art

Artistic, musical, creative, and entertaining topics in Journal's workplace sphere.

Threading the Needle
Ahhh, where to even start on this story. Growing up – I seemed to be the only one in the family who had zero interest in learning how to sew or knit. Based on the occasional crafts you had to make in school, it also seemed that I had zero talents on that front, so maybe it was for the best. At the age of 20, I was about to move to Ireland for six months, and my mother thought that teaching me how to knit socks would be a perfect bonding experience before I took off… after three attempts, where she had twice pulled it apart and exclaimed that she had never seen any socks that ugly, I decided my career as a knitter was far behind me. And it still is!
By Catharina E Santasilia5 years ago in Journal
The Art of the Written Word
There are two things I absolutely love about the idea of art. The first being it embodies the principle of speaking profoundly and in volume. Art can say what men cannot in regular speech. The second thing I love about art is that it takes on many forms. Art is not confined to the canvas or the stone block; music, literature, dance are just a few examples of the omnipresence of art. I personally choose the written word as my medium, using Microsoft Word as my canvas, my mind as the palette, and my hands as the brush. The process in of itself is an adventure. Specifically, fleshing out and breathing life into a parallel reality---all composed in a word document!
By Donovan Graham5 years ago in Journal
I Am What I Am
I don't know about inner peace, but there's an inner "piece" that seems to be missing anytime I go too long without utilizing my creative outlets. Yes, that's outlet(s), plural; for I am a Creative Arts Specialist by trade. That's how I brand myself anyhow. It saves a lot of time explaining what it is I do.
By Ryan Barbin aka “Dirt”5 years ago in Journal
Making art during the end of the world
I always say that the world ended in March of 2020. It is a joke, as we are obviously all still here, but it was my way of cheering myself up when it did seem like the world was ending. “It took less than a week,” I would joke with my mom. “Thursday I was in class, Saturday I was at work, and by Monday the world had ended.”
By Cam5 years ago in Journal
A Jay Gatsby Dream
The printed word has flowed through my blood since I first understood its meaning. I would read them; I would write them. Then, during an eleventh grade honors English course, I stumbled over a project that would provide years of self-care. Though there were many reasons to be enamored by The Great Gatsby, the encounter with a certain owl-eyed man was one that inspired my own journey of building a library. Since I was first exposed to this scene, the owl-eyed man’s proclamations regarding the books’ authenticity has remained in my mind always.
By B. M. Valdez5 years ago in Journal
Stitching Beauty Out of Ashes
In the pale light of the morning, I force myself out of bed. Every Monday to Friday I dress myself through pure acceptance of fate. This is my reality from 8am to 5pm. A quick breakfast or perhaps a toast to take, I race to the certain uncertainty of another work day at stake. Tick…Tock…every second counts in the morning rush hour. Rushing to eat, rushing through traffic, rushing up the stairs or perhaps rushing to the elevator if I got lucky that day. Always performing under time pressure, the clock ticking and managing my actions every second of the way.
By Stephanie Alvarez5 years ago in Journal
The Art of Knitting. First Place in Threading the Needle Challenge.
Magic, that’s what it is. When I pick up my knitting needles that is the key to unlocking the sorcerer in me and different places of my own creation. The trick is in the yarn, that is the location. The colors, textures, intertwining into one as my needles lock them into place, any place I desire. The knitting needles are a portal to a different realm, a completely different reality.
By Shams Bahadly5 years ago in Journal
10 Most Expensive Wood in the World
To determine whether a wood is pricey or not, one does not need to be an expert. There are a number of elements that influence the value of wood, but the most important is its scarcity. Africa and India are fortunate in that they have access to the most expensive timbers.
