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How do you convey what’s interesting and important to you as an artist in a digital world of constantly shifting attentions? For many young creatives, the answer is original characters, or OCs. An OC is a character that an artist creates for personal enjoyment, whether based on an already existing

How do you convey what’s interesting and important to you as an artist in a digital world of constantly shifting attentions? For many young creatives, the answer is original characters, or OCs. An OC is a character that an artist creates for personal enjoyment, whether based on an already existing story or world, or completely from their own imagination.
As creations made for purely personal interests, OCs are an excellent elevator pitch to talk one creative to another, opening up opportunities for connection in a world where communication is at our fingertips but personal connection is increasingly harder to make. OCs encourage meaningful interaction by offering themselves as muses, avatars, and story pieces, and so much more, where artists can have their characters interact with other creatives through many different avenues such as art-making, table top games, or word of mouth.

In this thesis, I explore the worlds and aesthetics of many creators and their original characters through qualitative research and collaborative art-making. I begin with a short survey of my creative peers, asking general questions about their characters and thoughts on OCs, then move to sketching characters from various creators. I focus my research to a group of seven core creators and their characters, whom I interview and work closely with in order to create a series of seven final paintings of their original characters.
ContributorsCote, Jacqueline (Author) / Button, Melissa M (Thesis director) / Dove-Viebahn, Aviva (Committee member) / School of Art (Contributor) / Barrett, The Honors College (Contributor)
Created2020-05
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Description
"French Vanilla" is a collection of written narratives drawn from lived experiences which serve as the vehicle storytelling that I use to examine larger themes related to the intersections of race and gender. Themes include: binaries, legitimacy, intersectionality, biracial identity development (border identity construction), whiteness, shame, and crisis. While the

"French Vanilla" is a collection of written narratives drawn from lived experiences which serve as the vehicle storytelling that I use to examine larger themes related to the intersections of race and gender. Themes include: binaries, legitimacy, intersectionality, biracial identity development (border identity construction), whiteness, shame, and crisis. While the narratives are situated within theoretical discourse, the narratives present a representation of the lived experience. These pieces engage members of my family as well as a number of figures, including Rachel Dolezal, President Barack Obama, Alicia Keys, and a stranger on a tram in an airport. My relationship with these people present the grounds for an interrogation of identity. This project asks the question: How does one negotiate biracial identity with herself and others through narrative performance? It engages theories, such as critical race theory, black feminist theory, and standpoint theory, which informed my understanding of the discourse of race and contextualized my commentary on race. These theories present a framework within which to situate my understanding and analysis of race through lived experience. Narrative performance, the formal methodology for this work, provides a structure for the performance itself: the ultimate end product. Note: This work of creative scholarship is rooted in collaboration between three female artist-scholars: Carly Bates, Raji Ganesan, and Allyson Yoder. Working from a common intersectional, feminist framework, we served as artistic co-directors of each other's solo pieces and co-producers of Negotiations, in which we share these pieces in relationship to each other. Thus, Negotiations is not a showcase of three individual works, but rather a conversation among three voices. As collaborators, we have been uncompromising in the pursuit of our own unique inquiries and voices, and each of our works of creative scholarship stand alone. However, we believe that all of the parts are best understood in relationship to each other and to the whole. For this reason, we have chosen to cross-reference our thesis documents: French Vanilla: An Exploration of Biracial Identity Through Narrative Performance by Carly Bates; Deep roots, shared fruits: Emergent creative process and the ecology of solo performance through "Dress in Something Plain and Dark" by Allyson Yoder; and Bhairavi: A Performance-Investigation of Belonging and Dis-Belonging in Diaspora Communities by Raji Ganesan.
ContributorsBates, Carly Christopher (Author) / Davis, Olga Idriss (Thesis director) / de la Garza, Sarah Amira (Committee member) / Dove-Viebahn, Aviva (Committee member) / School of Music (Contributor) / Department of English (Contributor) / Barrett, The Honors College (Contributor)
Created2016-05
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Description
This thesis aims to explain how a child can deal with loss through a children's book that I have written and illustrated. The goal is to have a child, as young as the age of seven, be able to pick up the book and come away with an initial understanding

