Blog Post #11: Stereotypes in Media/Advertising

23/11/2016

Stereotypes In Media/Advertising

Media has become a staple of our advanced modern society, however, I wouldn't call our society that "advanced" because of the racism, stereotypes and sexism still prevalent. We can especially notice this within media and advertising as it holds a prosperous world for equality as well as promoting these more barbaric forms of humanity. Advertising has the ability to breakdown stereotypes or reinforces them with inappropriate messages or presentations. This poses the question: do you think that advertisers have a moral duty to avoid stereotyping people?

Stereotypes are something that can be unconsciously created and perceived about people as well as on purpose. We all as decent human beings have the moral right to respect everyone and try our best to avoid allowing stereotypes to influence our opinions or actions. In saying this, I do not think advertising companies have the moral duty to avoid stereotyping. They have one job at had, this job is to sell a product and if they choose to do this through stereotypes then that is their idea of the best way to approach the task. It all depends on how they use the stereotypes in their presentation. If they manage to sell an abundance of their product through an ad which is extremely offensive then that says more about us as a community than them as a company. The choice is theirs but I don't think they should have the duty to avoid it as that is not their job. For an ad to be criticised for their content is understandable, if an and represents horrible stereotypes or insensitivity and sells no products then that's the advertising team's fault. If they created this ad and consumption went up while people are complaining then that is our community being hypocrites and showing the faults in our society. They have the right to do what they believe will sell the product at hand.  

Blog Post #10: Print Advertisement

20/11/2016

The print ad I was given during class to analyse featured a man in military uniform leaping from one edge to another advertising the USA  army in an attempt to get ambitious young male enlisting. This ad reveals a great deal about the context of its publishing while being influenced by the same context.

Before, military ads tended to embellish the adventure and prosperous nature that the army held for individuals. In this print advertisement, they still feature these qualities, however, take a different root by including the benefits joining could have on your later career. This is unique as it brings a light to what the army could do for your career or future jobs even stating the skills developed through this opportunity will be appreciated more by 9 out of 10 employers. Using this ploy reflects the social and historical issues of our modern society especially for America. America has been known for their constant fluctuations in employment and unemployment rates. An issue that is very well known within the states, this advert takes advantage of this issue to exploit the desperation and anxiety of young men beginning their working life. It presents them with a job within the army why promising themselves a business or career once they leave so that they don;t have to stress about the modern issues of their community.

The advertisement goes onto persuade the audience by mentioning certain skills vital to the work force of this era. It promises that these skills can be developed in the army making you a clear candidate for any job you go for afterwards. Furthering the idea that the military is the best option for character development before you go into a job, continue your higher education or start your career.

I say that this advert is directed towards men based audience because it marginalises the female community of the army.  It depicts a strong independent man leaping in army uniform conquering his challenges and fears. This empowers the men within the military community while ignoring the women, making it appear as a man based society. The military has come a long way in women and men equality but from ads like these you are still able to notice how men are preferred for this profession as it leaves the impression that they only desire men. 

Blog Post #9: Pitch Reflection

15/11/2016

What main appeals did you use in your pitch? Why did you decide they would be the most effective?

When pitching our advertisement for the share bike program we used logic and bandwagon as examples of what we would use in the video advertisement. However, for the actual pitch, we directed our focus on humour and logic. This decision was based on what we thought would influence the viewers the most, bringing a sense of humour to the presentation encaptures the audience in what you are saying while manipulating their perspective of you. If you are able to gain their attention and devotion in a simple pitch it gives them the idea of what you could do with the funding for an ad. Building this humour on logic or reasoning forms a well-rounded argument which is difficult for the audience to argue with. Humour obtains their attention and trust while reasoning secures it and develops the opinion of the viewer.

What were some specific persuasive techniques you used (include examples) why did you believe these would be effective?

To promote our pitch further, we incorporated simple persuasive techniques like humour, intense vocabulary and association to influences the audience's opinion on us and the advert we were pitching. Constant association between product and target audience took place to express how extensive knowledge and understanding of the bike share program. This association was accompanied by intense vocabulary and humour to excite the viewers with what we were selling. Intense vocab to describe our methods of how we would produce this ad glamorises what may actually happen while humour allows a connection to form. This connection introduces a more emotional aspect which highlights the charisma being expressed. Charisma and humour exaggerate our dedication to the product which influences their opinion on us as they will develop a fondness for our presentation.

