Joni's Introduction

photo: Me in Paris, Winter 2009

1. What has been your favorite course of study in or out of school? Why?

My favorite course of study in school have been my studio art classes, because they push me to think in ways I don't ordinarily think. Despite my love for creating art and studying art, I can be over-analytical and art forces me to relax and do what feels right for my work.

2. How many pages was the longest paper you have written? Did it include endnotes and bibliography?

The longest paper I have ever written was a short story I wrote a long time ago that was about 20 pages long. My longest research paper was something around 10 pages without bibliography or endnotes included.

3. Which was your favorite paper? Please tell us about the topic in a couple of sentences.

My favorite paper has yet to be written. I'm never fully satisfied with anything I write. However, I researched Japanese artist Hiroshi Senju last year for a short paper in a studio class and enjoyed it so much because his work is very inspiring to me.

4. Is there a particular kind of writing you love to do?

I love creative writing- I'm scared to do it though. I feel like I need to do more living before I write meaningfully-however I write for my own self-satisfaction on almost a daily basis

5. Which books have you read lately: art, fiction, non-fiction, sci-fi, poetry, environmental, film? Any comments are welcome.

I adore fiction, particularly American Literature. John Steinbeck's work is my favorite and I'm currently reading his collection of short stories, "The Long Valley". It reads like poetry.

6. Which artist or writer really impresses you? Why?

As I previously mentioned, Hiroshi Senju. http://www.hiroshisenju.com/ Painting is one of my favorite mediums because I feel like it takes technical skill as well as creativity, and there are so many ways to do it. Another favorite it Mark Rothko.

7. What is your main interest besides writing, art, music, (i.e., the humanities)?

My main interest besides the humanities is swimming. I'm in the water at least 5 days a week.

8. Please describe briefly an article in a newspaper or a magazine that got you thinking lately.

I read an article in Newsweek about the attraction that American society has to the past as an idyllic time- the article was particularly about the "Amish way of life" and how it is a cultural phenomenon to long for a "simpler" time. This got me thinking because it's a good point, and yet at the same time there's no going back, of course- the future is all we have.

9. Which recent cultural event has really impressed you? This can be a museum, a concert, or anything like that, but also a sports game (if you consider this a cultural event, for which there are good reasons).

I recently attended a one-woman play that was part of the Boulder International Fringe Festival, and it was an impressive and though provoking piece about the stereotypical femininity and the biblical story of adam and eve, and how culture perceives women via that story.

10. Is there another, non-cultural event that has affected you deeply.

I feel affected deeply on a daily basis which sometimes feels like a gift and other times a curse.

11. Please share with us a thought or an idea that really widened your intellectual horizon. If possible, give a source for this idea so that those who are interested know where to go.

It may be cliche, but existentialism has widened my intellectual horizon a lot, and recently. Modern philosophy as well as victorian philosophy is a subject I am wrapped up in- ideas about what actually matters, if anything, if our decisions make any kind of difference, what the world is coming to, etc. There are all sorts of sources for this, including the works of Sarte, Slavoj Zizek, Thoreau, etc.