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Happy Pride Week! Enjoy some tunes to keep you cool in the 105 degree sun.

Research Proposal: Art Therapy

Disclaimer

Names of people who are subjects in this study have been changed or left out all together in order to keep their identities anonymous and to protect their privacy and livelihood.

Introduction

Art therapy is a medium of therapy that is utilized by many public schools in the United States in an effort to achieve non-verbal and verbal communication between student and therapist—these interactions come in the form of expressing one’s problems through an art medium. The purpose of this study is to find out what art medium utilized by art therapy would be better suited for a public school setting—be it in a more traditional medium, such as implementing painting or drawing, or a more experimental approach using photography or another medium as an outlet for interpretive expression.

Art therapy is becoming more prevalent in public schools. Knowing which art medium yields the most pertinent information is key to gaining insight into what may be keeping a student from attaining the confidence they need to succeed or even a clue about a turbulent home life.

Statement of the Problem

The issue at hand is to find out what art medium will yield the most information. While tried and true, painting and drawing are known to address and give answers to therapists about their patients. In schools, art therapists could be working with lower functioning students, who may not be able to express themselves through a more kinesthetic art medium such as, photography. Or, they may have average students who would rather choose another more modern medium, like graphic design. Taking these thoughts into consideration, it is possible to say the art medium could vary from student to student, simply based on personal opinion or preference and by physical and/or mental limitations.

Purpose of Study

The purpose of this paper is to find what art medium used by art therapy works best in public schools settings. This could change based on the socio-economic level of the area the school is situated within—therefore determining whether a school could afford to employ such activities; and if they can, what art mediums they could afford to utilize. The focus of this study will be based on the experiences of different schools, art therapists, books and articles authored by art therapists and school art programs in North America.

The argument is whether the streamlined use of basic art materials such as: pen, paper, pencils, crayons, markers, and paint yield better information about a student—as opposed to letting a student choose their medium of choice and taking into account whether or not the student has more expressive ability in another chosen art medium. There is also the matter of dealing with students who may have physical or mental limitations, and perhaps having to determine what medium would work best for the given student’s situation.

Primary Research Question

What art medium implemented within art therapy is the most promising to gather information for public schools?

Hypothesis

If students or patients are allowed to choose their art medium of choice, then psychological findings will increase—this is based on if they have the ability to choose and the physical and mental capacity to work with their chosen medium.

Subsidiary Research Questions

Is art therapy something that public school systems view simply as an extra expenditure?

Do public school systems view art therapy as giving information, which is experimental vs. concrete?

Do students reap benefits from art therapy?

Definition of Terms

Art Therapy: a mental health profession that uses the creative process of art making to improve and enhance the physical, mental and emotional well-being of individuals of all ages. It is based on the belief that the creative process involved in artistic self-expression helps people to resolve conflicts and problems, develop interpersonal skills, manage behavior, reduce stress, increase self-esteem and self-awareness, and achieve insight. (American Art Therapy Association, 2009)

Art: the conscious use of skill and creative imagination especially in the production of aesthetic objects; also: works so produced b (1): fine arts (2): one of the fine arts (3): a graphic art. (Merriam Webster, 2009)

Medium: material or technical means of artistic expression. (Merriam Webster, 2009)

Psychotherapy: A treatment method for mental illness in which a mental health professional (psychiatrist, psychologist, counselor) and a patient discuss problems and feelings to find solutions. Psychotherapy can help individuals change their thought or behavior patterns or understand how past experiences affect current behaviors. (Biological Sciences Curriculum Study, 2005)

Expressive therapy: known as expressive arts therapy or creative arts therapy, is the use of the creative arts as a medium of therapy. Unlike traditional art expression, the process of creation is emphasized rather than the final product. Expressive therapy is predicated on the assumption that people can heal through use of imagination and the various mediums of creative expression. (Expressive Therapy Concepts, 2008)

American Art Therapy Association: (AATA) is an organization of professionals dedicated to the belief that the creative process involved in art making is healing and life enhancing, Its mission is to serve its members and the general public by providing standards of professional competence, and developing and promoting knowledge in, and of, the field of art therapy. (American Art Therapy Association, 2009)

Significance of the Study

The study of which art medium is better suited for use in schools within the realms of art therapy will yield information that is pertinent to the therapists currently in schools—helping them to decipher what could help them to better understand when and what materials to use. The study is also an effort to bolster confidence in art therapists to be more experimental and break the mold by introducing newer art mediums and materials. This study will show the correlations of art mediums based on the level of benefits received from students and their expressive ability or inability.

