My Job Search

The job search isn't easy. I've already applied to Victoria's Secret and Express, started an application to Gap and the new Paradise Beach Tanning. I'm hoping I can get that job at the tanning bed place, so I can get discounts on tanning. That would be sweet! I've applied at UNotes, so I can get money for the notes I take in class. They already e-mailed me because they are interested in my Geology notes. Gigi applied for a job at Southern Marketing Talent, and she's already been called to work an event for Venus razor company. So I think I'll definitely apply there! I'm now on the Graphic Design Team for the Promotions Department at 90.7 WVUA-FM, the University radio station. That's not a paying job though, but it does count for work experience, volunteer hours, and I can build up my portfolio!

I've learned some lessons from my and my friends' job search. I have learned that there are fake marketing companies that you just don't want to work for. They're not necessarily fake, they have legit websites, an office, and you will get paid; however, they are complete crap. They won't look good on your resume, and they sure won't give you very good work experience. I am desperate for a job. I need work experience and I need money to replenish my checking account from all my Christmas spendings and to pay for rent next fall. All around campus I've seen these flyers: "Work for Students!" and "Semester Break Work!" It sounded good to me, so I went to the website on the flier. Apparently the company is called Vector Marketing. I applied for the job, and by the way, the application wasn't that extensive. Immediately afterward, I recieved an email telling me to call and schedule an interview. I scheduled an interview and I was a little excited about maybe getting a job. I told my boyfriend, who is in the Business school and he said, "Mary, do not go to that interview! Nothing good can come out of working for that place; it's a scam!" I also heard that it is a door-to-door marketing job and I don't want to be doing that! So, long story short, I didn't go to that interview.

Just today, my friend Lori was talking about her job search and she applied for Strategic Metrics Inc., a company that I almost applied for as well! She actually went to an interview and she said it was so sketchy! It was a hole-in-the-wall place on 15th Street behind Central High School. She said it was like a sweat shop, with weird people who work all in one room, making phone calls, soliciting people. Basically, you would be one of those people who call your home during dinner time and get yelled at by your dad. Not a very pleasant job and it only pays $6.50 an hour.

The moral of the story: Be careful where you apply, and especially avoid Vector Marketing or SMI... that is, unless you want to be soliciting calls or doing door-to-door sales!

Henri Matisse "Notes of a Painter" - ARH 385 reading response

Henri Matisse wrote a lot about expression in his essay “Notes of a Painter.” He gave a detailed definition of his views of what expression should be. He says, “Expression for me, does not reside in passions glowing in a human face or manifested by violent movement. The entire arrangement of my picture is expressive: the place occupied by the figures, the empty spaces around them, the proportions, everything has its share.” When artists rely on expression as an outlet for passionate, strong feelings, the composition is not thought out, and the artist may look at the piece later and hate it. Matisse himself said that he would not hang his paintings on the wall if they were made in a moment of “fleeting sensation.” If he sporadically painted a picture when he was angry, he would not want to look at it once he became calm again. Matisse compares this type of painting to that of the Impressionist painters. When Matisse speaks of his earlier paintings, he says that with experience he learned that he should not stay with his first impressions, but keep working on a piece and re-work it as needed. This is something that sets him apart from the Impressionist painters, who go with their first impressions, making their paintings seem very vague. Matisse’s paintings show his state of mind, not just fleeting sensations.

Matisse also speaks of the importance of color, and compares his use of color to that of other painters. His use of color is more by instinct and the way his subjects make him feel. Other artists set store by color theory, which defines the ways that colors relate to one another and which ones look good together. A true artist knows what looks right without learning a theory. Matisse says, “my choice of color does not rest on scientific theory; it is based on observation, on sensitivity, on felt experiences.” Color theory limits what an artist can do with his art, and it should not be absolute. Matisse describes how covers a canvas with different colors according to what satisfied his eye. Each color that is placed on the canvas effects the other colors and changes one’s perception of them. “It is necessary that the various marks I use be balanced so that they do not destroy each other.” Matisse had a very firm grasp on his color use. He could put red, green, and yellow together without hurting his composition and destroying the colors. Matisse follows the classic Fauve tendency, attempting to free color from its role solely as a descriptive part of a painting, and using it to convey meaning instead.

Just as Matisse is so interested in expression and a free use of color, he also does not like to be limited to still life or landscape. He is interested in the human figure, which shows more life in its movement and lets him express his awe towards life. With the human figure, there are endless possibilities in portraying a model’s expressions, muscle tensions, and even the way he paints the composition. When painting a woman, he says that he can display her beauty and grace, then if he looks more closely and removes himself from the literal representation, he finds a whole new level of painting that may make the figure unrecognizable at first. Matisse stresses the importance of representing nature in his work, and mentions other artists who try to do so as well. As Rodin says, “Copy nature!” Nature is free, so why should painting be any different?

The Impact of Media Ownership- MC 101 response paper

When watching the “Minority Media” segment on Bill Moyer’s Journal website, I pondered the way media has so much power in our country and the way it can suppress the views of the minority. As member of the white race, the question of media ownership does not affect me as much as it affects African Americans. As a woman, however, I am still a part of the minority in media. In the past I have chosen to ignore the fact that are media is largely dominated by powerful, white men. There are more women in the media these days, leading us to believe that women have achieved equality; but our Mass Communication textbook clearly points out that there are still no women executives, so we still have a long way to go to gain equality in the media. Most people assume that we are taking care of the minority population with affirmative action and similar laws. This news segment showed me that less than half of the radio and TV stations are run by African Americans. These are most often independent stations that broadcast news concerning the African American population. This news is often ignored by the big media companies, which are run by white people. I feel like I am always hearing something about how women and minorities are under-represented in the media and work force; one would think that something would be done about it by now. The big media conglomerates do not seem to want any change. The cost of running the station is so high that it is becoming more difficult for independents to own a station, so big business corporations take over because they can afford the high costs. The media is starting to combine and be run by the same people. The majority of people who own and run corporations are white men; therefore those who own and regulate the media are also white men. The news stories that are broadcast will most likely reflect the interests and opinions of the people like them. Any news of interest to minorities is either ignored or given less attention than is deserved. This brings to mind the passage written by Karl Marx and Friedrich Engels about the ideas of the ruling class. They state that “the class which is the ruling material force of society, is at the same time the ruling intellectual force.” The media in our country presents stories that they want society to be most concerned with at a given time. This media is controlled by the same class of people who are the authorities in our nation. These are the people who can afford expensive political campaigns for office, own many businesses, or were born into wealthy, white families. Marx and Engels say, “The class that has the means of material production at its disposal has control at the same time over the means of mental production, so that… the ideas of those who lack the means of mental production are subject to it.” The media is the “means of mental production” in our country. As the video from Bill Moyer’s Journal suggests, African Americans and other minorities somewhat lack the means of mental production and they are subject to the ideas and opinions of the majority. I may not be African American or Hispanic, but I am annoyed every time I hear of this problem in our country. The United States still has a long way before it can truly have equality. For me, just being a white woman doesn’t really make me equal to the white men. They are more likely to get the jobs I want in Graphic Design and Advertising, just for being male. I suppose I’m lucky that I don’t have to deal with prejudices against my race. I just hope that in trying to combine ownership of media, they don’t completely shut out the ability of minorities to broadcast their views and have their voices heard.