Is my work more like traveling or creating a travelogue?  Wow.  Hmm.  I guess I’d have to think about that.  This is such a well written post so I want to make sure I do it justice.  Praxis 2.0 by Melanie Mcbride deals directly with what can be deemed creative limitations in today’s schools in regards to Web 2.0?s remix/mashup culture.  Praxis: real learning in the form of action; the process of applying skills and theories ultimately leading to the realization of, in this case, “new art.”  The context of her post highlights the give and take nature of creativity vs regulation in the realm of public schools.  If public schools impose limitations on the use of copyrighted material in this case how does it limit creativity?  What new forms of art are being inhibited at this level?  Obviously if there is an enforcement on the inclusion of certain material then true creativity will be hindered taking away from the “praxis” of situated learning.  I like this quote here:

“But when it comes to openly and honestly sharing our own positions on subjects that involve transgression, how much agency do we have in a context of assessment and evaluation – that is mediated by an assessor whose own beliefs or positions may be explicitly or implicitly known via their disposition, identity or expressed affinities?”

Wow!

I don’t think this post focuses too much on the actual concepts of remix/mashup but more so the importance of having the freedom to explore and create these new forms of “digital art.”  And I think it definitely relates directly to ds106, for sure.  I think there may be just a tiny, tiny bit of creative limitation but that is definitely in the form of good taste and self understood class norms.  We are using sources of digital media and combining them with other sources to tell stories and produce art.  Creatively there is always the chance that it will lead to the birth of something new.

Dr. Mashup by Brian Lamb I felt focused more on the exact details of the new mashup/remix culture but presented the argument of “How original or creativity is it really?”  What is a remix?  What is a mashup?  Are they assaults on originality?  That is a big question and of course it is debatable.  In my opinion, no.  Creativity is drawn from the world.  I believe this is a give and take argument that involves two components.  Originality/Creativity and Talent.  I like this quote here and am astounded at how spot on and intuitive it was for being stated so long ago:

“One of the certain effects of the electronic age is that it will forever change the values that we attach to art. In fact, the vocabulary of aesthetic criteria that has been developed since the Renaissance is mostly concerned with terms that are proving to have little validity for the examination of electronic culture. I refer to such terms as “imitation,” “invention,” and, above all, “originality,” which in recent times have implicitly conveyed varying degrees of approval or censure, in accordance with the peculiarly distorted sense of historical progression that our age has accepted, but which are no longer capable of conveying the precise analytical concepts they once represented.”

Taking works of art whether that is in the form of music or digital media etc and and remixing or mashing them up with something completely different can lead to new forms of art.  Re-mixes are often better then the originals and mashups can creatively connect almost anything.  The creativity is definitely there.  Is the talent there though?  Sometimes I think.  Take for instance today’s over-produced, auto-tuned pop music.  Acceptance is debatable and the public will ultimately decide.  Art like everything else is constantly evolving so what will define new works of digital art and how will these talents be quantified?  I only know of mashups from what I’ve seen on commercials/youtube etc.  Often times I think they are very creative and very humorous.  Can it be taught?  Yes, but only to a certain degree and the importance of an environment for originality and creativity is of the utmost importance.  Being that I am forging my own path on the final project with a blueprint of my design I believe that I am traveling.