Limitations of the Study

The limitations of the study include the time frame, opinions, and experiences of established art therapists. The time frame is roughly scattered from the 1940s up to the present decade. The opinions are of those who are either deeply involved in the arts or are removed all together. Statistics are from the earlier part of the decade and do not reflect the current trends in the rise and/or fall of art therapy in public schools.

Organization of the Study

The study will begin with a brief art therapy history. From there, entering into its use in school and branching into what art mediums are used most. Between points, the subsidiary questions will be addressed. The conclusion will be a concise measurement of the study’s findings.

Literature Review

The first article to be reviewed is a report about the success of a Montreal based institution at Concordia University, titled: Brief Report: Development of a Creative Arts Therapies Center for People With Developmental Disabilities. This particular piece cites the benefits of having such a program in place. According to Suzanne Lister, Denise Tanguay, Stephen Snow, and Miranda D’Amico, all founding members of Centre for the Arts in Human Development, or CAHD, state, …the community of developmentally disabled adults have all benefited from the creation of the center. Furthermore, the Montreal community at large has witnessed creative expressions through publicly promoted art shows and plays. Feedback has documented that viewers and audiences leave the center’s art shows and plays with a new, positive awareness of people who have developmental disabilities. (Lister, Tanguay, Snow, D’Amico, 2009) They go on to list their challenges-mainly focusing on funding, saying government grants and philanthropists are always the groundbreaking financiers of such a project, yet future funding is the real issue. The team at CAHD solved this problem through charging admissions to their various art galas and productions.

This article in particular relates to two of my subsidiary questions. One, is art therapy something that public school systems view simply as an extra expenditure? Two, do students reap benefits from art therapy? The article also extends to my main research question, which questions what medium of art would best be suited for public schools? Concordia University is a public school and this article suggests that they employ a wide range of art mediums to provide a therapeutic atmosphere to improve student’s “self-esteem, confidence, social skills, and general quality of life.” (Lister, Tanguay, Snow, D’Amico, 2009)

The second article, Mediumative Evaluation Research of Art-Based Supervision

in Art Therapy Training, is Barbara J, Fish’s observation of her student’s observations of art created during their clinical residencies. These observations garner pertinent information about the students’/patient’s current psychological standing. Fish is a professor at the University of Illinois at Chicago, another public school. In this article Fish explains that the evidence of psychological imbalances can be accurately determined through supervision of created artwork at the time of therapeutic work. Thusly, pertaining to the subsidiary question: is art therapy viewed as giving concrete or experimental information?

Methodology

Subjects

There were a total of five subjects included in this study. The age ranged from 20 to 55. Four of these subjects were students in the Fortune Society, in Long Island City, Queens, which is a social rehabilitation center for former offenders and people with developmental disabilities. The other was a therapist who focuses mainly in using creative arts for therapeutic purposes. Three of the students were African-American and one was of Hispanic decent. Two of the African-Americans were male, while one was female. The Hispanic was also female. The therapist was male and Caucasian.

Apparatus

The materials used in this study include and are limited to: Macintosh laptop, Microsoft Office, pencil, notebook, ERIC, and various sources.

The Macintosh laptop and Microsoft Office were used to type this study as well as search ERIC for more data. ERIC or Education Resources Information Center is a database of millions of research reports within the realm of education.

The pencil and notebook were used to write notes during the observation that occurred on June 2, 2009 at the Fortune Society, in Long Island City, Queens.

To support the study’s findings, sources include pieces of literature from the American Art Therapy Association, Art Therapy in Schools: Effective Integration of Art Therapists in Schools by Daphna Moriya, and documents from the Educational Arts Team of Jersey City, New Jersey.

