Journal of Everyday Encounters with Art by Jin Chen

Skate Night

cj20060425 — 2024-10-16 16:27:46 UTC

Skating at night with my friend

Location: E 24th Street, UT Austin

Chill Tree

cj20060425 — 2024-10-16 16:30:10 UTC

This is a tree sit next to after classes end.

Location: F.L. Winship Drama Building

Shadow of a doubt

cj20060425 — 2024-10-16 16:33:01 UTC

Got home at night and opened the window blinds. The outside street lamp light shined through.

Location: Creekside Residence Hall

Last stop

cj20060425 — 2024-10-16 16:34:56 UTC

It was a rainy day and there was a lonely bus on the street.

Location: Creekside Residence Halls

Like a dream

cj20060425 — 2024-10-16 20:14:49 UTC

Walking back to my dorm in a rainy day, the night vibe felt surreal.

Location: PMA building

Vertigo

cj20060425 — 2024-10-16 20:23:46 UTC

Upside down picture of trees near my dorm and the river. Coming back from classes sometimes feels tiresome and disorienting.

Location: Creekside Residence Hall River

Pou

cj20060425 — 2024-10-16 20:28:55 UTC

Plushie of pou, I relate to him sometimes

Location: in my dorm, Creekside

Fleeting

cj20060425 — 2024-10-16 20:43:28 UTC

It was sad I found a dead bird on the street while walking home.

Location: 12th street.

Waiting

cj20060425 — 2024-10-16 20:43:59 UTC

Me and my friends were waiting for the bus to go home.

Location: Capitol Station(SB) Bus stop

Clash

cj20060425 — 2024-10-16 20:45:34 UTC

I was playing around with my friends after going to the skate park.

Location: Heath Eiland and Morgan Moss BMX Skate Park,

Crowd

cj20060425 — 2024-10-16 20:46:01 UTC

I went to a house party with a rock/ rockstar theme.

Location: New Guild Co-op

Are the visual arts important? What (if anything) would be lost if the daily encounters you recorded were absent?

cj20060425 — 2024-10-16 21:59:35 UTC

The visual arts are important as it capture a message, idea, and feelings that can be stored and shared. Visual arts allow people to express complex feelings and experiences in ways that words alone cannot. If I stopped recording my daily encounters, I would not have been able to look back and remember the feeling or mindset I had in that moment. These recordings also serve as a personal journal, helping me to see growth and inspiration every day in my life journey.

Does the process of looking for art change anything about the way you move or interact with the world? As you recorded what you saw, did your connection to the world change in any way?

cj20060425 — 2024-10-16 22:09:33 UTC

I became more conscious of my surroundings and was inspired to find beauty or meaning in everyday objects and experiences as a form of art. This change in perspective enables me to engage with the world more thoughtfully and recognize its many levels of imagination and design.
My understanding of my experiences and the surroundings I was in enhanced as I documented what I saw, strengthening my bond with the outside world. I felt as though I was able to slow down and truly take in what was going on around me by documenting these moments.