Ending Gun Violence

Stopping gun violence is my dream, it may not be perfect dream but it is mine. Gun violence in Chicago is a growing problem that will never stop unless each and every one of us contributes. “In 2012, it had 500 murders, the most of any city in the country; Chicago has been among the top three cities with the most murders since 1985” (Drew Desilver, Pew research center. Factank,July 14 2014, Web, 10/17/14) Chicago had about 440 murders in the year of 2013 and over the weekend of July 4th 2013 there were 82 shootings in the Chicago area and 16 of which resulted in death. I find this so sad that we take a holiday that is supposed to celebrate America and pride and instead of celebrating we murder each other. 82 is a shocking number for just one weekend but what is worst is it was on a holiday; the irony of so many murders during our most patriotic day as a country is sickening.
So far in 2014 there are 201 murders and that number is expected to increase if we as a city don't do something quickly. Three years ago, our Mayor made some promises during his Inauguration speech to make the city streets safer. Addressing the voters who had elected him, he told the crowd, “Today, more than any other time in our history, more than any other place in our country, the city of Chicago is ready for change.” Where is the change??? Specifically, our Mayor cited violence as one of the four main challenges

for all the neighbors who deserve to walk home on safer streets.” This quote was said by chicagos very own mayor Rahm Emanuel and seeing the statistics above I believe that Rahm Emanuel has done little to nothing to solve this problem. These statistics are a little sad because most of these are after Rahm was sworn in and it is scary that a man that loves Chicago and says it is a beautiful city would let this violence continue and do nothing about it

Some of the people I have known since I was a little kid are laying in a coffin because they were in the wrong neighborhood or they had on the wrong colors or someone just didn't like them. I am personally just sick of it, sick of chilling with someone one day and the next day you are at their funeral remembering what you last said to them. When a family member or close friend gets killed we feel the pain and it really hurts, so my question is, why do we kill others knowing the pain it brings? I bet that if we ask the whole population of Chicago not one of those people could give a legitimate answer. The reason I feel that way is because I don't feel there is a legit reason we should be killing our own kind. Chicago is such a beautiful city and is known for Pizza, culture, diversity, and just great places to see and that should be what chicago is known for not gangs, killings, dirty, segregation. Chicago is a city with potential to be great but as of now when you mention chicago the first topics that are brought up are gangs, violence, guns, murder. Now our bad rep could change but we have to start trying to make a change not just talk about it

I cannot guarantee that you will all agree with me but I believe that if you ever want this to stop you first have to accept that it is a serious problem. After you accept it,,the first thing I think we need to do is to lower the voting age. Older people are not the ones that have to go through these problems, they are not the ones being killed on a daily basis. Young people are being shot and killed because someone decides that they don't like that person and wants them dead. Another reason is gangs. Now-a-days people can't wear certain colors in certain neighborhoods because you could be killed for territory and color. I feel that if we start to make chicago less segregated then there will be less gangs because a lot of gangs are based on race. I also think that if older people actually talk to the youth about gangs and educate them about it instead of labeling them as a bad child and giving up on them then just maybe they won't join a gang. I also want to get more community activities in all neighborhoods in chicago and have more sports teams that anyone can do just to keep kids off the streets and out of trouble. I also think that they should be tighter gun control. There should be background checks before buying a gun and if that person has a record of being violent he/she can not buy a gun. There should also be a 3 month waiting period before you obtain your gun. A way to make sure the person that bought it keeps it, we will put a stamp on it with a number and if that person sells it and the person he sold it to is caught it will be tracked to that person and they will both be incarcerated for 8 years.

The people that make the decisions are often the type of people that don't really know anything about the topic or have never experienced it. So my question is, why should older people decide our fate and make decisions that could affect our life more than they know if most of them have never went through what we go through. Most of the adults that vote have gone through what we have but it really doesn’t matter what the voters say because the end decisions falls upon the people that put in the laws and they have probably lived great, safe lives. They take our suggestions into consideration but if they have never lived our lives then they can have no empathy for what we say and basically make a blind decision based on what they “think” goes on

The Comfortable Distance

 

BKJ, Bike Sketch (2014)

This project is my second project for the Design And Engineering course. The purpose of this project was to design a bike to fit a certain user’s needs. At the very start of this project we got a persona sheet which explained the user’s needs, how far this person travels, and where they live in Chicago. We learned about many types of bikes like electric, cargo, Divvy, etc. and also how all of those bikes work and what's unique about them. I was personally proud of our initial design because I feel that we took everything into consideration when designing for Travis and I feel that we really fit his needs. The purpose of this assignment was to design a bike for a persona that was assigned to us. The assigned persona came with needs that you had to meet and certain obstacles your persona had to overcome. Then we had to take all that into consideration and design a bike for that persona.

