Kate Changing Direction with Challenge 1

The first couple times I listened to the Vivaldi clip, I got these impression of being chased; I had feelings of fear/excitement/panic. This might have had something to do with feeling overwhelmed by my immediate surroundings, schedule, home improvement mayhem, etc. 

I ran a 5K on March 18th and realized the feeling I got from the music was exactly like the first 5 minutes of the race. It’s crowded and chaotic – with all these elbows and knees flying, hearts racing, crowd cheering. With me being a little bit claustrophobic, the experience is somewhat scary but in a fun way.


My first sketches were a little too “caricature” like Red Riding Hood running through the woods or panicky Scooby Doo.  Meh. Cliché.  Not working!

My running-on-the-bike-path imagery was too far on the opposite end.  There’s no “panic” on those runs.  I’m out there to enjoy the day and get some exercise.  Even when I’m running fast, I don’t feel like I’m being chased or anything.  I can stop or walk anytime I want (which is more often than I should).  It’s relaxing. The trees are pretty, everything is quiet. Not generating a lot of excitement here.


I was missing the mark as I tried to illustrate how the music really made me feel.  Maybe because, although I did have feelings of fear and panic, there was also a positive vibe to it… but not a carefree, relaxing vibe. Something like scary-fun.  Like being on a rollercoaster. Or flying down a hill on a bike.



The first couple minutes I usually struggle to find my own pace and control my breathing. I have to ignore the people speeding past me or the ones I’m passing. The thing ‘chasing’ me is my previous finish time, which I am always trying to beat.


After the first couple of crazy minutes, I had the rest of the race to think about my VP9 piece. It was really meditative and calming which helped me stay on pace. I went on to beat my personal best time, and crossed the finish line with a smile on my face.


Unfortunately I could not take any photos as I was “fighting for my life” (not really) during the race start. So I’ll have to come up with some other solution.  How do I interpret that feeling into a visual composition….?  hmm

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