Returning to England
I was making my way back to England I began to reflect on my time in California and what this trip taught me.
Nature, Food and Culture
San Marcos is located in a desert, I was surrounded by mountains, hills, palm trees and flowers. Being from London I am not immersed in nature as much as I like, however in California I loved the scenery, the smell of fresh air as well as being able to workout outside in the sun. Embracing nature helps me relax and clear my mind, leading to the growth of creativity. The University is not just built on a hill however it is apart of the hill, engulfed with flowers and greenery. What I have taken from this is that, before I study or if I am have some sort of creative block I will go outside for clarity and creativity, rather than on my Mac. I remember my Graphic Design professor saying something along the lines of ' the core of design comes from nature '. This I believe is true when you look at the mechanism of a car or our primary colours they all come from nature.
The food and culture are aspects I will really miss. California having the highest Mexican and Mexican American population I was surround by their beautiful culture. Majority of my roommates had a Mexican heritage, I was blessed to be able try their food and tell me about Mexican restaurants I should go to. Mexican culture is very colourful from their traditional clothes to the flavour in their food. The interesting part was comparing how Nigerian food is similar to Mexican food, when I give my roommate some rice and stew she said the sauce tastes like salsa also Arroz Rojo (red rice) is similar to the Nigerian Jellof rice (orange rice). Knowing the history of the slave trades, 3 times more West Africans where taken to Mexico than the USA; so I could see a lot of similarities with our cultures. The vibrancy from this culture is what I want to add to my work, being full of life.
As I have mentioned before the teaching style is very different to the experience I have had through out my eduction in England, in CSUSM it was very open. Open to different cultures and their contribution to the arts, how they have criticised the government, oppression as well as expression. This makes you more open minded, look at art from a different perspective also to learn from other cultures other than your own.
Nature, Food and Culture
San Marcos is located in a desert, I was surrounded by mountains, hills, palm trees and flowers. Being from London I am not immersed in nature as much as I like, however in California I loved the scenery, the smell of fresh air as well as being able to workout outside in the sun. Embracing nature helps me relax and clear my mind, leading to the growth of creativity. The University is not just built on a hill however it is apart of the hill, engulfed with flowers and greenery. What I have taken from this is that, before I study or if I am have some sort of creative block I will go outside for clarity and creativity, rather than on my Mac. I remember my Graphic Design professor saying something along the lines of ' the core of design comes from nature '. This I believe is true when you look at the mechanism of a car or our primary colours they all come from nature.
The food and culture are aspects I will really miss. California having the highest Mexican and Mexican American population I was surround by their beautiful culture. Majority of my roommates had a Mexican heritage, I was blessed to be able try their food and tell me about Mexican restaurants I should go to. Mexican culture is very colourful from their traditional clothes to the flavour in their food. The interesting part was comparing how Nigerian food is similar to Mexican food, when I give my roommate some rice and stew she said the sauce tastes like salsa also Arroz Rojo (red rice) is similar to the Nigerian Jellof rice (orange rice). Knowing the history of the slave trades, 3 times more West Africans where taken to Mexico than the USA; so I could see a lot of similarities with our cultures. The vibrancy from this culture is what I want to add to my work, being full of life.
Nigerian Rice & Stew vs Salsa
Nigerian Jellof Rice vs Arroz Rojo
Aztec Traditional Dance
Ballet Folklorico Dress
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