pm
Thinking about the fact that I wanted nothing to do with an art class my freshman year makes me laugh. My dad being an artist, encouraged me to take it and never stopped trying. He thought I had an eye like he does. After making a bet that he would pay for half of my camera, I couldn't say no. Photography. Where do I even start. I had been wanting a DSLR for years and was dying to go out and shoot good quality photos and edit them in photoshop. Getting the chance to get experience with using photoshop has helped me so much. The shortcuts especially. The simplest edits can make the biggest difference. Shailey introduced me to camera raw and it changed my life lol so props to Shailey. But how far I have come since my start of art sophomore year is amazing. I feel like I have grown as a person. Getting positive feedback in art shows has helped me gain overall confidence as a person and has helped me to feel more comfortable in showing my work and what I can do. I and happy with how far I have come and can't wait to produce more work in the future. For the lil kids who are entering HS, art is just great. It's fun, there's so much to learn, and you can find out your strengths and weaknesses and learn to improve through your work. I would highly recommend trying art one and getting past that to take other classes you may be interested in. You won't regret it.
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Shailey N. Heuermann
4/28/2017 10:56:32 am
Thanks man! I'm glad you like it, when Smith showed me camera raw it totally changed my work, so I'm glad I got to share it with you too.
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Shailey N. Heuermann
4/28/2017 10:50:40 am
Sweet baby Jesus, I can’t believe it’s almost over. This class is by far the most stressful class I’ve ever taken, keeping that in mind, AP has hands down been the best class I’ve ever taken. I’ve learned so much, and I’ve made so much progress over this year (at least I think I have). Art isn’t an easy thing to create, especially when you have as much freedom as you do in this class. But this freedom also allows you the freedom to fail, AP allows you, and really pushes you to try new things, try, fail, learn, grow. If after taking AP you haven’t grown e ven a little bit, you’ve done something wrong. When it comes to my photography I’ve hit a point in my art where technically I know what I’m doing, but this allows my to make all the artistic decisions which is kinda scary to be honest. I know that in the end my piece is going to look alright, but it’s completely up to me to decide what I’m going to make. I’m constantly asking for others opinions but I’ve learned (a.k.a. had it beaten into my head by all the art teachers) that my own opinion is the one that really matters, I need to make the decisions. Not only that, but I’ve learned to not be afraid of failure, not everyone is going to like the art you make, you can’t make everyone happy, so just produce something that you’re proud of. For all the kiddos taking this class in years to come, cherish it, it’s an amazing opportunity not only for your art/career, but also for you as a person, you’ll learn a lot. Also ask opinions, you have so many artists around you that can show you new techniques, and give a fresh output on your piece(s), but always keep in mind that your opinion is the one that matters the most. DON’T PROCRASTINATE!!! I did, I fell into an art funk and it rocked my world and now I’m rushing, so learn from me and DON’T DO IT. This will most likely be one of the best classes you’ll take in all your years at WCHS, I’ve had some of the most interesting conversations in this class, it’s super fun. Just FYI you’ll probably have a slight breakdown at some point, it happens to everyone, just take a moment and remember your goals, and why you’ve taken this class. If you did in fact procrastinate on a project even after my warning, just go to your teacher and be honest. They’ll probably understand and give you more time, but don’t bank on this cause then you’ll be working on more than one project at a time. DO YOUR SUMMER PROJECTS! That’s all I’m going to say about that. Try new things, have fun, don’t be afraid to fail, work hard, have fun, and grow. Good Luck! :)
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Natalie Guedet
4/28/2017 08:30:12 pm
"DO YOUR SUMMER PROJECTS!" is probably the best advice any newcoming AP kids could get. Shailey, we have always seemed to have been on the same time track (if thats even a saying, I might have made it up but you know what I mean) this whole year which I think is funny because it's a really really really bad time track haha.
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Jayce Van De Veer
4/28/2017 07:19:18 pm
AP has been by far my favorite art class that I have taken in high school. The freedom of the assignments was both challenging and cool. However, without all of the other art classes that I took, I would have struggled really hard in AP. The most important thing that I was able to take class was being able to really figure out my strengths and weaknesses. Obviously all of the practice that we did in those previous classes helped with this progress. As for how much I have progressed, I would definitely say a very good amount. When I was a freshman, I was pretty much worthless when it came to art. I would say that my strongest medium has always been photo, but I have progressed the most in drawing. Overall, I am very thankful for everything that the art teachers have done for me and I would never be where I am today if it was not for you guys.
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Natalie Guedet
4/28/2017 08:31:46 pm
I agree that the art teachers really do get you through everything. I would say that they have all saved my life on multiple occasions.
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Sam McCullar
4/28/2017 08:08:37 pm
During the course of AP, I’ve learned the importance of time management. In no other class has time management ever been the absolute key to success. During the first semester, it was easier considering we did three projects during the summer and then had the rest of the semester to finish the other 5. With the second semester in striving to get a concentration and actually execute the 8 3-D projects has been the hardest time I’ve had in high school. When I was told AP was going to be hard, I didn’t realize exactly how much time and effort I was going to have to put into this. I knew it was going to be a lot of my time, but I was really caught off guard by it all. By the time the end of the semesters arrived, the amount of stress was just overwhelming. Even though we have been taught time management all throughout high school, AP has really shown me just how important it really is. It’s not very easy to be successful when waiting until the last minute to try and accomplish so many things at once. One big piece of advice I would give to incoming AP students would be think ahead on your concentration. I highly recommend thinking about a concentration before even getting to second semester. It would’ve made my life a hundred times easier being able to have my concentration down or an idea by the time second semester came around. Another is that please do those three projects over the summer instead of doing them all in one semester. Those projects are given to you in advance at the end of Junior year for a reason! As scary and stressful as this class may seem, I had some of my best times inside this classroom. Yes, it had hard times, but you get to build much better relationships with your classmates in AP and along with the art teachers. Work hard, but have fun along the way. You will get through the tough times and it will all be worth it!
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Natalie Guedet
4/28/2017 08:47:44 pm
I'm kind of sad that this is the last blog because I kind of like them but we have a lot to talk about. I still haven't processed that I am a senior and will be graduating in 3 weeks which either could be because it still hasn't hit me or I don't care about high school as much as I thought I did. Both could be the reason that I don't feel the sad sentimental feeling that most seniors do. As for my art, everyone has already said it, but I have grown so so so much as an artist since freshman year. I remember sitting with Jayce in Art one and laughing about the ridiculous pieces that we would come up with. I took as many art classes as I could throughout high school and that was one of the best decisions I could have made. Being able to use all different kinds of mediums has really helped me figure out which ones were my favorite and which ones I was the best at. As the end of the year is coming nearer I am confident in my artistic abilities and am ready to go take it to the next level. However, without taking AP I don't think that could have been as confident as I am now and I wouldn't be sure that this is what I want to do for the rest of my life. AP has helped me grow so much as an artist even compared to what I was doing first semester of AP, I feel that my concentration has some of the best pieces that I've ever created.
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Author: Jme MartinArchives
March 2017
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