It's entitled "Eight Principles for Having Fun" (or something like that...) but I think it just as easily could be... eight principles for living well, eight principles for designing with integrity.
It was shared with me and I thought I'd share it with you, not only do I appreciate what is being said, but I like how they've said it.
http://www.eightprinciples.com/
28 February 2010
20 February 2010
AIGI/Sheppard fairey
If you know who Shepard Fairey is, or would like to find more out...look em' up, he's got a few works of course you will know.
his show will be up awhile at the Cicinnati Contemporary Art Center. To find more info....
http://contemporaryartscenter.org/ShepardFairey
His work will be up Feb 20th-Aug 27th
p.s.
Shep knows how to own a dancefloor IN A MUSEUM
Ryan, Megan, and I had a blast!...all our welcome to ride along next big thing
19 February 2010
Art & Copy
Hey guys! Chitwood and I went to a CSCA event & watched a preview for this movie that will be playing at Studio 35 February 27th & 28th at 4:30 PM. I HONESTLY can't think of anything more perfect for us all to do. Not to mention they serve beer & tickets are $5.50.
Here's the trailer:
.
"Creative people rise up! They can't do shit unless we make ads for them! WE should be in charge!"
I'm definitely going to be there so let me know who else is in!
Here's the trailer:
.
"Creative people rise up! They can't do shit unless we make ads for them! WE should be in charge!"
I'm definitely going to be there so let me know who else is in!
15 February 2010
14 February 2010
Human Progress
On Thursday night I started to work on the graphic for our group's poster. I created an illustration showing a general scene of people standing in a line to accompany the text, and then 2 steps of action to be put at the bottom of the poster:
Please let me know what you think, there is plenty of room to improve on this design!
Originally, I saw it as having three "steps in the illustration, but upon making the second and thinking of what to make for the third, I relized that the simplicity of there only being 2 steps made the poster even more effective, almost as to say "it's that simple, you turn around(1) and meet someone(2)." Other ideas for the graphic include the man who turned around facing the man behind him and producing an empty speech bubble, rather than the two hands about to form a handshake.
What do you think?
http://www.refresheverything.com/index
Heard about this on the radio and wondered if it is anything that would help our projects.. to get funding for projects like ours is a huge advantage! I don't know if it is something that would help or even work or not but thought I would throw the idea out to the class!
13 February 2010
OUR Voice....OUR Story
As my group has continuosly stated thus far, our group has decided to focus on financial aid issues that many student face here in the ODU community. While thinking about our group project I decided that I would share my story with you all as it relates to showing why this is such an important topic.....
In the Fall of 2008, I decided to get the "full college experience" and live on campus. Interesting, I must say. Not to mention that I was paying about $600.00 a month out of my own pocket because I apparently did not have enough finanical aid to cover all my expenses. Ok, so I worked full-time at Giant Eagle at the time and I also had to have another job as a paid intern to cover everything I needed as a college student and just as a person period. So, tuition out of my pocket did not cover my cell phone bill, car insurance, gas, and supposedly it covers food but the cafeteria closes at like 7:00pm and; therefore, getting off of work every night at 10:30pm was not the most helpful but I had no other choice.
In the meantime, while trying to be a good student and receive good grades, I was very depressed. I was not happy and every event on campus I could not attend because it was in the middle of the day when I had to work. I often went to class tired, and unattentive. I realized that if I did not change something then I would put myself at risk for "taking a break" from school. My banking account often became negative because the payment plan they had me on would never give me a break. I went to the business office several times to explain my situation but no one showed mercy.....wonder why...could it be because they all have their degrees already?
It is good to hear that other students struggle with this and that many are willing to gather up and make a change. My parents can not afford to pay for my college education but their income still reflects on FASFA as well, which this part of the system also needs to be reformed (but that would be much more Nationally).
It is not a down talk on ODU....instead it is a challenge. If we are to truly be an institution that "contemplates on truth".....then it starts with OUR voices.....OUR stories....
--Here is my voice...Here is my story....
Britt.
Paying for College
My group is working on better financial aid assistance to help pay for college. We realized that everyone has a difficult time paying their way through college. Either they are worried during their college years or after when they are trying to figure out how to pay off the loans that don't go away.
We have a financial aid office on campus but our group agreed that those who work in the office have made our experience a unpleasing one. So, the point is to first get a consensus on how students are paying for their tuition and how worried they are about it. Once we can figure that out we can figure out what kind of help the students might need. Maybe they need to know where to go for some more help than just FAFSA because we all know that FAFSA is not as helpful as it supposed to be.
I hate to say it but the one thing that is supposed to help determine students financial need for school does not help at all. On paper a student is looked at their parents income even if they are not receiving any help from their parents. My parents were not able to afford to help me with my tuition but yet I had to put their income in for aid when it should be based on my income because I was the one struggling with paying my own way.
So, the point of our project is to help students out in the sense of acting as an extra person to help them figure out how they will pay for schooling. So, we want students to know they are not alone.
We have a financial aid office on campus but our group agreed that those who work in the office have made our experience a unpleasing one. So, the point is to first get a consensus on how students are paying for their tuition and how worried they are about it. Once we can figure that out we can figure out what kind of help the students might need. Maybe they need to know where to go for some more help than just FAFSA because we all know that FAFSA is not as helpful as it supposed to be.
I hate to say it but the one thing that is supposed to help determine students financial need for school does not help at all. On paper a student is looked at their parents income even if they are not receiving any help from their parents. My parents were not able to afford to help me with my tuition but yet I had to put their income in for aid when it should be based on my income because I was the one struggling with paying my own way.
So, the point of our project is to help students out in the sense of acting as an extra person to help them figure out how they will pay for schooling. So, we want students to know they are not alone.
I'm troubled...
So I went home to the gorgeous city of Akron, Ohio for the weekend. My brother is in town to visit family in celebration of his birthday from Texas. Here is my attempt to try and sum him up: 23 (going on 24) years old, tall, white, male, graduated from a liberal arts college in 2008 studying English and Creative Writing, now works for TD Ameritrade, voted Most Pessimistic in his High School Yearbook, is ALWAYS right, never listens to any one's opinion, and not an ounce of compassion in his body.
I can't understand how he graduated with an English degree and still doesn't seem grasp some of the concepts I do. So you guys can understand a bit, we were talking about Haiti, and he says, "I don't understand, if there was an earthquake in America, no Haitians would be here helping. Its all bull (yadda, yadda, yadda)."
I just can't seem to understand how my own blood could say such a thing. I've obviously learned to ignore him over the years, but what if instead of the job he has now, he were ghost writing for politicians? With his degree, he could very well do so. What is going on in his brain that produces such... ignorance? Hate?
How do we touch people, who seem untouchable? Unchangeable. Is it possible? I feel like his problem is not seeing people as people something that Theresa says often (which is quite beautiful by the way).
How do we design to change my brother?
Can we?
