https://www.vandelaydesign.com/ 

I chose this blog because it posts about multiple categories relevant to Media Arts, and a large majority of the posts are intriguing and incredibly informative. After I found the website (by searching for ‘Best photography and Photoshop blogs’, and browsing through the results) I was immediately drawn in by the content of the posts. I just got into photography about a year ago, and I have become really interested in photo-manipulation as a means of making art. I am not particularly talented at drawing, painting, or any of those things, but through photography and Photoshop, I have found an outlet for my artistic tendencies. It also includes many posts about WordPress which I

thought was particularly relevant to this class considering we use WordPress to post our assignments. It also has posts about web design trends, which we are studying in my Intro to Web Design online class.

I think the website/blog was designed incredibly well. I like that you can view blogs by category via the navigation menu, and I think that is incredibly easy to navigate. The layout is very clean and simple and that really helps the user focus on the content. All of the images are also very crisp and I think that enhances the user experience. All of the articles are also very informative and most are relevant to all Media Arts students and professionals. I particularly liked the article ‘Personal Branding for Designers: How to Sell Yourself and Your Design Work’, because this is something I’ve thought might be particularly difficult after graduating from school and entering the professional world. It also gives examples of portfolio sites and professional communities to join.

In short, I think this site is very well designed, relevant, and informative for both current professional designers, and students looking to get into the field. I personally will be visiting it often from now on, mostly to check out the Adobe tips, tricks, styles, etc. of which there are many.

Creative Impatience is a blog by Polish freelance creator Bartlomiej Walczak. Originally being a graphic designer and web developer, Bartlo moved into video editing over a decade ago. Bartlo specializes in post production editing, one of his specialties being After Effects. Because of this I decided to choose his blog, due to the fact that After Effects is what originally got me interested in the idea of videography, cinematography and photography.

In the blog there are a plethora of tools to help you jumpstart and hone your skills in Premiere Pro and After Effects through free plugins as well as video tutorials. His plugins and tutorials are for a variety of different things, such as effects, animation, color, lighting, etc.  

At first sight the website is simple and not necessarily an eye sore, although I would say that the blog looks a little outdated visually. I believe this is most likely due to the fact that Walczak isn’t posting daily and since the blog has been around for a long amount of time it could use a revamp aesthetically. The content is what we’re really here for though, which is great to learn some simple techniques and boost your beginner skills in Adobe applications and the easily navigable site makes it easy to do just that.

http://www.republicrecords.com/

Republic records produces music from various artist you hear on the radio everyday. Artist ranging from the Weeknd, Arianna Grande, Drake, Nicki Minaj and More. Not only do they produce music but they also produce sound tracks for films. Movies like pitch perfect, hunger games, and the fifty shades of grey trilogy.

The reason why I love this site is because it informs you of new releases from your favorite artist when youtube is not available. Republic records also branches out to several other sites including the whale report which allows you to read how was the artist album and where they recorded music.

For people who are always curios about how music gets put on the radio this is the beginning, Republic Records is a start.

  “Able Tesfaye (The Weeknd) with  his “starboy” album at Republic Records.” several artist use republic records as their label and make it on the “billboard hot 100” as top artist producing music. The site is also convenient when it comes to finding artist on tour and buying tickets for concerts.

Once you have created an account with Republic Records and subscribe to their sight it will keep you updated on when your favorite artist may come around your town. Another thing you may do once you’ve created an account you can blog on their site commenting on new song releases. The site also provides merchandise sales from their label including hats, t-shirts, and hoodies. I chose Republic Records because I love knowing when my favorite artist come out with new music and commenting what it feels like.

MN Acting Studio is a really good resource for aspiring actors. The site focuses primarily on acting for the camera which is beneficial for me, and anyone else in this class who is interested in acting, as the information on media for acting is very abundant in this site. The link to this site is https://www.mnactingstudio.com/, and the blog can be found on the home page in the top right corner. While I transition from acting on stage to acting for the camera, this site will be a very helpful resource because it seems to have everything I’ll need to know about the subject. The blog, for instance is Matt Newton (what the MN stands for in MN Acting Studio) explaining, from first-hand experience, everything he deems important information for aspiring actors.

