To be honest, my art isn’t really that special. My recent work is really just a bunch of lines. Some of my recent film is just throwing together interviews and Youtube clips. I’ve been told that I’m a good artist, but what does that really mean?  I guess I can draw pretty straight lines and can generally tell if things are spatially balanced…. but is that really what separates me from people who are not “artistically-inclined”?

I’ve always been a little scared that if I revealed my “art process”, people would no longer see my work as special since it can be so easily replicated (which I think is true!). I often observe my process of making an art piece just as a series of small actions and decisions based on a few general principles and procedures- I don’t see where this concept of “artistic magic” is applied. I feel if I sat someone down and showed them step-by-step my process, they’d be making works of similar quality in no time!

Of course those “series of small actions and decisions” take a certain amount of artistic knowledge and intuition, but like most things, practice makes perfect. Like math and language, some people might have a knack for learning it, but what baffles me is that art is often treated as a binary function- I do it or I don’t. And unlike math or language, there is no such thing as correct or incorrect art.

I guess the point I’m trying to make is that I get a lot of pleasure out of making art. And I think everyone should try it too because I think they might get a similar effect. Whether it’s “good art” or “bad art” is irrelevant. I think art is just another way of expressing yourself and interacting with others- like blogging or tweeting. I always long to see the art and writings of my friends- it’s almost like hearing a different voice (like someone’s email voice), or peaking into a part of their brain I normally never experience.

To kick off the quest to better understand and demonstrate what Joy is, I present to you “JoyBlaster“.

Joyblaster is an visual radio that reconstructs memories of moments between real people using clips from film, internet video, and other found media. The goal is to try to translate memories and relationships between people into art that can be consumed like one consumes music on a radio.

Here are some initial Joyblasters to get started:

• Alex & Hoang’s memory of their first date
• Katie & Oren’s memory of their second date
• Priya & Rahul’s memory of their bar fight
• Emily & Joanne’s memory of their birthday surprise

The process is as follows:

1. Two people are interviewed separately, without knowledge of what the other person said. The interviewees recount a common vivid memory they had together- typically 5-10 minutes each. They are asked to be as descriptive as possible- painting a clear vision of their surroundings, thoughts, and feelings at the time.
2. Various video, images, sounds, music, and performances that interpret the memories are either produced or found. Ideally this is done with the participation of the interviewees. For instance, if one of them is a musician, they would be asked to perform something that best captures their memory, which would then be recorded.
3. Four separate videos would be edited based on the source material of the interviews and produced media. Each video may represent a different aspect of their memories, e.g. emotions, thoughts, actions, environment.
4. The four videos would be played simultaneously to the viewer. The viewer can pause/play any video at any time to construct/de-construct a unique experience.
5. Anyone can submit their own interpretations of the memories they view which can be swapped into any of the 4 video slots.

The purpose of this project is to try to translate memories and relationships between two people into art. Interviewee participation and viewer collaboration are important aspects of the project as it creates a personal, unique, and dynamic experience.

This will be an ongoing project and thought process. Look out for more updates on Joyblaster!

Recent technologies like email, micro-blogging, and social networking have made communication and self-expression extremely easy, convenient, and accessible. When it’s someone’s birthday, you can instantly send them an email, post to their Facebook wall, or send a text message.  Most if not all services today are to make expression and communication easier… but where are the ones that make it harder (but more meaningful)?

Handmade letters in the mail is a lost art. Although I think this is good because it saves a lot of trees, it is indicative of a loss of something else: the loss of effort in expression and communication with others. Real-time communication trumps the slow kind that requires time, planning, and care.

It’s very easy to get used to and be comfortable with this way of thinking. Real-time communication allows you to express yourself as if you were talking to that person, sending and receiving thoughts and emotions on the spot. This type of communication is very important, but should by no means be the only form of communication.

I am not saying we should go back to the days of snail mail, but I think we can inject more time, planning, and care into our more current technologies. Replace your tweet with a blog post. Replace your emoticon with a photograph. Replace your birthday wish with a video recording. Replace your photo album with a story. Treat a message like you would treat a handmade letter. Opt for the difficult process. Be creative.