I can't understand how he graduated with an English degree and still doesn't seem grasp some of the concepts I do. So you guys can understand a bit, we were talking about Haiti, and he says, "I don't understand, if there was an earthquake in America, no Haitians would be here helping. Its all bull (yadda, yadda, yadda)."
I just can't seem to understand how my own blood could say such a thing. I've obviously learned to ignore him over the years, but what if instead of the job he has now, he were ghost writing for politicians? With his degree, he could very well do so. What is going on in his brain that produces such... ignorance? Hate?
How do we touch people, who seem untouchable? Unchangeable. Is it possible? I feel like his problem is not seeing people as people something that Theresa says often (which is quite beautiful by the way).
How do we design to change my brother?
Can we?
Student financial aid... I think Sheena summed up a lot of feelings of irritation a post or so below this. I feel irritated as well; I feel that with the amount we are paying currently, we should really be getting more or even a better quality of what we are getting now.
As a design major, we are currently working on outdated, slow, buggy computers that can't even handle programs that I would really be interested in getting into. I feel like I have not even learned as much as I should have as a senior, and my second year at ODU. This is mostly because of outdated computers, I feel that I will end up elsewhere after graduating to pick up other programs that the school cannot offer with the current technology.
Anyway I went off with a slight rant that I had to force myself to stop adding onto... I will probably discuss more during class.
What I feel about our project? I feel that it is something that needs to be brought up, that if students talk about this more, that they will be able to realize what they are really paying for. Students should really be paying attention to their current financial aid, and maybe somewhere there will be some kind of a reform... A reform where loans won't be so outrageous, that interest rates won't be so high, and maybe the cost of education will be more affordable because there are people right now struggling -- and there are a lot of people struggling -- to even be in college, only to have to struggle with debt later. I know I will be one of those people, I do know I have loans currently ticking per month, and another pile of them waiting to start ticking, and its something very stressful.
I hope our project does get somewhere, even if it starts off as a small whispering voice that will reach out to students.
As a design major, we are currently working on outdated, slow, buggy computers that can't even handle programs that I would really be interested in getting into. I feel like I have not even learned as much as I should have as a senior, and my second year at ODU. This is mostly because of outdated computers, I feel that I will end up elsewhere after graduating to pick up other programs that the school cannot offer with the current technology.
Anyway I went off with a slight rant that I had to force myself to stop adding onto... I will probably discuss more during class.
What I feel about our project? I feel that it is something that needs to be brought up, that if students talk about this more, that they will be able to realize what they are really paying for. Students should really be paying attention to their current financial aid, and maybe somewhere there will be some kind of a reform... A reform where loans won't be so outrageous, that interest rates won't be so high, and maybe the cost of education will be more affordable because there are people right now struggling -- and there are a lot of people struggling -- to even be in college, only to have to struggle with debt later. I know I will be one of those people, I do know I have loans currently ticking per month, and another pile of them waiting to start ticking, and its something very stressful.
I hope our project does get somewhere, even if it starts off as a small whispering voice that will reach out to students.
For our current project, my group is focusing on financial aid issues that many student face here at ODU. Problems and issues concerning financial aid for higher education is something a lot of students here face, and something that a lot of other students at other colleges and universities all over the country face. Here is a sort of outline of what our group is focussing on:
What we need: Financial Aid Reform
Where we need it: ODU
Why we need it: Financial Aid for higher education is something that weighs on the minds of the majority of our students. Retention is down while tuition is up
How we are going to get it: Letting students know that their peers are facing the same financial problems that they are through a poster campaign, and petitions aimed at the financial aid office and policies. Our goal is to create an organization that will act as a peaceful and rational liaison between the student body and the University.
My group has decided to create and distribute a survey here on campus to get a better feel for how the vast majority of students at ODU feel about financial aid. Some of our questions will include:
1. On a scale of 1-10 (1being not worried and 10 being always worried) How much do you worry about being able to pay your college tuition? Either during your college education or after you have graduated.
2. How do you pay for your college tuition at present? (eg. Loans, Grants, Parents, yourself)
3. Have you ever talked to anyone in the ODU Financial Aid office? If yes how was your experience
4. Do you have an off campus job to help pay for tuition?
5. Do you have an on campus job to help pay for tuition?
What we need: Financial Aid Reform
Where we need it: ODU
Why we need it: Financial Aid for higher education is something that weighs on the minds of the majority of our students. Retention is down while tuition is up
How we are going to get it: Letting students know that their peers are facing the same financial problems that they are through a poster campaign, and petitions aimed at the financial aid office and policies. Our goal is to create an organization that will act as a peaceful and rational liaison between the student body and the University.
My group has decided to create and distribute a survey here on campus to get a better feel for how the vast majority of students at ODU feel about financial aid. Some of our questions will include:
1. On a scale of 1-10 (1being not worried and 10 being always worried) How much do you worry about being able to pay your college tuition? Either during your college education or after you have graduated.
2. How do you pay for your college tuition at present? (eg. Loans, Grants, Parents, yourself)
3. Have you ever talked to anyone in the ODU Financial Aid office? If yes how was your experience
4. Do you have an off campus job to help pay for tuition?
5. Do you have an on campus job to help pay for tuition?
Financial Aid Reform
This week as my group and I have been working on ideas to move our project concerning financial aid reform forward, I can't help but be severely irritated about the topic overall...
**P.S. Group we need to find actual statistics about how much students are paying these days at private and public universities and compare those to the last few years.**
So many times this week I have wondered, WHERE IS MY MONEY GOING??? As all of you know I am on my umpteenth degree here at ODU so I have certainly been around and paid my fair share of tuition. Not to mention my first degree in photography cost A LOT of money for equipment alone. But what boggles my mind, is that after graduating from a four year program I came out without a single loan and my tution paid in full. And here at ODU I cannot take more than part-time hours because I simply cannot afford tuition.
.... here is where I get irritated...
At OU we had state-of-the-art facilities filled with top of the line Apple Computers, huge Epson printers, 2 extremely large studios, and enormous dark room , 2 computer rooms, and tons of lighting and camera equipment we could check out to use.
At ODU we have a leaking gallery, worthess computers, and limited supplies. WHERE IS MY MONEY GOING?
I know I am not the only one who feels this way, students and professors alike are fed up. I am glad we are taking a stand and finding a way to say outloud what everyone else is thinking.
**P.S. Group we need to find actual statistics about how much students are paying these days at private and public universities and compare those to the last few years.**
So many times this week I have wondered, WHERE IS MY MONEY GOING??? As all of you know I am on my umpteenth degree here at ODU so I have certainly been around and paid my fair share of tuition. Not to mention my first degree in photography cost A LOT of money for equipment alone. But what boggles my mind, is that after graduating from a four year program I came out without a single loan and my tution paid in full. And here at ODU I cannot take more than part-time hours because I simply cannot afford tuition.
.... here is where I get irritated...
At OU we had state-of-the-art facilities filled with top of the line Apple Computers, huge Epson printers, 2 extremely large studios, and enormous dark room , 2 computer rooms, and tons of lighting and camera equipment we could check out to use.
