It’s difficult to compare drawing to digital media. In some ways, they both serve the same purpose. They allow the artist to convey ideas and concepts that cannot be expressed in other ways. They both allow a person to place what is in his or her head into the sight of another person. In both mediums, intangible ideas are visualized and made real to others. However, in other ways they are completely different. They each provide different tools for expression, complete with unique advantages and challenges.
One thing that differentiates drawing from digital media is the way an artist controls artist what they are creating. For example, when I draw, I can control every line that I place on the paper; the equation is simply my hand, the pencil and the paper. However, I am limited by my capabilities, and I can only create images that consist of black charcoal and white paper. With digital media, I felt like I had less control over the images I captured. For instance, if I had wanted to take a picture of a person with a certain expression, but they moved before I could take it, I could not create that image. However, digital media provides the flexibility of changing images as many times as I wanted, though again limited by my knowledge and the capabilities of the software.
Another difference between the two mediums is to whom the artist is able to convey their ideas. Drawing provides a very direct way of presenting an image, but it can be complex in what the image contains. Digital media allows the artist to present in a more complex medium, allowing them to incorporate not only a single image, but also moving images, sound and text. Also, the idea of an online blog, or another internet site, as a canvas provides the unique opportunity for an artist to communicate their ideas to many more people. The YouTube videos we viewed in class are a perfect example of how digital media allows artists to reach a wider audience.

Situational Tour

walking down the street
to get to our destination
skirts and high heels
jackets because it's chilly
the streetlights fill the sidewalk
with artificial yellow light

you come to the street corner
choices of where to walk
as the cars rush by
but really it's all the same
both sides of the street filled with people

you pass an amusing sign
REMEMBER
YOU ARE IN A
RESIDENTIAL
NEIGHBORHOOD,
QUIET PLEASE!
you don't think
there is a single quiet person
for at least a few blocks

in all the chaos
someone needs to maintain order
maybe
the police presence
will keep the noise
out of the residential neighborhood

maybe the side of the street you chose to walk on
was not as exciting
as what you saw on the other side of the street
so you cross through the traffic
to join all the other people waiting in line
on the other side

woooosh
the cars fly past you
you spin around
keep moving
in Here, out There
its all the same
everyone's moving
just like last Saturday

inside it's hot, from all the people
so you join those outside
for a cigarette
inhaling the outside air
mixed
with the smoke
leaving everyone's mouth
and the ends of every Marlboro

outside
you manage to find the friends you came with
after being s c a t t e r e d in the mix
and mess of people
that have all gathered
for this Saturday Night Out

rejoined with those
you think you know,
as opposed to all the others
that have come together here
you cross that bridge
so does everyone else
you're all heading back
via metro
to the places you call home

at the end of the night, though,
everyone who came
to partake in the festivities,
who became a part of the [group]
will leave
and return
[home]
a l o n e

Adams Morgan

View Larger Map
The area that I will be photographing will be Adams Morgan. I want to capture the ritual of people unwinding on the weekend, purging their stress from the work week. Every weekend the people who work and go to school in DC head to Adams Morgan, entering the bars and restaurants to eat, and more often drink their way to forgetting about their jobs and responsibilities. At night Adams Morgan becomes a place that people come together to temporarily relax, week after week, so that they can endure their everyday lives. This ritual is important to many people, and it is a part of their normal lives, just as much as driving or taking the metro, going to work, and sleeping. And yet while it is normal, it becomes a way of escape from the mundane.

How do computers expand artistic creativity?

Computers allow people access to different types of media, which they can combine and incorporate into works of art. There are different ways for artists to portray their thoughts and ideas. Computers allow people to work with moving images and let people incorporate sound and other forms of media. Computers also let people alter images that have already been created, and allow them to incorporate these into their artwork. Because of computers artists have more tools to use, and it is easier to create and share one's artwork with others.