My name is Theo, and I’m in my final semester of the Master of Science in Information program. I currently work as a graduate assistant for Special Collections and Archives at FSU, which I’ve actually written several blog posts for in the past year. During my undergrad, I studied art history with a minor in philosophy, and I’m very passionate about the importance of the arts and humanities in all their forms (especially popular/internet cultures).
I have picked up a lot of different creative hobbies over the years–my favorites being drawing, writing, and crocheting–but my special interest remains the Sims franchise. This will certainly not be the last you hear about it from me. Last semester, I wrote a paper about archiving Sims 2 machinimas, and a couple semesters before that, I used Dublin Core to organize sims. I mostly play Sims 2 and 4, and I love learning about the franchise’s lore and its place in gaming history.
When it comes to making things, I’m much more used to working with physical formats, so this class will give me an opportunity to practice and improve my skills in digital art (broadly defined). I’m also eager to improve my knowledge of copyright, which I think will be good to know in general.
I look forward to getting to know you all through your creations!
Hi Theo! My name is Lora! I just started playing Sims 4 because it was free on Steam and I have a close friend who plays it! My friend is obsessed and has referenced a ton of the lore. Art history is so interesting because of how it has evolved over the years. Are you also a fan of music? I have always connected with the arts and enjoyed music, especially with it’s connection to the other arts. What is your favorite art, if you have one? I cannot wait to learn more about you in class!
I do love music! I played piano for quite a few years and know some basic music theory, and I love it when songs break my expectations in terms of rhythm and melody. Rhythm, especially is something I try to pay attention to whenever I write, and I think it’s one of the most important features of language. I think a lot about how if I were to learn a new instrument, it would probably be something in percussion.
I don’t think I could choose a favorite art, though. My favorites to work with are pens and markers, but I couldn’t choose a favorite in general.
Hi Theo,
Congratulations on being so close to completing your degree – what an accomplishment!
Archival work is something I find fascinating and am interested in learning more about, so I appreciate the link you shared to the FSU Special Collections and Archives website as I have not explored what FSU has. It must be a fascinating job. I’m sure your undergraduate degree in art history has given you a great foundation for that work.
Your Sims house is incredible! I have not played the Sims in years, so I am very impressed with how far the graphics have come. My husband loves the Sims, though he currently does not play regularly. I know he would enjoy reading your paper about archiving Sims 2 machinimas.
Did you organize sims using Dublin Core for Information Organization with Aimee Reist? I took that class last spring and really enjoyed that assignment.
Good luck this semester! I am looking forward to seeing what other Sims projects you share with us.
Thank you so much for the kind words!
Sims is a very versatile game, so it’s easy for me to come back to a lot.
Also, I did organize Sims for the Information Organization class, though I took it with Margaret Sullivan. I really enjoyed it!
Good luck to you as well!
Hi Theo! I love your blog post about children’s horror. Coraline (the book) is definitely one of my favorites. In some ways, I think it’s more scary than adult books/comics I’ve read. I imagine working in archives and special collections must be the most fun. Is there a favorite resource in the collections that you have found? My undergrad is in Fine Art with a minor in Anthropology but Art History was something I liked best. It’s fascinating to see how what other cultures perceive as art and the ways they value and create that art. Do you have a favorite movement or time period of art as it relates to philosophy?
I was never a Sims person; for no reason other than I just never looked into it. I look forward to developing a greater appreciation of it through your creations in this class.
Thank you! I really appreciate you reading it!
And yes, it’s super fun to work in Special Collections and Archives! It’s hard to choose a favorite resource, but one of my favorites is definitely an old (from the early 1800’s, I think) journal, small enough to hold in one hand. Some of the pages remain uncut because it was never fully used. It’s part of our Napoleon collection, so it’s written in French and I can’t understand it fully, but my favorite part about it is that there are little poems in it, as well as scribbles that seem to be practice for better penmanship.
In general, my favorite time period to study is the 19th-20th centuries, but more specifically, I absolutely love Surrealism and Dadaism. Any art surrounding or between the world wars really fascinates me, and the same goes for philosophy.