Enjoy the ride.
That's what he said. Did he mention how frighteningly steep the drops were, and how unsurmountably high the subsequent climb?
Be in the moment. Feel the wind on your face as you pick up speed in the drop. Taste the sweat as you struggle upwards, eyes to the sun, blinded and thirsty. Is that what he meant?
Laugh as you realize you're about to spin out of control. Sing as you imagine the triumph of conquering that mountain. Is that what he was thinking?
It's what I'm thinking. It's what I have to think. Sometimes, I don't know if I'm falling, or climing. They're one and the same to me now. Is that what 'enjoy the ride' means?
Some high points:
Recent note to a friend:
"I've had a hard time of it over the last year, not very focused and not "feeling it". But I've since changed advisors, and we're on a neat direction...I hope. I'm at odds with the standard way of doing things in academia, in particular in the social sciences, where the wrtitten, 100 page, boring thesis reigns. I just don't believe that that's the only way to embody and display knowledge (if there is such a thing as knowledge). So, my advisor and I are working on a way to do something a little different - going to incorporate performace into it somehow. I want to be able to critique the current way of embodying knowledge - sort of critique by doing, instead of just writing. Performance studies is a relatively new branch for communication studies (Yes, I know it's existed elsewhere for a long time - but it's still "out there" for Comm). I love it. Harley is on my committee! Isn't that cool? So, even though I'm literally breaking new ground (as far as the Comm deptartment is concerned), and will be doing something more along the scope of a mini dissertation rather than a simple thesis - I'm excited about it."
And another:
"At this point I'm interested in examining how creative expression (e.g. artistic performance/product) is perceived and "commodified" as something extra-normal, heightened, or in the realm of the "other." Artists and their products - the process of artistic creation/production - seem to be commonly viewed as being able to access a realm of humanity that the "rest of us" can't quite "do" ourselves. I'm also particularly interested in the place of art in the academy: performance and art are clearly delineated as "other" than academic inquiry. The embodiment of knowledge takes all forms, and I believe that art is a powerful medium for knowledge production and dissemination - different in form than traditional social scientific academic inquiry - but no less valuable or important. So, ideally I want my thesis to confront these boundaries and to, in some way, bridge them. A big task, I know - but one that is fascinating to me."
http://www.un.org/Pubs/chronicle/tolerance/seminar.html
A colleague sent this link as a point of possible interest/study. I need to remember to watch the webcast.
Friday, May 2, 2008
Thursday, April 17, 2008
Cats and Engineers
This doesn't really have anything to do with my thesis...but I don't want to forget it.
Cats and Engineers. Funny. Quite funny.
Cats and Engineers. Funny. Quite funny.
Wednesday, April 9, 2008
A Polite Conversation Between Burke, Locke, and Hume.
Stephen sent me this link a few weeks ago. It's an animated conversation between Burke, Locke, and Hume. My first thoughts on my thesis were inspired by Burke's "Prologue in Heaven" - the epilogue to Rhetoric of Religion - in which Satan and The Lord discuss (in dramatic form) the giving of language to humans. I thought how interesting it would be to see it performed, and from there emerged the idea of bringing theorists together at a round table discussion, a la Meeting Of Minds. But, as is apparent from this video, the possibility of tediousness is high unless one already has a very deep understanding of the theories these men are known for. Hmmm....what next?
Tuesday, April 8, 2008
Baby Steps...
Alrighty then. Just wrote something really great. And I lost it.
One of the things I was writing about was my technophobia, and sure 'nuff, erased the whole damn thing! Lesson learned.
First, want to share this video about the Young At Heart Chorus. Came across it online and it struck a chord (no pun intended, really). I think this says a lot about creativity, embodied knowledge, and language ideologies. It's late for me, so I can't explain. But I hope to come back to it soon.
In the erased post, I also brought up my conversation this afternoon with Brion re: my thesis. Embodied knowledges, privileged forms in academia, and how to present a thesis in a non-traditional way while still being able to make an argument for its authenticity. A performance of my knowledge is not "real" science (ahem, according to whom? and what about the question of whether science is an art...). In any case, he suggested looking at emerging technologies as a way to acheive this. My technophobic self had already had that thought, but I'd just as quickly disposed of it since it would require me to do a LOT of learning between now and next year. But in fact, that's exactly what I'm here to do - learn. The process of getting to this thesis is, I think, not only as important as the thesis itself (and is part and parcel of the 'final' product), but it also informs what happens after and through the thesis - and beyond.
So, here I am back at the blog. My first baby steps into the techno world. How will this inform me? What steps do I need to take next? Who knows, I will lead me where I go... (yes, that's not a typo: I will lead me where I go...)
"It is good to have an end to journey toward, but it is the journey that matters in the end." Ursula K. LeGuin.
Brilliant. Simple.
