Lesson 14 Assignment 1

Biography

Rebecca Sugar is a highly accomplished American animator, songwriter, and producer, renowned

for her exceptional work on the widely popular Cartoon Network series, "Steven Universe". Born in 1987

and raised in Silver Spring, Maryland, Sugar attended the Visual Arts Centre at Albert Einstein High

School and Montgomery Blair High School before later studying at the prestigious School of Visual Arts

in New York (Sugar). In 2009 she pitched the idea of Steven Universe and by 2012 she became the first

female creator for the Network (Romano). Drawing inspiration from her life experiences, Sugar

masterfully weaves complex emotions and themes into her characters and songs, helping her audience

tackle difficult emotions and accept themselves. She gradually brought along heavier themes, such as

overcoming loss and self-acceptance, into her songs, allowing her younger audience to relate to and

mature with her characters. Sugar harnesses her exceptional storytelling abilities to create songs that serve

as powerful healing devices during difficult times. She aims to offer solace and support to those who may

be facing comparable struggles. Sugar stated, "It’s really important to me that all the songs in the show ...

aren’t superfluous. They have to progress the story, and the characters have to change" (Brown). Her first

hit song for the Network was ‘Everything Stays” which dealt with accepting that no matter what change is

inevitable in the world. This song was written as a heartfelt tribute to a beloved stuffed rabbit that had

been thought lost but was miraculously found in her garden months later, its once vibrant colours now

bleached by the sun's rays. Her contributions to shows such as "Steven Universe" and "Adventure Time"
have earned her five Emmy Award nominations (Sugar). Sugar, now 35, is not currently working on any

major projects.

Works Cited
 “Rebecca Sugar.” Wikipedia, Wikimedia Foundation, 23 Mar. 2023,

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rebecca_Sugar.

Brown, Tracy. “'Steven Universe' Creator Rebecca Sugar on What Drives the Show's

Music.” Los Angeles Times, Los Angeles Times, 20 Nov. 2017,

https://www.latimes.com/entertainment/herocomplex/la-et-hc-rebecca-sugar-steven-

universe-music-20170608-htmlstory.html.

Romano, Nick. “The Legacy of 'Steven Universe': How a Hidden Gem Changed Animation

Forever.” EW.com, https://ew.com/tv/steven-universe-legacy/.

Analysis

“Here Comes A Thought”

Explanation/Themes

Self-acceptance
Mindfulness and meditation
Community
Empowerment

The song mainly revolves around the idea of accepting intrusive thoughts in order to be at peace with

them in your life. These thoughts are just thoughts in the world, so you shouldn't fear them or be burdened

by them, no matter how dark or overwhelming they may be. It also serves as a reminder that everyone

experiences these thoughts, so you should never feel desolate or alone in your suffering. They are a

human experience and there is always someone there to help you with them (family, friends,

professionals). The song also promotes meditation as a coping mechanism for the anxiety that may occur

due to these thoughts. The song's mood remains calm as it teaches us mindfulness, further leading to the

theme of empowerment. Overall the song comes together to have a calming effect on the mind.

Devices

The song "Here Comes a Thought" employs multiple devices in order to achieve its purpose effectively.

The song starts with comforting and euphonious words which calm and ease the listener into the song.

“Take a moment to think of just

Flexibility, love, and trust
Take a moment to think of just
Flexibility, love, and trust”
The repetition of soothing lyrics such as "You’ve got nothing" to fear and "I’m here" helps to remind the

listener of the purpose of the song and also enhances the rhythm. This repetition combats the repetitive

nature of intrusive thoughts, which can cause you to get stuck in a loop. The constant use of rhyme adds

to the flow and further helps calm the mind. The connotation of the word things that I said are suddenly

"swarming" helps to acknowledge how overwhelming and fearful these thoughts can be. In the song's

lyrics, "And, oh, I'm losing sight, I'm losing touch," sight and touch act as symbols of a connection to the

real world. This helps us to understand how destructive these thoughts are, as they cause you to get stuck
in your own world. Overall all these devices successfully help get across the song’s message and calm

any anxiety the listener may be dealing with.

Creative Component

I created these two pieces of art for a project on mental health. The tree serves as a symbol of intrusive

thoughts. Its black and deeply spread roots represent how dark and obstructive these thoughts can be.

However, the white branch reminds us that these thoughts are just thoughts in the outside world. Nobody

will judge you for having them; therefore, you do not need to burden yourself because of them.

The man on the left is severely distraught due to these thoughts, which can be seen shattering his heart.

He feels powerless as these overwhelming thoughts collapse his world. However, as the girl appears, she

reminds him that someone is always there to help. The girl also experiences similar thoughts but has

learned to practice mindfulness, which has helped her successfully overcome them. Although these

thoughts still may echo through her mind, she has accepted them as a part of her life and is at peace with

them. She hopes to help another using her own experience.

 “You've got nothing, got nothing, got nothing, got nothing to fear

I'm here, I'm here, I'm here”

Self Reflection

I chose to use a YouTube video as a method to effectively present my content, as I am already

experienced in video editing and have a passion for it. I wanted to incorporate the song into my

presentation; therefore, using it as background music further also encouraged me to make a video. I

thought using smooth transitions and illustrations would also add to the calming effect I intended to have

with my presentation. A new skill I learned was how to incorporate text as the main component of a

video. My older video edits mainly consisted of cinematics from different series and movies. Another

skill I learned that would help me to improve my video editing was how to import new fonts into the

application I use. I didn’t know how to do this before and would be stuck using the available default font.

When I found out I had the option to choose a singer, I knew I would use a song by Rebecca Sugar.

However, this challenged me because all of her songs are extremely meaningful and have helped me

through different parts of my life. I overcame this as I thought of using a song that is true to me in my

current situation. Thus, using a song about intrusive thoughts seemed appropriate. Another challenge was

writing the biography concerning her songs as she is more widely recognized for her animation. As a

suggestion for fellow students, I would recommend focusing on finishing the components before starting

to work on the media presentation. I alternated between both, and it wasn't time-efficient. Of course,

another suggestion would be to make sure they met all the requirements according to the rubric. In

creating my video, I aimed to tell a story using my creative components to achieve a smooth flow. I also

hoped my transitions and the background music would better help my components flow as a whole.