Creative Process

Summarize Wilco's approach to creating a song.
They get an idea for what they want it to be, then they deconstruct it to try to see if there is a better way to go about it, or make it more fun.

What is your creative process for writing? Explain in detail the steps you go through.
I think about things for long time before I ever write anything down. For nonfiction, I come up with my arguments or points and in what order I want to present it, all of this in my head. Then I start writing. For fiction (stories) I will outline the plot, then write down stuff about the characters. The character outlines actually go first, then the plot. I usually draw the character as well, so as to get an idea of what they look like.

Nostalgia- nos·tal·gia- [n]

What is nostalgia?
The fond remembrance of you childhood, whether it be of something you'd think completely stupid now or not. It tends to make me think of people sitting around with dopey smiles on their faces as they remember something from their childhood.

What images come to mind when you hear this music?
Rock Around the Clock- I think of a stage full of various grades of elementary schoolers as they sing along with the song. Some may be swaying, while other stand still, because they think they are too cool for that. The grades and classes are tiered, too, as they are on bleacher-like things so as to to fit all of the students at the elementary school. Even though I am a 5th grader in this memory, I was near the front of the groups.

What images pop up in your head when you think of your childhood?
I picture the house I lived in in Tennessee, larger than my house no (at least it seems that way in my memory), along with my long driveway, which lead down into the road to my church, and the playground at my church and all the friends from there. That makes me jump to thought of my school's playground, so I think of my teacher at school, and my kindergarten talent show (maybe helped by the fact that we're talking about music) where I wanted to sing, "Drops of Jupiter" by Train. I didn't sing it, but now it always makes me think of the talent show (where I actually did an act with my girl scout troop.)

"The Pinch of Poverty"

What are some major contributing factors to poverty?
Some people are born into it, low pay, competitive economy, lack of jobs, employer bias...

How does this artist portray poverty?
The portrayal is negative, as you can see from the neutral colors that make most of the picture look black and white but for the main subjects of the picture, which uses brighter colors. This might initially make people think it's being portrayed positively, but it you look at their faces, they all look sad and worn out. The color in their faces and clothing almost make the sadness more poignant in comparison to the rest of the picture.

What is the artist's message about poverty?
It is hard to pull yourself out of poverty, but children have more hope to get out of it. The artist also tries to get across how it is not the children's fault because their poverty was inherited.

Identify and explain 2 elements of art that enhance the message.
The contrast of the color of the flowers with the rest of the picture show more hope for the kids, especially the little girl. The placement of the family also shows this, as the girl is separated from the rest of the family, while the other children are sitting with the mother, leaning against her (could also represent them leaning into poverty) and they are looking off to the side, while the girl is stepping forward with the flowers she is trying to to sell.