At ODU we have a leaking gallery, worthess computers, and limited supplies. WHERE IS MY MONEY GOING?
I know I am not the only one who feels this way, students and professors alike are fed up. I am glad we are taking a stand and finding a way to say outloud what everyone else is thinking.
For the project Megan, Ryan, Teresa, Corey, and I are working on I decided to look further into communicating with strangers. Since this project is about recognizing those around you as people and treating them with the dignity all humans deserve, I thought it would be fun to find a way to help those who are more shy, such as myself, find it easier to talk to the people you don't know that are all around you. When talking about this project as a group, I knew it was going to be something I, myself, was going to struggle with. I am not the first person to strike up a conversation with strangers I stand in line with. To go forth on this project, I will be stepping outside of the box and hopefully gaining a new sense of confidence. In a way I am excited and I think we could all benefit from becoming more open and willing. Not only will this project make an impact on others but myself too, because I will we able to strike up a conversation with anyone around me and therefore creating confidence to talk to people you don't know in the workfield. I do get very shy talking to people I don't know so I am excited to see where this project takes me and it will be fun to read about everybody else's stories on the blog. I read through this How to.. and I thought it was silly to read about a 'How to talk to strangers' but suprisingly it might be helpful. Check it out and get ready to talk to the humans you share at least one thing in common with, not just strangers! Whether its in line for the bathroom, or maybe the post office, or even sitting next to someone on a bus, talk to them and find out what else you share in common. Goodluck, I know I will need it!!!
Here is a little help for those others that don't usually strike up a conversation with strangers:
http://www.wikihow.com/Start-a-Conversation-with-a-Stranger
Here is a little help for those others that don't usually strike up a conversation with strangers:
http://www.wikihow.com/Start-a-Conversation-with-a-Stranger
10 February 2010
Helvetica
Over the past few weeks in Design for Social Impact, I've noticed the love and respect many of you have for this typeface so I'm interested....
http://www.bustedtees.com/helvetica
Funny graphic design joke or total lack of respect for the most amazing typeface to ever grace a computer screen?*
*These are the times when I sincerely wish there was a sarcasm font!
http://www.bustedtees.com/helvetica
Funny graphic design joke or total lack of respect for the most amazing typeface to ever grace a computer screen?*
*These are the times when I sincerely wish there was a sarcasm font!
07 February 2010
Lost in Locality
Although I had a difficult time feeling lost in a physical sense, I found myself feeling very out of place while I was back in my hometown over the weekend.
Many of my friends from highschool are still there. I have many close friends there, but for the first time it has really struck me how different our lives are becoming. Many of them have decided that college was not for them and have moved into apartments around town. Our lives are starting to look very different. I found it hard to talk about a lot of things relating to school, and to the future.
For the first time, it became hard for me to imagine living in my hometown. I have kind of had this idea that I would finish school and move back, maybe get a place with some old friends and help my parents out for a while. Over the course of this weekend, that idea seemed to make less and less sense. My familiarity with this place, the people and houses, businesses and ways to pass time began to seem foreign, something I knew so well but could no longer understand. Barely anything has changed in the town since I and my friends have graduated high school. There are a few less of us, as we have began to spread out, but many remain. I however, was very different. I felt like I had traveled back in time, the present me hanging out with friends in the past. It was only a few weeks ago that I was in town doing very much the same thing, visiting friends and hanging out. But this time it finally was hitting me.
They have gone through much change of course, grown up a lot and experienced much I'm sure. But in many ways it was like they had been stuck in the film Groundhog day while I snuck out of the theater to have a cigarette or something. Very surreal. It was still a great time, but it made me question; how will my relationship with this place and those people change in the next few years?
Many of my friends from highschool are still there. I have many close friends there, but for the first time it has really struck me how different our lives are becoming. Many of them have decided that college was not for them and have moved into apartments around town. Our lives are starting to look very different. I found it hard to talk about a lot of things relating to school, and to the future.
For the first time, it became hard for me to imagine living in my hometown. I have kind of had this idea that I would finish school and move back, maybe get a place with some old friends and help my parents out for a while. Over the course of this weekend, that idea seemed to make less and less sense. My familiarity with this place, the people and houses, businesses and ways to pass time began to seem foreign, something I knew so well but could no longer understand. Barely anything has changed in the town since I and my friends have graduated high school. There are a few less of us, as we have began to spread out, but many remain. I however, was very different. I felt like I had traveled back in time, the present me hanging out with friends in the past. It was only a few weeks ago that I was in town doing very much the same thing, visiting friends and hanging out. But this time it finally was hitting me.
They have gone through much change of course, grown up a lot and experienced much I'm sure. But in many ways it was like they had been stuck in the film Groundhog day while I snuck out of the theater to have a cigarette or something. Very surreal. It was still a great time, but it made me question; how will my relationship with this place and those people change in the next few years?
06 February 2010
LOCALITY
I tried on several occasions this week to get lost, and it was much more difficult than I ever anticipated. I feel that getting lost is a much more internal thing rather than external. I can go anywhere in the world and I will never really be lost, because I know that where I am, is where I am. If I am sitting in a corner, I know that that corner is where I am. If I am standing in an unfamiliar forest or neighborhood, I know that that forest or neighborhood is where I am. I am always aware of my surroundings, so therefore, I feel that the act of getting lost has more to do with the way we feel or where we place ourselves mentally and emotionally, than where we place ourselves physically. I can “get lost” in a painting I’m working on, or a song I’m writing.
I can “get lost “ in a book or an interesting film. That painting, or song I’m writing, or book I’m reading, or film I’m viewing becomes my world. Everything else around me stops. I am not concerned with my surrounding or the goings on in them. I am in my own world. I am lost in my own world.
We talked a lot in class last week about “being comfortable being uncomfortable.” I feel that I personally am comfortable being uncomfortable. I know that no matter where I am I will always be myself. When I first started thinking about locality, I thought about my hometown. I thought about the people, the sights, sounds, smell, traditions, and ideas. The more that I thought about it, the more I realized that the things I used to define locality were the things that I always carry with me no matter where I go. I carry the ideas and beliefs I gleaned from the people of my hometown. I carry the memories of the sights and sounds and smell and traditions of my youth with me. Therefore I can never really be lost. I carry my locality with me wherever I go. Home is where the heart is; my home is in my heart. So if getting lost is something I do mentally rather than physically,i cant do so in any locality, even the ones I know best. I can be “lost” in my hometown, my childhood home, in any city or town on the face of this earth. And on the other hand, because I am always aware of my physical surroundings and because I carry my home in my heart, I can also be at home in any city or town on the face of this earth. I can be lost and not lost in the same physical locality. Because of this fact, locality to me is more an idea or feeling, rather than a place on the map.
I can “get lost “ in a book or an interesting film. That painting, or song I’m writing, or book I’m reading, or film I’m viewing becomes my world. Everything else around me stops. I am not concerned with my surrounding or the goings on in them. I am in my own world. I am lost in my own world.
