Late summer reflections

It’s hard to believe that in a little over a month, I’ll be beginning my senior year at IU South Bend!

It hasn’t been just the summer that’s flown by fast. I can hardly believe that my days in college have slipped by as fast as they have. Sometimes, I feel like I should still be a freshman.

I remember my back-to-school shopping excursion as a freshman. I bought a plethora of cute and trendy matching notebooks, note-cards, pens, pencils, staplers, paper clips and stick-it notes, among others. This year, I bought one 5-subject notebook and pencils. It’s funny how things change over the years.

I’ll be lucky enough to also attend school this year with my younger sister, Helen, one of my closest friends and confidants. It’ll be nice to chat and hang out with her on campus in between our classes.

This year, I’m also editor-in-chief for The Preface. I’d be lying if I said I wasn’t a bit intimidated, but I’m also very excited. I have high hopes for what the newspaper can accomplish. I have a lot of ideas and plans I wan to implement, and we have a great experienced staff this year, despite losing a lot of seniors.

I have a lot to do before the school year starts (including a move and purchasing a new car!) but I’m excited to see what the fall brings.

Peace!

Playing with Vine

Six seconds isn’t very long for a movie, much less impart a message. But for Vine users, this is just the right amount of time to create compelling and unique commentary on life, culture, and the world around us.

Founded in 2012, and quickly acquired by Twitter, Vine remains a popular mobile app that enables users to take looping videos up to six seconds long. The simple interface encourages creative ingenuity and clever methods of storytelling.

I had to create my own Vine for a class project, and I found the greatest challenge was coming up with a clever idea, not the actual filming. While my first take ultimately failed to upload, I found the interface for taking the video very easy to use.

So take a look, let me know what you think!

Discovering new multimedia #j410cyberculture https://t.co/lueTVPawgh

— Cecelia Roeder (@Cici_Roeder) April 2, 2014

Writing Portfolio

The Preface at IU South Bend

Fall 2012- Present

 

David

Just a little something I doodled up

Blankets

Blankets is a graphic novel by Craig Thompson, and offers a glimpse into a crucial stage of life for a young man who shares the same name. A note on the inside that the novel is “based on personal experiences”  is not surprising, given the amount of realism and intensity this book offers.

Thompson’s art style really makes you feel like you’re there, and manages to convey volumes and unspoken emotions with strokes in a pen. It’s truly a masterpiece and a joy to read.

I think the theme of Blankets can be summed up in his closing words:

“How satisfying it is to leave a mark on a blank surface. To make a map of my movement– no matter how temporary.”

So Il

Eye see you

That Overwhelming Sadness

A little doodle I did up in between classes with this program

Kanye West needs more Ying-Yang

There are two kinds of people in this world. People who liked Yeezus and those who did not. I was among the latter. I appreciated what I felt Kanye was trying to communicate and explore with his album. I just couldn’t stand to listen to it. The sounds are weird and distorted, and I didn’t feel like I could take it seriously.

I’ve noticed that Kanye has a flaw I’ve seen other rappers like Kendrick Lamar and Ab-Soul. He loses his touch with the softer side of music as he grows older. His words and beats get harder, he receives more press and fame, but his music is not what it once was. I know people’s musical styles evolve, and I don’t think that’s bad, but I think it’s bad when musicians forget how to make a softer or more soulful song every once in a while.

I’m like any other rap fan, I love when rappers spit crazy wild flows and blow us away with the things they can do with words. But I also think a real musician should be able to take a ballad and make it amazing. I’m a firm believer in yin-yang. A  good musician needs balance.

I really like Kanye’s older music. Flashing Lights was the first rap song I knew all the words to, and I still love songs like Diamonds from Sierra Leone  and Heard ’em Say. 

Heard em’ Say is a great example of the kind of balance I like in a song: Drums beats against a piano melody; well delivered and succinct rapping matched by soulful vocals (and a pretty cool music video!)

Nobody’s saying be a Drake. I’m not saying every song has to be a ballad. Just don’t lose touch with making music beautiful every once and a while.

My art sale submissions

The IU South Bend LOOK! Scholarship Art Sale is happening November 21-24. Open to any arts student, it’s a chance for students, alumni, and faculty to show off and sell their work. 65% of the proceeds go to the artist while the other 35% goes towards scholarships for visual arts and new media students.

I’m entering a few pieces this year. I’m really excited to see how if I’m able to sell anything. These are the pieces I’m submitting.

Yo Angela, 2013

2013