Making a photo meaningful...

This week's module was focused on photography. I took a photo of the beach, my new home. When I took this photo, I was thinking about my longing for my family and familiarity, while in this new beautiful place. I wanted to capture that longing, so when I held my camera, I angled it so the lines on the beach drew you far away into the distance. This was representative of the distance between me and my loved ones. I also included the waves and the sunshine as a symbol of dreams and hope in this new place of opportunity. The sunshine is very spiritual to me, a comfort, that everything happens for a reason, and that there was a reason why I came to this place.

When I read the article, "Elements of a Great Photo," it reminded me of the rule of thirds. When I took this photo, I wanted my focus to be the lines on the beach, which are placed in the right third of the photo. I also used the angle of the sun to give the photo a spiritual glow. This photo was originally posted on Facebook for my classmates to add commentary, and one cohort suggested a theme of symmetry. While, symmetry was not originally intended when I took the photo, I liked the idea. I had posted two meanings this photo had for me: 1) A longing for home and 2) fulfilling a dream. The symmetry in the photo between the light side and the dark side, could also mimic those two meanings. In the same article, "Elements of a Great Photo," it stated the 'storytelling' is probably the most effective technique in creating a meaningful photo. Storytelling gives a photo the power to convey a mood, which moves the viewer in some way. While I am not a professional photographer, I use this theme to help describe my story through my photo.

The Experience of Being Compelled...

A compelling experience is to feel so moved by something that it urges you to think and feel beyond the experience and own it within your life. We have all felt this way in different moments, and these moments stick out in our minds as significant because of the compelling experience. It could be a movie we see, a song we hear, or a conversation with a stranger, but it changes us.

I think about a compelling experience I recently had in my decision to move to Florida from Michigan. The beach, new people, and the future unknown all enticed me. I moved with a friend I've known since middle school and had reunited our friendship after college, when living back in our hometown and through conversations about doing bigger, better things with our lives. While I would never regret my decision to move, I have recently had a falling out with my friend I moved here with and we are going our separate ways. I watched the movie, "My Sister's Keeper," and was so touched by the story. It made me think about how precious time is, and how I want to put as much time into the personal relationships in my life, which I hold dear. Now this is not a story of how my friend and I have reconciled, because we haven't. It's actually how I focus more of my time and energy on the people in my life who I love and love me. I heard this quote today in another movie, "Post Grad", "What you do with your life is really just half of the equation. The other half- more important half- is who you're with when you are doing it." This philosophy shapes me and my whole purpose for living. I was moved by these two films, and embrace their themes.

This type of experience is hoped for by teachers when trying to interest students in learning.
When a student feels moved, it encourages them to take ownership of their learning. When a teacher can have a breakthrough with their class and the students get a feeling in their hearts, a moving moment, a light bulb goes on, and they are intrigued and COMPELLED... a teacher has truly done their job.

This blog will explore the ideas and themes of compelling experiences through the arts and in relation to education and creating these moments within the classroom.