The Power of the Paint Brush

The importance of having a passion is crucial, but having the passion of painting is life changing. With a brush in your hand, you can paint anything you want. You can express your feelings without using words, or you can make a statement of what you believe in. The feeling after finishing a painting that you put a part of yourself into is like a euphoria of its own. Not only can this help you express yourself, you can also do anything you want with the work of art you created. Whether you sell it, put it in the High Museum of Art, give it to a friend or family member, or even just place it in a drawer and never look at it again, you can relieve all tension that's built up inside of you by placing it on paper.
I love painting when I'm stressed out or upset because for the few minutes I'm engulfed in my work, I don't think about the things going on around me. I enter into my own world where it's just me and my paints. With the canvas in front of me I can create something to call my own, that no one can ever create with the same emotions and energy that I have in that moment. Creating art is necessary to my own survival, and shouldn't it be part of yours?

Key West

Key West is by far the most amazing place I've ever visited. It is so different from any other beach-y vacation destination I'd ever been to. As far as beach vacations go, I've never been a fan, but something about the history and the beauty of Key West is one of a kind. Everything from the one runway airport, to the hotel I stayed at and all the history throughout the island is like nothing I've ever seen before.The whole island is accessible by foot or bike. While exploring the island, every house had a old southern plantation feel with a hint of Hispanic influence. The best sights while visiting was the old Civil War fort, the butterfly conservatory and especially the home of Ernest Hemingway and his 6 toed cats. This historic town has a unique sense of beauty that everyone needs to experience once in their lives.

Passion

A passion is something every human should have in order to not only survive, but to thrive as well within this world. I have a passion of painting, and to be more specific, watercolors is my choice of mediums. The saying, “the pen is mightier than the sword,” has nothing on the brush. With a brush in my hand, I can release whatever jumbled thoughts that are fogging up my brain. My love for watercolor painting is not just a passion, it’s a therapy. I didn’t discover this passion until my senior year of high school, when my grandmother was painting at my house. Ever since, I’ve always had the desire to push the watercolors across the page and make something beautiful.   It’s so important to use art as an outlet. It doesn’t necessarily need to be watercolors, because any form of art will help release any problems or worries you have. 

In Deeper Analysis

In deeper analysis to my last blog entry, I want to discuss the two commercials again. To give a deeper meaning to the commercials as a whole, but stating the main ideas I see within them. To begin with, the Volkswagen commercial with mini Darth Vader, has the scene set in the picket fence, cookie cutter, American Dream house. The family is the ideal American family with the happy husband and wife with the 2.5 kids and a dog. The mini Vader takes you to the aspect of childhood, when everyone has a dream of becoming one of their heroes or idols. (For my dad, who is of German, Irish, and Scottish descent, he wanted to become a Native American Indian. As for myself, I dreamed of being a scientist, working up concoctions of soap, shampoo, conditioner, and toothpaste in my bathroom.) The whole commercial is set around the ideal life, which leads up to the dream coming true for the mini Darth Vader.

As for the second commercial, with the young, heavyset jogger, the ideal of reaching a dream or goal is still there. Even in the middle of nowhere, in the early morning, this heavyset boy is running to reach his goal. This commercial makes a statement to most of America, because obesity is a major problem in the United States. The commercial is meant to give you the motivation to be active in trying to reach you goal, and that with the help of the Nike brand, you goal can be achieved. Whether it’s a dream or a goal, if you put in the effort, it can all become a reality. 

Advertisements Analyzed

For my two advertisements, I picked two commercials that were shown during the Super Bowl. The first one I'm going to discuss is the Volkswagen commercial. The little boy, who strives to be the Jedi from the Dark Side, Darth Vader, goes around his house all day trying to use The Force. Every time he tries, he doesn't seem to succeed. His last attempt to use The Force that day was when his dad comes home from work. He runs out to the driveway and tries with all his might to start his dad's car, and to his amazement, the engine roars to life. Then you see the father through the kitchen window with the keys. His father wanted his son's dream to come true. The little boy had used The Force.
The entire commercial has the well known theme song to Star Wars, as the viewer is following the boy around. The commercial has you rooting for the little boy to be successful with The Force, which is satisfied at the end with the Volkswagen Passat firing up. The commercial makes you feel like a kid again, when you were running through the house trying to be a superhero or a magical princess. This commercial sends you back in time to when you tried to be come the Great, and Powerful figure you idolized as a child.

This leads into the second commercial I chose, which is called Find Your Greatness: The Jogger. The scene is set on a country road, in the early morning. The voice over talks about reaching your inner greatness and potential, which is motivating. You see a figure begin to appear on the horizon, and you would assume it was some super star athlete as the spokesperson for the Nike brand, but it's not. It's a heavy set boy running in a pair of plain Nike shoes. He's striving to be the best he can be. It makes you feel like you should go out and strive for your own personal best, just like this kid is. This boy makes you feel like you can do it because he's doing it. In the end, you need to JUST DO IT.

