Course Reflection

This is the first art class I had the privilege of taking at UT since starting school in 2012 as an over thirty, first-time college student. I am so glad I made the decision to sign up for this particular course. Through the semester, I learned a lot about digital media. I got to experience a wide variety of topics including music making, photography and editing, and computer-generated art.

My least favorite assignment in the course was when I used Sony Acid Xpress to create a music mashup. While I enjoying singing, I do not know a lot about music and my brain works on a more visual level. Those things made this assignment very difficult for me and while it opened my eyes to a different genre of art, it was not something I enjoyed.

My favorite assignment was the urban landscape photographs I took of Toledo and the finished works I created through editing. Those pictures helped me look at the beauty of art in a different way. It made me realize that a striking image doesn't always come from things that are traditionally beautiful, like flowers and sunsets. It is possible (and enjoyable for me) to capture and/or edit a picture to bring out the magnificence in things that have underlying, often unseen beauty.

I have been wavering in my decision on the major that I want to declare. Taking this course reinvigorated my love of art and has made me lean heavily towards something in the field of art. While my prospective plans are still being narrowed down, I am reminded of the old adage, “Choose a job you love, and you will never have to work a day in your life.” I may not know the exact path I am taking but I now know without a doubt that art needs to be incorporated somehow into my future plans.