Majority belief was another big part of our pitch as we based our whole text type on the point that our society no longer watches TV. The population today focuses on media especially Youtube and this is well known so starting off our presentation with this builds a credible argument that could sell products more effectively. This knowledge and understanding let the audience know how well we have deconstructed our topic.

How did an awareness of audience and context influence your overall approach to this activity?

Being aware of the audience and context influenced what we specifically discussed in our pitch and how we presented it. We made the audience of our pitch ignorant of certain aspects of the product due to our presentation. This manipulation allows them to focus on the positives of our presentation and our pitch rather than the complications of the product or production. We made our advertisement seem so suiting for the product that they would dismiss
the complications of selling an outdoors product in the desert or how you can skip an ad in 5 seconds on Youtube. The lack of discussion makes them forget about the concepts allowing a more devoted response to our pitch.

If you were to complete this presentation again, what would you do differently in terms of content and preparation?

I would probably include certain persuasive techniques like the repetition of the text type and its possibilities to sell the advertisements key features more. Although we did manage to focus on pitching our advert rather than the product, we still could have made the presentation a promotion of the ad by mentioning specific scenes or thing the ad could include. This imagery would allow the audience to visualise what we are selling, a visualisation is always key when constructing a promotion.

Blog Post #8: Rhetorical Analysis

09/11/2016

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=owGykVbfgUE

Old spice commercials have been around forever and have even created memes on the internet due to their quirky presentation. They have a number of video advertisements and image advertisements that continue to sell their "manly" scented body wash that will make a man out of anyone. This particular ad is one of their earlier and more famous ones and features an extremely masculine individual selling the product, but to who?

Well, if it was not obvious by the continuous tag lines featuring the word "man" or "manly" it is directed towards young or older male adults. These adults could be wanted to smell more masculine or attract the opposite sex. However, it is not solely based on a male target audience as in this particular ad it continuously mentions that if a woman's partner used this they would give her all that she ever wanted. It uses the idea that if a man became more masculine they would provide all that the woman wanted, all they have to do is buy this for their man. So, even though this ad is selling a product for men it is not only targeting a male adult following but also a female one.

To entice the audience as well as promote the product, the advert uses mainly ethos and pathos to persuade the target population. For ethos, the advert does not use a qualified celebrity or authentic individual as the actor was made famous by the ad. Instead, they take advantage of the actor's masculine form and behaviour which expresses the desired masculinity of the audience. The advert is extremely aware of this as it even references it within the speech of the actor. Presenting us with a superior masculine individual, drive the audience to want to be like him and for a woman to want their partner to imitate him as well. The ethos within this promotion is reinforced by continuous pathos which is constant throughout the video. The character speaks to the female audience promising that they will have what they want from a man if they use Old Spice Bodywash. Infatuating the women with promises of diamonds, beauty and tickets to their favourite show, all which are stereotypical materialistic things women desire from a significant other.  This not only relates to the typical wants of a woman but also a man, with a number of men in society wanting to attract women or please them. All these elements are highlighted by the outrages or quirky nature of the advert, using hyperboles to establish a underlining theme or concept. 

Blog Post #7: Letter to the Editor

14/10/2016

Letter to the Editor:

To: Laura Clark, Daily Mail

From: Karma Thomas

I usually enjoy reading many of the Daily Mail articles as it is routine in my day, but I was appalled when reading "Twtr? It's majorly bad! Leading headteacher condemns 'text speak' for eroding schoolchildren's language skills" by you, Laura Clark. Throughout this article, you astonishingly neglect other factors and simply blame everything on text speak. I usually come to Daily Mail to get informed about issues from many perspectives but your close minded article leaves no room for people to actually assess the situation.

