Midterm Review

During the first half of the fall 2010 semester, I can easily say that Visual Thinking has been my most enjoyable class this semester.  Going into the semester I was worried about taking my required art credit, being that I had never taken an art class before and wasn't familiar with the course.  To start, I enjoyed that Professor Friebele understood that each student was in the class for different reasons, some people were art majors and some students were fulfilling a gen-ed.  Having that be understood, along with the understanding that there were differing levels of art skills in the class, has made the whole process easier to think about and do. 

One of the main parts of the class that I have enjoyed is the atmosphere in the classroom.  I have found it very easy to speak out in class and voice my opinion on readings and artwork that we have looked at.  Everyone in class is very accepting of other people's opinions and never criticizing.  I also think that the general concept of an art class yields a great class environment.  Since I have never taken an art class before I didn't know that in class, it doesn't have to be about being right or wrong, its more about how you feel and what you see/interpret.

My favorite project thus far in class was when we played around with photo-shop while listening to music.  I had never messed with photo-shop and had always heard good things about the program.  I enjoyed playing with the program, as I see it being something that I could utilize in my work field of business or economics.  With regards to a project we turned in, I have enjoyed my animation I am currently finishing up.  For the project I decided to take pictures of my roommate juggling a soccer ball and work them into i-movie for a 25 second animation.  I think that i-movie is a fun program to use and I am happy that I went out of my comfort zone to explore it during this current project.

I would like to continue to explore the technological aspect of the class.  I feel that the use of technology, as I have said before, will benefit me in my career path.  Using the different programs available in the computer lab is a good way for me to figure out the basics of some programs that I may need to know.  My older brother, who got his Bachelor's degree from UMD, said his biggest regret of college was not learning more computer science/technology stuff.  He is finding in his marketing job, that he needs to know how to use computer programs to make flyers and presentations.  I know that I see myself in a similar job, and want to be ahead of the curve with my knowledge of programs that hopefully will benefit me.

Overall, I have enjoyed the assignments and the class structure that we have had in Art 105: Visual Thinking.  I look forward to the remainder of the semester and maybe even another art class in the future!