By kings5 years ago in Journal
Nonsense
The thing is, I need to stop being afraid of failure. That is really what it is. I can't even begin writing because I'm so concerned with wanting it to sound perfect and curated. To be so eloquent and articulated becomes the goal over simply writing. It's this obsessive idea of perfection. Striving beyond myself before I have even really come to know myself. Building an identity rather than just being. Fixating on the external while trying to force and coerce the internal. That is the formula for fake in any creative endeavor. As soon as I begin trying from that place, there is only one result. Self-deceit and self-defeat. I suppose that is two. Anyways, I am going to fail a lot. I need to. There is no other way to any sort of success. Whether self-proclaimed or recognized. I need to get down to the nitty gritty, and sound terrible. I need to sound like I don't have a single clue about what I am talking about because I don't. I need to expose my naivete and false optimism in order to get to what is real. That is the formula. So if I am not ready to do that, and I am more concerned with taking the safe and tailored road, then I am in the wrong place. I have thought myself into the wrong goals. The life I idealize for myself is not going to happen. Trial and error baby; that is the game we play here in life. I can sit back and listen to podcasts and read books and watch interviews all I want, there is plenty of value there. But if I go no further to integrate my own experience and take my own chances there will not be much further to go. I need to be ready and willing to be bent and broken. I need to allow myself to drone on and on and on and more than likely bore the shit out of anyone who reads it to find some clarity. Because, it's not about who is reading it. If that's what I am hung up on, then again, I am not here for the right reasons. It doesn't matter if it is a gift to the world, it needs to be a gift to my own soul. That is the place I must write from if it is going to have any true value in my life. That is certainly not to mean that I cannot endeavor to go whichever direction I want with it. Perhaps I will end up writing a best-selling novel. Perhaps I will write eloquent articles that elucidate my intended points with sharpness. Perhaps I will go on tours and get on stages to speak and make an impact. Perhaps, perhaps, perhaps. There is no guarantee. There doesn't need to be. If I am solely focused on those outcomes, then it all becomes hollow. I become hollow. Thus my writing becomes hollow, or the complete lack thereof becomes apparent. It almost happened this morning... But alas, I am still here. Of course, rambling on in any given direction but perhaps that is the path! Allowing complete disorder and chaos to take the charge before I decide what to do with it. For, is not the word potential just a fancier term for chaos and disorder? No matter, it's what I do with it. Rambling seems to be my forte, so I suppose I'll just ramble away without shame or guilt for some time now until I can figure out what's really there.
By Andrew Jake5 years ago in Journal
Co-Branding the State of Art : Brandsandu.com
Due to the fierce competition between manufacturers and retailers in a saturated market, especially for FMCG, the use of co-branded products has become more and more important for brand managers in recent years. In addition to classic brand extensions and other brand alliance strategies, such as advertising alliances and dual brands, co-branded products provide a way to differentiate products in a competitive environment. Through the physical integration of the product, a product is branded, that is, it is recognized with two other brands at the same time, and the company can obtain a positive influence for these two products. Therefore, compared with other forms of brand alliances, the physical integration of products is an indispensable component and differentiated standard for co-branded products.
By Brandsandu5 years ago in Journal
Grogan & Company
Handmade Persian Rugs Set up in Boston in 1987, Grogan and Company is a store sales management firm gaining practical experience in the offer of new-to-the-market fine artistic creations and gems from private assortments, bequests, and establishments. Our individualized and administration situated methodology is customized to address the issues of every customer with whom we work, regardless of whether purchasing or selling. Our times of involvement give us an unrivalled viewpoint on the present sale market and we routinely accomplish record-breaking costs across gathering classifications.
By Nancy Baker5 years ago in Journal
Rise of the 47 Rōnin
In early 2018 I had an idea. To construct a large, commemorative sculpture depicting the 47 Rōnin. The catch, however, was that I wanted to make entirely it out of disassembled, chopped and butchered, bent and tied…soda cans. In October of that same year, after more than 800 hours and 36,000 carefully tied pieces later, I finally finished the work. The journey to create such a thing, however, is much more complex and storied than that. Here goes nothing.
By Shlunka5 years ago in Journal