Trees Project: A Pandemic Spring
I took the photos below in April 0f 2020, during the first official full month of lockdown. While the human world was quiet, the regular buzz of normal life coming to a complete halt, the natural world was the exact opposite. On my daily walks, something everyone was doing at the time, I took pictures of the signs of spring – the signs of life – around me, and took comfort in the fact that despite an end to life as we had known it, some things never changed. During this time in the journal I keep I had noted that, "Nothing has changed. Everything has changed." One year later I still find this to be true. So much of the world, and how we function in our day-to-day lives has changed, yet certain things seem to remain unaffected, like the bloom of the magnolia trees and the timely return of the sun that occurs each spring. One year later, I can surely say that nothing has changed. And everything has changed.
Welcome to the 1970's, Rapunzel!
When asked to rework a fairytale and make it modern, my mind immediately went to Rapunzel. How interesting is the idea of a girl seeing and exploring the world around her for the first time? When I began thinking of how I wanted to rework Rapunzel, I started first with the time in which I would want my story to take place. I settled with the late 1970's, specifically 1978 or '79, right before the turn of the decade. I decided to choose this time as I felt like it had so much potential for character development. After escaping her tower, innocent and frightened by the world around her, I wanted Rapunzel to have a sort of awakening, where the more she discovered the world, the more she came into her own identity – which in my story, is that of a female punk rock musician, (preferably with a mullet shag and dark eyeliner). The late 1970's is when many of the famous female artists of the time were gaining popularity, so it would make sense for Rapunzel to be influenced by the people she was seeing on TV, or listening to on the radio. I focused more on the character development/costume aspect of recreating my modern fairytale, finding people who I thought would be fun to build Rapunzel off of. Included in the mood board below are pictures of Debbie Harry, Joan Jett, Diana Ross, Pam Grier, Stevie Nicks, Brenda Sykes, and Lita Ford.
Product Placement Ad: Cento San Marzano Peeled Tomatoes
When deciding what product and company to represent for my product placement ad, I was drawn to the Cento San Marzano Peeled Tomatoes, as I loved the vintage feel of the packaging, with it's bright colors and bold text. Using the packaging of the canned tomatoes as the starting point when looking for inspiration for my own ad, I came across many vintage ads, some drawn and some photographed, that played with the same bright colors and bold fonts the Cento tomatoes had. While I initially thought my ad would follow a similar course, with an old-timey, vintage Campbell's-soup-inspired look, when creating my ad in Photoshop I realized that what I actually wanted to do was modernize the product while still keeping the vibrant packaging that had originally caught my eye front-and-center of the advertisement. In the same way that everyone instantly recognizes Campbell's Soup, or Lay's Potato Chips, I wanted the Cento San Marzano Peeled Tomatoes to feel as though they fell into that category, keeping my ad simple and to the point, letting the product speak for itself.
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Conveying Joy as an Artist
Editing on the Beat: Happy Smiles Dentistry Ad
It has been said that smiling is contagious, and after watching this video, it is hard to disagree. While the goal of this project may have been to practice editing to the beat of a song, I wanted to create a fun, uplifting, and memorable video that was fun and easy to watch. With some of my favorite pictures, both of my friends and those found online, I created a video around a made-up local business, Happy Smiles Dentistry. If you are having a rough day, hopefully you can use this video as a little pick-me-up, and remember all of the joyous things in life that make you smile.
History of the Americas Final
This Land: An Indigenous Peoples Project
IB Learner Traits Poster
Personal Manifesto
Graphic Design Projects
Passion Project: Behind the Scenes of Being 14
Our society rarely focuses on the honest friendships that teenage boys can have with each other, as well as the relationships that siblings have with each other. Many people who do not know teenage boys may think that they are only good for a laugh and a bit of trouble. However, those of us who do know these boys know that they can be some of the most caring and hilarious people you will ever meet, capable of real relationships. Riley Thayer and I wanted to highlight these relationships that have brought our 14-year-old brothers, Brooks and Clayton, and even us, together, along with the millions of other siblings and friends across the world.
Photographs and Videos Taken By Harper Hamilton and Riley Thayer
Pictures Edited by Harper Hamilton
Video Edited by Riley Thayer
Pictures Edited by Harper Hamilton
Video Edited by Riley Thayer
Being the Scenes of Being 14: The Video
Candy? A Guide to the Tools of Persuasion Being Used in Our World Today
Everyone knows not to take the candy offered by someone in a sketchy white van. However, few people are familiar with the tricks used by advertisers to sell products to the general public. Advertising can easily fool us if we are not careful or cautious of what the advertising world is capable of. In Candy? I took time to inform the reader of the many different tools of persuasion advertisers might use to sell their product, no matter how honest or dishonest they may be.