Art Theory Anon From Seebs' Blog A While Ago

Discussion in 'General Advice' started by unknownanonymous, Mar 17, 2015.

  1. unknownanonymous

    unknownanonymous i am inimitable, i am an original|18+

    gonna start this off with my original message to seebs:
    there's been some progress since then. i've told my parents and teacher about it. my parents helped me, and i managed to get two out of the ten entries done.

    but i have a problem. the teacher said that i cite too many sources, and should try to write more about what i think. however, i'm worried that i can't tell the difference between stuff that came from me, and stuff that i picked up somewhere. also, i know that it is good to cite a lot, better safe than sorry, in order to make it clear that i didn't plagiarize. and i'm really worried about getting in trouble if the teacher ends up thinking i did. furthermore, i'm just generally more comfortable with hard facts, more multiple choice-ish stuff, than opinions.

    the teacher also said that i didn't have to go to exhibitions, which was what i was doing to get a clear subject for each entry.

    related to that, mom asked me what i thought was the most interesting thing about the movement that's the topic of the third blog entry. i answered her question, and she thought i had a good idea. but i can't do it, 'cause i don't know how i'd even write about or how much of the idea is actually mine.

    i tried to explain that, ended up crying, and mom got mad at me for being upset.

    yeah...
     
  2. seebs

    seebs Benevolent Dictator

    Two thoughts:

    First, I think it may be that the art teacher cares less about whether the idea is original than whether it is what you currently believe. Second, have you explained your specific concerns to the teacher? It may be that there's a miscommunication here, because it sounds like what the teacher's looking for isn't what you are expecting the teacher to be looking for.
     
    • Like x 2
  3. wixbloom

    wixbloom artcute

    I'll just add that Art As Proxy for Politics is a very real thing. It's not all that art is, and isn't necessarily a part of everyone's appreciation of art, but MANY people accross history, including artists and politicians, believed that art and politics go hand in hand. If you want me to comment on that, or talk about art history with you, I know some stuff, love discussing it and you can message me here.
     
    • Like x 1
  4. unknownanonymous

    unknownanonymous i am inimitable, i am an original|18+

    like that he cares more about it being an opinion i have than one original to me? yeah, i can get that. i've been told that they don't expect especially original thoughts out of first-year art history students, and that art history students trying to seem really original and insightful can cause problems.

    that still doesn't solve the amount-of-citing problem, though, or telling apart my thoughts from stuff i learned or that influenced me or whatever.

    and a miscommunication?

    well, hmmm, not exactly. it wasn't him that instilled the stuff in me about how i should err on the side of caution and cite more, not less. it was the general doom-threatening that's been going on ever since i first learned about citing, and the art history-specific writing class i had to take when i started doing art history.
     
    • Like x 1
  5. wixbloom

    wixbloom artcute

    A miscommunication doesn't have to be because he instilled that stuff in you. It can just be "that stuff is instilled in you, so you interpret things differently, and he may not be expecting that".
     
  6. unknownanonymous

    unknownanonymous i am inimitable, i am an original|18+

    yep. that's became pretty clear. and hmmm, i dunno what really to mention here. like, the Art As Proxy For Politics observation came out of reading the big book of essays we were assigned to read, and while it is part of why that book seems full of gibberish and fighting, i'm not sure of how relevant it is to what i'm currently trying to do.

    yeah... i dunno really.

    oh yeah, good point. :D
     
    • Like x 1
  7. seebs

    seebs Benevolent Dictator

    I am not sure what you mean by "telling apart my thoughts from stuff i learned or that influenced me or whatever". If you've learned a thing, and you believe it, it is currently your "thoughts" on the matter. "Thoughts" doesn't mean "original work", it means "what you currently believe".
     
    • Like x 1
  8. rorleuaisen

    rorleuaisen Frozen Dreamer

    I have been out of the academic setting for a while, but I believe there is a way to cite sources in a more generic way. Like, you can write a paragraph in your own words and stuff, and then just cite at the end that this(or these) is where you gathered that information. It makes it less clunky and forced, but it also covers your back as far as legalities are concerned.

    If you need to show your "opinion" more, try citing conflicting sources and then putting in your stance on the subject.

    Also, you don't need to differentiate between your "opinion" and your sources/influences. It is commonly accepted that opinions don't typical come from nothing; they typical are meshed results of things you've experienced and read. You can share an opinion with a source without it being plagiarism. So just treat your "opinion" as your conclusion or reasoning for the subject. It doesn't need to be wholly unique or different from your sources.
     
    Last edited: Mar 17, 2015
    • Like x 2
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