I really enjoyed todays peer edit and how we approached it as a class. At first when we were answering the questions in class I want sure if I was doing it right or responding in the ” correct way”. After we did the questions though, it had me thinking in a different way about starting my first draft of my introduction. It made it so some of the stress of covering everything a good introduction should have was relieved. Another great aspect of doing this in class was I was able to see how others were thinking and getting their feedback was really helpful to me. I now have re-read my introduction with the corrections in mind and think I know how to fix it!

Art is viewed in many different ways and has many different powers and purposes in peoples lives. For some it is a way to escape reality and go into another state of mind and for others who are blessed with the ability to create art, their career. When reading Southan’s article I was filled with different emotions almost as if my opinion was trying to be changed on the way I view art. In Southan’s writing we are given opinions from the views of both the writer and the EA. The EA believes that all lives matter and the happiness and well being of people are most important. They say that happiness is the most important but they want people to work for the jobs that will pay them the most money even if they are miserable doing that job to them everything is about money. Southan on the other hand talks about the importance of art even if it is just on a personal level. He realizes that he could be contributing more than he is but he is enjoying making his art. He also mentions the analogy of a drowning person in the pond and the morals of saving that person to me it means that if the problem was in front of him, he would respond but since its a theoretical issue that he isn’t experiencing it doesn’t have such a strong impact. After listening to the Ted Talk by Titus it really had me thinking about the history of art and how the black race was seen and portrayed, even in todays society. They have always been shoved into the background and Titus wanted to change that in a way that faced out the other people who were once the focus of the painting into the background and brought the little boy to light. He used the oil on the painting because he didn’t want to erase the history of the painting because he cant change the past but he can change the future through his paintings. Another topic that both Southan and Titus touch upon is the economical status. Titus when he talks about the meaning of the golden necklace and how it made that lady stick out and Southan when he talks about jobs and donating as much money as possible stating that you should only keep as much as you need and donate the rest.

After reading both of these stories and perspectives on art it made me think about art in a higher power. My whole life I have been in the visual and performing arts for my school district, because I enjoy it and it brought happiness to others who were able to come to the art shows and our school concerts, but now I see it in a new way. I love how Titus was trying to change the history behind his art to not only explain something to his son but also to explain to others that everyone was created equal and that everyone should have their chance to shine and be happy. I think that is something both Southan and Titus did a good job explaining was how they wanted happiness out of art. Titus was more focused on history and the happiness of the African American race and Southan on his own happiness. I believe that art is special and differs by who is admiring it and both Southan and Titus did a great job getting their views of art across.

When re-reading that article in class today, I was able to get a more in-depth perspective on how myself and others viewed the article. Many of my opinions about the article remained the same, but the way that I looked at the topic changed a little. I was able to understand whos opinions in the article corresponded to each side of the argument. Today I learned even more about the EA and how they believed people should live, even though what they believe is very contradictive. For instance, they believe that people should be healthy and HAPPY, but then they also believe that people should work the jobs that will make the most money even if they don’t enjoy what they are doing for work. They are money driven and believe that money is the solution to everything which is not true. I also deciphered what Southan thought as  he talked about how he as an artist knows that he and others like him are not doing everything that they can to stop poverty and help others, but they make art because they enjoy it and I thought that even though he knows what he should be doing, he chooses to do what makes him happy and not everyone does things to make themselves happy so I thought he standing up and voicing his opinion was strong.

Class Word: Crass – means something that is crude or insensitive

As I read the article written by Rhys Southan it got me thinking about resources and how people decide what to do with them. In the article it talks about a guy name Hilton who was writing a screenplay and decided to travel to East Devon, where he hoped to complete his screenplay, While there he begins to hear how the EA’s view resources and how they believe that people should be donating all kinds of money for people with diseases and who are in worse conditions than many of us.  They also mention that they only was to help others is by donating money. “But the gauntlet that EA throws down is simply this: does your money preferred goof deed make as much of a difference as simply handing over money? if not, how good a deed is it really?” In my opinion I think this statement is flawed. I think that people are able to help in more ways then just handing over money. People can volunteer at clinic’s and provide music and visual therapy. It all depend on what people need and everyone has different needs that they need met.

Another part of the article I found interesting is when then underestimated the impacts of visual and performing arts.” Artists, meanwhile , paint the beautiful landscapes in front of them while the rest of the world burns” This quote sticks out to me because I’m a fan of both musical and performing arts and have been apart of it my whole like and to me visual artists help bring a different view of the world into perspective. They sometimes show the truth and that facts people try to overlook. Also many times people in the art industries choose to donate their works and or profits to charities and for some of the EA’s to claim that they don’t contribute is a false statement. Sure some of that money used to publish or produce things could have been donated, but not everyone will choose to contribute in the same ways and regardless should be accepted as equal.

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