When we first started designing our bike we looked up parts on the internet but then we learned that we don't have to do something that has already been done. We also learned that it doesn’t really matter how the frame is set up as long as it still has the components to make up a bike. Another important thing I learned is that handlebars can make the bike more aerodynamic. An example would be the drop down handlebars which would make you sit in a crouching position and make you more aerodynamic. When designing the bike for our assigned person we had to make the bike fast, comfortable, and stable for the ride. My partner interviewed Anne and she said “I need to be able to ride fast, comfortable, and stable when I’m riding.” which is basically exactly what our persona needed. Our targeted user is a 17 year old high school student named Travis. Travis lives on the third story in the South Side of Chicago. His day includes carrying a bike up and down three flights of stairs and traveling 10 miles to school and back on a bike. With that being said we knew that he had to have a bike that was fast, aerodynamic, and light.

The bike that we came up with is great because it is ultra light which makes it easy to carry. That is important because our persona lives on the 3rd floor and has to carry his bike down the stairs every day. Our bike is also extremely easy to lock because it has a retractable lock that is built into the frame. The lock is five feet long so it is easy to wrap around the whole bike so people can't even steal individual parts. Our bike has built in shocks under the seat and by the front to make the ride even more comfortable. Another reason the ride is comfortable is because we added a memory foam seat that is still slim enough to be aerodynamic.

Our bike holds some unique benefits. Our bike is a road bike with shocks, a storage compartment, and a built-in, retractable lock. The shocks combined with the road bike type frame induce a very comfortable ride while keeping it aerodynamic. The carbon frame and wheels make it extremely light and easy to carry up and down three flights of stairs at the end of a long ride. The retractable lock makes it extremely easy to lock up anywhere. For more comfort we added a bag to the frame that is slim but can still hold everything our persona needs for school. Travis should believe in this design because it is made to be easy to carry up and down three flights of stairs, is aerodynamic to fly against the wind, and is easy to lock up when he gets to school. The road bike type frame allows him to travel at high speeds. On top of all that he doesn't have to carry a book bag on his back anymore, he can just store it in the compartment attached to the frame.

We did run into some obstacles while designing the bike such as, we had to make the bike light and fast. To fix the speed part we wanted to make the bike electric but when we were on FE we learned that electric bikes are very heavy so we quickly ruled that out. Another thing that made the process harder is that we wanted to add drop down handles. However, one of the considerations was that the bike had to be comfortable and those type of handlebars force you to sit in a crouching position, which is not very comfortable at all.The estimated time that it would take our persona to get to school from his house is about 56 minutes to an hour. Travis is travelling 10 mph 4.47 meters per second. The Comfortable Distance Tire’s diameter is 31 inches. The circumference is 97.34 inches around. The Comfortable Distance’s wheel will rotate 6501.46 times from Travis’s house to his school.

 

BKJ, Bike Terrain (2014)

Be Proud of Your Race

This action project is for my Rhetoric class. The purpose of this project was to take a speech that you think everyone should read and to write a reflection using the 3 rhetorical modes Ethos Pathos and Logos. I learned a lot about race pride and also that speeches that you have never heard of are often the best speeches. I am proud of all the work I did on my speech and also I really liked how I summed up Ethos Pathos and Logos. I had a lot of difficulty writing this piece because I am Hispanic so I have no personal experience being African American but I do know the importance about having race pride because I feel that your race is something that you will carry with you for the rest of your life so you might as well accept and love your race. I also had trouble actually writing my piece because I am not vey good with grammar or punctuation but I feel that I did very well. Please read my reflection below and please if you have a chance take a look at the book. ENJOY

I am not an advocate of racial segregation. I do not approve of having laws enacted which prohibit a person from living where he pleases in a democratic country. On the other hand, I do not approve of a statement of this kind: “Just as soon as I can get enough money I am going to get out of this trashy nigger neighborhood.” I feel that this is the most powerful part of the Goffman’s essay because it not only shows how little pride one can feel toward their race, but it also shows the extent they would go to try and change that and make themselves as far from their race as possible.

