I built a lamp out of a Christmas gift box. Here is my process of building it from sketches to the actual making of it.
A Greek Philosopher once said, "no great thing is created suddenly." I could not agree more with this statement. Just as in sports, or anything for that matter, practice makes perfect. The more you work at something the better the outcome will be. Once an idea is thought of, the more time you put into that idea the greater it will become when executed. My understanding of creativity is something of your own, kind of like a fingerprint. Everyone thinks differently. Creativity is anything that your mind can create. Some people are more creative than others and most often pursue careers in the visual and performing arts. I am studying to become an interior designer. I feel that a room in a house or building can really effect someone's mood. When a person goes on vacation the hotel room they stay in is designed to have them feel relaxed and enjoy their time spent there. If the room were designed to look like your bedroom at home you would not feel as if you were on vacation. My creativity when it comes to designing a building or room will grow as I complete school. Creativity and critical thinking are not just present in art, but many other things as well. The way I write my name, arrange my room, and organize my closet are all forms of my creativity. Teachers and friends of mine will all write my name differently, some using cursive others using architectural lettering. In this course however, creativity and critical thinking are being expressed through artwork.
In this first project, the class was given the task of transforming a cardboard box into something 3-dimensional. My thought process when deciding what I wanted to make out of my box was based on my environment that I was in, which happened to be my living room. I began thinking of things that I have in my living room and that would be interesting to make. We were asked to conceal the box shape from our projects, and make "anything but a box." A lamp is round and has shapes that are not squares or cubes in it. We were allowed to use hot glue to hold the project together, and were not allowed to add anything to it. I made sure i picked a box that had color in it so that I would my lamp would have some appeal. I had some difficulties with making the lamp and keeping it balanced. The lamp shade was heavier on one side from the glueing of the circles so it kept tilting sideways. This caused the lamp to topple over a few times. I realized that in order to keep it balance i had to have the right amount of circles on each side of the shade. Also, I built in somewhat of a support factor to the top of the inside of the shade so that the middle was just as heavy as the sides were. My box was pretty easy to maneuver with. It was not to thin and not too thick. I as able to cut it very easily and still have it be sturdy. Hot glue worked wonders. I would not have been able to make the lamp with regular glue or tape. One thing I learned from this project was the importance of balance. In this case my lamp was supposed to be straight not crooked. I learned to factor in the weight of every material, including the hot glue. Once it was dry the glue had weight to it making the la shade heavier. My overall impression of the project was that it was fun. It was not extremely hard to make and allowed me to create something fun.