Procedure

According to the American Art Therapy Association (2009), using art in one of it’s various forms ranging from music to painting, has been used long before the institution of art therapy, which began in the 1940s. “In the early 20th century, psychiatrists became interested in the artwork created by their patients with mental illness. At around the same time, educators were discovering that children's art expressions reflected developmental, emotional, and cognitive growth. By mid-century, hospitals, clinics, and rehabilitation centers increasingly began to include art therapy programs along with traditional "talk therapies," underscoring the recognition that the creative process of art making enhanced recovery, health, and wellness. As a result, the profession of art therapy grew into an effective and important method of communication, assessment, and treatment with children and adults in a variety of settings. Currently, the field of art therapy has gained attention in health-care facilities throughout the United States and within psychiatry, psychology, counseling, education, and the arts.” (AATA, 2009)

Starting from a significant historical base, it became of interest if one particular art medium sufficed or if a mix of varied mediums based on the subjects interest and ability came into play. From there several sources of information from various public schools in North America who published reports within the Art Therapy: Journal of the American Art Therapy Association. Taking bias into account, other information was gathered from art therapy programs that are not related to the ATAA.

This study is based on an observation in the field of creative arts used within the realms of clinical therapeutic nature. On June 2, 2009 at the Fortune Society, in Long Island City, Queens, which is a social rehabilitation center for former offenders and people with developmental disabilities, an observation of an art therapy procedure occurred. This psychological testing is done to evaluate the standings of long-term students who have been in the institute for six months to a year. During this observation it was noticed that each student was given color pencils, crayons, makers, and white paper. Nothing else out of the ordinary happened, except that the therapist asked the students to draw. Why had the therapist asked them to draw instead of create something that was a reflection of their inner workings? This led to the primary research question: What art medium implemented within art therapy is the most promising to gather information for public schools? This question is posed because choice is negated immediately. When the therapist says, “draw”, it is seen as a command or instruction, therefore robbing the choice of medium from the students. Dafna Moriya, a respected art therapist and educator and author of Art Therapy in Schools: Effective Integration of Art Therapists in Schools, believes “…to receive accurate quantitative data from a patient of art therapy a certain level of trust between therapist and patient must exist. This can be achieved through allowing patients the freedom they wish within self-expression or art….” (Moriya, 2000.) To further her point the Educational Arts Team of Jersey City, New Jersey, focuses on using varied art mediums based on age and educational level. For example: Grade levels three to six have the option of putting on a play they write and act out with hand puppets. While grades four to eight can choose to put on a certain hat and tell a story pertaining to the type of hat they are wearing. (Education Arts Team of Jersey City, New Jersey) These are options that are given to the students, instead of being given a tool and instruction on a one-dimensional level.

Subsidiary questions were devised through study of the topic after the initial observation. The study needed to find out if using basic art supplies such as, pen, paper, markers, crayons, and various types of pencils without encouragement to use the supplies to create anything else was a way to cut costs. Or if the public schools found using these supplies gave concrete information and did they utilize the information given from the therapy sessions. The questions that the study found most significant are:

- Is art therapy something that public school systems view simply as an extra expenditure?

- Do public school systems view art therapy as giving information, which is experimental vs. concrete?

- Do students reap benefits from art therapy?

After reading and researching through pieces of literature from the American Art Therapy Association, Art Therapy in Schools: Effective Integration of Art Therapists in Schools by Daphna Moriya, and documents from the Educational Arts Team of Jersey City, New Jersey, the study was recorded and edited using a Macintosh Laptop and Microsoft Office.

Results

This study will address each of the research questions—beginning with the primary research question followed by the subsidiary questions in the order they have been organized throughout the study. The section will be concluded by the findings of the initial hypothesis.

What art medium implemented within art therapy is the most promising to gather information for public schools?

There is no one art medium that is sufficient for gaining information on the psychological standings of students/patients. People have varied interests and talents within the creative arts, while others have none at all. According to Moriya, “...to receive the most accurate quantitative data from a patient of art therapy a certain level of trust between therapist and patient must exist. This can be achieved through allowing patients the freedom they wish within self-expression or art...” The observation conducted on June 2, 2009, at the Fortune Society made light of the fact that standardizing a way to come up with answers due to simplicity will yield standard answers, yet created the basis for this entire study. Both the Education Arts Team of Jersey City and Center of Arts for Human Development or CAHD, report giving options to their students and receiving positive responses from choice.

Is art therapy something that public school systems view simply as an extra expenditure?

