Final Project

Communication response

This was lots of fun. I feel sorry for those people that missed it as our numbers have seemed to dwindle. It was interesting to see people's reaction as we walked around with duct tape on our mouths. I realized a certain heightening of the other senses since I could no longer communicate vocally or auditory with people in the class. Since I already cannot smell, I am aware of other senses picking up slack for those not present. But it still hits home when you lose your ability to communicate effectively.

Seeing v. Looking

I see the difference between "seeing" and "looking" as a passive and active take on the same experience. One is an interpretation of an observation and the other is a seeking out of the observation. To relate it to the auditory sense, one would be like "hearing" and the other would be like "listening."

To "see" something implies that the "something" already exists and the action of "seeing" it is a choice whether to see it or not and how you interpret that input. Seeing can be an active thing, but the initial input is a fairly static exchange between eyeballs and brain impulses. It only becomes an action if we force it to be. This would be like the auditory term "hearing."

"Looking" at something implies a certain amount of seeking or thinking involved. There is a certain depth that comes with the word "look." It assumes that I am not just receiving information from nervous synapses, but that I am taking the initiative to think about the information that I am receiving. This would be like "listening" to something. I am no longer just hearing the sound, but I am understanding and interpreting it.

4.12 Reaction

It was great to see everyone's impressions of themselves. It's always interesting because you can learn so much about a person by how they think about themselves, whether what they think is right or not. It was also good to see that there was some healing going on within that process. Creativity can sometimes bring things to the surface that cause problems and it's always positive to see those things be dealt with and utilized back into the creative process.

Know me / Don't know me

A friend from church -

I have not known Kevin Hall for very long, but have had the opportunity to interact with him in a variety of situations. Two qualities are most readily apparent: his commitment to his faith, and his creativity. He uses his creativity to share his faith in a loving, gentle way. Unlike many creative people, Kevin has the ability to keep his ego under control for the greater good of his art. Kevin directed a skit we performed and I observed his ability to be flexible, to thoughfully consider input from others, and to provide encouragement. He has a knack for collaborative leadership.

My wife -

You have heard the saying "It's 100% or nothing", well Kevin is the walking description of the saying. His perfectionist personality drives me up the wall at times, but that characteristic is what makes his work brilliant. He brings this personality trait into everything he does. His family, friends, and work all benefit from his attitude and passion for life.

Identity

The first thing that I thought of about myself in planning for this assignment was how dichotomous I am in many ways. I am an extroverted personality, but I love people. I am a visionary, but a detail oriented person. I also realized that the person who could tell you more about me than me is my wife. That got me thinking that she is the rectification and completion of my victimizing dichotomy. As I am involved 100% or nothing, she challenges me to develop a middle ground in many aspects. I discovered that, in a very realistic sense, she completes me. Although she may not view herself this way, she is the constant in my mixed up, altered identity.

Fear response

I was very pleasantly surprised to see the reaction to my project. It was slightly more than a chuckle as a hypothesized and it was requested to be watched again and the response was even better the second time. I think I may have the makings of a cult classic, if it keeps getting better on subsequent watches.

The project that I responded most to was the spider of pipe cleaner. The mystery of the unknown with the possibility of a fear of mine being involved made me pretty uncomfortable.