Creative Challenge 37

Good Evening.

I asked Chat GPT to give me a good idea for a Creative challenge this week. This is what it said:

“30-Minute Franken-Story”

Theme: Rapid ideation & constraint-based creativity

1. Set a timer for 30 minutes.
2. Randomly open three different sources (novel, magazine, Wikipedia, Spotify playlist).
3. Jot the first phrase you see/hear from each; those must all appear in your story.
4. Write a flash-fiction piece (max 300 words) connecting the phrases into a beginning, middle, and twist ending.

I then opened up Pandora and took the first couple of lines from the first song that played randomly.

Then I took the first headline that grabbed my attention on my news app.

Lastly, I randomly opened a Goosebumps book and pointed to a random sentence in the book and used that.

So I tried to create a story using the following :

"One by one, one by one, we all fall. Open your arms wide. Open your eyes wide.

Brother, run fast!

They're coming your way! Oh, brother, run fast

They're headin' your way!"

"Greg and his friends didn't turn around until they were across the street. Breathing noisily, they looked back and cried out in relieved surprise."

"A driver does a double take when he sees bag labeled cats on the side of the highway!"

This is my little story! Not to shabby Hope you like it( no AI used either😉)

I couldn't sleep, tossed and turned, I fluffed my pillow, but to no avail. I opened my eyes, sat up straight, placed my feet on the floor, and sighed in frustration. I decided to go for a walk.

I walked down my street listening to the sound of my sneakers crunching on the gravel road, and then became almost mesmerized by the rhythmic sound of my steps.

Suddenly, I heard a voice call to me, 

"One by one, one by one, we all fall. 

Open your arms wide. Open your eyes wide.

Brother, run fast!

They're coming your way! Oh, brother, run fast

They're headin' your way!"

My eyes frantically searched the dark wooded surroundings, my heart beat quickly, and I saw nothing." Who is there?" I cried out, "Who are you?" Still nothing, not a sound." Sleep deprivation", I thought to myself.I decided it was time to turn around and go home.

I opened the door of my house, entered, and made sure to lock it behind me.

I chucked out loud to myself."

I must be losing my mind," I mumbled out loud.

I decided to turn on the TV. I thought to myself, "maybe I can find something to distract my busy mind, and hopefully fall asleep".

As soon as I ease into my chair with my favorite blanket, I hit power on the TV remote and hear at a ridiculously high volume

"breaking news! A driver does a double take when he sees bag labeled cats on the side of the highway!"

I nearly jumped out of my skin and turned the TV off as quickly as I had turned it on.

"On second thought, maybe no TV," I thought to myself.

I began to climb the stairs back up to my room to give sleep another try.

Suddenly, I hear my friend Greg outside calling my name!

"Are you serious right now?" I thought. I peered out my window, afraid of what I may see, and sure enough, there was Greg and his friends running and screaming my name as if they were in trouble.

I ran downstairs, out the front door, and called to them. Greg and his friends didn't turn around until they were across the street. Breathing noisily, they looked back and cried out in relieved surprise.

 "Something is chasing us" Greg cried! 

I saw his friends each out of breath and visibly shaken.

I  had no words.

What in the earth was going on ?!.  I tried to digest all that has transpired....  

The sound of a shrill alarm in my ears. 

All is black.

I open my eyes.

 I'm in my bed safe..  I guess I had finally fallen asleep. 

It was a nightmare, I suppose.  

What a bizarre nightmare.

Adobe Premier Pro - Tutorial fun!

Good evening, designer friends!

This week, I began exploring a new Adobe program: Adobe Premiere Pro. At first, I was a bit apprehensive about tackling this software, as I feared it would be overwhelming and complex. However, I’ve found myself having a lot of fun experimenting with the various tools and options it offers. Watching numerous tutorials has truly helped me grasp the range of features available to me.

I decided to jump into one of the projects from the tutorials that I thought would be both enjoyable and beneficial for learning practical effects. I chose the tutorial titled "Discover Blend Modes." It really helped me understand how to layer clips and see how they interact, especially with video 1 and video 2. I experimented with nearly every blend mode on my first video clip and then on the second one. I also adjusted the opacity of the blends and alternated between having one clip with a blend and another without it.

