A goodbye, from a newly realized lifelong learner
It’s certainly been a saga. Sometimes life can be demanding and it can feel like we don’t have a sufficient amount of time to work on the things we need to, which is why I’ve decided to move on from my role as a blogger. Over the last year and a half, I’ve learned more from the experience of blogging than I have from any individual class, which is why I wanted to dedicate my final post to the value I’ve found in the decision to say yes to writing for Where Creativity Works.
Writing for the blog has carried many benefits with it, including the opportunity to learn how set aside dedicated time for something each week, a habit I’ve noticed I forget at an increasing rate. Even though it’s another “thing” to do, the amount of time each week that I would research and write about topics that interested me (On-Campus Art news wasn’t exactly popping during the lockdown) became indispensable in a life where all my time was being delegated to school and work. The mini-victory of publishing something that I enjoyed writing and reading in its final form was always helpful during the times I felt less creative or engaged with life and always gave me a sense of satisfaction when I completed a post. In times that I’ve felt creatively blocked, I’ve noticed that the process of coming up with and executing a blog post is a big help… the simple act of answering their question of “What will I write this week” Is a huge creative undertaking in itself.
Because of blogging, I’ve learned about everything from what was found in King Tut’s tomb to interesting factoids about Andy Warhol. I’ve deepened my understanding of foreign cultures and political issues through arts historical impact. I’ve learned the powerful simplicity in the value of saying yes to opportunities and trying new things.
And all of this amidst the greatest public health crisis in over a century in a world that is seems to be crumbling from its edges. Sometimes, the idea of now is all there is to hang on to, even if now is just deep-diving articles, essays and Wikipedia pages about stuff and writing it down for (hopefully) someone to read on the internet. Maybe the power of living in the now of reading/writing about ancient tombs will lead to a future now where I will find myself excavating one myself! There is something special for me about finding topics to write about, it’s a creativity in itself that has developed into an open-mindedness and general curiosity about the world and ALL of the infinite amount of topics that inhabit it. Sometimes I wish I could live my life with enough time to write about them all, but for now I’ll just stick to “when life allows me to.” Maxwell, singing off.
Featured image is an old charcoal self portrait on newsprint