This thesis aims to explain how a child can deal with loss through a children's book that I have written and illustrated. The goal is to have a child, as young as the age of seven, be able to pick up the book and come away with an initial understanding of how grief affects people. There are references to other works of literature similarly dealing with the above topic. The different stages of grief are examined, as well as the ways in which grief can be handled. Facial expressions and body language are crucial to understanding others' pain and grief, so this thesis delves into how to translate different expressions and actions, and how artwork and illustrations can portray these same ideas. The story from the book is interwoven throughout the thesis, so as to show my reasoning for each section of the text. Finally, there is a full analysis of the text as well as the illustrations that explains why the text is fitting for each section of the story.
ContributorsFauste, Cristina Maria (Author) / Lewis, Stephen (Thesis director) / Gruber, Diane (Committee member) / Barrett, The Honors College (Contributor) / School of Social and Behavioral Sciences (Contributor) / School of Humanities, Arts, and Cultural Studies (Contributor)
Created2015-05
Description
This thesis outlines the process of creating the concept work behind a television series called Liminality, written by my thesis partner, Elizabeth Hansen. Liminality aims to be an animated series about West Elliot Snow as he navigates his life as a spiritual medium and how this talent impacts his daily

This thesis outlines the process of creating the concept work behind a television series called Liminality, written by my thesis partner, Elizabeth Hansen. Liminality aims to be an animated series about West Elliot Snow as he navigates his life as a spiritual medium and how this talent impacts his daily life. It is a coming of age story centered around West and his recently departed father, Lukas Snow, whose spirit is still tethered to the land of the living. Together, the two must learn how to control their powers while helping other spirits who have unfinished business on the earthly plane. It explores themes of sexuality and gender identity as well as non-nuclear family structures as a means of giving voice to those who have felt a lack of representation in mainstream media. In this paper, I explore the depth of the creative process from conceptualization to realization of character designs, scripting for the series, 3D modeling of characters and sets, and finally, the storyboarding of the pilot episode. I start by asserting why a series like Liminality would positively influence the already burgeoning creative landscape of television. Liminality's relevance in today's television market is explained through examples of series that aim to broaden the amount of representation given to underrepresented peoples and identities in mainstream media. From there, I outline which series influenced the process of writing Liminality and why. After that, I delve into the specifics of how Elizabeth and I designed the characters and what decisions went into the final product.
ContributorsRandall, Phoebe (Author) / Miller, April (Thesis director) / Dove-Viebahn, Aviva (Committee member) / Barrett, The Honors College (Contributor)
Created2018-05
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Description
Chicago, the third largest city in the United States, is frequently in the national media's spotlight for negative news such as violence or failed gun laws. The city is hardly ever talked about in a positive light. This study aims to inform and educate outsiders of what the city is

Chicago, the third largest city in the United States, is frequently in the national media's spotlight for negative news such as violence or failed gun laws. The city is hardly ever talked about in a positive light. This study aims to inform and educate outsiders of what the city is like through the perspective lens of Chicago residents. To grasp a general understanding of Chicago, this creative project was completed through a narrative and interview-driven podcast series and split up into different topic categories. These categories were Chicago food, Chicago neighborhoods, Chicago's Southside, and Chicago sports. These topic areas are some of the things Chicago is most known for and give an adequate representation of what the city is like. Researching and putting this creative project into a podcast form proved how podcasts can be an alternative to in-depth and long-form journalism projects. The Chicago food episode called "Harold's v. Uncle Remus" explains the delicious food culture and showed two of the popular black restaurant chains that cater to the city. These two chicken spots are always a hot topic in heated debates of what place has the best chicken. The neighborhoods episode called "Won't You Be My Neighbor" highlights some of Chicago's interesting neighborhoods that tourists may not have on their attractions lists. This episode talks about the Pill Hill, Printers Row, and Little Italy neighborhoods, which all have unique histories. "Southside With You" explores the infamous region of Chicago, tells its history, and gives a theory as to why it continues to be the area it is known for in the media. Lastly, the sports episode "Sports: A History Lesson" is a full interview with a Chicago resident who has been a Chicago sports fan since the mid-60s and who has experienced the effects of racial divisions in sports. The episodes give only a peak of what the large city is like, but they demonstrate that Chicago is not this scary place, but a place with a complicatedly fascinating history.
ContributorsCarter, Jade (Author) / Thornton, Leslie-Jean (Thesis director) / Gatewood, Kira (Committee member) / School of Social and Behavioral Sciences (Contributor) / Walter Cronkite School of Journalism & Mass Comm (Contributor) / Barrett, The Honors College (Contributor)
Created2018-12
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Description
Reveal follows the story of high school student Jason as he navigates the hardships of high school and the personal hardships of sexual identity. The thesis was created through research of other LGBTQ performers and interviews conducted on campus. It includes a one-act script followed by a list of the