The study conducted research in both an affluent area and a low-income area to determine whether public schools that have available finances would employ these funds into an art therapy program—the same applying to a lower-income area. In both instances neither the affluent or low-income area contributed funds to an art therapy program. The Center of Art for Human Development is located on the campus of Concordia University in Montreal. The CAHD cited finances coming from their own productions, philanthropists, and grants. Though not related directly to Concordia University the services they offer are primarily for the students at the university. Funding from the school stopped upon its creation in 1996. (Lister, Tanguay, Snow, D’Amico, 2009) The Educational Arts Team of Jersey City reports its funding coming entirely from grants even though the organization is heavily active within the Jersey City Public School system. (Education Arts Team, 2006)

Do public school systems view art therapy as giving information, which is experimental vs. concrete?

The results from the CAHD are accepted by Concordia University. All of the diagnoses reported to the university have been accepted and changes were made in the students’ lives and curriculum to better serve them. (Lister, Tanguay, Snow, D’Amico, 2009) In this instance, a school does accept the feedback derived from art therapy as concrete information of their students’ psychological standings. The same can be said for the University of Illinois at Chicago. Barbara J. Fish is a professor at the University of Illinois at Chicago, another public school. In this article Fish explains that the evidence of psychological imbalances can be accurately determined through supervision of created artwork at the time of therapeutic work. (Fish, 2008)

Do students reap benefits from art therapy?

According to CAHD the results from their practice of art therapy “…the community of developmentally disabled adults have all benefited from the creation of the center. Furthermore, the Montreal community at large has witnessed creative expressions through publicly promoted art shows and plays. Feedback has documented that viewers and audiences leave the center’s art shows and plays with a new, positive awareness of people who have developmental disabilities. (Lister, Tanguay, Snow, D’Amico, 2009)

If students or patients are allowed to choose their art medium of choice, then psychological findings will increase—this is based on if they have the ability to choose and the physical and mental capacity to work with their chosen medium.

The study has found only enough information to suggest that this would be correct. There is no direct correlation found in any of the sources only suggestions from experienced persons in the art therapy field. To gain a more in depth answer for this, more quantitative data would need to be produced over a given amount of time.

Conclusion

The point of this study was to find out if there was any in truth to there being one finite art medium that would garner the most information around a student’s psychological standpoint. It became apparent that choice is a major factor in gaining this information. Whether the hypothesis of this study is ever reached or not, it is certain that more funding for art therapy in public schools is needed, the evidence of art therapy giving the correct information is there, and there are benefits from creative arts therapy to be reaped.

References

Carmine, Tabone (2004) http://www.educationalartsteam.org/school_programs.htm. Retrieved June 13, 2009, from Educational Arts Team - School Programs

Fish, Barbara (2008). Formative Evaluation Research of Art-Based Supervision in Art Therapy Training. Art Therapy: Journal of the American Art Therapy Association, 25 (2), 70-77.

Lister, Suzanne, Tanguay, Denise, Snow, Stephen, D’Amico, Miranda (2009) Development of a Creative Arts Therapies Center for People With Developmental Disabilities. Art Therapy: Journal of the American Art Therapy Association, 26 (1), 34-37.

Moriya, Daphna (2000). Art Therapy in Schools: Effective Integration of Art Therapists in Schools. London: D. Moriya.

Woolfolk, Anita (2008). Educational Psychology: Active Learning Edition, 10th Edition. London: Allyn & Bacon.

Case Study: Jane Doe

Abstract

This case study was conducted at the Fortune Society, in Long Island City, Queens on June 2, 2009. The Fortune Society is a social rehabilitation center for former offenders and people with developmental disabilities. Here they can obtain a General Equivalency Diploma and develop social skills. Names of the involved persons have been changed to protect their privacy and livelihood. The student observed was one Jane Doe, who was instructed by Eric Smith. It should be noted that this observation was made during Ms. Doe’s first day at the Fortune Society.

Introduction

This study gave significant insight into how older students with a developmental disabilities can handle a classroom setting after being gone for more than 20 years. To assist with this observation several chapters out of the Educational Psychology: Active Learning Edition, 10^th Edition were used in order to gain information about Ms. Doe’s situation. The observation was an effort to see how Ms. Doe responded to the teaching techniques of the teacher, her strengths and deficits, her interactions with her peers and instructor, how she performs assignments when in groups and independently, and her level of social interaction.