He talks about what the industry is like for him and what others may encounter; he gives tips on how to prepare for auditions and cope with nerves; there are several posts on how to create a successful self tape, and so many other things. I love the titles he sets for all of his posts. They really draw you in and make you want to read what he has to say (see image to the right for an example). More importantly, I love how detailed his posts are. He really goes above and beyond on giving the viewer as much information possible on how to be successful. I truly believe that he genuinely cares about other actors and that he wants to help them succeed in the industry.

His writing is very easy to read and quite fun to read. For example, in the example blog post I shared, 11 Ways to Make Sure Your Self Tapes Don’t Suck, he says that “there’s no excuse not to deliver a kickass self tape from your own home.” The quality of information he shares, on the other hand, is just as engaging and very insightful. I have already learned a ton from just reading a few of his blog posts! If you are into acting, especially acting for camera, I highly recommend taking a peak at what this man has to say.

Overall, I think the site is very well produced and easy to follow. Everything is laid out on the homepage in a way that easily directs you to wherever you intend to go without a lot of searching. The site looks very clean and organized. However, there’s not a lot of color or any other designs that make the site fresh and fun to look at; the white background can get a little stale after awhile. Although, the site has way to much to offer in resources to be a boring site. Aside from the blogs, you can choose to

to read his book or search his YouTube videos for more acting tips. Other good resources on the site include the ability to sign up for classes and/or workshops, and even receive coaching via Skype and many other services.

If you’re having trouble taking my word about how great this site is, you don’t have to. Just go to the site and click on the ‘testimonials’ tab and it will take you to a page that shows a countless number of reviews that this site/teacher has received from credible and acclaimed sources, such as famous actors and talent agencies.

⌈Kyle Letsom⌋

https://www.musicindustryhowto.com/

I chose to use the site “Music Industry How To” as a web resource because even though I am not a musician myself, I like the idea of creating my own website with something I’m passionate about and also being the owner of it like Shaun Letang. Others might find this website interesting because one of the projects in this class involves students working with Audacity. Music Industry How To has tips and tricks to help people start a music related project from scratch and what it’s like to work in the music industry.

One of the good examples that caught my eye was the link that said “The Best Things I’ve Done For My Music Career That You Can Replicate.” This link takes you to a page where the author Liam Duncan talks about how “for most of us, music career is a grind. It’s hard.” In his blog, Liam goes over five things he has done that really helped that “grind” become more rewarding. This resource looked very interesting and may help other folks who have a hard time looking at their career like it’s a chore and to focus more on the positive things about that career.

I think this site is very well produced. At the top of the page there are links you can click on for example, the home page and it’ll lead you to different kinds of resources where you can learn more about what it’s like to have your own music career and offers interesting ideas if you like the sound of having your own website but don’t know where to start. This website is easy to navigate around and is very intriguing to those who are into music careers.

The information in this blog is extremely helpful. There are questions and answers that I have have asked myself and the answers were right there along with other questions I haven’t thought of before, for example, I asked myself, “I wonder what guitars are new this year?” and when I went to the blog there was a link called “What Types of Guitars Are There In 2018?” I clicked on it and there were the names of the newest guitars and each on had a little description about it.

This blog, My Modern Met was almost exactly what I was on the lookout for. I wanted a blog that didn’t look to flashy or crazy. I was looking for something that looked simple and clean, yet professional at the same time. I stumbled upon this blog and my mind instantly went, “That’s mine.” I started exploring the blog and it had more than I bargained for! One thing I was counting on was Photography. Photography was the one expectation I wanted, and this blog had more than photography. The cool thing is it’s not just articles that talk about a certain specific thing, it also has amazing beautiful photography that go along and add more meaning than just the text itself. I think it would be a good site to explore because it covers so many topics. It has topics on architecture to crafts, crafts to technology, technology to science beyond the universe, and so much more. It has articles on almost everything you can think of. You name it, there’s probably has a topic related to it. It even offers online classes that teach about different kinds of arts. I always feel smarter after I leave the site, knowing I know more about something I didn’t know about before. For example: I found an article about how a photographer captures the scale-like patterns on a butterfly’s wings, using a specific camera lens that creates almost a “non-existent depth-of-field”. The photos of the different butterfly’s wings are absolutely gorgeous and stunning to look at. The creators of this blog did a really fantastic job of producing its information and they’re always adding and updating the blog. The quality of the information could be a little more into details and depth, but the nice thing is, the text isn’t all cut-and-dry, and the pictures that follow the text is the best part. When I was reading about the butterfly wings, I read the two paragraphs expecting more, but that was it. The photos told the ending of the article which was really nice. Pictures can tell more than a thousand words.

