Daily Class Notes: Rothrock

This past Monday, Kristin Rothrock, my teacher showcased how she started in college with art and where she is now with it. I felt this presentation related back to the beginning when she showed us the powerpoint slides that had questions like, "What do you want to do with Art?" I felt her story was so relatable to each student in so many different ways, at least to me, I felt I could relate to it because she was once in our shoe as art students.

I have learned so much in Concept Studio, along with the chance to grow with my classmates and bond with them. I definitely think this is a growing art class that brings us all together. This semester, with all my art classes, I felt almost degraded. By that, I mean with "art being graded". My art being graded, being judged, being critique, being examined and teared down to the core, by outsiders. I'm not saying what can and cannot be done with it. I think its a good and a bad with Art. It's just hard to stand by that line of "Art being graded." Can it truly be graded with an "A, B, C, D, F"? Isn't it all in the eye's of the beholder. I think everyone's aesthetics and view of art are all different. I'm not speaking about my Concept Studio but about one of my other art class I honestly felt like I had to please one of my other art teacher. Like the art I was doing wasn't what she/he wanted or was looking for. The art I was doing, suddenly wasn't "MY" art anymore but became the art I felt my teacher wanted it to be like: my other talented classmates. Art then, wasn't art anymore to me, in it, I felt it was all based on skills and nothing else, sad to say. The grades I were receiving suddenly plunged horribly in that particular art class and honestly, it hurts. Sure it was different, sure I put my heart and time into it, but at the end of the day, I'm no Monet and the grade is what it is (that was a turning point this semester for me). With all that said, it stressed me out to the max because I wanted to enter Art with a clean plate, starting over, trying to rediscover what is it again, and learning to draw, paint, anything, but it wasn't like that. It felt like I had to have GREAT skills/craftsmanship/techniques, I had to be just that good, or I'd failed. It then makes me wonder, is just having the dedication, motivation, passion and love for art not good enough? What is it that I need? I want to learn.

For now, I don't know. I'm still questioning myself with art.
Only time can tell.


Thank you Mrs. Rothrock for this great semester in your class!
Its been great!