Reveal follows the story of high school student Jason as he navigates the hardships of high school and the personal hardships of sexual identity. The thesis was created through research of other LGBTQ performers and interviews conducted on campus. It includes a one-act script followed by a list of the sources that I used to further my writing experience.
ContributorsPinero, John Richard (Author) / McMahon, Jeff (Thesis director) / Dove-Viebahn, Aviva (Committee member) / School of Film, Dance and Theatre (Contributor) / Barrett, The Honors College (Contributor)
Created2018-05
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DescriptionPresents a television script adaptation of Jane Austen's Persuasion, as well as a study of adaptive theory and processes and analysis of three adaptations of Jane Austen's Pride and Prejudice.
ContributorsLeone, Mary Katherine (Author) / Mann, Annika (Thesis director) / Luna, Ilana (Committee member) / Barrett, The Honors College (Contributor) / School of Humanities, Arts, and Cultural Studies (Contributor)
Created2014-05
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Description
In this creative thesis, I traveled to India and used my month long summer vacation back home to interview people about mental health in India. I talked to a therapist and four students about depression to find out what the situation is in India, contributing factors, experiences and stigma unique

In this creative thesis, I traveled to India and used my month long summer vacation back home to interview people about mental health in India. I talked to a therapist and four students about depression to find out what the situation is in India, contributing factors, experiences and stigma unique to depression among students in India, what the government is doing, and possible solutions or steps that can be taken to help students struggling with mental health problems. I also went to mainstream and special schools to meet special educators who work with differently abled children, occupational therapists, parents of differently abled children, and a student with Asperger’s in Chennai, Tamil Nadu to find out about the stigma surrounding differently abled children and their education path.
My efforts have culminated in the creation of the website mentalhealthinindia.com that can be used as a resource both by people in India as well as those abroad who are curious to learn about the stigma surrounding depression and differently abled children in India.
ContributorsVenkatakrishnan, Ranjani (Author) / Koester, Nicole (Thesis director) / Pruitt, Rhonda (Committee member) / Walter Cronkite School of Journalism & Mass Comm (Contributor) / School of International Letters and Cultures (Contributor) / Department of Psychology (Contributor) / Barrett, The Honors College (Contributor)
Created2019-05
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Description
African American females must endure the distinct intersection of anti-black racism and misogyny, or misogynoir, which persists through the perpetuation of stereotypical images. The endurance of these controlling images adversely impacts young black girls in unique ways that often go unnoticed. Black and Pink: The Intersection of Blackness and Girlhood

African American females must endure the distinct intersection of anti-black racism and misogyny, or misogynoir, which persists through the perpetuation of stereotypical images. The endurance of these controlling images adversely impacts young black girls in unique ways that often go unnoticed. Black and Pink: The Intersection of Blackness and Girlhood in America examines the historical origins of misogynoir in America and its continued impact on modern black girls using the lens of bell hooks' literature. This includes how black females are masculinized, sexualized, and impacted by Eurocentric beauty standards in America. and These themes are further explored through a series of watercolor paintings, inspired by hooks' memoir, Bone Black.
ContributorsHayman, Adanna Michelle (Author) / Kim, Linda (Thesis director) / Meders, Jacob (Committee member) / School of Humanities, Arts, and Cultural Studies (Contributor) / Barrett, The Honors College (Contributor)
Created2018-05
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Description
The sport of tennis is played in over 100 countries and over 256 Division I collegiate programs across the United States. Each program contains 8-10 individual athletes for both men's and women's rosters. When first observing a roster from any Division I program, people will see that many of the

The sport of tennis is played in over 100 countries and over 256 Division I collegiate programs across the United States. Each program contains 8-10 individual athletes for both men's and women's rosters. When first observing a roster from any Division I program, people will see that many of the athletes are international. Courts of Cultures is a documentary about the lives of five select tennis athletes of how they have adjusted to life in the United States, the shift in cultures and the transition into playing in collegiate tennis. Makey Rakotomalala (France), Pierre Louis Dodens (Switzerland), Thomas Wright (Great Britain), Lauryn John-Baptiste (England), and Tereza Kolarova (Czech Republic) all share their experiences of coming to Arizona State University and give insight into what life adjustments they have made not only for the college lifestyle, but international living as well. Head coaches Matt Hill (men's) and Sheila McInerney (women's) also speak to the recruitment of international students and how new technology has made the process simpler. In many countries, you either have to go professional in tennis out of high school, or toss away the racquet and just go to college for academics. Being able to play tennis and go to school benefits these athletes because they are able to improve on their skills and earn a degree. Each athlete featured in this film has a different story and a different background, but they all find commonality on the tennis court. A worldwide sport that has brought worldwide talent to Tempe. Courts of Cultures was directed, photographed, edited, and produced by Blaine McCormick along with narration by Scotty Gange.
ContributorsMccormick, Blaine Robert (Author) / Kurland, Brett (Thesis director) / Fergus, Thomas (Committee member) / Rhodes, Gail (Committee member) / School of Geographical Sciences and Urban Planning (Contributor) / Walter Cronkite School of Journalism & Mass Comm (Contributor) / Barrett, The Honors College (Contributor)
Created2018-12