We talked a lot in class last week about “being comfortable being uncomfortable.” I feel that I personally am comfortable being uncomfortable. I know that no matter where I am I will always be myself. When I first started thinking about locality, I thought about my hometown. I thought about the people, the sights, sounds, smell, traditions, and ideas. The more that I thought about it, the more I realized that the things I used to define locality were the things that I always carry with me no matter where I go. I carry the ideas and beliefs I gleaned from the people of my hometown. I carry the memories of the sights and sounds and smell and traditions of my youth with me. Therefore I can never really be lost. I carry my locality with me wherever I go. Home is where the heart is; my home is in my heart. So if getting lost is something I do mentally rather than physically,i cant do so in any locality, even the ones I know best. I can be “lost” in my hometown, my childhood home, in any city or town on the face of this earth. And on the other hand, because I am always aware of my physical surroundings and because I carry my home in my heart, I can also be at home in any city or town on the face of this earth. I can be lost and not lost in the same physical locality. Because of this fact, locality to me is more an idea or feeling, rather than a place on the map.
Does Locality have to be Physical?
I was frustrated at many ends in attempting to complete this project... I had no car and a busy week. I wasn't too comfortable just walking away from ODU and getting lost... as I'm sure we're all aware it's not exactly the best neighborhood around here. And when I was honest, ODU's not really what I consider my locality. Yes, it's where I am now and I do truly love it... but when I think about home and where I belong, I can't even put a physical place to it. I grew up in Upper Arlington and really loved most things about living there, but if someone told me tomorrow that Arlington no longer existed, I would be okay. The only place that really felt like home, was surprisingly a vacation spot. Every year my entire extended family spends the summer in Kiawah Island, South Carolina. Obviously to drive eleven hours to get lost there was unreasonable and likely impossible to accomplish in the time I had, I began to get really frustrated. Where IS my locality? Where do I feel like I belong, that I'm home? And I realized that for me where I belong isn't necessarily physical... I began to think of the comfort and sense of familiarity I feel when I enter into prayer and when I am with my family. And so I decided to lose myself in prayer, in the Scriptures and to sit back and observe my family at a deeper level than I usually do.
Now I finally came to this realization at the eleventh hour last night (actually at 1 AM after multiple trips to the laundry and time spent thinking, rethinking, and maybe a bit of frustrated yelling!) and grabbed my Bible, my journal and headed downstairs to Christ the King chapel. Everyday when I pray I follow the same path, I read the readings for the day, I journal on them, I read a chapter or two from a spiritual book that I'm reading and journal on that and on my life in general. So last night, I had to throw all of that out of the window so that I could really 'get lost'.
It started a little slow, I kept wanting to reach back to the safety of the books that I loved and knew well, Romans, John, Song of Songs, certain Psalms, Isiaiah, Job, Hebrews, Hosea, Corinthians... but I kept pushing myself to dive into ones that I didn't know as well Amos, Micah, Habakkuk, Haggai, Philemon, Titus and on and on... and I really did lose myself in the stories, especially those of the Old Testament. I discovered a lot, words that affected me in a profound way, passages that defended beliefs that I held dear but wasn't sure about their Scriptural foundation and I was reminded of the beauty and oneness of God... that a text written thousands of years ago can still speak to the human heart today.
I'm also a Charismatic Catholic, that means that I have a profound appreciation for the spiritual gifts of the Holy Spirit, a love for community and I enjoy praying through music. As I was reading I realized how much our songs are taken straight from Scripture and so I just started singing up on the altar, allowing myself to forget about if people could hear me or what they would think, or just how awful my voice really was... but to lose myself in total praise and worship of God.
It was beautiful. When I finally 'found' myself again, I saw that it was almost four in the morning... I truly got so lost in prayer that I was completely unaware of the time.
I was really appreciative of this experience, as a theology/philosophy major I often approach prayer with a very studious attitude, I have a set plan for what I'm going to accomplish and I do! But, losing myself in prayer was so rewarding, brought me so much peace and rejuvenation. It's definitely something I will do again!
Bear with me, as I am hanging out with my family for the Super Bowl and will post on my observings of them after that!
Now I finally came to this realization at the eleventh hour last night (actually at 1 AM after multiple trips to the laundry and time spent thinking, rethinking, and maybe a bit of frustrated yelling!) and grabbed my Bible, my journal and headed downstairs to Christ the King chapel. Everyday when I pray I follow the same path, I read the readings for the day, I journal on them, I read a chapter or two from a spiritual book that I'm reading and journal on that and on my life in general. So last night, I had to throw all of that out of the window so that I could really 'get lost'.
It started a little slow, I kept wanting to reach back to the safety of the books that I loved and knew well, Romans, John, Song of Songs, certain Psalms, Isiaiah, Job, Hebrews, Hosea, Corinthians... but I kept pushing myself to dive into ones that I didn't know as well Amos, Micah, Habakkuk, Haggai, Philemon, Titus and on and on... and I really did lose myself in the stories, especially those of the Old Testament. I discovered a lot, words that affected me in a profound way, passages that defended beliefs that I held dear but wasn't sure about their Scriptural foundation and I was reminded of the beauty and oneness of God... that a text written thousands of years ago can still speak to the human heart today.
I'm also a Charismatic Catholic, that means that I have a profound appreciation for the spiritual gifts of the Holy Spirit, a love for community and I enjoy praying through music. As I was reading I realized how much our songs are taken straight from Scripture and so I just started singing up on the altar, allowing myself to forget about if people could hear me or what they would think, or just how awful my voice really was... but to lose myself in total praise and worship of God.
It was beautiful. When I finally 'found' myself again, I saw that it was almost four in the morning... I truly got so lost in prayer that I was completely unaware of the time.
I was really appreciative of this experience, as a theology/philosophy major I often approach prayer with a very studious attitude, I have a set plan for what I'm going to accomplish and I do! But, losing myself in prayer was so rewarding, brought me so much peace and rejuvenation. It's definitely something I will do again!
Bear with me, as I am hanging out with my family for the Super Bowl and will post on my observings of them after that!
05 February 2010
Locality
Lastnight- I drove back to my parents house in Wooster to see some friends and my dad on his birthday. The drive is about an hour and a half and nearly the entire drive I was thinking about what I would have to do to get lost. I thought about that feeling, of being lost. It's weird how some people react to it. I don't tend to worry about being lost unless I have to be somewhere at a certain time.
My thoughts about this seemed to keep coming back to the same question, "what is being lost?"
If you set out with no destination, can you even get lost? But, I left for a specific city, and a specific home, one that I know very well how to get to. If you are thinking to yourself, 'all I have to do is keep driving north and east and I will get there, it might take longer but I'll still get there,' or 'Once I stumble across a main road I will know where to go,' can you consider yourself lost? I thought about this till it drove me nuts and I began to loose faith in the english language and our ability to communicate ideas.