First of all, you make it seem as if teenagers are the only ones that use text speak if you look at statistics from David Crystal, you would understand that 80% of people who text are adults. So not even half of the people texting are teenagers and even then only 10% of the text is actually abbreviated, starting to see the picture? How is it fair to blame all text speak on teenagers when they aren't even the ones using it the most.

"If youngsters are not reading in the same way, and if they are spending a lot of time using social media, I wonder how much new vocabulary they are exposed to." Your sources clearly have no idea what they are talking about which reflects on this article. Developing English skills is based on constant practice or reading and writing, you can practice by reading right? To even state that being on social media means that they are not practising is grossly ignorant as if you are on social media you are reading CONSTANTLY. You even have more of a chance of learning new vocab because you are exposed to a variety of articles and people who may know different words. It infuriates me to read this line because it is so blatantly obvious that you are reading, you are reading my letter right now, aren't you? This letter is currently being shared through email which is a form of social media.

"GCSE and A-level examiners have also warned that text message slang is appearing in students' answers, revealing how youngsters are becoming careless in their use of it." Probably the only line in your whole article I agree with but you are using it for the wrong point. Text speak is not ruining teenagers standard English, they know how to write properly because if they didn't then it would know how to abbreviate. Students simply aren't being taught by teachers, parents or society when it is appropriate and that is what your article fails to mention.

Please for your next article just remember to try and include more sides to an argument. 

Blog Post #6: Fictional Interview with Lady Gaga

11/10/2016

For this blog post, I have chosen to do option two which is to write an interview of an interaction between an artist and a magazine. This interview is supposed to get the artist to talk about their intended audience, their community or their intent in music. I chose to do Lady Gaga music many see her as a music icon of this era who has a strong and large following.

Interview:

Rolling Stone’s interviewer, Jessica Skeel, joins Lady Gaga on the balcony of her house for a personal interview and insight on the musical motivation and brilliance that leaded to “Perfect Illusion” and her new album “Joanne”, 2016.

Jessica: Wow, I’m so honoured today to be in the presence and house of Lady Gaga. Once again, thank you for inviting us here so what do you prefer “Lady”, “Lady Gaga” or just “Gaga”?

Lady Gaga: *Chuckles* I don’t think there will be a day where I turn down the Rolling Stones, “Gaga” is great, sometimes “Lady Gaga” is just too long.

Jessica: So, how are you feeling? How has the release of “Perfect Illusion” gone?

Gaga: It has been so amazing, I just can’t wait for the whole album to come out and enjoy it as much as I have making it.

Jessica: You have obviously been making albums for a good amount of time now, do you still get nervous before the release of one, do you ever get scared of how it will be taken by the public?

Gaga: I never really worry how the public will take it as a whole or how much money it will make. This album and all of my albums bring me such joy and mean so much to me that even if one person connects to it then I have done my job.

Jessica: Behind you and your career there is an incredible and supporting fanbase that I believe are called your “Little Monsters”. Your fan base has such a variety with race, gender, sexuality, and age that it stands to question that when you make music do you have a target audience or specific people you are trying to reach?

Gaga: My music isn’t about dividing or the specifics of people, it is there to be listened by who does not matter what matters is how it makes them feel or if they relate to it. All my songs come from a place in my heart, experiences, feelings or specific messages I want to convey and this personal connection allows people of whatever type to find solace in it. I’m not saying everyone needs to hear it but I’m saying if you do like it then great but if you don’t that's fine.

Jessica: You say “experiences” and “messages”, what do these mean to you or what do they mean to your music?

Gaga: I always have loved singing and always will however for most of my childhood up until adulthood I was so focused in what other people wanted from me. Bullying made this fixation even worse which lead me to produce and sing music that meant nothing to me, it destroyed me mentally and physically as I went through depression and drugs. However there was a point in my life where I realised what I had been doing due to my Father’s input and I signed myself to a new label.

Jessica: A new label? Why?

Gaga: After this period of depression, I came to the realization that I wanted to make music the way I wanted and not care about those around me or what they think. My pain made me realise how prejudice and discriminatory this world is, there are so many people of every single age, race sexuality, or gender who are hiding from what they really are.

Jessica: Is your music a form or connection or outlet for those who feel constriction or pressure?

