An advice letter to myself five years ago

Dear Kelly “Adventure” Gill,

It’s around this time that you are going to start becoming who you really are, so I’m writing to let you know that you have nothing to fear. Five years later and here I am; just as goofy as I was when I was thirteen years old. Just not as goofy-looking (sorry). So you might as well make all of those mistakes and gleefully write every one of them down in that journal of yours (yeah, the one you’re about to start writing in T-minus two months from five years ago today).

            You are about to encounter a series of difficult situations in your life and I assure you that you will be very tempted to give up and take the easy way out. I’m talking about love, art, school- don’t even get me started on those detentions you’re about to start racking up at Foley.

Believe me when I tell you that “love” doesn’t exist for eighteen-year-old me and therefore it doesn’t exist for thirteen-year-old me. So wipe those daydreams out of your head and save them for a very, very, very rainy day or something.

You may feel a bit empty right now but hey! Since when has a “crush” ever fixed that? You were born with a pencil in your hand to fill empty spaces and I advise you to do that as quickly as you can because time is ticking. Five years is quicker than you think. Soon enough I’ll be writing a letter again to myself ten years ago, when I was eighteen! That’s why my best advice can only be to do only what you know you love because time doesn’t like to wait for anyone. If you don’t factually love it, than don’t actually do it.

Also, you will make some terrible mistakes but I promise none of them will loom over you forever. Don’t apologize because it was not your fault no matter how much you think it was at the time (You’ll know what I mean). People who are charming are not always the best influence on you in the long run. Always watch out for your self first because even your “best friend forever” might run her course. And when something you’ve loved for so long expires like that, it leaves a terrible aftertaste and a stomachy remorse inside of you for an even longer time.  

            Most importantly, you are about to make two very large decisions in your life. One is the best decision of your life and yet it is now negatively effecting me today and the other is the worst decision of your life and it is continually effecting me in a positive way. It’s hard to explain, but here it goes:
            1. Yes! I can’t stress it enough. That notebook is your friend! However, not all of the things that are going to inspire you are good ideas; particularly the people you meet or anything having to do with breaking the law.

And 2. She’s years of trouble, but she’s also been the inspiration for some interesting artistic things you like to do later on down the road.

So fill the spaces in your heart with passion, in your mind with reason and in your life with Adventure.

Good luck, little me.

P.S. Santa clause isn’t real, you knew that already

P.P.S. If you somehow didn't know that already, sorry I ruined Christmas

-Future you/me (Kelly Gill)

Hitting Stardom before Puberty?

In early 2008, the world was filled with talented, young artists such as Haley Williams (Paramore), Taylor Swift and Sean Kingston. It seems fitting that Justin Bieber (then, 12) would be discovered later that year.

Justin Bieber was posting videos on Youtube portraying his musical talents at the age of 12 until talent agent Scooter Braun casually came across his video one day and decided to recruit him. Justin Beiber has become an over-night global phenomenon. Since 2009, Bieber has had three singles, a movie chart-topping movie documenting his life and how he became the success he has become today (“Never Say Never”) and has become a very controversial issue in the entertainment business today.

His talent has been greatly overlooked because of his young age. In 2009, after his hit “Baby” was released, he became one of the most talked-about figures in the music industry- but not for the right reasons.

Over the past three years, the popularity of Justin Bieber has presented cultural issues concerning gender, age, religion and sexuality. In the February 2011 issue of Rolling Stone Magazine, Justin released information about his religion (saying that he has a deep relationship with Jesus) and his views on political issues such as premarital sex, homosexuality and abortion. He said that abortion is murder and homosexuality is a choice that does not affect his lifestyle. He has since received criticism for his views and has even been sexually harassed in public, being called “gay.”

Bieber has been also been a victim of cyber harassment for years. There have been countless Facebook groups devoted to mocking him and he has even been seriously harassed, receiving death threats because of his style (and recently, over picture he posted of him kissing Selena Gomez). Last year, Bieber was publicly bullied while trying to enjoy a game of laser tag with some friends. A twelve-year old allegedly called him a derogatory term for “gay” and a Bieber defensively fought back with him. The fight eventually turned physical and the press was alerted that Justin Bieber, teen heartthrob and inspiration for the younger audiences, had harassed a younger kid. What everyone fails to realize is that Justin Bieber is merely defending himself. He is the victim.

            Although Justin Bieber probably has more “haters” than fans, “Beiber fever” is still on the rise today. Bieber has recently released a new fashion line to his fans (targeting a pre-teen girl audience), including nail polish and his perfume entitled “Someday.” This, not surprisingly has also become an interest of Bieber-parodies, such as in “Saturday Night Live” where Miley Cyrus dressed as Bieber and in “The Key of Awesome” a show dedicated to spoofing celebrities on the rise.