I began to question:
are you lost if you do not know what direction you are going? If you don't know the name of the area you are in or the street you are on? If you have no frame of reference to determine the next step?
I started thinking about how the dimension of time factors into it. Are you ever 'lost' and not just 'delayed in getting to a destination?' What is your locality when you are lost driving, does it extend to only to the exterior of your car because that is the extent of your familiarity and interaction? If you become lost for days on end on a hiking trip- are your friends' worries about you part of your locality or seperate distinct localities? Is your locality what someone else defines, or is it yours exclusively in sense that it can never be expressed or experienced by anyone else.
All of this got me thinking about how each individual person has a unique response to every word and eventually, I began to question proper nouns.
I contemplated the idea that there are in existence, in an abstract but very literal way, a number of each "individual" too big to comprehend . For every person that has ever met any given individual there is a definition of that person.
Ryan Chitwood is: this guy in all my design classes that I've worked with in groups and experienced critiques with, someone I've known since the 9th grade who I make music, go skateboarding and enjoy chinese food with, someone I've known since the 10th grade who I make music, go skateboarding and enjoy Jim Jarmusch films with, this guy I met at a concert, the seventh customer I had today.
All of these 'definitions/localities' are true. I think I began to understand a little more the idea that "The map is not the territory," and how it applies to so much more of our lives and our localites. There can never be a complete map, record or history of anything that does not include everything in existence.
I would love to hear peoples' answers to some of these questions, even if they're, "You are just talking gibberish"
My thoughts about this seemed to keep coming back to the same question, "what is being lost?"
If you set out with no destination, can you even get lost? But, I left for a specific city, and a specific home, one that I know very well how to get to. If you are thinking to yourself, 'all I have to do is keep driving north and east and I will get there, it might take longer but I'll still get there,' or 'Once I stumble across a main road I will know where to go,' can you consider yourself lost? I thought about this till it drove me nuts and I began to loose faith in the english language and our ability to communicate ideas.
I began to question:
are you lost if you do not know what direction you are going? If you don't know the name of the area you are in or the street you are on? If you have no frame of reference to determine the next step?
I started thinking about how the dimension of time factors into it. Are you ever 'lost' and not just 'delayed in getting to a destination?' What is your locality when you are lost driving, does it extend to only to the exterior of your car because that is the extent of your familiarity and interaction? If you become lost for days on end on a hiking trip- are your friends' worries about you part of your locality or seperate distinct localities? Is your locality what someone else defines, or is it yours exclusively in sense that it can never be expressed or experienced by anyone else.
All of this got me thinking about how each individual person has a unique response to every word and eventually, I began to question proper nouns.
I contemplated the idea that there are in existence, in an abstract but very literal way, a number of each "individual" too big to comprehend . For every person that has ever met any given individual there is a definition of that person.
Ryan Chitwood is: this guy in all my design classes that I've worked with in groups and experienced critiques with, someone I've known since the 9th grade who I make music, go skateboarding and enjoy chinese food with, someone I've known since the 10th grade who I make music, go skateboarding and enjoy Jim Jarmusch films with, this guy I met at a concert, the seventh customer I had today.
All of these 'definitions/localities' are true. I think I began to understand a little more the idea that "The map is not the territory," and how it applies to so much more of our lives and our localites. There can never be a complete map, record or history of anything that does not include everything in existence.
I would love to hear peoples' answers to some of these questions, even if they're, "You are just talking gibberish"
Locality
Not originally being from Ohio, I find myself generally lost most of the time. When I'm not on campus or the general route the school's shuttle takes, I'm usually confused of where I am; especially since I'm more a visual marker person. As for getting lost, I tagged along with two of my friends who needed to do some general shopping errands. It was after dark, and I was in the back seat of the car with music blasting, unable to hear my two friends sitting in front clearly. We had started off by going to Michael's to pick up something for a class, this was near the Easton area, and in the dark it was generally hard for me to identify the roads around it (again, being a visual marker), but I had known where I was. We left that area soon after to stop by somewhere else. I tried to see if I could point out if anything looked familiar, as I did not know where exactly I was going, but I continued to stare out the window, not being able to hear either of my friends sitting in front of me. It surprised me that something simple as going to a store, even with two people that know where they were going, made me feel lost. It's those familiar things and places that made you realize you know where you were, and when they're not there, you're lost.
I had then really thought about the place I was familiar with, which is my dorm in this case. Right after the errand run, I ended up in my room to work on a project, but then I just examined the things in my room. In the long run I ended up cleaning around, only to find things as I went through a box. A few old drawings, books, even a packet of oatmeal. Each item I could link with a specific moment or a location where they came from or where I was when I received them. I was in my room which was my current physical location, but these random objects brought up a memory of location (or event).
My locality, purposely getting lost, and really examining familiar things made me think into my location, how places and things made me feel, being lost, confused, or familiar. Actually taking the time to think of where you are is an interesting experience.
I had then really thought about the place I was familiar with, which is my dorm in this case. Right after the errand run, I ended up in my room to work on a project, but then I just examined the things in my room. In the long run I ended up cleaning around, only to find things as I went through a box. A few old drawings, books, even a packet of oatmeal. Each item I could link with a specific moment or a location where they came from or where I was when I received them. I was in my room which was my current physical location, but these random objects brought up a memory of location (or event).
My locality, purposely getting lost, and really examining familiar things made me think into my location, how places and things made me feel, being lost, confused, or familiar. Actually taking the time to think of where you are is an interesting experience.
My Locality is...
As I was getting lost I found that it did not take much for me to get lost because I do not know my way around the city very well. Let’ just say I don’t get out much. I have lived in this city my entire life and I cannot honestly tell you how to get around town. I have restricted myself to certain parts of town and everywhere else is a complete and total mystery to me. So, you can only imagine how utterly terrified I was to go outside my comfort zones to get lost. An anxiety jumps into my throat and sudden panic reaches over me once I am lost. I can feel every muscle in my body get tight and my mind goes blank. My first instinct is to call someone but I have to put that aside and just try and think to myself I need to get out there and experience my home town.
Before this project I never knew how really lost I am in my own town, even in my own life. I was walking and walking and no matter where I was I had no idea what was going on around me and where I would be going next. I don’t really know the people on campus let alone the people on my block or the people in my town. It is a very overwhelming experience to not know the people around you and to not know where you are going. I think the thing that worries me the most is not knowing where to go next. The more I think about the statement in class about not knowing where you are will lead to you not knowing where you are going does ring true. How do we put ourselves out there to open up to those that are around us without putting ourselves in danger?
My whole life I have been raised to be scared of the unknown and of those I don’t know. So, my locality my place is just me. I stand alone in my room working on whatever needs to be done at that moment and sometimes just staring. My locality has been myself at home in a quiet place where nothing is happening and no one is around. So, this project has really opened my eyes to the fact that I need to really open up to my surroundings and just to people around me in general.
