- Crafts are rooted in utility and function.
I believe the sole purpose of a craft is to have a function. Crafts are considered making dishes, pots, jewelry, or anything of the like, and the main idea of making these things is to be able to use these things later. Most of the presentation was based around jewelry but that is not all the jewelry amounts to. I feel as though crafts and other art forms such as photography and painting can go hand-in-hand. For photography, not only are recording what crafts you have made, but you can capture in them in a light different from what it actually is, make it something more beautiful than just a cup or a pot. They also make great practice for a still-life, and if one is feeling more creative, they could the 3D aspect of 2D work.
- Jewelry
It takes a lot of time and effort to do because they work very small and precise. This part of the presentation interested me the most because she gave an example of how precisely these artists work by showing us a video how the egg from Game of Thrones is made. It seemed that cutting the pieces out and sticking them all together individually is a painstaking long process but it’s all worth it in the end, because the finished product of the egg was beautiful. Making jewelry must be the same way, because they use tiny tools to piece everything together, install the jewels, and make the tiny designs and engravings we see on different accessories, such as bracelets and necklaces. Just as it happens with any other art-making, all of the hard work will pay off once the work is complete.
- Research
Coming up with a functional design either as a sketch, or through Adobe Illustrator. A lot of research goes into creating crafts in general, I found. Not only it just about creating a pretty design that may appeal to users and buyers, but you also have to know about it’s functionality, and the way you want the item to be used. In this way, it somewhat begins to remind me of Industrial Design in that the idea of the artwork is to have a usage, but the the items have a much simpler conventionality. Doing your research is important because it helps to find out what exactly the people like and what everyone’s buying at the moment.
- Positions – Prop Master
They’re in charge of creating props for movies or plays. Professor Theide’s husband is a ceramics artist and made props for a movie, for the actress to throw against the wall. I found it interesting that props as simple as pots and dishes are actually handmade specifically to be used as a prop. Originally, I had thought most props were pre-bought and then used for films, besides what was specifically made for the show or movie. I had no idea what work actually went into making these things until now, when we saw the egg being created. To me, it’s fascinating how much effort goes into making things in order to begin making a movie or show. Everything has to be precise, correct, and on-time when it’s time to film.
- Jewelry can be out-of-the-box designs, not just stereotypical designs.
Professor Theide explains to us that jewelry isn’t always what we think it is. Jewelry is something that can be abstract and still be beautiful. It’s something to add color to an outfit, something to bring an outfit together, or something to attract the eye. Jewelry varies from culture to culture depending on beauty standards, so it makes sense that jewelry is anything you find beautiful. It can be “classy” or it can be wacky, and I think that would be one of the best things about making jewelry if I were to do.
Spacious Canvas 