Methods

On June 2, 2009, Jane Doe, 37 and African-American, was accepted into the Fortune Society’s social rehabilitation program. Ms. Doe has slight autism and attention deficit disorder (ADD). Upon entering, the same test was administered in which all students in the program take. This test is an assessment, in order to see which of the six levels she will be placed—one being the lowest and six being the highest. Within the test there is a brief essay, a story with pertaining multiple choice questions, basic math, history, and science. Eric Smith administered the test.

Mr. Smith gave Ms. Doe instructions on what to do with the test and said that he could not help her on this test and it would not be graded. Ms. Doe then asked what if she came to a word that she did not understand. Mr. Smith responded by saying try to use the context clues.

Mr. Smith demonstrated putting a student at ease who is in a new environment. Ms. Doe seemed to be comforted by Mr. Smith’s words. Their interactions throughout the testing process were standard.

Ms. Doe was placed in the level five classes. This level is capable of writing well thought out essays, understanding basic math, and reading. However, their comprehension of what they read is not on par to move to level six.

On June 3, 2009 Ms. Doe entered into Mr. Smith’s level five science class. Ms. Doe is the only female in the room. The men in the room are loud and talk about what music they’ve been listening to. The men’s age range from 21 to 55. Ms. Doe quietly sits a table with two other men. She is shy and offers a piece of candy to the young man across from her and sparks conversation about her trip to the school this morning. Mr. Smith introduces Ms. Doe to the class. She tells the class that she enjoys sewing and going down south to visit her sister in the fall.

Mr. Smith begins class by handing out an explanation of evolution and Charles Darwin. Mr. Smith’s technique is to work up to the main point for each day. This is achieved by giving reading on the topic to explain what the actual topic is about. In this instance, the topic is natural selection. By explaining the basics of evolution and Charles Darwin, there is a certain level of framework, which in turn allows for an easier grasp on the topic. Mr. Smith also employs a form of the learning strategy READS. READS is an acronym for Review headings, Examine boldface words, Ask, “what do I expect to learn?”, Do it, Summarize in your own words. (Wolfolk, 2008) Before asking his students to take turns reading the passage, he asks them to look for heading and words that stand out. He ends by asking what do you think you will learn from this? There are no responses.

After reading the passage on natural selection and Charles Darwin, the class was asked to answer a few questions about what they read and to summarize what they had learned. Ms. Doe struggled with this. While she read aloud, she struggled deeply to grasp what the words meant when put together in a sentence. The first question was, “How did Charles Darwin come up with his theory of evolution?” Ms. Doe answered the question, but instead of how she answered for why Charles Darwin came up with his theory of evolution. In order to get her to understand the difference, Mr. Smith then came up with a new strategy. He asked her, “Why did you come to class today?”. She replied, “Because I wanted to.” He then asked her, “How did you come to class today?” She replied, “I took the train from Brooklyn and walked two blocks.” After seeing the difference, Ms. Doe then changed her answer. This shows that Ms. Doe’s learning style is blurred between visual and auditory. Ms. Doe heard what Mr. Smith’s instructions were and accepted his help, but she also saw his facial expressions and gestures toward how to come to the correct answer.

While Ms. Doe works, she seems to go in and out of thought about the current assignment—sometimes digging in her purse or doodling on the side, thus showing her ADD. Although she may get off task, she does finish her work in the allotted amount of time. When asked to work with the people at her table, Ms. Doe seemed to shut down. She became extremely introverted and only answered questions when she was directly asked, mostly with “I don’t know.” Seeing this Mr. Smith eased her tension by telling her there was no right or wrong answer—it’s your opinion. She understood, but continued to be withdrawn.

Conclusion

Overall, Ms. Doe seems to be an average student in the Fortune Society. While not verbally violent or outright foulmouthed like some of her classmates, it is apparent that she feels comfortable enough in this atmosphere to come adequately focused to learn. Her strengths are in her ability to read the words in a given text and being able to at least try to decipher what the words mean in context. She also takes direction very well. Her deficits come in the form of her inability to understand what she has read and being able to retain the information for the following class period.