Gaga: Yes, I would say partly it is however it’s more than that. I want to give people a sense of freedom, my music presents a freedom in individuality that our world lacks today. I will continue to sing about drugs, sexuality, race….individuality, love, pain..and any other form of one’s self that is more commonly suppressed because we are meant to be celebrated. Celebrated in our purest raw forms which isn’t always the most respected or conservative when it comes to some topics.

Jessica: Many say that you provide such unusual music, performances and lyrics that there is no original integrity in the work, you are simply wanting to make hits and do what it takes to get fame. What do you think of this?

Gaga: They are the people I reject from my lives, the ones who don’t understand me. We should all be able to be open-minded enough to interact with one another and accept or try to understand the ones around us. Music is an artform, art can have a message or cannot however mine certainly does. Everything I sing and put on stage means something as I have put it in my piece of work to evoke a reaction or sensation in the audience. If i put a redcoat on myself on stage, it could be a form of communism, anger, passion...either way it means somethings to me, the song and the audience.

Jessica: It’s incredible how much passion and motivation you have for this. You have been making music for quite some time and we are able to see a serious change in your music. Does your music change with your messages?

Gaga: I wouldn’t say I change my music with my intent because my intent really never changes. My music and I will continue to promote freedom, self-expressionism and personal celebration until the day I die. The changing of my music usually just is influenced by my own growth as a person. To go through my albums from the earlier one ,“The Fame Monster”, until you get to the one which is about to release ,”Joanne”, you are able to listen to my growth, Which I think is the best quality of them, my fans have the ability to listen to my life in a sense. You are able to notice how my music, lyrics, presentation or mood changes however my mindset generally doesn’t. I continuously sing about the inner struggles or complications we have as individuals with ourselves.

Jessica: It truly sounds like through these years you have stayed true to your original influences and inspirations. Thank you for allowing us to get an insight into the leader of monsters.

Gaga: It was a pleasure just remember the new album comes out October, 21st, 2016.

Jessica: Everyone needs to get their hands on it because I can already tell it’s going to be magical.

*End of Interview*

Some Sources:

http://radio.com/2013/11/12/frequently-asked-questions-faq-lady-gaga-and-artpop/
http://www.billboard.com/biz/articles/news/tv-film/1177860/lady-gaga-talks-musical-inspiration-being-bullied-in-upcoming-mtv
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lady_Gaga

Blog Post #5: Practical Consolidation of Language and Identity

01/10/2016

In this blog post, I have chosen one out of three options to write about which is to write a practical text. This choice is about "A new student is moving to Raha from a homogenous monolingual community. This student has never been abroad or lived in a multilingual setting. You have been chosen to write her a formal letter to explain the important relationship between language, culture, and identity." I chose to write about this certain topic because before I came here I was in a homogenous monolingual community so this letter is almost a letter to myself before my exposure to Abu Dhabi. 

Practical:

Villa 3, 15th Street,

Khalifa City A, Abu Dhabi

1st October 2016

Jane Doe,

3rd Steven Street, GoldCoast,

Queensland, Australia 

Dear Jane Doe, 

Good afternoon, Jane Doe, my name is Karma Thomas and I'm a representative of grade 11 who would like to welcome you to the school and the country. They have provided me with some information about you and how you have not travelled or moved anywhere outside Australia. So, let me begin by saying a lot is about to change and you are about to experience a lot that is completely unknown to you. However, in saying this I would like to assure you that there is no reason to be scared or worried because this exposure and transition will allow to you to grow in ways you would have never imagined. The most noticeable atmosphere change will be the variety of languages and cultures you encounter.

Compared to Australia, this is the biggest difference as in Australia most people speak the same language and share the same culture. These similar factors give everyone the basic identity of being Australian and allows you to easily understand everyone and communicate. However, you must gain the skill of recognising that in an international country everyone speaks a different language and does not share the same culture. This diversity allows everyone to have a separate identity to the person next to them. You must always remember to stay open-minded as each identity comes with their own unique traits that you must be respectful of. A person's language usually is based off their culture or nationality which shapes them as an individual. However, you will learn of those who are bilinguals and speak multiple languages due to certain personal circumstances. These circumstances could be their diverse family, them moving a lot or even them just wanting to learn more languages. It may seem like another skill to know more languages but this knowledge also shapes their identity. Many of  them will even slowly to change your identity as you learn more and more about the people around you. This will change you because your own identity won't just relate to your own culture but those you are exposed to. 

