Aaron Tsukushi's Take on JR -- "Street Photograffeur"

Out of all the TED Talks I've watched, I chose to write about French street artist, JR. This man is a street photographer, or "photograffeur" as he describes himself, that posts his art across the world on anything with a surface. He uses his art to bring people together and invoke change. This TED Talk shows people what he does and why he does it. JR explains that he travels to places in the world that have been devastated or are going through troubled times. He then takes pictures of people, blows them up, and pastes them on huge surfaces. The pictures of these people are as big as houses and cover whole communities. At first glance, people are confused at what JR does and wonder why he pastes 30 foot pictures of people on walls. This curiosity is part of JR's master plan. The attention that his artwork creates is just one of his objectives in his projects. As people become more curious, they learn more about his projects. As people learn more about his projects, the more they want to get involved and help. Soon, entire cities are covered with black and white photos of faces that can be seen miles away. This creates more and more media attention to that troubled place, which then causes more people around the world to become involved. So through paper and glue, JR builds communities and provides aid for people in need.

What JR and I have in common is that we both want to make a change in people's lives. His outlet is art, and mine psychology. Though, I'm pretty sure I could write a convincing essay on how psychology is an art. JR was inspiring to me because he showed me how doing something so simple can change people's lives. Like JR, I want to bring change to people's lives, but maybe not on such a wide scale. I also want to get to know people on a more personal level and help them get through any problems or just be there as a person to talk to. I hope to be a psychologist and hopefully one day I could bring the same joy to others that JR brings to the world.


JR's career started when he was 15 years old. In his youth, JR would go out on adventures with his friends on the rooftops of Paris as they graffiti'd the walls of buildings. They had no intent of changing the world, but just to make their mark on society. One day, JR found a cheap camera in the subway and started using it to take pictures. He then used those pictures as a new way to express his passions. JR began pasting his pictures on the walls of public buildings, which he calls "sidewalk galleries." Through these "sidewalk galleries," he did not need the approval of others to put up his art in museums so other people could see. Instead, his art was made readily available to everyone on the streets of France. He then started to travel the world and post his photos everywhere. Not much is known about his educational history, nor his actual identity. Many of his projects are done so illegally, so this information would be compromising.

I think what makes JR so successful is the selfless passion he has for others. In his TED talk, he mentions how he posted pictures of a group of boys and how the next day he saw it scraped off the wall and tattered by that same group of boys. He explains how seeing that did not make him angry whatsoever because his intent for that artwork was that it was theirs. It was a gift he gave to those children and a gift for them to do whatever they wanted with it. He treats all of his projects the same way and is never disturbed if the art is ruined. He is just happy that he could share it. JR is also very bold. Most would not do the things he has done. It takes a lot of courage to post pictures up where there is a high chance of him being arrested or even killed.


I've previously planned what I'm going to do in college and how I'm going to get there. To be a psychologist, you need your Ph. D or Psy. D. These programs have grown extremely competitive, so applicants must have a strong resume if they wish to be accepted. I am going to major in psychology at LMU. I plan on getting acquainted with the campus, people, and professors my freshmen year. I'm also going to find a place where I can dedicate myself to do service at for the next four years. This place has to show clinical experience and/or use of the scientific method. Also, I have to be able to see myself gaining a leadership role in a couple years at this specific location. I have to generate at least 100 hours of volunteer by the year's end, but this is just the minimum as 100 hours might not even be that much given the circumstances. I will not know, though, until the time comes. My sophomore year, I plan to take a heavier courseload as well as get my GE's out of the way so I can make room for more upper division classes. I will continue with my volunteer work at the same place. I plan to really get to know my professors this year so I can hopefully work on an experiment or research project with them that summer. If that opportunity doesn't present itself, then I will make sure it happens the next summer. During my junior year, I'll start to take command at the place I am volunteering at and maybe start my own project within the institution. This could be organizing a fundraiser, generating media attention, or just being more of a leader within my job. I will start looking into different graduate schools and take the GRE's that April after a couple of prep courses. This score will give me an idea of what I'll need to improve on when I take the test again in the Fall of my Senior year. Senior year, I will attain letters of recommendations and complete my applications to schools before the end of the first semester. I will take the GRE's in October, and again in November, if necessary. Hopefully, I'll be admitted into a Ph. D program and not have to get my Master's first. The only thing I haven't worked out so far is affording all of this education, but I'll figure that out next year.

So those are basically my general guidelines I've set for myself in college. Of course, these guidelines are on a more professional level. I plan to have a blast in college and I hope to be able to manage my work and play. If you want to know my personal plans for college, ask me in person ;)


And a little fun......