Thesis brainstorming 2012 stoop kid

Some of this is taken from my past rant on life

The interaction between man and earth is usually one that is overpassed. The world is an alluring place that many of us rarely take the time to acknowledge. But what if for once we became a reflexive viewer and opened are eyes to the magnificent scenery around us before it disappears. From the Staggering Amazon jungle in South America to the dusty desert of Israel in the Middle east, this is one place that we all consider home. It is our job to explore this glorious world and experience life outside of our bubble. How can one grow if all they know is the stoop of some brooklyn apartment? It is extremely important to learn from traveling, to become cultured and better understand the society and world we live in. Everyone throughout the world is an interactive family, yeah sure we have our feuds, but at some point we have to realize we are all here together, right?

This past June I studied abroad in Florence, Italy and this December I visited Israel. For the first time I was engulfed into new cultures for extended periods of time, and what an experience that was. At times being in a different place was quite shocking such as being on the boarder of Israel, Syria, and Lebanon. Being in such a chaotic and conflicting area however made me realize, its all part of the same earth and being as there are always two sides to the story, we should just except each others differences and move on(easier said than done?). Each moment I was traveling made an impact on my life as a whole. I learned to take in my surroundings, being appreciative of everything I was seeing, something that I rarely did as a born and raised New Yorker. I learned that the American mindset is, well quite saddening.  

People in Italy and Israel are more interested in living life and just working to support that life. Why is it that here in the United States we Live to WORK, rarely enjoying are lives outside of it. In New York especially, the streets are filled with people rushing to their jobs not acknowledging the beautiful world around them. Some people work  seven days a week to support a family or get themselves through college, rarely having time to watch their kids grow up or just simply enjoy the money they are working hard for .

 Not only are Americans bred to work, we also are a giant empty computer in which advertising makes an imprint everyday, transforming us into consumerist machines. We are made to believe that the things important in life are the newest nike dunks and the most expensive souped up Audi. Its true that the Americans love of consumerism is spreading like rapid fire throughout the world. Human interaction has now been reduced to a smartphone. Children these days are more interested in their xbox 360 then they are with the isolated park down the street. Life shouldn’t be about these material things. Life should be about being happy and thinking for yourself, not having to follow the crowd instead creating your own path and doing what you love. I cant even fathom how many times I hear people tell me how they dislike there jobs and the only reason they are still there is because it “pays the bills”.

We are born into the US with the idea of the American Dream, but what really is this “American Dream” I don’t think consumer fetishism and working until your dead is really the life to live. As human beings rather than the humanoid American consumer, we should ask ourselves. what should life be about? To me it should be about the beauty around us, exploring the world we live in and meeting different people. Just think of it, the unbelievable science that happened to put us here? The fact that you are part of a universe with unknown beginnings. Life is about living in the moment, why waste that moment in a tiny cubicle on the 89th floor of some building, owned by someone who is probably part of the top 1% who control 40% of the US money supply. We should be out there experiencing the world for what it really is rather than what we see on tv or read on the computer.

Advertisements are the capitalist societies attempt to shape its viewers behaviors and identities. For my thesis I want to bring in the traveling i’ve done and the people i’ve met along the way, showing how they shaped my life as a whole. I wish to take away the illusion of what the capitalist society produces and put things that are actually out there and very real. Showing the simple beauty of the world, whether it be the Negev desert of Israel or the great barrier reef of Australia, the world is what it is without the need for globalization and consumer fetishism to run our lives. Abstracting the world into simple loose and organic forms is my main goal. Along with showing the abstract forms of nature, I wish to show that we are all one big international community, with various contours.