Before this project I never knew how really lost I am in my own town, even in my own life. I was walking and walking and no matter where I was I had no idea what was going on around me and where I would be going next. I don’t really know the people on campus let alone the people on my block or the people in my town. It is a very overwhelming experience to not know the people around you and to not know where you are going. I think the thing that worries me the most is not knowing where to go next. The more I think about the statement in class about not knowing where you are will lead to you not knowing where you are going does ring true. How do we put ourselves out there to open up to those that are around us without putting ourselves in danger?
My whole life I have been raised to be scared of the unknown and of those I don’t know. So, my locality my place is just me. I stand alone in my room working on whatever needs to be done at that moment and sometimes just staring. My locality has been myself at home in a quiet place where nothing is happening and no one is around. So, this project has really opened my eyes to the fact that I need to really open up to my surroundings and just to people around me in general.
Locality Never Takes a Day Off
Planning ahead throughout the week, I had much different plans to take action in as i'm sure a lot of you did also. Just to throw them out there, I really wanted to jump out of myself to have an experience that would get at my nerves and leave me with a great deal of satisfaction afterword. For example, walking into a Buddhist temple or a Mosque. We have so many diverse people in the world that surround us, and the approach to take in diversity in usually is by word of mouth. I also wanted to take a technique I used last semester, making video compositions out of photo stills. It's easy to be out of my own comfort zone in tranquil areas such as south eastern Ohio, or really anything with an object/s of some sort to focus on, or make art from. I have never attempted to sit in a field and take in my surroundings, or even make a time lapse out of something that I take advantage of assuming there is nothing of visual value. I really like the thrill of being adventurous, especially if it's somewhere i'm not supposed to be. However, places such as a Buddhist temple, is completely nerve-racking to me as I don't know much about them, other than they are open to everyone and every belief.
My daily comfort zone isn't exactly a routine, but it is quite a list. Technology is the biggest problem we have. We develop routines that become somewhat an addiction. The scale of feeling complete or a high urge to check on something is a daily occurrence. Most of us check the same website excessively in one day. Whether it's facebook, the news, email or more we can learn or find out just about anything without making one word to another.
I'm not going to lie, I did get on my facebook eventually. And to be honest I was still taking abstinence from most of techno-addictions when I logged on to facebook without even thinking about it.
Being snowed in creates a lot of boredom, no matter how busy your day. Since friday-sunday is devoted to design I had to cut out my comfort zone in that area. I decided to cut out one of my biggest comforts, music. Designing morning, day and night was awful without music! I felt a need to have something else in my attention span than snow plows making new pot holes. In school, or a work place I am content with the simple background noise of people talking. Here, I really wanted to at least turn the tv on for a background noise, however that also was cut out my life for a day stuck inside, which I really have no problem with. No music. No cell phone. No television. No internet generated noises.
With such complete silence I was able to design fine for a little less than the first half of a whole day. Eventually my deprived senses got to me, as i found most of the remainder was distracted by my eyes drifting to the window to watch the snow fall. I got up and walked around more than I would in class, work, or with music playing to keep my attention a little more satisfied. On a vacation, or in company of another person I can easily forget about my phone, reject the use of internet and leave the tv off. For something based on visual technique, it was quite hard to be completely whole without my other senses stimulated.
But, really, what is locality?
I am going to take a risk on this and tell everyone that I did not get lost on purpose by driving somewhere.I decided to get lost on purpose not by physically driving to a location and getting completly lost but rather instead I decided to get lost by loosing my sense of focus--on purpose.
To many individuals this may seem really strange but bare with me. Locality is defined by webster as "a particular place, situation, or location." But, this definition also can easily be centered within the mind. In my mind, I can be lost, I can be in a particular place, location,and in a certain situation--all in the mind. I would also remind us that majority of our actions begin in the mind so in order to get lost, something has to be going on in the mind rather it is on purpose or not--therefore, if you are lost physically, you are lost mentally as well--because you have a mindset of being lost therefore, your brain knows--WOW, we are lost! :)
So, now that I explained my brief reasoning for getting lost in the mind on purpose, I will tell you what I discovered. I discovered that as this blog relates to locality that it is important as designers to know first where you are in the mind as it will have either a positve or negative influence on your work.
Now, as I went to my own personal locality--(at work--my desk), I relaxed and begin writing this blog.--(Which, if I had known I can log in from here last week than I would not have an unexpected impact but...another topic)......
I realized that life is an amazing gift and it is an amazing thing beyond words that enables us to do simple things like log into a blog and post comments, or express our thoughts in a classroom but the most essential thing I learned while completing this assignment is that locality can mean anything. When it comes to our careers, our morals, values and beliefs our locality will be the center piece of all our decisions as locality most of the time can begin within the mind whether you are standing, or sitting, whether you are in another country or in your backyard.....your reflecting on something....what you do with that reflection is entirely up to you.....
In deep contemplation about locality,
Britt. L. B.
To many individuals this may seem really strange but bare with me. Locality is defined by webster as "a particular place, situation, or location." But, this definition also can easily be centered within the mind. In my mind, I can be lost, I can be in a particular place, location,and in a certain situation--all in the mind. I would also remind us that majority of our actions begin in the mind so in order to get lost, something has to be going on in the mind rather it is on purpose or not--therefore, if you are lost physically, you are lost mentally as well--because you have a mindset of being lost therefore, your brain knows--WOW, we are lost! :)
So, now that I explained my brief reasoning for getting lost in the mind on purpose, I will tell you what I discovered. I discovered that as this blog relates to locality that it is important as designers to know first where you are in the mind as it will have either a positve or negative influence on your work.
Now, as I went to my own personal locality--(at work--my desk), I relaxed and begin writing this blog.--(Which, if I had known I can log in from here last week than I would not have an unexpected impact but...another topic)......
I realized that life is an amazing gift and it is an amazing thing beyond words that enables us to do simple things like log into a blog and post comments, or express our thoughts in a classroom but the most essential thing I learned while completing this assignment is that locality can mean anything. When it comes to our careers, our morals, values and beliefs our locality will be the center piece of all our decisions as locality most of the time can begin within the mind whether you are standing, or sitting, whether you are in another country or in your backyard.....your reflecting on something....what you do with that reflection is entirely up to you.....
In deep contemplation about locality,
Britt. L. B.
Getting Lost
When I was thinking about getting lost, I started to think about what it really means to not be lost. I know that when i am NOT lost I know exactly where I am in relation to others, what is going on around me, and possibly what others around me are busy doing or maybe some slight idea of what they are thinking. When I am not lost. I know what to expect, in my brain lies an idea of several ideas of how things might pan out, how I can expect to feel, how I would enjoy or not enjoy the experience at all. Even when lost in a strange place or situation, if I am with another person I know rather well, I am almost not lost at all.
I found the idea of traveling to some random farm or neighborhood to not be for me, so I tried to think a little outside of the box on this one. Hopefully I got it right. I had the opportunity to go see an open mic poetry night. A girl I've known from school named Barbara Fant would be reading. I've known Barbara for awhile, but I have never spent time with her outside of small talk during passing. She gave me directions to where I was going, a little coffee shop called Urban Spirit on 17th and Long.
