After going over the film Hanna in depth with STAC, I started questioning what the point of it all was.
Why do we look so deep into these films? Why do we look so deep into art?
We went over how the whole thing was a fairy tale and all the characters were based of legend, but why? What does this accomplish? It's like an Easter egg. Hidden there, but only for the purpose of people who analyze art to find. Beyond that though, what does this knowledge accomplish?
True, there is value in deeply looking at how art is put together. It teaches us the steps to create our own art. However, what are things like that supposed to accomplish? Is that telling us we should just take a fairy tale and sub in our own characters to make a story? Does art have to be connected to a larger topic to be important? Although this seems like an easy trick, it seems limiting.
Also, if art is meant to be for a mainstream audience, why make it in a way that most people wouldn't understand? Some art is very complicated, and most people can't follow it through. If the only people who understand the message are people who already intelligent enough to receive the message and experienced enough to know it, then what has been accomplished?
If art is only created for artists then that's excluding so many people. It's like living in a bubble, ignorant of all other beings. And that's cutting yourself off from so much.
The best kind of art is the kind that invites people to think deeper, without putting them off completely. They know what is meant by the end of the movie, and it's not just popped in that "Oh, and by the way, you just watched a fairytale."
Thursday, October 27, 2011
Thursday, October 20, 2011
What is my Koan?
Yesterday in acting class, we learned about Koans. A Koan, at least in this sense, is a question that we spend our entire lives trying to answer. This question is what guides the way we act and the way that we perceive the world. If you find your Koan, you can gain a full knowledge of yourself that will make you a more complete human being.
The question is, what is my Koan?
A Koan shows itself in situations where you really don't know how to act. Situations where you're confused, uncomfortable, nervous, or just deadlocked. I know exactly how I act in these situations. Whenever I don't really know what to do, my silly Ellen side comes out. I'm loud, I act kind of dumb and I say silly things that make me and others laugh. I entertain people, and their amusement keeps them off my back. I guess you could say that's my mask in a way.
In fact, sometimes I get stuck talking like everything is a joke. I constantly make fun of myself and my problems, so that way I can be honest but not have to deal with the emotional weight of being honest. I feel as if I give the impression that I don't really have much of a brain, but in reality I'm quite an insightful person.
Also, I act silly because I don't know the proper thing to say at times. I think it's a good idea to say something, so I say it. Afterwards, I realize it may not have been the wisest thing to share. To avoid further awkwardness, I laugh it off and pretend it was a joke.
Back when I was in elementary school, I used to be a shy awkward kid without many friends. But what artsy kid wasn't an awkward kid without many friends?
One day though, I changed. It was the first day of 6th grade. I knew some of the people in my class, but I didn't recognize more than half of the people in the room. I took my seat, curious as to what the future held in store for me. That was when I was first introduced to the humorists. Over on the other side of the room were a bunch of kids who would constantly make jokes, speaking up at the teacher in clever remarks that made everyone laugh. As I laughed along, I grew a strong admiration towards those people. I knew, that's who I wanted to be. I wanted to be that kid that made everyone laugh. And that's who I became.
How does this amount to a question though? I have the puzzle pieces but I can't figure out the whole picture. I came up with a few ideas, but they don't seem to be right. Perhaps it's simple.
Why won't people pay attention to me?
But I'm not the attention hogging kind of person. If people I didn't know were staring at me, I'd be kind of creeped out. That can't be it. Maybe,
Why don't people think I'm important?
That just sprouts from the previous question though. Maybe I'm not on the right track.
No rush though. I still have a lot of time to figure this question out. I'm proud of myself for what I know so far, but my quest is not done yet. I'm just wondering, where can I find some hints? How can I get closer to my Koan?
The question is, what is my Koan?
A Koan shows itself in situations where you really don't know how to act. Situations where you're confused, uncomfortable, nervous, or just deadlocked. I know exactly how I act in these situations. Whenever I don't really know what to do, my silly Ellen side comes out. I'm loud, I act kind of dumb and I say silly things that make me and others laugh. I entertain people, and their amusement keeps them off my back. I guess you could say that's my mask in a way.
In fact, sometimes I get stuck talking like everything is a joke. I constantly make fun of myself and my problems, so that way I can be honest but not have to deal with the emotional weight of being honest. I feel as if I give the impression that I don't really have much of a brain, but in reality I'm quite an insightful person.
Also, I act silly because I don't know the proper thing to say at times. I think it's a good idea to say something, so I say it. Afterwards, I realize it may not have been the wisest thing to share. To avoid further awkwardness, I laugh it off and pretend it was a joke.
Back when I was in elementary school, I used to be a shy awkward kid without many friends. But what artsy kid wasn't an awkward kid without many friends?
One day though, I changed. It was the first day of 6th grade. I knew some of the people in my class, but I didn't recognize more than half of the people in the room. I took my seat, curious as to what the future held in store for me. That was when I was first introduced to the humorists. Over on the other side of the room were a bunch of kids who would constantly make jokes, speaking up at the teacher in clever remarks that made everyone laugh. As I laughed along, I grew a strong admiration towards those people. I knew, that's who I wanted to be. I wanted to be that kid that made everyone laugh. And that's who I became.
How does this amount to a question though? I have the puzzle pieces but I can't figure out the whole picture. I came up with a few ideas, but they don't seem to be right. Perhaps it's simple.
Why won't people pay attention to me?
But I'm not the attention hogging kind of person. If people I didn't know were staring at me, I'd be kind of creeped out. That can't be it. Maybe,
Why don't people think I'm important?
That just sprouts from the previous question though. Maybe I'm not on the right track.
No rush though. I still have a lot of time to figure this question out. I'm proud of myself for what I know so far, but my quest is not done yet. I'm just wondering, where can I find some hints? How can I get closer to my Koan?
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