The Jump Off

I came to college full of excitement and enthusiasm for the new year to begin. A completely fresh start and no parents, what more could I ask for? Well after the initial shock set in I realized this wouldn't be a walk in the park. Everyone says college is so hard and I believed them of course but I wasn't prepared for this at all. In a way I don’t think anything could have prepared me for this. My sister went to college in California when I was 8 but she never told me much about what to expect. She warned me of dangers and my mother emphasized the importance of my studies but in the end there was nothing they could do.  It was all up to me to take my education into my own hands and I didn't do as well as I planned. I’m just getting by in some cases where I should be excelling, story of my life. But what they don’t tell you about college is reinvention is right around the corner. A month from now I’ll be starting all new classes with a fresh slate and a better grasp on the difficulty of college and the effort needed to succeed. A new year is just what I need so just like the other 6 billion people in the world who hope for a better year than the last I’m going to set out a list of my new year’s resolutions. Not only so I can reach my potential but also so I can get what I’m paying for here at southern.

First I want to buckle down and set rules for myself. Discipline is not a word I am familiar with so maybe adding that to my vocabulary will let me become a better person in all aspects of my life. I've never been one for studying but I know it’s a tool I need to start utilizing if I want to actually graduate. In Twyla Tharp’s book we talked about a box and where you should start while organizing your ideas. Well doing my homework at one in the morning the night before it due not only reduces the quality of my box but limits what I’ll have at my disposal to put inside of the box.

For my second resolution I need to dig deep and find the will to say no. No to going out every night, no to spending money on frivolous things, no to staying up all night, no to skipping class, no to those people whose approval I seek so dearly, people who could potentially drag me down with their extracurricular that are less than savory.  I could go on for days about those people but dwelling in the negative side of my life is something I would also like to say no to.

On the other side of saying no I’d like to start being a friend a friend would like to have. Yes studies are important and definitely my number one here at southern, but I can’t neglect the people who got me here. The friends who support me and my family are the people I need to start saying yes, and more importantly “thank you”, to.

Now this one might see silly but I couldn't be more serious. I need to learn how to spell. If I didn't have an iPhone my friends wouldn't even be able to read what I text them. For example, deffinatly, yes that is seriously how I spell definitely. It took me three tries to even have the correct word show up in the spell check. As embarrassing as it is I need to take care of the little things.

I wish I did this earlier but regret is a useless emotion so all I can do is learn from my mistakes and move forward with a fresh perspective on what this whole “college” thing is about.  

Final Assignment Reflection

Given many questions to answer I took a while to think about how I would organize these ideas without sounding choppy and dry. I could easily write pages answering the questions but as we were told not to do that I'm going to sit it out as a past present and future reflection. I'm worried that it might still sound too disjointed so I know I want to avoid that. not quite sure how I'll do that yet. I'm the kind of person that has to just jump in so I've decided to simply start writing it piece by piece and then revise it a few times. another concern is that I'll sound like I'm making excuses in the beginning. I planned on citing my high school education as a reason for my lazy nature but I don't want to fall into a pit of blaming things for my own faults. I've always hated people who make excuses and I don't want to be portrayed as a spoiled brat who is just complaining about a lacking educational system. In some ways I do blame them but I don't want to use that as a crutch. I want to write about the current semester and how I wish I did better but while staying away from the term "regret". I don't believe in regret and a lot of this class taught me about not regretting mistakes but learning from them as best I can. Learning is the point of all of this after all. I want to also touch on my plans for the future. I am staying for next semester and having learned the ropes of southern I now have a lot more resources to utilize  I'll touch on my experiences at the library and disability services center and how they assuaged my worry. Over all my biggest worry is the flow of the entire writing but that's a bridge I dont want to worry about crossing just yet.

video project #3

I finally did a video. I'm quit impressed with myself. I do regret not doing the other projects because now I see how easy it is. I wish I did the other ones so I would have more experience and know how to make a better video by now. I sort of hindered myself on this one because I didn't let myself get to my highest potential. I'm not disappointed by any means just sad that I could have done so much better with experience and that way my grade wouldn't be where it is. Instead of using problems you can solve easily I asked my friends what their real problems were that had solutions that were usually self remedied. most of the time the answer was to adapt. adapting is something no one told me I had to do when I got here. They told me how to do my laundry and things like that but no one said I just had to buckle down and get over it when in most cases that's the only answer.