It is important that you remember that everyone is different to you and that everyone is different from Australia because this will allow you to develop and adjust faster. Everyone's culture and language forms their identity as their customs or traditions will be very different to yours or similar. Either way, you must be respectful of these similarities or differences and be intent on learning one's way of life. The relationship of cultures and language determines their identity, think of it as an equation, someone's culture plus someone's language forms the individual you interact with. For someone could share the same culture as many but their language could be different due to family or certain interactions. It's the culture and the language that make the person because values like culture and language can be distorted by certain situational factors and don't always rely on each other. I hope this educates you on what to expect from our school and Abu Dhabi, hopefully, you could find an appreciation for this international environment like I have. 

Sincerely Karma,

Blog Post #4: Mother Tongue

23/09/2016

Welcome back to my blog, now this blog post is going to be a little different as you will experience my enthusiastic opinions for the first time. This will be more of an opinionated post but in my case could turn into a rant, if this does happen I will try to organise this rant as best as I can. "Mother Tongue" by Amy Tan discusses her and her family have faced with language and English, the discussion presents the reader with a number of issues they encountered and we still encounter in society. A specific issue I want to focus on within the text is certain stereotypes thought of non-native speakers of the language English. There are a number of troubles mentioned in her text however, this is one I feel extremely passionate about and will continue to fight against. More specifically, I want to discuss the stigma present against someone who may not be able to communicate in English very well. This stigma arises in many situations and tends to allow people to build an opinion on one's intelligence based on their speech.

If someone were to speak the English with a lack of skill or speak "broken" English, suddenly people gain a certain perspective of the person. This perspective automatically puts them in a group of less intelligence, it is someone we unconsciously do. In psychology, we study how humans categorise members of society unconsciously because it allows us to identify who we should communicate with and who we shouldn't. It is human nature and comes down to the survival of the fittest, these actions or thought we are unaware of allow us to hopefully live and grow the life best for us. However, to automatically categorise someone in a separate intellectual social group based on how well they speak your language is cruel and unfair.

Everyone has the ability to be incredibly smart but just because they can't convey this in your language does not make them any less smart. Let's use Tan's mother as an example, her mother could be a skilled linguist with an extremely high education in Chinese but to transfer this mindset to English is another thing. The people at the hospital thought of her as a low priority due to her lack of English, they assumed that she was not as important as someone they could easily communicate with. This prioritising was not due to our ego centrical opinion of the English language, well it could be for some but in most cases, it is because we are judging the fact that they can't properly communicate.

We know how important language and communication is, so when confronted with someone who cannot communicate with us we assume they are less educated. When this is not the case, we forget about language and forget that not everyone knows how to communicate in our language. The world may be more open minded and international in our modern period but this is still present. In some cases, it's not our fault if we unconsciously judge someone for this because it is our raw barbaric mind judging their lack of ability to communicate. In saying this, it is our job to catch this of ourselves constantly reminding ourselves that everyone has a different background and a different way of communication. So I hope you all take something from this and maybe be try to help someone who can't communicate very well instead of pushing them away.

Blog Post #3: Master Identity

18/09/2016

Today, we learnt about the different types of identity being master, interactional, personal and relational identity. Master identity is quite a key one as these are the things that do not change or do not change often within a person. One element of this we have become accustomed to is the names we have been given by parents. They are the things we associated with people, our name is our label and is how we identify as an individual. Some people have the same name however how we think about one Hassan is completely different to how we feel about another Hassan. As many of you know from my first post I have been given the name Karma, more specifically my name is Karma Valerie Thomas. How did I get this name? Does it mean anything?  Well, if you are interested then keep on reading.