I actually couldn't find the loft where the poets were reading until Barbara found me in the coffee shop below. I was lost there in the physical sense, but as I went upstairs with her there sat an unexpected room of all kinds of different people in metal chairs, with a microphone in the center I was then definitely lost and almost uncomfortable. There is something magical about going to a brand new place for the first time. Its almost dreamlike (at least to me).
Once the poets started reading, there was an amazing sense of their connection with each other. As the host called other poets up to the microphone you could get a sense of their relationships as they traded inside jokes that only I and a couple of other people didn't get. As each of them read their poems it was a beautiful thing to actually understand how often they had probably shared these poems, and how well they must know one another. I felt like an outsider until I noticed that many of the poets were reading to me, and there I shared a connection with them as a new viewer. Fresh ears they could enlighten and preach to.
I was completely humbled. This was something so strange to me, creating performance with words. As a visual artist, I feel like I know enough to carry on conversation about certain topics. But here, I was so out of my element. In a world I barely understood yet could fully comprehend at the same time. As these new people embraced my presence, I felt at ease and more comfortable as they shared words and tried to talk to me. It was an amazing experience, in that I traveled to a strange place with no idea of what could happen, and experienced something so unexpectedly beautiful and uplifting. It was truly a blessing.
From this experience I learned a couple of things. First, I need to work on making myself feel more uncomfortable and traveling outside of my element more often. I was scared and afraid to go hear these poets, simply because I didn't want to feel stupid and awkward or as an outsider. We get so used to thinking a certain way, and doing the same things, we lose desire to discover and become scared of the new. Next, I furthermore grasped the concept of locality. Although these people probably do not live in the same neighborhood, they all meet at the same time every week (if not more) to share something they are all passionate about. Locality can mean several things, not just geographical. As I met up with Barbara later that week, she began to talk about Poetry Slams, and competitions she participates in, her poetry teams, and all of the people she has met merely through the poetry world. She talked about people from Chicago, New York and National competitions. It was just amazing to get a glimpse into a world I had never known existed. It was probably one of the most beneficial creative experiences I've ever had.
If anyone wants to go to see Barbara's Slam it is on Tuesday at 8:00 PM. This event is supposed to be a lot bigger than last week, and I fell in love with it despite Barbara telling me that it was a smaller and less exciting show. I'm going so we can meet at school and I'll drive.
I found this video of Barbara performing a Poetry Slam at Urban Spirit. This isn't from when I went, but I thought it would be helpful so you guys could experience a little bit of what I did. She is really talented. COME WITH ME TUESDAY!!
I found the idea of traveling to some random farm or neighborhood to not be for me, so I tried to think a little outside of the box on this one. Hopefully I got it right. I had the opportunity to go see an open mic poetry night. A girl I've known from school named Barbara Fant would be reading. I've known Barbara for awhile, but I have never spent time with her outside of small talk during passing. She gave me directions to where I was going, a little coffee shop called Urban Spirit on 17th and Long.
I actually couldn't find the loft where the poets were reading until Barbara found me in the coffee shop below. I was lost there in the physical sense, but as I went upstairs with her there sat an unexpected room of all kinds of different people in metal chairs, with a microphone in the center I was then definitely lost and almost uncomfortable. There is something magical about going to a brand new place for the first time. Its almost dreamlike (at least to me).
Once the poets started reading, there was an amazing sense of their connection with each other. As the host called other poets up to the microphone you could get a sense of their relationships as they traded inside jokes that only I and a couple of other people didn't get. As each of them read their poems it was a beautiful thing to actually understand how often they had probably shared these poems, and how well they must know one another. I felt like an outsider until I noticed that many of the poets were reading to me, and there I shared a connection with them as a new viewer. Fresh ears they could enlighten and preach to.
I was completely humbled. This was something so strange to me, creating performance with words. As a visual artist, I feel like I know enough to carry on conversation about certain topics. But here, I was so out of my element. In a world I barely understood yet could fully comprehend at the same time. As these new people embraced my presence, I felt at ease and more comfortable as they shared words and tried to talk to me. It was an amazing experience, in that I traveled to a strange place with no idea of what could happen, and experienced something so unexpectedly beautiful and uplifting. It was truly a blessing.
From this experience I learned a couple of things. First, I need to work on making myself feel more uncomfortable and traveling outside of my element more often. I was scared and afraid to go hear these poets, simply because I didn't want to feel stupid and awkward or as an outsider. We get so used to thinking a certain way, and doing the same things, we lose desire to discover and become scared of the new. Next, I furthermore grasped the concept of locality. Although these people probably do not live in the same neighborhood, they all meet at the same time every week (if not more) to share something they are all passionate about. Locality can mean several things, not just geographical. As I met up with Barbara later that week, she began to talk about Poetry Slams, and competitions she participates in, her poetry teams, and all of the people she has met merely through the poetry world. She talked about people from Chicago, New York and National competitions. It was just amazing to get a glimpse into a world I had never known existed. It was probably one of the most beneficial creative experiences I've ever had.
If anyone wants to go to see Barbara's Slam it is on Tuesday at 8:00 PM. This event is supposed to be a lot bigger than last week, and I fell in love with it despite Barbara telling me that it was a smaller and less exciting show. I'm going so we can meet at school and I'll drive.
I found this video of Barbara performing a Poetry Slam at Urban Spirit. This isn't from when I went, but I thought it would be helpful so you guys could experience a little bit of what I did. She is really talented. COME WITH ME TUESDAY!!
This morning I made the terrible idea to get lost. I left about 9am and the snow started hitting about 10am. I tried really hard to get lost so I took I-71 S and just kept driving and got off a random exit with only one gas station (incase I ran out of gas!). As I kept driving I started to get really annoyed that I had to just drive around and get lost because I like to know where I am. Of course I brought TomTom just incase I couldn't find my way back. All I really saw was a few cars, lots of fields, cows, and went through a small town with like 5 houses. It was weird and I felt like I was in the middle of nowhere. I turned down some different streets then finally I must have made a big loop back around and luckily I was able to find the main road just as it started snowing. I would have liked to keep going but I definitely did not want to get stuck on country roads in the bad weather. It's very hard for me to get completely lost to the point of no return because I have a great sense of direction. But I still did not know where I was and that still bothered me.
So Thursday Night I spent time in my locality and looked around for awhile. It was pretty quite and soothing. I had a lot to look at and just examined everything around me very closely and noticed things I never had before. This locality made me a lot more comfortable because it was mine and I knew just where I was.
This exercise made me realize how important locality is not just to be aware but because the way I reacted and the way it made me feel. It was an interesting experience.
02 February 2010
Impact--TRULY
Ok, so understanding that I will be posting this after everyone has clearly moved on to another topic of discussion by now I hope that I will receive at least one reader:)
As you all heard briefly in class I was TRULY impacted by a panic attack as I went to my computer Friday evening after getting off of work at 11 pm to input all my great details of what I impacted throughout the week and was....well...you should know the rest of the story....