I chose the essay “Black Pride” by Kimbal Goffman because I feel that pride in your race is very important,  and while i was reading it, I was making connections to things that happen all around us. Race pride is important because if you don't have pride in your race then you are basically showing no respect to your culture or yourself. But on the other hand you also have to have respect for others cultures and races because I feel that that is one of the reasons that people are losing pride in their race. I believe people are giving up on race pride because people viewpoints are very negative towards certain race causing people to believe that their race is bad. I think the speech should be read by everyone because it opened my eyes to race pride and how pride in your race is being diminished and I feel that it could open others eyes, too. I feel that if everyone gets the same meaning as I did out of this then there will be less racial conflict. I feel that it is important to have pride in your race because when you have pride in your race I feel that you are also boosting your confidence. Although Goffman’s essay does show much logos, there are definitely some facts in the text.  For instance, she writes about how African Americans created the dance known as the Charleston. But, when Goffman’s sister did the dance, her mother was displeased.  Goffman wanted to know why dancing is commercialized,  but when the black race commercialize their ideas or a dance that black people came up with it becomes bad. Ethos is one of the more used rhetorical modes in this speech. Goffman is very credible because she has experienced her mother telling her sister “You act enough like a nigger now without adding that junk to it.” Her thoughts on that statement was that it denoted race pride and felt it was unnecessary. Another incident that she quotes is “Why are hair-straightening combs found in nearly every Negro? Why is the following remark made so often to a newborn baby, when grandma or auntie visits it for the first time? “Tell Mother she must pinch your nose every morning. If she doesn’t, you’re gonna have a sure ‘nough darky nose.” I feel that she is trying to tell the reader that it is fine to be yourself and to have pride in your race. In her incident she was describing a person or people that were trying to change their appearance to get rid of the unique features a black person has.

Goffman also has a strong appeal to pathos in her essay. For example, she talks about how the young black kid was ashamed of the songs that were being sung in class because they were songs about the days of slaves, and the songs were sung while working on the plantation. She also showed strong disappointment when she heard her Mother say “You act enough like a nigger now without adding that junk to it.” when I read her response to that statement I knew that she felt that the statement that her Mother had made was wrong and denoted race pride. Goffman uses description to express her ideas about race pride. She describes in detail how something happens or things that people say, one example I found in the text was “As long as the following sentences are spoken by ourselves we can not command respect:-

“I wouldn’t marry a dark person.”

“I don’t want a lot of black, nappy-headed children running after me.”

“I like her, but she’s too dark.”

“She’d get some if she wasn’t so dark.”

“She’s got brains, but there ain’t no nigger going to hire anyone that dark, and I know the white folks ain’t.”

“That man’s too black and ugly to be at the door; he’d drive the devil away.”

Those are just some of the descriptive and in depth points that she gives in the speech.  Another description the author gave was when she talked about all the features that define African Americans and how they are unique. She used examples such as “high cheekbones” “large nostrils” “large hands” “large feet” “kinky hair” “thick lips” and “dark skin.” and this, to me shows that you should be proud of you unique feature and not try to change them. Another rhetorical device employed by Goffman is cause and effect. For example, “The next song “Old Folks at Home.” The Negro boy again retreated into the covering of his book. I wondered to myself just what had become of all the race pride he had possessed the day before. The music which described the work and life of his ancestors he considered an insult and embarrassment. It was hard to account for such a sudden turn of character in our little champion of race pride. Perhaps the child had mistaken a case of personal anger for a serious insult to the entire race.”

The Revolutionary Cultivator



 This project is for my Math and Science class named Design and Engineering. The purpose of this project was to redesign a tool to make it more fit for the elderly to use. the reason we targeted the elderly as the user is because we learned that companies usually do not make products with the elderly in mind. We learned a lot about different tools for gardening and other tasks and also their use. I also learned that carbon fiber is commonly used in tools now-a-days because it is lighter than wood but it has more recoil when you strike a hard object. I am proud of our tool because we put a lot of thought and effort into designing the tool and I feel we also explained it very well

 

BKJ Cultivator (2014) 

The purpose of this assignment is to design a tool that would be easier for old people to use. Our users are old people and what makes them unique is that it’s harder for them to do tasks that may seem simple to us.

 We learned about the different purposes of different tools. For instance, a carbon fiber shaft may be more lightweight than a wooden or a metal shaft, but it also creates more impact shock on the hands. They also told us that the size of the handle can make a difference because some people cannot bend down without pain so the longer handle will make the job easier. Also the longer handle will make it easier to cover larger areas.

When we were at Home Depot we learned that most tools are not that sharp because some people will run their fingers across the blade and cut themselves by accident. When we did our interview HP's mom said "Hand cultivators need to be sharp so they can dig through clay soil or hard compacted soil." After evaluating both points we decided to add little rubber guards that you put on after each use and take off when in use to give the user protection from our sharp blade.