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=k8ilgDXvQNg&feature=youtu.be

Creativity Overview

Twyla Tharp has a lot of ideas about creativity and suggestions about how to follow these ideas. Much of her book is examples of artists who taught her their methods whether directly or otherwise influenced her. Her ideas come from a fast pace approach the creativity in which one doesn't simply sit down and be creative but learns ways to harness their creativity. Maybe not applicable for all, her teachings seem geared towards adults in a field in which creativity is key. She, for instance, is a choreographer so creativity is her foundation. She asks us to step outside of the box and embrace our mistakes that society would otherwise tell us were failures. She has a positive outlook on the process and would seem to wish it utilized more in today's world. She knows the importance of a creative mind in any profession because without creativity we have nothing new or fresh to work with and we become sort of stuck in our old ways. We see creativity as something completely new but there is no such thing because as she says in the book everything comes from something else, there is no original thought. Creativity is simply the process of taking pieces of what we have and gluing them together in a different way. If we put more emphasis on individuality in the younger years of schooling perhaps that would be a conductor for teaching creativity. Children want so badly to be a mold of something they see or hear about because that's the way society is today, everyone fits into a mold. By teaching from a young age and beyond that you can be anything you want to be, we would feel more at ease with our creativity and fear less the rejection of others that may hold us back from overstepping our boundaries into something magnificent.

Great Horned Owl

I chose a more literal piece of artwork and I see it as a good fit given the video project for this week. The Lyman center is one of the great parts about southern that gives many opportunities for students to see shows and performances and that where I found this. The sculpture is called "Great Horned Owl" and I've never seen a horned owl before so why not? I assume from the plaque that Fred Apuzzo is the artist and it was donated in 1986. I believe the point of this piece is to advocate for the integrity of the school. It exemplifies the spirit of Southern Connecticut and what people get out of being here. It makes southern be seen as more than just a state school that hands out four year degrees like the stereotype suggests. I don't dislike the sculpture if you want my honest opinion. I wouldn't put it in my home but I wouldn't smash it on peoples driveways during Halloween either, I'm neutral on the subject. I think the plaque is more inspirational than anything. it uses the word enrichmnt and it makes me think of what I'm doing here. I'm trying to enritch myself and although I'm not sure is Fred Apuzo is the degigner or not, assuming he is, I think its pretty cool that he could come from a state school with such a talent. It is a very fine piece of art work and it must be pretty good for our school to choose to put it up in the center of the lyman building. Everyone goes there at some point so everyone sees that front and center. I cant judge art like that but from my nieve eye I see an acomplished piece of artwork worthy of its position

A Night on the Town

I didn't do anything fun on campus this week, unless you count eating all the marshmallows from the lucky charms at Conn, which I do. Besides destroying the cereal I went to a show that was absolutely the peek of my month. New haven is an amazing place for a girl like me. Music is my heart and soul quite literally and the reason I came to southern is for the amazing nightlife around the area. For instance there's a little club down the street called toads place, maybe you've heard of it. It entertains the masses with every genre of music having graced its puke stained steps. This past week a few of my friends and I went to see a band called '"The White Panda" which consists of two men I'm assuming of Chinese decent who wear masks and throw down the sickest beats over popular main stream songs you hear on the radio. They aren't very well known but my friends and I have been fans for years. It's a show worth your $30 ($20 with a southern I.D.). I believe the best feeling in the world is when you stand in front of a speaker and feel the vibrations throughout your body, even better when you know every word of every song. I was apprehensive about going considering I had a midterm the next day but I'm so glad I went. I see all my friends ripping their hair out over these exams for one reason or another and it's just depressing. Getting away for the night was more than refreshing for all of us. It's easy to get stuck here and become anxious and depressed over all the new pressures college presents so getting out and exploring new having is something I recommend for everyone. It's not this big bad city that everyone makes it out to be. the occasional homeless person looking for change and car drivers who don't yet understand the function of red lights is about as bad as it gets as long as you're not trooping around the slums alone. A bus pass and some bravery is all you need and the town is your oyster.

A Turning Point

Looking back on the previous half of this term I don't really see anything to be proud of. I see my grades on all the papers tests and quizzes I've done and all I see is average. There's nothing wrong with average its just so ordinary. I spent a lot of high school being average and I got bored so I decided to step it up and become really good at something, I chose music. I was in all the plays I was president of choir and my select ensemble, the whole nine yards. I traveled all over the country we went to Disney World twice, I really excelled. In order to continue I had to keep my grades up, I believe it was a 3.0 or better, so I did. I worked really hard and it felt good accomplishing something and being rewarded. Anyways, this term I haven't been doing so hot and I feel like the sudden lack of music in my life is the reason. I have no drive. I have no reason to take agency because I'm not being rewarded so I don't see the point of working hard. For some the satisfaction of seeing a good grade is enough but not for me, that just doesn't get me going like it should. Of course i want my parents to be proud but they love me so much I couldn't disappoint them if I tried. I feel disappointed in myself because I didn't study as much as I should, or at all for that matter. I'm glad I can look back and feel this way though, because it gives me the opportunity to turn it around. This half of the term will be better, it has to be. I have no choice at this point but to find a different creative outlet and get things done. I've started to utilize the library, you wouldn't believe what some peace and quiet does for my homework. I'm also thinking of getting a tutor. I need to step up my game without a doubt and with a new half of the term beginning this is the perfect opportunity to turn everything around and change for the better.