Let's start with my last name because that is the easiest, my last name 'Thomas' is the family name of m father's side of the family. It is a normal Australian name and to my knowledge has no relevance at all really. Before you ask, no, I'm not asking my Dad if it has any significance because I will bet anything he will look at me funny and say "Yes! Of course, it is the name given to naturally born Dovakiins who are ready to kill dragons." If you failed to get that reference then don't worry because I have grown up in a family of gamers and I don't blame you. The point is my dad is a jokester as you will learn and that the name 'Thomas' has no real relevance. However, my middle name does have some substance as it is the first name of my Dad's grandma who is a very sweet woman. I adore the name 'Valerie' and my Dad gave me it because he respects her dearly.

Now, let's get to the main attraction and that is my first name which is Karma. For me to explain this to you I need to give you some background on my Dad's family. My Dad is called Peter and his two brothers are Steve and Jeff which makes all three names probably some of the most stereotypical names in Australia. He describes his name to be the Australian version of Mohammed, and even says at a point in his friend group he had about 10 good friends with 6 of them being fellow Peters. This is most likely majorly exaggerated because it came from my father but it does paint a picture for you guys. Growing up with these stereotypical names he decided he wanted to name his children more unusual things. We all know 'Karma' being part of Hindu philosophy, it describes the relationship of cause and effect. The idea that if you do something bad something bad will happen to you and if you do something good then you will be repaid. This belief did help in the decision of my name, however, isn't how he came up with it. Truth be told, he got it from Final Fantasy VII ( a video game), it is one of the attacks the enemy uses and a growth currency earned by Mira daughter of the Darklord. If that all just went over your head then it's fine, just know my name originally came from a video game. My Mother obviously agreed with this because she is just as a unique person as he is and they both loved it.

All my siblings have interesting names as it is what makes our family special, I have an older sister called Starr, an older brother name Kaleb (the only normal one), a younger brother called Orsume (Awesome) and the youngest is called Wylde (wild). No matter how many jokes are made each day or each time I meet a person, I truly love my name because of its obscure behaviour and meaning. Plus, it makes it a great conversation starter and in some situations, I bring endless punch lines.

I hope you have enjoyed this explanation of my name!

Blog Post #2: Cultural Markers

12/09/2016

For our second post, we were asked to "choose a cultural marker that you feel is misunderstood or unknown to those outside your cultural group and write an explanatory post." I find this quite difficult as I identify myself within the Australian culture, more specifically as a Sunshine Coast Australian. If I were to discuss the cultural markers; language, law, customs, myths, texts, or daily practices, there are none that really stick out as being misunderstood in my mind. Being a part of the Sunny coast Australian culture does have quite a few cultural markers but there is none present in others people's mind that particularly make me feel offended or misunderstood. In Australia, if I were to say I was a part of the Aboriginal culture then I would have a lot more to discuss as some may believe their customs and practices are barbaric or pathetic however this is due to extreme racism still presented in Australia. I can't discuss being a part of this natural culture that exists because I simply do not have any family from it and do not relate to any of their cultural markers. This is not because I disapprove of them but due to my whole family tree having to Aboriginal ancestry and customs.

So what do I talk about? Well, instead of debating cultural markers that are majorly misunderstood I will enlighten you on one that tend to be unknown or overlooked. The first cultural marker could be counted as being a part of our daily practices or customs, and it is the food in Australia or the Sunny Coast. Food of Australia tends to be quite looked over by foreigners and even myself sometimes, I only ever realise how important it is to me until I go back binge for a month on it then go into withdrawal when I come back to Abu Dhabi. Some may think we have a basic form of cuisine compared to more exotic places, but there is still a certain element of our western meals that provide us with a natural satisfaction. Many of these are simply products that become necessary to Aussies life to the point were I become deprived anytime I come back. I know for a fact each and every time I visit Australia there are specific products I crave as soon as I touch Australian soil. There is nothing that pleases me more than eating mint slices, crunchies, shapes, pavlova, lamingtons or a ginger beer for the first time in what seems like an eternity. Then, don't even get me started on kebabs, these are not like middle eastern kebabs but they are Australian doner kebabs which are heavenly. I appreciate all these things and more when I get there simply because I can't have them while I'm here. Some are so prominent in an Australian's daily routine for an Aussie tradesman I ice cold icebreaker and a Beefy's pie is the only way to start the day.