 Some things that we learned about hand cultivators are that the hand cultivator doesn't always have a short handle. It also doesn't always have a wedge on the back of it. The hand cultivator is sometimes pushed like a lawnmower.

Our tool is a multi-purpose hand cultivator that can not only stir up dirt, but it can also take out rocks and weeds from the soil. It does this by using its two different blades on the top to stir up the dirt. The flat side is used to break up the dirt into big pieces and the prongs on the other side are used to break up the dirt into smaller pieces. The claw at the top is used to pick up rocks using a rope at the handle that the user pulls. Weeds can also be hacked apart and then pulled out using the flat wedge on the tool.

Our new tool makes the task at hand so much easier for everyone because not only do we have add-ons but we also improved the parts that were already there. We added serrated edges to the prongs to cut up weeds and also to break down hard dirt into smaller pieces. We also made the flat side have a sharper end which allows us to cut into the dirt better with less force. Then we decided to add a claw on top of the tool to remove unwanted objects out of your garden such as rocks, glass, feces, etc. We also added it to transport dirt from one plot in your garden to another with less work and also less tools. It uses a wedge to get into the dirt so that it can be stirred up so that oxygen can get into it. It also uses wedges to get out weeds and rocks from the soil. A wedge is a triangular shaped object the goes from small to large and is used to insert itself into objects. In conclusion, our tool is better, stronger, lighter, and has more uses than most hand cultivators. At first we sketched up the design with ash wood for the handle but then realized that with all the add-ons it was going to be too heavy for an old person to use so we decided to use carbon fiber because we learned from the people at Home Depot that carbon fiber is way lighter and easier to use

BKJ Storyboard (2014)

 In the first slide it shows a picture of a person grabbing the tool for a garage. the second slide depicts a person using the serrated edges on the prongs of the tool to rip out weeds from the ground. In the third picture it shows a person picking up feces with the claw on top of our tool by pulling the rope which closes the claw allowing him to move it. In the fourth box it show the person using the flat side of the tool to loosen up the dirt to get air into the soil

 

BKJ Storyboard (2014)

 

The fifth slide show a person washing off the tool by running it under a sink with good water pressure. Last but not least the person is seen handing up the tool at the end of use.

BKJ Forces (2014)

In the picture above it shows the way the force is going by using and we decided that since you swing downward then all the force will be facing down



 

Graffiti Against The System

This project is for the last unit of my Art and History class P'art of History. The purpose of this project was to think of something that would cause you to revolt and then write a poem about what the future utopia would look like after the revolt I learned a lot about the Chicago 8, activists, anarchists, and revolutionists, I also learned how to write a poem. I am very proud of the poem I wrote because it is the first one I've ever written  and I think it was a pretty successful first try.

Title: Graffiti Against the System

Medium: soft cut linoleum, carving tools, clay, plaster, paint

Size: 6in. x 6in.

Date of completion: 7/27/14

When creating my piece I knew I wanted to show something that symbolized the system getting overthrown by graffiti. As I was thinking I figured I'd draw a man in a suit because whenever I think of the government or someone of power I think of suit and tie. I drew the spray can pointed at the "system’s" head to symbolize a gun, which symbolizes that graffiti is the only way that I feel we can end the corruption of the government’s laws.

After I got all of my ideas down I had to make the initial sketch and then after touching it up I had to finalize it. Next I had to shade in all the part I wanted to come out with pencil. Then I had to place the shaded sketch on top of the linoleum and rub vigorously until the pencil marks transferred onto the linoleum. Then I had to take a carving tool and carve out all the parts that were shaded in. Then I made a clay box around the linoleum. After I built the box I mixed plaster and poured it in the clay box and smoothed it out until it covered every part of the linoleum. Then I waited for it to dry. Finally, When it was done drying I took the clay walls off and painted the plaster mold

Propaganda posters were a very important part of warfare at home during world war 2. Propaganda posters were made by artists in Russia, America, and Germany to keep people at home informed about what was going on in the war and also The posters were also used to taunt leaders of other countries and they were suppose to be like a call to action. propaganda posters must have symbolic imagery or a symbol of power. I believe I used this in my piece by putting the guy in the suit because I believe that people in suit and ties are often associated with power or wealth. I also used symbolic imagery in my piece by putting the spray can which means graffiti overthrowing the system. The reason i wrote graffiti over system is because i feel that graffiti gives me like and the system just tries to put me back in a hole so i do feel that graffiti is way more powerful than the system.