Superheros Get Booboos Too!

I found this ad as I was on Google, struggling to find an ad that I could enjoy analyzing. I settled with the Band Aid Brand. This is an iconic bandage brand in America to the  point where no one asks for a bandage, we ask for a Band Aid. This advertisement depicts the hand of the giant, green Avenger, the Hulk. The Hulk has a Band Aid wrapped around his index finger. This makes the statement that even though he's a strong superhero, he still uses bandages sometimes. When a superhero needs a bandage, they go to the brand as tough and strong as them, so the obvious choice would be the Band Aid Brand. The audience could be anyone from a young kid who dreams of being a superhero or an adult who's a fan of the hit movie, The Avengers. This advertisement is very persuasive in selling the strength of the Band Aid Brand.

My Hideaway on the Cartecay

Tucked away in the north Georgia mountains sits a small, gray cabin with a maroon horseshoe porch. To me, this plot of land is a diamond in the rough. Although from the outside it doesn’t seem like much, but the true meaning lies within the plot of land surrounding the building. The sloping land is always a lush, bright green, even in the winter, which is unusual in Georgia. At the back of the property, the ever flowing Cartecay River is rushing by. This hideaway on the Cartecay River is the perfect place to get away from everyday society and the place I go to be one with God and the world he created for all of us.

            Arriving to the cabin is, at first, quite deceiving due to the fact that you must drive through a run-down trailer park before you get to the road, West Rivers Edge Drive. If you’re pulling up West Rivers Edge Drive in the early morning, you are most likely going to see a few Angus cattle lining the back fence of their property and the smell of cow manure will fill the car momentarily. My father, who grew up on a farm calls that smell, “the smell of money.”  As you continue to drive down West Rivers Edge Drive, you have to drive cautiously or else you might hit one of the twenty or so feral cats that call the nearby land their home. These cats will blur by you in shades of orange, gray, white and black fur.  As you drop down a hill to the wooded area near the brink of the cabin’s driveway, always keep your eyes peeled for the white tailed deer that occasionally run across the road. When you finally reach the top of the driveway, you always have butterflies fluttering in your stomach you get the feeling of suspense as if you were reaching the top of a rollercoaster that’s about to drop. The excitement and beauty of what is to come is overwhelming. 

            Wearing shoes is optional, but I always run through the cool grass barefoot. The feeling of the soft blades between your toes and the fresh, earthy smell that fills your nose makes you feel like you could stay in that moment forever. The things to do there are endless and always tons of fun. The usual weekend retreat to the cabin includes swimming in the Cartecay, floating down the river in a tube, fishing off the bank and playing corn hole in the backyard. There’s never a dull moment at the cabin. At night, our campfire is always glowing and flickering shades of reds, yellows and oranges. You can inhale the scent of burning wood as it crackles in the flames.  If you’re up for some excitement, flying through the property on the Ranger, which is like a golf cart on steroids, is the best thing to do. It’s always a blast having the wind whip your hair in every direction and flying out of your seat as you go over the dips and bumps throughout the yard.  The cabin has so much to keep you entertained and having fun all day long, but the best parts for me don’t involve the material items that most people enjoy. My favorite things about the cabin are abstract.

            The excitement and fun activities to do are fantastic, but in the mornings when the grass is still wet with dew and the sun is barely peeking out is the best time to be outside. These beautiful, cool mornings are there to remind me that God is everywhere I look. These quiet mornings, where the only sound is the Cartecay running only feet away from the swinging bench you’re sitting on, are what make the cabin seem like the cheesy saying, “a slice of heaven.” Even though it seems corny, it’s so true for me. I never thought the cabin my family bought only two years ago would mean so much to me. Whether I’m sitting on the swing reading my Bible or fishing off the sandy bank while the sun is starting to rise I know that I’m with God. These mornings, that I’m blessed to be a part of, I can think about all the wonderful things God does for not only me, but the world in general. He has so many precious gifts in nature that in today’s technology obsessed society are easily overlooked and forgotten about. During my early morning devotionals, everything around me is present to let me know not only how God is everywhere I go, but how fearfully and wonderfully I’m made. It’s a lot like the poem called, “Footprints,” which I read for the first time at my cabin on a canvas what was left by the previous owners, describes how God is always there for you. I think about that poem on these mornings. I think about how when I only see one set of footprints through my life, that God was there carrying me through it. He will never leave my side.

            The cabin is a wonderful place. Some people can drive by a place like this and not think twice, but this spot is my secret hideaway on the Cartecay River. When I’m here I can escape from the society I live in and focus purely on my surroundings. You can simply feel God’s presence and build your relationship with him just by sitting by the water. God is everywhere, which means he’s even there when you’re constantly texting on your phones, but you can feel him with you and appreciate all he’s done for you when you set the phone down and enjoy nature.  It’s amazing how such a small cabin and with a plot of land can make such an impact on life and your walk with God. All it took for me was an hour drive from my house to the North Georgia mountains and my relationship with God became stronger.