One of the things I was writing about was my technophobia, and sure 'nuff, erased the whole damn thing! Lesson learned.
First, want to share this video about the Young At Heart Chorus. Came across it online and it struck a chord (no pun intended, really). I think this says a lot about creativity, embodied knowledge, and language ideologies. It's late for me, so I can't explain. But I hope to come back to it soon.
In the erased post, I also brought up my conversation this afternoon with Brion re: my thesis. Embodied knowledges, privileged forms in academia, and how to present a thesis in a non-traditional way while still being able to make an argument for its authenticity. A performance of my knowledge is not "real" science (ahem, according to whom? and what about the question of whether science is an art...). In any case, he suggested looking at emerging technologies as a way to acheive this. My technophobic self had already had that thought, but I'd just as quickly disposed of it since it would require me to do a LOT of learning between now and next year. But in fact, that's exactly what I'm here to do - learn. The process of getting to this thesis is, I think, not only as important as the thesis itself (and is part and parcel of the 'final' product), but it also informs what happens after and through the thesis - and beyond.
So, here I am back at the blog. My first baby steps into the techno world. How will this inform me? What steps do I need to take next? Who knows, I will lead me where I go... (yes, that's not a typo: I will lead me where I go...)
"It is good to have an end to journey toward, but it is the journey that matters in the end." Ursula K. LeGuin.
Brilliant. Simple.
Monday, November 19, 2007
In the beginning was the Word
I am not a subscriber to any particular religion. However, there is a quote from the bible that I really love. Its religious significance aside - I think it's a juicy starting point for some interesting explorations into the study of language and power:
"In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God…All things were made by him; and without him was not anything made that was made." -John 1:1, 1:3
Sunday, November 18, 2007
rants
So, I said last time that I need to connect the "creative function" (of?...) to the works and theories of some heavy-hitting philosophers and critics. bla bla blog.
I find that my most active thinking happens in the moments before I go to sleep. I get some really good thinking done then. But it's not very convenient. I'm all comfy and warm - usually I'm pinned to the bed by two dogs on either side - or sometimes on top - of me. In other words - I'm not very likely to get up and write any of it down. And the thoughts happen so fast! zoom zoom and I'm onto another one. I couldn't write it all down even if I were cold and uncomfortable!
But let me see if I can recapture any of what was zooming through my mind last night as I was happily snuggled down under layers of comforter and dog.
I was having a conversation with my friend Hap the other day - who suggested that perhaps "creativity" and "creative function" is a mis-nomer. We were discussing the dawning of the bronze age. Let's say that we go with the romantic image of some ancient blacksmith who accidentally poured a little tin into his copper smelt, and BAM! Bronze! Is that "creativity" - in the modern sense of the word? Our initial response might be to say - of course not - it was an accident, how can that be creative? And what if it wasn't an accident? What if the bugger said to himself, "hey, I've been working with copper for a while now, and I also know some stuff about tin - I wonder what would happen if I mixed the two?" and BAM! Bronze! Is that "creativity?"
We would be more apt to recognize the latter instance as one that was a result of a creative process: the blacksmith used his prior knowledge to "create" something "new". In the former instance, he may not have intended the result (bronze) - but he recognized that it was something "new". Either way, the resulting mix of copper and tin was something that was of potential value to himself and his community - and he recognized this.
What if the resulting mix of tin and copper turned out to be something that wasn't of value to the community or to the blacksmith? For example, what if it turned out to be something that was unstable and useless for metalworking? It would have been tossed off at best as an unfortunate waste of time (in the case of the blacksmith experimenting with the two metals), or would not even have been noticed at all (in the case of an "accident".) And to put another cog in the wheel: what if this blacksmith made some bronze (either on purpose or by mistake) - but made it a thousand years before the dawn of the bronze age...before his community recognized its potential value.
I'm of course pulling this creativity notion down to the level of the individual by hypothesizing that one person "discovered" bronze (I don't really know anything about the dawning of the bronze age, nor am I an anthropologist - but I would guess that bronze was something that was slowly "discovered" over several hundred years - a process of "cross-pollination" from tribe to tribe.) - but I'm simply trying to make a point: that whatever we do it's always in conjuction with the world around us. Whether it was an accident or whether it was purposely made - it could not have come into being without prior knowledge of certain facts and ideas.
The human capacity to make connections between things and then produce what we consider "new" ideas from those connections is unique. Kenneth Burke aptly said that "man is the symbol using (symbol-making, symbol-misusing animal, inventor of the negative...separated from his natural contition by instruments of his own making, goaded by the spirit of hierarchy - and rotten with perfection." (KB, "Definition of Man", in Language and Symbolic Action, 1966)
What does that have to do with creativity?
