Day 1

I'm Tracey Mitchelle Carrasco. Mitchelle being pronounced like the female name, Michelle. I am interested in thoughts and ideas. I spend most of my time making observations and have often been described as a dreamer, however this seems limiting. As I stare into the middle space I'm not simply dreaming, I'm planning. It is important that I introduce myself in a way that reveals things less obvious than my age or major. Day one of ARTH 211 was exciting, fast-paced, and admittedly overwhelming.  Day one involved scribbling notes while processing high intensity visuals, explanations, perspectives, and dates. The upside is that I have found the material to be quite interesting and therefore don’t mind the quick tempo. I expect the course to be challenging but comprehensible. I’m looking forward to expanding my knowledge on the history of opera because of my involvement in the arts. I sing in Camerata, the elite all women’s choir which represents the University.

                The video of Raul Cuero’s life inspired me. I admired his ability to conquer social prejudice and transcend limitations he faced as an impoverished, dark-skinned child in a third world country. In the video he stressed the importance of Universality. He said that in order to achieve it, we must not be restricted by society’s limitations; we must go beyond what is expected of us. Being a natural observer, I liked that he also stressed the importance of observation in the creative process. True innovation comes from observation, not an instruction manual, he said.

                In Craig Elimeliah’s article Art vs. Design, I noticed that he was careful in not postulating rigid definitions which I thought to be incredibly important. Because of art’s fluid and free flowing nature, it was a good idea to allow for some blurry lines in his definitions and distinctions. One idea that stuck out to me is Elimeliah’s specificity of what separates art and design most. Art, he said, is unique; it comes from within, not from the past, not from someone else. Design is a piece of art that has been recreated, a reflection of something else but not art in itself.