Not wanting to stop there, I found a website https://www.epidemicsound.com/music/featured/  where I can download various audio clips for free. There's a membership required, but I opted for a free trial to see what the site had to offer, and I was really impressed. I picked two audio clips that I thought would work well together. I manually adjusted the keyframes on the kids' laughter, tweaking the volume to ease in and out. Then I layered a second clip of bubbles underneath, keeping its volume low and doing a similar easing in and out effect. 

I even added the laughter clip again, following the same easing technique and layering it with the bubbles for a fade out effect. While it’s not perfect, and I realize I could improve on timing and layering, the important thing is that I learned from it. I think I am starting to get the hang of it!

Learning Adobe Premier Pro

So I just started learning Adobe Premiere Pro. I thought this was going to be difficult, but I am finding this is not as scary as I initially thought, and I think after watching a few tutorials, I am finally starting to get it! Yay!

In class, our first project assigned to us was to take an audio clip of "Who Let the Dogs Out" and create a video clip using that audio clip and edit it. I added some transitional effects and learned how to fit to frame. I tried to use images to tell a story and keep a consistent theme to create an overall cohesive look and fun. This was my first attempt at creating and editing a video in Adobe Premiere Pro. Cool stuff. I'm excited to learn more! So here it is.

Why is accessibly so Important?

1) Add Alt Text to Images,always include a short description of what the image shows so people using screen readers can understand what it is.

 2) Your text should stand out clearly from the background so everyone can read it easily(even people with vision issues).

3) Organize your content using heading tags like <h1>, <h2>, and so on. This helps screen readers and makes your content easier to follow.

4) Let People Navigate With a Keyboard,Not everyone uses a mouse, so your site should work just as well using only a keyboard (like with the tab key).

5) Label All Form Fields,Make sure every input or form box has a label so people know what they’re supposed to type in.

6) Add Captions and Transcripts, If you use videos or audio, add captions or a transcript so people who can’t hear still get the information.

7) Use Clear Link Text,Don’t say “click here.” Use link text that explains where the link goes, like “View our services” or “Read the full guide.”

8) Avoid Flashing or Blinking Stuff! Fast flashing content can be harmful to some users. It’s best to keep things calm and smooth( siezures suck!).

9 Use ARIA Tags When Needed, These help assistive tech better understand your site layout, especially if you’re using more complex designs.

10) Test Your Site for Accessibility,Try tools like WAVE or Google Lighthouse to check for issues,and if possible, ask real users for feedback.

Learning About Design 16

    We have been learning HTML and CSS, as well as how to use Dreamweaver to create websites, which is really exciting! However, I was initially confused about the difference between wireframes and sitemaps, as well as their roles in the design process. To clarify, I did some research. (I wish I had done this before submitting my creative brief, which included both concepts). 

In retrospect, wireframes and sitemaps are incredibly helpful for organization and overall time management. They make everything come together more smoothly and help create a cohesive and unified design that flows well.

That being said, from what I understand, wireframes and sitemaps are crucial tools in web design, each fulfilling a distinct yet complementary role. Below is an overview of their significance and distinctions:

Significance of Using a Wireframe

• Visual Guide: A wireframe serves as a basic visual representation that outlines the arrangement and structure of a web page.  

• Emphasis on User Experience: It enables designers and stakeholders to concentrate on user experience, navigation flow, and content location prior to the commencement of graphic design or coding.  

• Minimizes Revisions: Identifying layout or functionality issues at the wireframing stage conserves both time and costs during the development process.  

• Means of Communication: Wireframes effectively convey design concepts to developers, clients, and team members.  

Importance of Using a Sitemap

• Structural Overview: A sitemap displays the overall structure of the website, demonstrating how pages are organized and interlinked.   

• Enhances Navigation: It aids in devising logical navigation pathways, ensuring users can effortlessly locate what they need.  

• SEO Advantages: For active websites, sitemaps facilitate better crawling and indexing by search engines.  

• Content Organization: Assists in identifying necessary content and its appropriate placement.

I made this in Adobe Illustrator as a little cheat sheet. Perhaps this will help you :)