This is the year that graffiti is considered art

and the city is covered with pieces from people all around the world

This is the year that the cops will not only accept graffiti but will pick up a can and write their thoughts

This is the year that cops put down their guns and fight with a can and a message

This is the year of 2014 but lets take it back to the 80’s when subway trains were covered with tags and pieces and the streets were our canvases

This is the year the writers don't have to wear masks and bandanas  like thieves and crooks for following their passion

This is the year that police officers hide their identities for the violence they’ve cause as the writers roam the street with pride  

This is the year that cops learn a lesson from the Chicago 8 of 1968 and don't profile someone because you know that they have a different thought or a different passion

The Chicago 8 were anarchists that got imprisoned because the government knew they had different thoughts and seen that as a threat

This is the year that you can walk down the street with spray paint on your clothes without cops stopping you

This is the year that the blue uniform and police badges are a symbol of shame and cops trade out their guns for a more powerful weapon a can of paint and a message

This is the year that our free art walls are the sides of police stations and government buildings

This is the year that we go out and take back our freedom and make this world OURS  

    

 

Police Brutality Can Change

This project is for my second unit of my art and history class. The purpose of this project was to pick a problem in Chicago and see how we showed resilience. If your problem was not yet solved then we had to dream of a way we want Chicago to come back from this problem. I learned a lot about police brutality from the news and YouTube but I also learned a little bit during my investigation of how to solve this problem. I am most proud of the solution I came up with because I feel that it will work on the cops end and will help the citizens of Chicago live a safer, better life

Title: Stop The Brutality

Materials: Carving tools, Soft cut linoleum, Concrete, Clay, water, Cups,
Size: 6x6
Date of completion: 7/17/14

 

I feel police brutality is ultimately cause by letting power go to your head. The police are given the power to take someone physically harm someone and imprison someone but if we touch them we can get imprisoned for a long time. I feel that it is very unfair that cops get t treat us like dirt for petty reason. So I feel that the cause of police brutality is just cops abusing their power! The effect of the cops doing this is that the build up a certain fear in everyone and now when someone sees the cops they get paranoid of scared and automatically feel that they did something wrong. another effect is that a lot of people get beaten badly or killed by cops because the cops want to be brutal for no reason at all and also some people even get wrongly imprisoned. cops have also made a name for themselves by doing this because now when most people see cops they associate the word "Cops" with the words "a**hole" or "Pigs" because of what they have been doing to ordinary people for many years. I don't believe we have came back from this problem but I hope that one day we can. My dream is that police officers could reach out and talk to us like civil human beings instead of treating us like dirt and not caring about our opinions. I feel that if cops would just listen to what we have to say instead of just shutting us out and making us feel bad about what we have done there will probably be way lees people wrongly imprisoned and a lot less people being a victim of police brutality 

 

 I feel that the piece represents my explanation perfectly because I show two diamond shapes connecting which represent handcuffs and one of the definitions was slavery and law. I did this symbol to represent the cause because I feel that law is a power and slavery is abuse. I did the megaphone to symbolize the fact that we have no voice when the cops talk to us and also that we need more talking and less abuse to people that do wrong. The feather symbol is my way of representing resilience. The description that came with the image was “Truth, justice, morality and balance. When the pharaoh died Maat was lost and the world flung into chaos, only the coronation of a new pharaoh could restore Maat. When I read it I think of the people being the new pharaoh and basically standing up against the government and the cops and stop the brutality because it isn't fair to us but we can do something if we cooperate and talk civilly to the cops even if they treat us like dirt just to show them how much stronger we are

First we had to once again sketch the image and then place it on the linoleum and cut out the image. when we were all done carving we had to take stoneware clay and make a tight box around the piece of linoleum that was at least 3 inches tall. When building the wall we had to first make a base to cover the bottom of the piece and have the clay base be at least 4 cm long on each side so you can bend them upwards to start the walls. When making the walls we had to first take a big chunk of clay and flatten it and then cut it into a square, next we had to cut it into a rectangle and put it on one side and connect it to the part that you folded upwards and continue that step for all four walls. Next you have to spray the entire inside of the box including the clay with non stick spray. next I had to mix the concrete. For the concrete I first  had to add water to a small bowl and then I took a strainer and made sure all the rocks were out of the concrete and then little by little I poured the concrete while also stirring the mix together. Now finally after the mix is thoroughly stirred and smooth I poured the mix in the clay box and smoothed it out so it covers the entire linoleum cut and wait for it to dry