A symbol - whether it be an icon on a webpage or the very fact of language itself - is something that is "created" by man. We are the only species - that we know of - that uses language in this way - as a symbolic resource for maintaining and creating ourselves and our society. Dogs bark to come inside. They bark to warn intruders. They bark when they're happy you've come home. They bark at the moon. But do they use their barking as a way of elegantly describing the world around them? Does the world around them influence the modes of barking they choose to use? Do they co-operatively produce a system of barking in order to come to agreement and understanding with one another, and to build their concept of reality? I don't think so. A dog doesn't say, "I think you should mix that milk there with some honey and see what it tastes like." Nor does a dog say, "I don't think that baking soda would go so well with that amonia - if you're going to mix it - try it outside with some safety glasses on."
Okay then - that's my start for now. I think I'll take a break and come back to this later....
I find that my most active thinking happens in the moments before I go to sleep. I get some really good thinking done then. But it's not very convenient. I'm all comfy and warm - usually I'm pinned to the bed by two dogs on either side - or sometimes on top - of me. In other words - I'm not very likely to get up and write any of it down. And the thoughts happen so fast! zoom zoom and I'm onto another one. I couldn't write it all down even if I were cold and uncomfortable!
But let me see if I can recapture any of what was zooming through my mind last night as I was happily snuggled down under layers of comforter and dog.
I was having a conversation with my friend Hap the other day - who suggested that perhaps "creativity" and "creative function" is a mis-nomer. We were discussing the dawning of the bronze age. Let's say that we go with the romantic image of some ancient blacksmith who accidentally poured a little tin into his copper smelt, and BAM! Bronze! Is that "creativity" - in the modern sense of the word? Our initial response might be to say - of course not - it was an accident, how can that be creative? And what if it wasn't an accident? What if the bugger said to himself, "hey, I've been working with copper for a while now, and I also know some stuff about tin - I wonder what would happen if I mixed the two?" and BAM! Bronze! Is that "creativity?"
We would be more apt to recognize the latter instance as one that was a result of a creative process: the blacksmith used his prior knowledge to "create" something "new". In the former instance, he may not have intended the result (bronze) - but he recognized that it was something "new". Either way, the resulting mix of copper and tin was something that was of potential value to himself and his community - and he recognized this.
What if the resulting mix of tin and copper turned out to be something that wasn't of value to the community or to the blacksmith? For example, what if it turned out to be something that was unstable and useless for metalworking? It would have been tossed off at best as an unfortunate waste of time (in the case of the blacksmith experimenting with the two metals), or would not even have been noticed at all (in the case of an "accident".) And to put another cog in the wheel: what if this blacksmith made some bronze (either on purpose or by mistake) - but made it a thousand years before the dawn of the bronze age...before his community recognized its potential value.
I'm of course pulling this creativity notion down to the level of the individual by hypothesizing that one person "discovered" bronze (I don't really know anything about the dawning of the bronze age, nor am I an anthropologist - but I would guess that bronze was something that was slowly "discovered" over several hundred years - a process of "cross-pollination" from tribe to tribe.) - but I'm simply trying to make a point: that whatever we do it's always in conjuction with the world around us. Whether it was an accident or whether it was purposely made - it could not have come into being without prior knowledge of certain facts and ideas.
The human capacity to make connections between things and then produce what we consider "new" ideas from those connections is unique. Kenneth Burke aptly said that "man is the symbol using (symbol-making, symbol-misusing animal, inventor of the negative...separated from his natural contition by instruments of his own making, goaded by the spirit of hierarchy - and rotten with perfection." (KB, "Definition of Man", in Language and Symbolic Action, 1966)
What does that have to do with creativity?
A symbol - whether it be an icon on a webpage or the very fact of language itself - is something that is "created" by man. We are the only species - that we know of - that uses language in this way - as a symbolic resource for maintaining and creating ourselves and our society. Dogs bark to come inside. They bark to warn intruders. They bark when they're happy you've come home. They bark at the moon. But do they use their barking as a way of elegantly describing the world around them? Does the world around them influence the modes of barking they choose to use? Do they co-operatively produce a system of barking in order to come to agreement and understanding with one another, and to build their concept of reality? I don't think so. A dog doesn't say, "I think you should mix that milk there with some honey and see what it tastes like." Nor does a dog say, "I don't think that baking soda would go so well with that amonia - if you're going to mix it - try it outside with some safety glasses on."
Okay then - that's my start for now. I think I'll take a break and come back to this later....
Saturday, November 17, 2007
Wow, so this is it.
My first blog. like my first pony. only I never had a pony. I did go to horseback camp one summer, though...
Yah. So I've decided to take the plunge. I have a morbid fear of writing. In fact, I should be writing a paper for class right now. I need to somehow connect the creative function to the theories of Antonio Gramsci, Kenneth Burke, J.L. Austin, Raymond Williams, Erving Goffman, and a few others who are currently escaping me. Any suggestions?
I'd much rather be doing this than that.
A la prochaine...
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