Courage is Knowing What Not to Fear

               This exercise was particularly hard for me. The reason for this I believe is because it made me actually think and reflect upon my fears. To me, fear is an extremely weak emotion, but I would be a liar to say that I had no fears. When asked about our fears, most of us would say death. I feel as if this is the most ignorant response ever. We all die. That is our one destiny that is certain. It is unavoidable. Still, most think that it is the one thing that they are most afraid of for the simple fact that we are unaware of what comes next. But this exercise involves a different type of fear. Twyla Tharp, the author or the book The Creative Habit asks about our fears concerning our creative habits and endeavors.

               After a grueling thought process, I came up with one outstanding fear that I have during my creative process. I don’t have any good ideas. The ideas you have might be the most important part of whatever creative piece you are creating; be it an essay, a dance, a song, or whatever. Just because you cannot think of a brilliant idea right away does not mean one will not come to you in time. Take a break, go for a walk, listen to music; all these things are good ways to give your break a break so it can come up with better ideas later.

                I have never been a very creative person and this has disheartened me throughout the years. I was never any good at art or in writing essays. Numbers have always been my thing. To me, they are easy, they just come to me. But I have been working at becoming a better creative thinker so that I will get further in life and broaden my horizons in other aspects.

    As far as my fears go, I won’t let them hold me back.

Safari 8

Coming into school, my major was not what I had intended it to be. I asked around about how to change it, and got many different answers. Some students told me that I could go online and do it, but I was not certain that this was true. When the majors expo came around, I went to the booth of the major I wanted to switch to and asked the woman there what I should do. She was nice enough to tell me that I had to go to my department’s office. Every time I went by the office, it was closed. Taking the initiative, I emailed my departments head, Dr. Bloch, to ask him for help. He informed me that the Sociology department does not have a secretary right now which is why it has been closed. He also helped me through the process of switching my major, and was very accommodating to my schedule. I got my advisors email from him and started emailing her about meetings as well. Those I have met so far seem extremely nice, so I look forward to working with them further.

Finding My Own Creative Habit

So far in my reading of Twyla Tharp’s book I am actually enjoying it. She writes in a way to keep me entertain and interested, while still giving me useful information pertaining to my life. The examples she gives in her writing help me understand her points more clearly and they give me a new insight on some things I may not know. Although at times, she can go a little far with her examples. She uses an abundant amount of them which can be a little excessive.

                I like when she talks about her career as a dancer because that is something I can relate to. I was a dancer for mine years of my life so one of my favorite parts of the reading is when she tells her dance stories.

                This book really makes you think about your everyday life and question your daily routines and schedule. I realized reading her daily routine that I do not have one myself. I usually just got with what goes on during my day to help me plan out what I do. Thus has worked out for me thus far in my life, but I have realized that is isn't necessarily the best decision.

                Throughout the book Tharp includes exercises for her readers to do in order for them to better themselves. I enjoy these a lot because they are fun to look at and they expand your knowledge and perspective of things. I can appreciate the book so far, and look forward to continue to read it.

Buckle Down, Do Your Work

Looking at my midterm grades for this semester, I cannot say I am neither proud nor disappointed in myself. Yes, of course I could always do better, but I am passing every class and I can count that as a success for my first semester in college. As the rest of the semester comes upon us, of course I am going to try and get my grades up, but I cannot change the grades I already have, so there really is no point in getting mad about them, or beating myself up over it. In order to keep my good grades up, I plan on keeping the study habits I currently have for those classes. As for my bad grades, the classes I am doing poorly in are subjects I am not necessarily good at; therefore I need to push myself harder to improve my grade. I can try a different study habit, go to the professors’ office hours, or even get a tutor. Basically, I just need to buckle down, stop procrastinating, and make myself try a hell of a lot harder than I currently am. My grades definitely reflect the amount of time I have been putting into my work, which shows how hard I am trying. When I actually calculate out my GPA, it is a lot less than I would hope for it to be. This just shows me that for the duration of the rest of the semester, I really need to start doing my work at the higher level of standards that I know I can be at. At the end of the day, I am not going to be too distraught about my grades, but in the back of my mind I know that I can and NEED to do better from now on.

The Southern Whales

While walking around campus, there are many pieces of artwork to survey. There is one particular sculpture that lies out in front of the Engleman that particularly intrigued me. I am not sure who the artist is or what the title of the piece is because the sculpture is outside with no information near it. Because I was so fascinated by this piece, I decided to find more information about it. The piece is titled “H2O: Liquid Zone” and it was designed by Mikyoung Kim. Kim is an award winning architect and also works at the Rhode Island School of Design. He has truly inspired me because I am amazed and actually kind of jealous of the amount of talent he possesses. The structure as a whole is 81 feet long, 15 feet tall, and 6 & ½ feet wide.

                I am not really an art critic, so I’m not sure what to like or not like about the piece, but one thing I do like is how different it is. I have never seen a sculpture like this, which is why it interested me so much. There is nothing really I dislike about this piece. My interpretation of it, from the information that I looked up, is of whales majestically swimming. The pieces of metal are shaped in a way so that they catch the rainfall so it trickles down different channels.

                Walking to and from class, I enjoy seeing this sculpture because it adds a piece of culture to my day. Before I researched this piece or art, I found it interesting to think about the different ideas this sculpture could represent. At first glance, I thought this piece represented leaves blowing in the wind. I’m glad I looked it up though, so I could become educated on what the meaning of the sculpture actually is. In this society not a lot of people appreciate the artwork that surrounds us so I’m grateful that I get to experience this piece every day. 

Safari 7

Number 19 on our campus safari list is about the Majors Expo that was on October 10^th in the Student Center. I attended this and found it extremely helpful. I am currently in a major I don’t plan on staying in, so this event informed me on how to change that. All the people involved were very helpful and inviting. The major I am interested in is Sociology so I went to that table and spoke to the woman there. She gave me the information I needed on changing my major and recommended what to do about transferring into that department. Fairs like these that Southern provides are helpful to me, and I plan on taking advantage of all the information they provide. 

Don't Blink

                As this semester begins to come to a close, I realize just how quickly everything goes by in college. Within the blink of an eye, your life speeds by. My advice to you, DON’T BLINK. Not literally of course, but really think about it. Stop and smell the roses, don’t take everything for granted, live your life.

                Looking back at my first semester here at Southern, I really did enjoy my time here.  I am happy with the choices and friends I made, and also the work I did. While trying to see if I met the goals I set for myself this semester, something occurred to me. I don’t care.  It may seem like an awful thing to say, but it’s the truth. I really don’t care about the goals I set for myself or the work I’ve done, which explains why maybe they didn’t get acted upon. From now on, the one goal that I will act on is to start caring. No one is here to push me to do my assignments. No one cares if I fail out. I need to start caring about my work so I can get somewhere in life. Other than my lack of concern for my academic grades, I feel as if this semester I have succeeded in other ways. I made new friends, put myself out there, and reevaluated some of my thought processes. Of course with these successes come setbacks as well. Procrastination, ADHD, bad choices, and laziness are all included. The important thing is to find a way to cope with all these diversions in order to stay on my path to success.

                For the semesters to come, it is important that I keep up with my work, but it is also equally important to me that I enjoy and live my life. Schoolwork will always be there, but you’re only young once, and tomorrow is promised to no one. You need to live it up. My advice to you? Be smart, make choices that will benefit your life, and in the words of Kenny Chesney, “Years go faster than you think, so don’t blink.”