A product with Soul...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-G8fG1bKgQo&feature=relmfu

Yes, I am in love with my new iPhone 4S.  When I watched Mike McCue's YouTube video I keyed in on him saying that Apple products have soul, and that made me think about my phone.  I like the YouTube iPhone blerb I posted here because it shows a young person using it to accomplish dreams.  While I use my phone for general purpose use, plus a little for our Soc Med classes, I like how Apple put some soul into their advertisement. The iPhone 4S is like the Jaguaur, it's got style, does all kinds of things and has a digital lady assistant who does pretty much whatever you ask.  The first night I had the phone my son and I spent about a 1/2 an hour talking to Siri, also known as Shirley to us.  It was amazing, we had a hard time stumping her and we laughed like crazy at much of what she said.  Shirley has soul because Apple put it there, in the marketing, the product, the intent, all of that.  I don't know if they "ignored the data" as McCue suggests in his video, but I'm guessing that might be the case.  I've heard Steve Jobs just did what needed to be done to make he phone, he wanted the Jaguar, not the Toyota.

Lakota Pine Ridge Children's Enrichment Project, Ltd.: Art Knows No Boundaries

Lakota Pine Ridge Children's Enrichment Project, Ltd.: Art Knows No Boundaries: In February, 2012 we received an email from Tammy Brown a/k/a “Mallory Knox” notifying us that a group of artists, collecti...

Clay for Kids, Sharing Fun & Learning with Northern Michigan Kids

Clay for Kids has been recognized in the Petoskey News Review for the services it provides kids in the Northern Michigan area.  Melissa Zelenak, owner of Clay for Kids, is an enthusiastic supporter of the arts for children, especially when it comes to clay.

Zelenak started Clay for Kids as part her practicum project to complete her Early Childhood Education AAS at North Central Michigan College.  She was recommended to the Crooked Tree Arts Center, 21st Century Program Director by one of her art professors at the college back in the Fall of 2012.  She's worked in Head Start programs, Elementary and Middle schools, striving to get what she believes is an important and much needed activity to kids in the area, clay art.  Summer of 2012 will expand the Clay for Kids program into other local arts organizations and tribal communities.

"Clay offers kids a great opportunity to learn about art, and themselves" states Zelenak, whose long term goal is to pursue art therapy.  She sees the connection that kids make with clay as a positive and fun experience.  "Kids LOVE clay, that's all there is too it", says Zelenak, "even the kids that are just able to form basic shapes can appreciate their creations and they love all the things they make."  She says that kids are able to learn from their mistakes, adapt, and progress developmentally.  "Several of the kids I've worked with have improved their manual dexterity, fine motor skills and overall attitude about making mistakes.  If they make something they don't like, they just squish it and start again!

The Clay for Kids program serves several counties in Northern Michigan, from Manistee to the Pellston area.  More information about the program can be seen at http://www.clayforkidsl3c.com/.

Horse Tile Rough for Blog Assignment Week 3

Horse Tile Rough

This is a tile I'm making for a friend of mine.  I took the photograph last summer, maybe the summer before, and thought it would make fun practice as a tile.  The horses, in front is Ariel, and Tango is in the back.  Both good horses.  Have yet to glaze it, might paint instead so I can be a little more certain to get the color pattern I wish for.  I'm great at building things, have all kinds of unfinished things to glaze or paint in my "clay lab".

Got the blog set up...

I think this is the first time I have ever blogged... March 22, 2012