            Justin Bieber has tried to make a strong impact on younger audiences by being classy, keeping to his morals and speaking on behalf of his views and opinions. He has contributed to projects such as the “It Gets Better” project, an anti-bullying campaign devoted to a teen who committed suicide because he was a victim of sexual harassment. Despite Justin Bieber’s efforts to make the world a better place, he would probably still be listed on the “low culture” end of Stuver and DeCurtis’ analysis of culture because he has produced more hate then he has followers in the long run. He is mostly famous because he is a target of humor, not because of his true talent.

Justin Bieber was only 12 years old when he was discovered. He was only fourteen when he hit stardom. He has continually been harassed because of his age and style, but the world will someday stop and take note of his good intentions and his pure talent as he grows older. Only then will he become a part of the “high” end of pop culture. This has been the case for many young artists who have reached stardom before reaching puberty.

The World is Changing

My high school teachers were the problem; not elementary or junior high school. If I were to write a brief e-mail to my high school teachers concerning a curriculum, I would not be able to make it brief. I would let them know that research papers are not in style anymore. As technology is greatly improving, so should our school curriculum. We should have done more assignments on the computer because I may know how to write a perfect MLA paper but that will unfortunately not get me anywhere in life.

I anticipate using a computer a lot in my future. I will need to know how to work an editing software to edit films. I will have to know how to edit music on pro tools. Finally, I will have to know how to write scripts on certain programs. All of my desired career pathways require a computer and I do believe that Oakland will help me to learn more about what I need to know.

I know I write better in a more relaxed setting because I have always hated, and will always hate, form-writing. My brain is not wired to write perfectly sophisticated sentences; I dont think anyones brain really is. We all want to write how we speak. Personally, I believe writing how you speak is better because everyone has a different and unique voice.

If I were an English teacher or professor, I would completely eliminate research papers and MLA papers. I dont want to read that. I dont believe any business wants to read that. I would require my students to keep a journal for class and I would work on creative writing exercises rather than form-writing assignments. The world definitely does not need more research papers or essays regurgitating pointless information back out in a uniform manner. It needs creativity. As Albert Einstein once said,"imagination is more important than knowledge."

I could not agree more with this article. The world is changing and teachers absolutely cannot continue to ignore that. School is supposed to be a place of preparation for the world. So if the world changes, than the curriculum of school must also change. This is just common sense and people need to start realizing this.

monday's readings

The narrative that I could identify with the most was Lynda Barry's "Two Questions" because I, too, am a struggling artist who is constantly haunted by these two questions. I write a song, for instance and then I thirst for the approval of everyone else instead of criticizing my own work from the what I believe. I often wonder if I will ever be free as a hearty child or am I just cursed to write lyrics, universally, strictly for the mouths of other people. This story caught my attention and drew me in because it immediately asked the same two questions that I battle with whenever my work is finished. Also, it was abstract and different. 

We read print and digital texts differently because digital texts, such as an exchange on facebook, may be read and written in conversation form. Printed texts are more informational and entertaining in the way that there is no interaction; we do not talk back to a book. 

Being a participant of the digital realm might mean contributing to a digital text. Again, two or more people converse on inclusive digital websites such as facebook. Being digitally literate does not make one a participant. For instance, I do not need a facebook to read the conversations. I am reading and comprehending the digital language of facebook, but I am not participating in the text.

On facebook, one person distributes information, for example, through a status update. Another person or persons reads and consumes and then contributes by adding his or her own comment to the text. This process works for everything on facebook. This changes my perception of social networking because it makes me think about how we all are just another piece of a never ending story; as if we are all perpetually passing a flashlight around a campfire and adding on to each others' stories.

Dustin Anderson described digital literacy as "our ability to read and compose in a culture that has seamlessly integrated technology into the ways we communicate." On monday, we discussed the importance of being digitally literate in a world that is constantly looking toward the internet to make life easier. Anderson described "google" as a verb; i.e. "just google it," because technology is quickly improving as time goes on, making skills such as "googling" necessary for everyday practice. 

Why is Writing Important?

Majoring in Communications will most likely mean that I will have to communicate my ideas to people I have never met before. In order to do this correctly, I must know how to structure my words properly. If i am pitching an idea for a film to a room full of unforgiving producers, my words will need to flow so that they will grasp my concept appropriately. Giving to them a poorly structured and boring paper with my thoughts scattered around in an unorganized manner would not be a pitch at all; it would just be embarrassing.