Sampling Project Reflection

I had a very positive sampling experience. I was excited when we got the project because I was in the process of writing numerous papers for other courses and was relieved to get a visual assignment. I used Adobe Fireworks to create my two visual representations on my argument regarding copyright. I used this program because the computer that I was working on did not have the software that we were introduced to in class and I tried to use Adobe Photoshop and it was a bit too confusing for me. By the end of the project I felt very comfortable using Adobe Fireworks.

After we received the assignment, I thought about my position regarding authorship and copyright laws and decided I wanted to make the argument that copyright laws are overly restrictive and hinder creativity. I wanted to visually show how corporations use these current laws for economic profit and how these rules hurt innovations. I thought about how new creations emerge from ideas that are influenced from something already in existence. For example, before there were cd players and iPods, there were radios and cassette tape deck player. Before cell phones, landline telephones were the main form of communication. Available technology and idea modification have allowed for these positive changes in our society.

The first experiment where we were able to use any images we like was easier for me than the second experiment where we could only use “permissible” material. The first part of the assignment was easier for me because after I had thought of images that represented my argument, it was simple to find these pictures on the internet. I used Google image search for the majority of the pictures I used in my first collage. The second experiment was more difficult for me because I had to be much more creative in making my argument. It took me longer to determine how to go about making the same argument using material that belonged to me or that I had permission to use. I found several pictures on Microsoft Clipart that I was able to use, but I also wanted to incorporate personal pictures of my own and use my digital camera. I had more fun doing the second experiment because I had some of my friends act out things to represent my argument regarding copyright and authorship. The second experiment also took me longer because I had to find objects to take pictures of, transfer them to a computer, and finally modify the images until they captured what I wanted them to.

I think that both experiments equally capture my intended argument. I used the same ideas in both of them, but used different pictures to represent my argument. I think that both collages show how restrictions benefit corporations who are looking for economic gain and how these laws hurt creativity and experimentation. However, I personally like my second visual representation better because it required me to be more creative and I like the fact that I was able to use some of my friends in the collage. My second visual representation also has a more personal feel to it because anyone could have taken and used the pictures from the internet that I incorporated in my first collage, but with the pictures that I personally took, I knew I was the only one using them to capture my argument in a way that makes sense to me. After this experience, I still believe that copyright laws are overly strict, but I do believe that creativity is possible. Only being able to use “permissible” material made by second project more difficult, but I was still satisfied that the final result represented my argument. I believe that we are constantly influenced by the work of others in our own creations, but I think that the difference in each work reveals creativity and makes an individual innovation great. Overall, I really enjoyed the sampling experience because it allowed me to critically think of and creatively portray an argument, while gaining knowledge on software that was unfamiliar to me.