Ms. Doe’s social skills seem to be on par when she either standing with the teacher or one-on-one with another classmate. She smiles and is audible. When put into a group, she becomes a shell of the former. She can barely look at the others in her group and becomes nervous and tension riddled.

Mr. Smith’s techniques are varied enough to keep up Ms. Doe’s lack of attention. Knowing this and seeing their interactions bodes well for Ms. Doe’s educational career path.

References

Woolfolk, Anita (2008). Educational Psychology: Active Learning Edition, 10th Edition . London: Allyn & Bacon.

Complex Cognitive Processes Speech Outline

Complex Cognitive Processes Speech

(Story abbreviated: Teacher has issue with students not being selective with information they find on the Internet to use for a research paper.)

How would you help your students evaluate the information they are finding on the Internet?

Beyond this immediate issue, how will you help students think more critically about the subjects you are teaching?

How will you take into account the cultural beliefs and values of your students as you support their critical thinking?

Metacognition: Have you ever thought about why you did something? Or how you even come to that particular thought in the first place?

Metacognition is the knowledge about our own thinking processes. There are three skills involved in metacognition, they are: planning, monitoring, and evaluating.

As we are all different, so are our levels and understanding of our own metacognition. Maturation and various biological and environmental differences can either hinder or help this process.

Learning Strategy: I before E, except after C.

Learning Strategies vs. Learning Tactics: Tactics are the plans, which are put into action—such as the mnemonics above. Strategies are simply the plans to do so.

Learning Strategies can help students in various ways. In addition to bolstering self-confidence in learning, learning strategies help retain knowledge and advance pre and post knowledge processing.

Students will apply these strategies when they are brought face to face with a worthy challenge. Explaining that these can also be applied to life will raise interest and merit.

Concept Map: a drawing that charts relationships between ideas.

CAPS: Characters, Aim of the story, Problem, Solution

KWL: What do I already know? What do I want to know? After—What have I learned? What happened?

READS: Review headings, Examine boldface words, Ask, “what do I expect to learn?”, Do it, Summarize in your own words.

Problem Solving: E=mc²

Problem solving is both general and specific. I.E. a flat tire vs. the Pythagorean theorem.

IDEAL: Identify the problem and opportunity, Define goals and represent the problem, Explore strategies, Anticipate outcomes and Act, Look back and Learn.

The IDEAL problem solving system is extremely useful in determining where a student is lacking in problem solving skills. Most students have an issue with representing the problem by understanding it, in its entirety or they get lost in other aspects of the problem that are not central to the issue.

Schema-driven problem solving: Seeing that an old problem is simply being disguised and having a solution readily available.

Algorithm: Step-by-step problem solving.

Means-end analysis: Heuristic that divides goal into sub-goals.

Heuristic: General strategy for solving a problem.

Analogical thinking: Limiting the search for a solution that is relevant only to the current problem.

Functional fixedness: Inability to use tools or objects in a new way.

Response set: Responding in the most familiar way.

Representativeness heuristic: Judging the likelihood of an event based on how will the events match you prototypes—what you think is representative of the category.

Availability heuristic: Judging the likelihood of an event based on what is available in your memory, assuming those easily remembered events are common.

Belief perseverance: Holding on to beliefs even if said person is in the wrong.

Confirmation bias: The search for info to validate our opinions or beliefs.

Creativity and Creative Problem Solving:

Creativity is NOT determined at birth, does not come with negative personality traits, are not necessarily “hippies”, and working in groups does not always bolster creativity.

Creativity is a process that involves independent rethinking of problems to make a new, imaginative, and original insight to a problem or subject.

Creativity cannot be measured. However, aspects of creativity such as originality, fluency, and flexibility can. Originality is usually determined by statistics, fluency is the number of garnered responses, and flexibility is the number of categories the new solution can shift between.

As an educator it is imperative that creativity be encouraged in the classroom. Talking about unusual answers and modeling divergent thinking will help other students be more open about new ways to find answers.

Critical Thinking: Think long and hard on it.

Critical Thinking: Evaluating conclusions by logically and systematically examining the problem, the evidence, and the solution.

Enculturation: the process by which an individual adopts the behavior patterns of the culture in which he or she is immersed. I.E. just as a student/child learns from his or her home environment the basics of language and certain conduct, the student/child will learn about thinking and interaction with peers and superiors.

