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The Shield and the Sword (#18)

   This is the music video for the song 'The Shield and the Sword' by the British singer Clare Maguire. The music video itself is basically the singer dancing around with backup dancers and eye-candy dressed in odd outfits and standing at the back. It's an interesting music video for a song with this kind of message and power, but maybe that's what the singer wanted. Maybe she wanted to catch others off guard by doing something that no one expected.
   I think this relates to society because it shows that one shouldn't judge based on a preconceived notion. This music video is different compared to her other ones, but that doesn't mean she has to stick to the same formula her whole career. If she wants to use her creativity in different ways, she should. If this video teaches society anything, it should be that you can judge others. Nothing is just black and white, especially when it comes to how people act and feel. 
   This music video is inspiring to me as an artist because it helps me realize that I don't need to produce the 'same' work every time. I can make whatever I want, as long as
   
   

Judas (#17)

   Judas is the new song by Lady GaGa. It's about a girl who's dating a man that betrays her. It also represents different, bad things that have happened to her in her past; things she couldn't escape. The composition of the song, in general, is really no different than many of her other ones, but it still manages to bring a creepier feel to the subject matter. The song is also named after Judas Iscariot from the Bible. Judas was one of the 12 apostles that betrayed Jesus.
   This song, I feel, can be very relatable to society. Everyone, at some point has been betrayed. And when someone's betrayed, they want to somehow get rid of the hurt or anger they're feeling. Creating art can be a good way to do that. It also helps artists to become more creative and unique in their artwork.
   I find this inspiring because Lady GaGa did something different once again. It's still a pop song, but it's not like any of her others. She stuck to a genre and warped it to her liking, but was still able to grasp the positive attention of the majority. It makes me realize that most categories aren't strict. You can still honour them, but make your work original. 

Disney Dream Portraits (#16)

    Photographer Annie Leibovitz recently released three new photographs to add to her Disney Dream Portraits collection. The first photo is of Olivia Wilde playing the Evil Queen from Snow White and Alec Baldwin as the Magic Mirror. The second photo is of Queen Latifah as Ursula from The Little Mermaid and the third, Penelope Cruz and Jeff Bridges as Belle and the Beast from Beauty and the Beast.

   The photos reflect society's need to make the old, new again. What is the need or even the point of recreating scenes from famous animated Disney movies with well-known actors and actresses? Even when I went onto the Disney site, it didn't reveal why they had them made. Sometimes the treasures of the past really need to be left alone. But society is afraid of the old and seems to need it to become new again or else it can't be enjoyed.  

   These photos are more inspiring in the sense that it makes me want to be more original. How can one gain satisfaction from something that's already been done? Especially when it's almost a carbon copy. Artists are very susceptible to criticism, but the more unoriginal and nostalgic it is, the more likely it is to be accepted by the populous. That is why it inspires me. I don't want to make what everyone else is because I know I'll be accepted. I want to make something that I like; that I feel represents me. 

The Vampire Diaries (#15)

 
   This is an advertisement for the show The Vampire Diaries. It features the three main characters of the show: Stefan, Elena and Damon. On the right hand side of the ad, there's the show's logo and the date and time it's on. But above it is the most important part of the whole ad. The cathphrase: CATCH VD.
   This advertisement shows a lot about society. Normally, when VD is referred to in society, people mean venereal disease or STI. The makers of this ad probably knew this and decided to play on it. They knew that when someone saw this, they would take another look if they saw a picture of three sweaty people with the catchphrase: CATCH VD. It might even shock some at first. In fact, there were a lot of eyebrows raised at it. Some didn't think it was appropriate at all. But it did it's job. It got the attention of society with something it's interested in: sex. 
   I believe that this ad can help me with my art in many different ways. It inspires me because it uses something that all of society is familiar and it does it well. It makes people take notice, and as an artist, that's what you want. Sometimes you need something shocking to get the attention you deserve or want. It may not be the best, creative or original ad in the world, but it works. 

If Web Browsers Were Celebrities (#14)

   My inspiration is a chart showing the different web browsers and than comparing their relevancy today, to celebrities of the same status. It uses eight different browsers to accomplish this, including no browser and three different types of Internet Explorer. 

   This relates to society in many different ways. It shows the human need of finding patterns and parallels. This picture does it quite well. It also shows how in tune people are with celebrities and who they, at least think, they are. 

   It's inspiring to me because it's helpful. I realize that people can draw comparisons to almost anything, so it's important to be aware of being too similar (*cough*plagiarism*cough*) to something/someone else. People also like similarities, too (as long as they're not direct). If they can relate something you've created, it can benefit your creation by giving it extra meaning. 

Anonymous (#13)

   This is a trailer for the new movie, Anonymous, which is set to be released on September 30th, 2011. The beginning of the trailer establishes one of the places that the story will take place. It then cuts to a man walking down a hallway; later showing him standing in the middle of a stage in an auditorium. The man starts addressing the audience. His speech about the most famous author in the world: William Shakespeare. He lists the literary accomplishments Shakespeare has reached, but he states something that changes the whole initial reasoning for his lecture. The proposes the questions of, what is Shakespeare never wrote a single thing? After this, it shows clips of presumably the 1500's, letting the audience know that this movie will be taking a different approach to the conspiracy theory than other movies like National Treasure and The DaVinci Code. 
   I believe that this trailer reflects on society in that it doesn't just accept things for what they are. People would rather add mystery and intrigue to things to make them more interesting and appealing. It's fine to do it, but not everything in this world needs to have a conspiracy theory attached to it. 
   I find this trailer inspiring because it does play on what people find interesting. Most people know of Shakespeare, but can't be bothered to read or get to really understand his works because it's too complicated or boring. Making a period piece with a conspiracy theory about Shakespeare is a great idea because it can reunite the old with the new and get people interested something other than Twilight.