so my final project changed...

What I want people to get out of this project now is that we can all be consumed by our imaginations and fade into this other world which is utopic to us.  In this case, the alternate world is one where everyone shares, and can change into lush forest landscapes.  When woken up from this, reality is a brutal, unfair mess that can make you depressed and wish you were back in that other world.  I also wanted to play with irony as well.  When in the utopia, the boy gets a tomato from his clone, and thanks him.  The clone responds by saying "have a nice day".  This phrase is also seen at the end when the guy in the business suit tells him his house is foreclosed, ending with a formal "have a nice day" that is just a closer for his visit.  By paralleling these two moments it suggests a sort of omen to the boy's downfall, which is completely unfair, but portrays what life can really be like.

Thinking about Final Project

1. What I would like to remember from conversations with classmates about the final project are some ideas that they brought up to incorporate in their own projects.  For example, I learned how to put video clips from the internet into my flash animation.  Also, I got some compliments for the idea that I had for my animation which also helped.
2. I want my piece to be important in the sense that I will show how a state of mind can transform into its own reality or be implemented in the real world, but that drugs can hinder real beneficial change in the world.  People that actively pursue their dreams can make a difference, unlike taking too many drugs and burning out.
3.  By doing this animation I am pushing past just the animation of words, and creating an actual meaning.  I am pushing the boundaries by showing that a state of mind can represent an actual state, with its own flag and currency.

"Drum" analysis

1.  What I learned from animating the sentence, "Emotions tear this drum apart", is that I could actually capture a sort of emotion from the moving words and pictures.  From having different kinds of emotions move in specific ways around the word "emotion" I was able to show how these words have characteristics of themselves.  By animating "tear" I get across the word tearing in half, and by the word "drum" flashing on the screen it encapsulates the beat of the drum.  By showing the drum tearing apart and tweening into a beating heart, I could capture what I meant without using words. 
2.     If I were to polish or modify this, I would make the words "emotions" bigger, and bring in "tear" with it so I could be more clear to the reader.
3.     If I were to start over, I would use less white space, and show a drummer passionately ripping the drums apart by pounding on them, while words spray from the drum.

Functions of the self and art

In some ways I agree with Biggs that a function of art is to confound what we make of things so we can see things in a new way we haven't considered before.  By doing this, one sees the relationship between the object and his or her self, and how this relates to other objects.  I can see this sort of art being experimental art, using different techniques to experiment with perceptions of objects.  However, this isn't something that is seen in all art.  Some art takes an object and portrays it in the same way it is actually seen, showing the skill of replication or representation.
Creativity and communication work together by defining a sense of self.  By using novelty and creativity we give ourselves uniqueness and a chance to express ourselves in a new way.  By communicating, we share these ideas with others to form even better ideas, creating a stronger sense of self.  By communicating  in a creative way through text, this can show a sense of who is speaking through the text, showing the reader what the identity of the author is without distinguishing the author from the work.

"Drum" Short Animation

Short Animation Comments

After the feedback I got, I realized that the statement I'm trying to make may confuse the reader a bit.  I need to make a clearer distinction between tear (as in crying) and tear (as in rip), and why this is important to understanding what I'm trying to say.  I will add a shape tween to the picture of the drum turning into the word, a picture of a drumhead ripping, and the last part will be a beating heart.  Another possibility is to show someone actually playing the drums passionately, but that may be a little too hard to do.  Also, more motions will get my point across, for instance words "beating" like a heart or drum.