The House Story

I remember a story that a friend told me a few years ago, and I thought I would share it with the world. It helped me to realize some things about myself, and after thinking about it, I would have to say my response to the story is true.... If that confused you, it won't once you make it through the story.

***Be sure to write down your answers based on the FIRST thing that comes to your mind. DON'T change your answers halfway through or at the end of the story or anything.**

I am not posting the explanations of the importance of your answers at this moment, in order to prevent you from skipping to the bottom of the page.

Story:

You decide to go into the forest, but it's getting late, so you decide to take someone with you. This person can be anyone, or you can go alone.
1. Who will you take?
So you (and your friend) begin on your journey through the forest. It's getting pretty dark, and the path is getting kind of twisty. Somewhere on your way, you encounter an animal.
2. What kind of animal do you see?
The animal seems to be provoked by your presence. It starts to growl at you and it wants you to back off, and you're not sure what it's planning to do next.
3. Do you fight it off or keep walking?
After dealing with that, you continue on the path through the forest. You (and your friend) are deep in conversation, when you notice that to your left stands a house. You're confused at why this house is in the middle of the forest, especially since you've never seen it before, and you have taken this path several times before. You decide to investigate, starting from the outside of the house.
4. Does the house have a fence around it, or no?
If so, you enter through the front gate. If not, you continue down the path that leads to the house.
While walking towards the house, you glance over and notice a couple of cups lying in the yard.
5. What material are these cups made of?
You continue to walk up the front steps to the house. When you get to the door, you notice that it's slightly cracked open. 
6. Do you go in immediately, or do you check everything out to make sure it's safe to enter?
As soon as you walk through the door, you're in the main dining area. There's a fire in the fireplace, and a table that has obviously been set for a nice dinner.
7. How many place are set at the table?
You begin to look around the entire house, only to find that no one is home. You are getting ready to leave when you notice someone walking towards the house. You can't make out their face at first, since it's dark and they're sort of far away.
8. Which of these do you (and your friend) do: (a) Hide and wait so you can run away OR (b) Wait to see who the person is and greet them.
You (and your friend) return to your house, and vow to never tell anyone what you've seen. The next day, you decide to walk down the path to see what may be going on at the house. To your suprise, it's not there anymore.
9. Was this house just a figment of your imagination?

Feel free to comment your answers in below. I will post the answer explanations in a couple of days.

Later.
WA

6 Things Every Artist Needs

Since I am an aspiring artist, studying to be an art teacher, I thought it would be a good idea if I created a list that could help artists out there who may just be getting started in the art world. A few of my past teachers, professors, and mentors are the ones who opened my eyes to the lives of several artists, past and present. After studying in their classes, and studying the artworks of those phenomenal artists, I've concocted this list according to what I've learned through experience.

*Not in any certain order*

1. A Sketchbook/Journal

• It's very important that you take this with you everywhere- I prefer smaller travel size ones (5x7), but any size will work. You may see something interesting that you'd like to sketch, or find a sticker on the sidewalk that you could just stick inside. Once you start collecting sketches, stickers, and other strange or impressive objects you find, you'll notice your book will up fast. It's important to always have a spare tucked away somewhere for later. Also, make sure it has paper that will hold up to water, ink, and dry media. Mixed media paper works best.

2. Pencils, Pens, Markers, Paint etc.

• You definitely need media that you can use to draw/sketch/paint with. You will want to mix it up. It makes for an exciting sketchbook, and you can always mix different media together for a nice finished drawing.

3. Camera

• This doesn't have to be fancy. You can choose from a wide range of cameras (film or digital). Even your phone camera will work, but it should be 2.0 mpx or higher. You'll need this to capture interesting people, scenes, objects around you that you can't sit and watch for hours or if you're short on time. It helps to download them to your computer for a larger image to work from.

4. A Water-Proof Portfolio

• A portable portfolio of all of your work, or even just photos of your work can help you to stay organized. You can carry this with you or just leave it somewhere to store your work. It always comes in handy when you're traveling with your work in the rain, and when you go to an interview that requires examples of your work. It's always nice to have it just in case.

5. Ruler/Straight Edge

• This isn't an absolute necessity, but it will help you if you're trying to achieve something geometric, make a line straight in your composition, or just want to experiment with line.

6. Patience

• Your definition of "good" art may not happen on your first few tries. You have to be patient, practice consistently, and be critical of the decisions you make. Tying all of those together will help you to create a successful composition. If your best work doesn't happen on your first try, try again. 

Some sites you may like to try:
http://www.michaels.com/
http://www.dickblick.com/

Later.
WA

Just thought that this was pretty cool... and thought you might like it. If you're a fan of M.C. Escher and/or Starbucks Coffee, I'd like to know what you think of it. (Comment below) 

I decided to post an Escher original, also, since he is such a well-known artist. I'm inspired to do something like this now, and it would probably be fun, but I don't even know where to start! Ha! 

I'm pretty sure it's just Photoshop, or some similar program like Gimp. Well, maybe one day I'll get around to it.

Hope this inspires you, too! :) 

Later.

WA