When one thinks of “doing good” or “changing the world” or “making a real difference” what would typically come to mind are things like “ending poverty” or “reforming education” or “solving climate change”. On one hand, these are very tangible things that are worth pursuing. On the other hand, we often miss the point of these causes and neglect what I call “tiny impacts”.

Tiny impacts are actions that are (1) done on a direct person-to-person basis, (2) revolves around relationships between people, and (3) the effect is instantaneous. An approximate equivalent would be what some call “making someone’s day”. These types of actions are definitely nothing new, but is a whole category of “social good” that is going largely unrecognized and undervalued.

That isn’t to say making someone’s day isn’t seen as a good thing, but can it be considered “changing the world” or “making a real difference”? Can you feel like you have “given back” or done your part in the greater good with these types of actions?

On some level, this can be seen as a quality vs quantity issue, where one can either make moderate impact on many or big impact on a few. There may also be an element of selfless/anonymous actions done for those outside of your circle (e.g. disaster victims, children of poverty) verses personal actions done within your circle (friends, family). Not to say one type of impact is better than another, but I think actions done consistently on a person-to-person level can and should be viewed as on the same level as those done on a more broad, “selfless” level.

I don’t think I can give a quantified defense of this argument, but I do have anecdotal evidence. In your own life, who has had the biggest impacts? Your family? Your friends? UNICEF? Bono? The point is, when it comes down to it, it’s the important people in your life that make the deepest impacts. And this is the same wherever you live and whatever your circumstance.

I believe it is important to acknowledge this and give it real value. Yes, you should volunteer at a soup kitchen, but you should also make a surprise visit to your mom and make her day.

Another great thing about tiny impacts is that the effect is instant. If you make someone’s day, you made their day. When you donate to a charity, the effect may not be as instant. Not to say you shouldn’t donate (you should), but the benefit of tiny impacts are clear- it’s direct and has instant feedback.

Tiny impacts can also be applied to strangers and acquaintances. It is also something that can be applied to the more traditional types of “doing good”. The point of tiny impacts is to focus on the person-to-person relationships in anything you do. By this you can generate immediate impact and return on whatever you do and hopefully inspire others to do the same.

In the internet world, there’s a buzzword called “Web 2.0″. Among many other things, this describes the evolution from a strictly “read” internet to a “read and write” internet. In other words, back in the Stone Age of the web (think animated gifs, AOL), there were people who created content for the web (webmasters) and people who consumed this content (web browsers). One could not create content on the internet unless they knew at least basic HTML and access to a web server.

As the internet evolved, the line between content creators and content consumers began to blur. Anyone can create a blog. Anyone can publish pictures, video, and other media. And now with many popular web services, anyone can create an online store, collect donations, or even create full-blown web applications without knowing a single line of code.

Additionally, there was the beginning of two-way interactions between individuals rather than one-to-many interactions with the popularization of comments, messaging, tagging, and other social and collaboration tools.  Relationships and expression between people became an important part of the internet.

Which brings me to Joy. The concept of Joy works well (or has the potential to work well) with Art and the “2.0″ paradigm.  I think there’s a (faulty) notion of the mutually exclusive “artist” and “viewer”, where you are one or the other. If you aren’t born with that “innate” artistic talent, then you are not an artist. Not true.

Unlike the internet, “art” has little to no barriers to entry. You don’t need access to the internet. You don’t need to know how to use a browser or a website. Although the subject is debatable, you really only need access to your own senses, emotions, and creativity.

With this, everyone can be both the artist and viewer.  Like the internet, there can be a focus on two-way interactions between individuals rather than one-way interaction between artist and many viewers.

This is important because it opens up a new form of self-expression to just about everyone, and more importantly, opens up a new form of communication between people, and even more importantly opens up a new form of communication with those closest to you. And it comes as easy as acknowledging an interaction or moment with someone as art.

Joy is an artform that can only exist with the direct connection between two people.  Joy reflects upon on the relationships between individual people rather than on society at large. Joy can be experienced with and manifest itself in something as simple as a moment or experience. “You are My Joy” is just a way to acknowledge that this is no ordinary moment or experience, but one that is in the realm of Joy.