Fashion Friday #4

Fair warning: This post should really be two separate entities; one about ads and one about airport traveling fashions.

But first, and as usual, some music to set the tone! I'm sort of feeling a bit like my old self--you know the one that would pair argyle, a stripe, scarf, blazer or a motor-cross jacket. Think prep school James Bond meets the Misfits. Since its been like Seattle in NYC for the past 800 years, I've had to resort to the tried and true bit of my old style. In any case, here is some dance madness for you. Its full of climactic orchestrations!

I came across two ads. One of Uma Thurman, who I normally think looks like an alien, but looks fantastic on the cover of this months Harper's Bazaar--but, still completely creepy. I would love to learn how the photographer gets such a bronze overlay of all the colors. Its almost as if they used a Holga for this shoot--I am more than a little intrigued here. I'm drawn to this because of her wide-set and colorful eyes, as most would be, but, I also have a strange allure to anything that is tanned/brown/golden. Stunning, all around.

Obviously, this is ridiculous and he is a paragon of the male form--at least in the fading house of Cro-Magnon. What can I say? Simple sex and good looks sell. Anyways, on to the technical aspect of this photograph. Lighting is everything in this ad. Everything else--the minimal makeup, the body gloss, even the rope, are all insignificant in comparison to the lighting. Without it, the dramatic effect would be completely lost. I'd like to know what sort of lighting source they're using here. I wonder if this could be achieved through the "gritty" effect? Anywho, nice hair.

On to airport fashion!

This concept came to me several years ago through a Vogue magazine article. It was the lament of some old money designer, who basically said, no one dressed up to go anywhere in our modern times, especially at the airport. After reading this, I thought it over, and she's right. How many times do you see ladies in track suits or men in gym wear or worse? Its as if dressing oneself has become some lost art.

As usual, Molly and I talked about this, and she agreed, even professing that that is the perfect time to strut and have the best makeup. She made the point that an airport is a people watching haven and most there look like they just rolled out of bed--so why not do the opposite and have people say,"...damn he/she looks good."

My most recent travels took me back home to North Carolina. I know flying into Charlotte, isn't flying into Milan or Paris, but looking good is a sign of sophistication wherever you are.

This was my airport outfit. Yes, I was in the men's room to be vain, next time I'll ask a passerby to photograph me. My outfit was simple with just enough chic to pass for someone with sense to say, I care. This was part of my nautical theme--the double breasted sweater, white jeans. Not pictures are an oversized brown tote and white suede wing-tips. Much better than sweats right? Took minimal effort and time. Appearance isn't everything, but it can definitely help.

Side note: What do you think of my newest addition to my bag collection? Its simple, navy, and a little doctorish, but I couldn't take my eyes off of it.

Happy Friday!

Music Alert

Another artist friend of mine recently turned me on to a group called MGMT, who're hailed from Brooklyn. I mentioned these guys in my last post. They kinda remind me of the Beegees vocals combined with the melancholy lyrics of Nico and the background music from Gil Mantera's Party Dream. Its rare I can listen to something that can me happy, contemplative, and a little sad at the same time. Their album Oracular Spectacular, is a bit of an emotional adventure, but its a great listen. Good for walking around, driving around Harlem, or a good party with close friends and the booze of your choice. Enjoy one of my favorite tracks below: Electric Feel.

This leads me to my next music topic. For all you Apple users, you know iTunes is in a bid to crush all internet music sources in sales and creativity. For example, they now have this integrated program called Genius, which suggests music you may enjoy--sort of like Pandora, but, I digress. Through said program, I discovered one of New York City's premier sounds: Vampire Weekend. This is the first time I've heard an album that could be my life soundtrack since The Royal Tenenbaum soundtrack--and that was just a conglomeration of music I enjoyed, not a band or single artist.

Vampire Weekend's sound is a combination of Belle and Sebastian's light hearted music, which is sometimes reminiscent of 60s beach music. Now imagine that, with a side of gritty punk lyrics, guitar riffs, and rich, sweeping classically orchstrated derived fillers; although, the lyrics, raw as they are, are sung delicately. Interestingly enough the message translates easily. Notable tracks are: Oxford Comma, M79, and Walcott. Enjoy the music and videos below, from their self-titled EP, Vampire Weekend.

Enjoy!