I found myself on Saturday morning wondering why I had voluntarily decided to sacrifice a few additional hours of sleep on the weekend to instead visit an art museum. Begrudgingly, I walked up to the Johnson with my peers and was instead astonished by the cultural experience I was immersed in. As we were directed to observe certain art pieces, I quickly understood that there are a multitude of angles from which to approach each artifact, and the interpretation is never as simple as one might believe. However, the proper way to analyze and study an art piece is through application of historical context and modern understanding of certain art forms. I definitely gained much from this trip outside of simply knowing how to more accurately observe art from different historical time periods, as it was beneficial to try and sympathize with the creator of each piece, through attempts to imagine his motive and intention at the time of its creation. Furthermore, I enjoyed how studying art facilitates an enhanced understanding of human nature and our historical evolution, which in turn allows us to understand each other in the context of the modern world and its variable components.
Author Archives: jvl44
Behind The Scenes
Today I had a very unique opportunity to discuss the intersection between college administration and student life with VP Lombardi, allowing me to further understand the influence of faculty and staff on campus culture. Interestingly enough, it seems to be a concern that there is a lack of student input in reference to established rules employed by the administration. Particularly in light of certain tragic events that have occurred recently within greek life and unordained social culture, it seems to be an ever more prudent concern of the university as a whole. Suggested throughout this discussion, I concur that it would be beneficial to create an administrative foundation of guidelines ensuring student safety upon which to build and advance independently driven social life. As VP Lombardi referenced, college administrators were initially referred to as substitutions for parents of attending students. Being so, it is important to sustain a functioning interface between the governing body of an institution and the students who dictate the internal culture. Also, it is interesting to consider the affiliation of greek societies to the university and how they play such a large part in the dynamics despite being sponsored and led solely by the students. Overall, it is crucial to integrate various sectors of the college community to cultivate a safe and healthy social and academic environment where students can discover and pursue their passion and sense of self.
The American Division
I was very interested in the Rose Cafe event I attended regarding polarization in U.S democracy. I feel as if it is easy for the general assumption about democracy to be that of equivocal fairness and collaboration. However, there are evident trends in the history of political stratification that prove otherwise. Particularly, based upon assessments made in the past, both Republicans and Democrats alike believe that the other “side” is fairly incompetent and even perhaps lazy (the perception widely held by Republicans against Democrats). Additionally, I was certainly surprised to learn about some of the statistics that were presented at this talk, especially those relating to political and racial differences. Specifically, I had not known that the liberal/democratic vote has not been largely constituted of whites in many years. Furthermore, it was also interesting to study the wide range of political views encompassed by radical and liberal thought, as there is a much more versatile spectrum than just the separation between Republican and Democratic ideology.
pumpkin patch!!
Last week I enjoyed the experience of painting and carving pumpkins in the rose event. Seemingly a simple and common holiday activity, I uncovered many joys throughout the process, and recognized that it is important to connect with others through shared art. For example, my roommate and I had a great time coming up with creative designs to paint on our pumpkins, and sincerely enjoyed the experience we shared. The most significant aspect I took from this activity was certainly that it is important to have a creative outlet to occasionally resort to in order to relieve stress, something I find is really lacking in my everyday life. I was thus inspired by this event to pursue more activities which exercise my creative thought and imagination often!
Starry Night
As an Earth and Atmospheric Science major, I was so excited to participate in the stargazing event on Friday, and I’m very glad I did! Especially being that I grew up in a suburban town with little opportunity to observe nature, I really appreciated seeing Saturn through the telescope, as I think that our solar system and the surrounding universe is so interesting and full of intriguing unknowns. It was also gratifying to see the iconic rings around the planet through the telescope. Furthermore, we then ventured outside of the observatory and watched the stars in the sky, which was such a peaceful and unifying experience. The main reason I decided to pursue a major in Earth Science is to attain the sense of connection with nature and others around me as I did while stargazing. There is something so special about appreciating the world we all live in that makes humanity feel so cohesive and unified, and I am so thankful that our house offered this activity!
Psychotic or Intelligent?
A compelling film with intertwined themes of emotional and mental origin, Homebound delivers an intense cinematic experience laden with mystery and questionable characters. I found the plot extremely interesting, as the audience is spooked by the unexplained hauntings at the childhood home the main character is residing at for a period of time as punishment for her misdeeds. Furthermore, the film is structured as to place the logical explanation for these happenings on the suspicious and angry neighbor, an assumption that the leading female, Kylie, investigates further. However, her psychiatrist adamantly denies her suspicions, dismissing her concerns as evidence of her disrupted and sickened mental state. Although I did believe Kylie, I concluded that the psychiatrist had clear good intentions and was just an innocent yet arrogant man. As the film progresses, it becomes increasingly evident that the neighbor is not actually responsible, and instead the blame is placed upon a man who has been somehow living in their walls for years. Being that Kylie’s mother had purchased the house despite it having amassed various charged of murder throughout the years, I had assumed that this mysterious man had performed all these crimes. As an audience member, I now realize I was making many preconceived notions about certain characters based merely on the fact that they appeared untraditional, such as the man hiding in the house, and thus it was easy to place the blame for these heinous crimes on them. However, this unknown man actually had been sympathizing with Kylie her entire childhood, and had observed her difficult dynamic with her mother, dictating it in pictures he had crafted out of emotional regard for his host family. Furthermore, I was utterly surprised to discover that the culprit was the psychiatrist, who had seemingly been attempting to help Kylie throughout this process. Additionally, in hindsight, it is significant that his career serves to understand the workings of the human brain, while he actually used this knowledge to manipulate those around him. As I’ve certainly learned through the plot of this film, preconceived notions are dangerous yet powerful, and should be circumvented as much as possible
Lights, Camera, Action!
This past week I participated in the professional headshot event, and was excited to finally get an official picture I could potentially use in the future. Particularly, I definitely learned from this experience that it is crucial to present oneself in the best light possible when career searching, and headshots certainly contribute to that appearance. As such, I think the greatest benefit I derived from this event was the correct method of creating a professional resume, as a headshot contributes largely to that appearance. Additionally, it is typically difficult and costly to get a headshot done, so I am extremely grateful for this opportunity to do so. I also had been coming directly from an interview in business casual attire, so it worked out well! In fact, I also was glad to learn about professional wear by observing the clothes everyone wore to the headshot event. Overall, I definitely gained a lot of knowledge from this experience!
“it’s not me, it’s not always, it’s not everything”
As indicated in the title of my blog, I found the UThrive book talk to be extremely insightful and rewarding, both academically and emotionally. Primarily, we discussed various aspects of our daily lives that may benefit from further introspection, including but not limited to: character strengths, decision-making and satisfaction, willpower and failure, dealing with disappointment, and healthy relationship building. Overall, it appears as if the driving factor in the construction of a successful mindset with which one can conquer his or her environment is the adoption of a positive, healthy mindset. Priming yourself with a wave of positivity before approaching any potential task or conquest does facilitate more success. Additionally, I was intrigued by our discussion of anxiety and overly ambitious goals getting in the way of success, as it appears as if small changes more effectively construct habits, and it is more beneficial to calmly endeavor to achieve goals. Oftentimes, I find myself generalizing in the context of my difficulties, as if one obstacle indicates my general inability to accomplish a task. However, I learned it is important to recognize and amend personal insufficiencies while seeking to hone in on additional abilities. Personally, I believe I often pursue my intentions in a stressed and overburdened mindset, and it was refreshing to hear that a healthier approach is actually proven to be more effective at rendering success. Thus, I am encouraged to embrace difficulties in a hopeful manner in the future, in order to build upon my strengths and establish new ones.