  The Great Chicago Fire

 There were many causes of the Chicago fire but one of the most famous one is Mrs. O'learys cow but another factor is that back then a lot of fires were happening and also the streets and houses were made out of wood and the rooftops of the houses were made out of tar which is highly flammable and they also had pine chips which were also highly flammable and they blew in the wind causing the fire to spread rapidly . The effects were that many people lost their homes and Chicago had burned down to the ground. I feel that Chicago demonstrated resilience because they started to rebuild Chicago with the help of many different places in the world. different countries started to send Chicago money because they had hope in this small city and Chicago started to rebuild very quickly. Buildings were not just going up one at a time but 25 building were popping up at a time. Chicago also decided to build the building up instead to out which made commercial building which also pulled in more money  

 

 

  

Our City My View

This Action Project is for my first unit of the P'art of History class. For this project we looks a neoclassical art and what the elements are. Then we wrote a story or poem that explains what we think lays claim to our Chicago and make a image that explains your story/poem. I learn so much about the elements of neoclassical art and also how many art pieces in Chicago have elements of neoclassical art in them. I am very proud of the linoleum cut that I made because I was never very good at making linoleum cuts and I think that is came out good and also displayed what my story was talking about perfectly!



Title: Art rules Chicago

Medium: Soft cut linoleum

Size: 6x6

Date of completion: 7/2/2014

 

Graffiti..

I think that graffiti lays claim to Chicago and also lays claim to people that do and enjoy the art. Graffiti is a way to express your self, to show your voice in a world that has shut you out. Graffiti is just an idea that is not only trapped in your mind but it is put in the public for everyone to see and that's why I think people hate it because they say you should express your voice but when you do they don’t listen. I feel that graffiti is for the brave and the people that want to get known. that's what its all about, getting up in the streets and get recognized by everyone even if the recognition isn't always good.

 

I feel that my visual represents my story perfectly because in the linoleum I depict a piece of graffiti very large and the city small in the background to show how important I think graffiti is in Chicago. I also add minor details to spice up the piece because even though the piece is simple it is very clean and has a certain beauty to it and that is the same way I think of Chicago. The mouth is the most important element in the piece to me because, I state in my story "Graffiti is a way to express your self, to show your voice in a world that has shut you out" and I put the mouth to symbolize that graffiti itself can speak to the public. Graffiti doesn't literally speak to the public but every time a person sees a piece of graffiti thoughts start to circulate through their mind and they even might relate the piece to a memory or feeling. Even if the impact isn't always good, graffiti has an impact on each and every one of us even if we don't realize it and that's why I did that piece in the linoleum

When creating my linoleum cut  I first had to sketch my design on a piece of paper and shade in the parts that I wanted to pop out. Next I had to place the design on the soft cut linoleum and rub it until the design transfers from the paper to the linoleum. Next I had to take a carving tool and carve all the parts that were shaded in. then, finally I had to touch it up and make sure it is perfect and ready for making prints

• sketch my design on a piece of paper
• shade in the parts of the design you want to be cut very dark with a pencil
• place the piece of paper face down on the linoleum cut and rub off the pencil marks until you can clearly see them on the linoleum
• outline one more time so you have a clear image of what you are cutting
• cut very carefully. remember anything you cut in will pop out on the mold. also be carefull not to go too deep when cutting or else you will tear through.
• do finishing touches! make sure everything is exactly how you want it and there are no extra pieces that you forgot to cut.

Neoclassical art is imagery that is simple, symmetrical, have clean lines and it may depict a heroic figure or be emotionless. I believe that my art piece hits each of these points. The lines in my piece are clean and symmetrical. I believe that the "heroic figure" in the piece is graffiti itself because it is my hero. Graffiti has made my life better and gives me the drive I need to follow my passion. The only point I think my piece didn't hit is emotionless because I think that my piece has a ton of emotion even though it is simple. One example is the mouth, I feel the mouth is a very important and symbolic part of my piece.

I can relate my story to Jacques Marquette because he traveled to Chicago to convert the American Indians to Christianity and spread his message of religion and that is what I think graffiti writers try to do. I feel that graffiti writers try to spread their name and message and try to make people believe in graffiti and accept it. I could also relate my story to the British and the native Americans because I feel that the native Americans were like graffiti writers and the British were like the government. I feel I can relate the Native Americans to the graffiti writers because they were very outspoken and had no voice. And the British were like the government because they were very powerful and kind of like dictators