I honestly don't know if people understanding this cultural marker could improve communication in a serious manner. However, I feel like the sharing of food between people is like sharing cultures, it's a way to make people slightly more open-minded. It allows ease in conversation when discussing different customs or cultures while educating people. Most should enjoy food so it's a way to become closer with on another especially when sharing something from your own culture, everyone just has to be respectful during this distribution. That's why I love coming back with piles of Sunny coast food, it allows me to show them the things I love and hate that are dear to me. This ritual also is a symbol for how much you care for the person as it brings you and them joy by expressing these lesser known things about yourself.

Blog Post #1: All about me!

04/09/2016 (I did not mean for this to be a long post, I'm sorry)

For our very first blog post as Language & Literature students in the DP, we have been asked to discuss a little bit about ourselves and our ambitions.  My name is Karma Thomas, I'm from Australia but have been living in this desert we call Abu Dhabi for about 7 years. Currently, I'm studying in grade 11 in Raha International School. Now it's time to inform you of my interests, this is always the hard part for me because I love so much, hate so much but I'm also up for nearly everything. I enjoy being active and will do or at least try most sports while refusing to do basketball and soccer. In saying this I do have some passions interests in specific physical recreational activities. If the weather is right I will go running any day and love hiking, I swim any chance that I get, adore volleyball and attempt to do yoga every day or every second day. However, I must warn you I'm incredibly clumsy and sports tend to put that on display. As for the rest of my interests, some are normal and others are a bit more quirky. I enjoy going out with friends and playing video games on occasion like most teens do, but I'm mostly entrapped within Art. Art is by far my favourite subject, it is probably the one I could go on reading articles for hours on end. Not saying I can't do this with my other subjects but I enjoy it most with Art. While explaining this I must say I'm not the best artist out there, I have a lot of work to do for my art even to be considered good. My biggest problem is that I tend to leave myself with no time to practice as I'm either doing work, going out or spending time with family. I know right, sounds like an exciting life. When I do get time to trial I don;t really trial with a piece of pen and paper. My favourite thing to do is to play with special FX and body paints, so much so that I did a whole YouTube channel on it for Personal Project. By the way, when I say I did a whole channel on it I mean I did three videos. I don't continue posting because I simply don't have the time so I just do it and take photos. P.S. I exceeding love music but I don;t create any.

I just realised I wrote so much for the first question so now I'm going to try to keep my answers a little bit more contained. What do you care about? Now, this question is unreasonably difficult for me to answer. I could say I care about my family which I do, I care about my family incredibly but that makes it seem like they are superior to everything else. They are not though because I care about everything in a way, I care for my friends, I care for school, and care for music. I have a preposterous love for food, it may not look like it but I'm a human hoover with food, just ask my friends. However, out of all these, I think I care for the happiness of others the most, the people that know me well can agree the happiness of people around me come first. I will go out of my way to make someone happy even if I'm not fond of them because everyone deserves to be happy. My dreams for this year are to simply study and work hard so that next year isn't as hard as it could be. As for the future if I had it my way I would get a beach house with a studio and experiment with every form of Art that I could then sell it. Sadly, life doesn't work like that.

Language is unbelievably important, I'm not speaking about English specifically but all languages. Each language allows us to communicate with each other, not only English, Spanish, French or Arabic but Maths, Music and Art. These things all stripped to their basic forms give us the right to understand one another, this is probably the hardest thing to realise as a person growing up. Language should not be used to offend or judge each other but to understand. We simply use these words to carry ourselves, give them an insight of who we are. This insight grants us friends, education, jobs and relationship that would be difficult without it. It is all reasons make it important for us to learn a language, doesn't matter what type, but to learn it we learn to communicate and grow together, I have never experienced a language barrier, and I can say I'm blessed to never have had to. The idea terrifies me, being stuck in a place where you can't communicate with anyone sends shivers down my spine. This is why I respect language.

Mr Micheal said upload a photo that represents you. TO BE HONEST, I literally don't know what photo could represent me so here is a body artwork thing I did last week. It sort of represents me.