https://mymodernmet.com/

“It seriously is re-learning how to eat and changing your expectations of what it means to be healthy. I never knew it was possible to feel this good, but now that I know it’s possible, I want to hang on to it! It is amazing!! You just gotta get there!”

One of the most visually pleasing blogs I was fortunate enough to find: earthyandy is an online blogger based in Hawaii who posts about having a healthy lifestyle through the routine of only eating raw until 4:00. From first starting off on Instagram posting about her journey of only eating plant based foods Andrea’s account and website has grown tremendously. Now reaching one million followers on her Instagram she has expanded her blog to helping those who want live a high carb low fat vegan lifestyle through recipes, tutorials, and her own personal experiences that lead her to start this type of life. Not being shy about how she raises her two young boys Andy also lends her knowledge on how to get kids excited about eating healthy and ways to get them to eat daily meals rather than snacks randomly in the day.

I find this blog to be very helpful for those wanting to essentially have a better lifestyle when it comes to what you eat and how you treat your body. The way she organizes her website also makes it easy to navigate and find the information you want with ease through the pages and tabs she has on her home page. All the facts and information she provides as well is through both experience and medial/herbal experts – allowing the audience to be reassured that what she is saying is knowledge based and something she confidently knows.

The reason I chose this blog is because I think it represents how one can be extremely successful in the things some or even themselves consider a hobby. Andy started her instagram account just as a way to journal her new lifestyle in eating raw, not even expecting it to become the career it is now. It was just a way to write down what she was doing and be able to go back and reflect. Not many people pursue what they like in fear of failure, but Andy is proof that nothing can turn into something, and that something can turn into a success story.

http://www.earthyandy.com/

Onemanandhisblog.com is an amazing blog for the new age of journalism. In this blog Adam Tinworth teaches journalism for the new age of writing. He describes how to adjust with the new media such as web design and social medias. Adam is a teacher of Journalism in the UK and has been a working journalist for 20 years. He has ran a blog for 15 years and continues to give tips and tricks he learns along the way. 

As you can see he includes brilliant quotes and articles from the past that are still proven to be relevant today. With two decades of journalism experience under his belt he has had to adapt to the new age of writing for the web. Newspapers used to be the package of articles everyone had to read for the news, but with the introduction of the internet newsrooms were forced to shift dramatically into the digital age. 

In his blog, Adam discuss’ events in the UK and showcases panels of elite journalists and professors. He gives invaluable insight that not many people have access to for free! OneMan&HisBlog even discusses how media arts has shifted how we deliver the news. This blog has endless knowledge on the in’s and out’s of how journalists work. I would recommend this site to any entry level journalist or even someone interested in the production of the news.

click here for blog

Philip Bloom is a seasoned filmmaker who advocates for the use of Canon DSLRs and offers his readers weekly reviews of the latest shooting tech.  He has a robust vlog section full of video reviews for cameras as well, and will cover topics like drone recording, editing software, and reflections on short films in between gear reviews.  Bloom is sure to release an “ethics statement” at the beginning of any review or blog on a camera that he was paid by the company write/record, in order to maintain transparency with his readers.  The site is a little busy-looking but it’s packed full of information and wasn’t difficult to navigate.  Bloom has an educational section where he offers tutorials and advice on sound, lighting, and post production editing for free, along with a masterclass you can pay for.  Bloom is sure to release an “ethics statement” at the beginning of any review or blog on a camera that he was paid by the company write/record, in order to maintain transparency with his readers.  The site is a little busy-looking but it’s packed full of information and wasn’t difficult to navigate.  Bloom has an educational section where he offers tutorials and advice on sound, lighting, and post production editing for free, along with a masterclass you can pay for.  He also interacts with his readers by responding and answering questions in the comments section.