First Class, First Post

When we first sat down in the typography room last fall and we were introduced to our professors, they asked us to name something that inspired our creativity after we introduced ourselves. Though the professors' request was just an ice-breaker kind of question, I have thought about it more since then. Here are a very few things that at this particular moment come to mind:

1. Providence, RI
http://www3.providenceri.com/
I've been here twice and if I wasn't going to school in DE and had family in NJ, I would love to be in RI right now. I love the mix of contemporary and beautifully historic architecture, the small scale shops and little streets, steep hills and cobblestone, and the fact that the community is so supportive of the arts. Outside the city-- which I love because it's not as overwhelming as NY or Philadelphia-- I am equally inspired by the countryside, greenhouses, Cape Cod style houses, and antique stores. Plus, living here would bring me closer to the annual Newport Jazz Festival. And, if I end up going to grad school after UD, what an incredible experience it would be to get to attend RISD (not getting my hopes up or anything)!

2. Andy Crouch's book "Culture Making: Recovering Our Creative Calling":
http://www.culture-making.com/
This is a great book. It gets you thinking, regardless of whether you are an artist, musician, actor, dancer, accountant, librarian, window washer, whatever. He discusses how culture is not some abstract, illusive thing, but something that is shaped from tangible, concrete artifacts/objects that we create. The best way to disagree with the culture you're in is instead of criticizing and being negative all the time, make and do things that inject a culture of hope. He is a learned man who does a great job of talking about culture from a Christian perspective. I really want to reread this. Really makes you think.

3. Natural Home-Made Air Fresheners made of Cloves and Oranges:
http://www.organicgardening.com/feature/0,7518,s1-65-67-1827,00.html
With so much time off of school because of the snow, I've been cleaning and redecorating my place quite a bit. I came upon this website and it made me think about how I can use things I already have to create projects and decorate, rather than trashing things that seem to have no apparent use and wasting money on new things. Over the past year or so I've been inspired a lot, through school projects and online sources, by the usage of found objects to create new things.

4. Beatrix Potter:
http://www.peterrabbit.com/potters-world.asp
When I was young I loved reading Peter Rabbit and the other books she illustrated, and watching the VHS tapes that animated her illustrations. I don't know too much about her, but I love the aesthetic of her watercolor work and loose hand writing done with pen and ink.