Anyhow, this is how the week went:
Tuesday-Impact 1
I called a family member this evening only to find out that they now had in their house what people know today as bed bug's?! Ahh, and so this same evening they had to throw away all their furniture leaving them with no option but to sleep on the floor. I immediately went to Walgreen's and purchased 3 huge blow up beds and delivered them. They were very excited and I consider myself to impact them because
it was unexpected to them; they didn't know what to expect. In fact they thanked me to many times, to the point I left...it was overbearing :)
Wednesday-Impact 2
I went to work as usual after class and I had a really good conversation with a Hispanic individual who told me that because of my efforts to assist him and go beyond by attempting to speak Spanish even though I don't know how to speak the language fluently, that one day I would change the world. This was TRULY a heart felt moment for me and I made an impact and did not intend to do so; at the same time impact came back in my direction as well.
Thursday-Impact 3
At the Aquinas Convocation, I experienced impact by receiving an enlightenment about some things that I never thought of as it related to my decision to come to a Catholic University. However, I also was able to impact someone else by taking notes. Yes, through the simplicity of just taking NOTES! There was an older lady beside me who was from the community, she said her son had attended ODU a while ago and that it was good to see young students interested in these types of things(the convocation),....even though I initially was not. I told her this information eventually and she said well, it still does not matter, you have made the effort to go beyond--by taking notes. She said from that small piece, I can see that you will go far. :) How encouraging!
Friday-Impact 4
I was at good old Chase. I went to lunch with an individual that I wanted to know more about, he is quite interesting and always has really good conversations. I began to ask him certain things and somehow we got on the topic of forgiveness. I impacted him by simply asking the right questions and the next day we went to the mall and we are now developing a really good friendship--off of open conversations!~~it's TRULY amazing.
*** So as you can see, my week of impact was very interesting*** But, the key thing I got out of it all was that none of these things were big and in fact, none of these things I did were on purpose to make an impact. I was simply being who I am and still made an impact this way. A simple class, with a small assignment to track our impact led to an open friendship, and many encouraging words. TRULY--this is a beautiful thing.
Yours TRULY for the IMPACT of the Common Good,
Britt
As you all heard briefly in class I was TRULY impacted by a panic attack as I went to my computer Friday evening after getting off of work at 11 pm to input all my great details of what I impacted throughout the week and was....well...you should know the rest of the story....
Anyhow, this is how the week went:
Tuesday-Impact 1
I called a family member this evening only to find out that they now had in their house what people know today as bed bug's?! Ahh, and so this same evening they had to throw away all their furniture leaving them with no option but to sleep on the floor. I immediately went to Walgreen's and purchased 3 huge blow up beds and delivered them. They were very excited and I consider myself to impact them because
it was unexpected to them; they didn't know what to expect. In fact they thanked me to many times, to the point I left...it was overbearing :)
Wednesday-Impact 2
I went to work as usual after class and I had a really good conversation with a Hispanic individual who told me that because of my efforts to assist him and go beyond by attempting to speak Spanish even though I don't know how to speak the language fluently, that one day I would change the world. This was TRULY a heart felt moment for me and I made an impact and did not intend to do so; at the same time impact came back in my direction as well.
Thursday-Impact 3
At the Aquinas Convocation, I experienced impact by receiving an enlightenment about some things that I never thought of as it related to my decision to come to a Catholic University. However, I also was able to impact someone else by taking notes. Yes, through the simplicity of just taking NOTES! There was an older lady beside me who was from the community, she said her son had attended ODU a while ago and that it was good to see young students interested in these types of things(the convocation),....even though I initially was not. I told her this information eventually and she said well, it still does not matter, you have made the effort to go beyond--by taking notes. She said from that small piece, I can see that you will go far. :) How encouraging!
Friday-Impact 4
I was at good old Chase. I went to lunch with an individual that I wanted to know more about, he is quite interesting and always has really good conversations. I began to ask him certain things and somehow we got on the topic of forgiveness. I impacted him by simply asking the right questions and the next day we went to the mall and we are now developing a really good friendship--off of open conversations!~~it's TRULY amazing.
*** So as you can see, my week of impact was very interesting*** But, the key thing I got out of it all was that none of these things were big and in fact, none of these things I did were on purpose to make an impact. I was simply being who I am and still made an impact this way. A simple class, with a small assignment to track our impact led to an open friendship, and many encouraging words. TRULY--this is a beautiful thing.
Yours TRULY for the IMPACT of the Common Good,
Britt
01 February 2010
Impact Starts with People.
When I was in DC this past weekend for the March for Life, my friend, Bernadette was teasing me about how much I love talking to strangers. Whether I hear them discussing philosophy on the metro and I join in, or I tell a girl passing how cute her coat is, or stop to offer a homeless man the extra sandwhiches I made... I don't always play by appropriate social boundaries. I did though realize that I am much more comfortable doing so when I know that I am in common company... sure I joined in a philosophy discussion, but it was with a group of people wearing Pro-Life shirts, I knew we were on the same 'team'. I may have told that girl how cute her coat was, but she was also walking with a group of nuns... I figured no one would respond harshly surrounded by nuns! And so on... so I decided that I really wanted to break out of my comfort zone by not playing by appropriate social boundaries with people who made me... well, uncomfortable!
Day One:
I took extra food to a men's homeless shelter that I often donate surplus food to. Usually I only speak to the couple of men who run the shelter... white, well-dressed, familiar and comfortable. I chat and laugh with them but have always avoided the men who actually stay at the shelter. I always claim, "It's for my safety! I'm just being smart!" But as I got to think about it... I am often so frustrated by the problems in our world and recognize that they come about because we fail to treat each other as persons, we never really see one another. So if I would just smile, make eye contact and some small talk... maybe I could have some impact. And so I did and I could tell that so many of the men really appreciated a smile, appreciated being seen not as a homeless person, but simply as a person. I hold on to that part of the experience, because there also was the man who thought that a friendly smile and donated food were a green light to speak disgusting things to me and grab me. It was a reminder that we all have a long way to go to really see each other as persons not objects, not problems... people.
Day Two:
I participated in the trash collecting and really was surprised at how little I gathered. Granted I didn't take it to the extremes and put in toilet paper and leftover food (Though... I really should have!) I definitely related to Erin's desire to generate more trash to maximize the impact, it just felt like so little! Although I suppose had we invited the whole campus to participate we would have been shocked to see how much trash is generated on one college campus, in one city, in one state, in one country... multiply that by the whole world and the amount of trash we alone generated could have had an impact.
Day Three:
I run around most days barely engaging in small talk because my life is soooo busy. But today I decided to stop and take time to talk with a couple of acquaintances. This definitely took me out of my comfort zone because I really only want to engage in deep conversation with people who I am more than mere acquaintances with. But this risk paid off, we got to talking about some of the problems we have on ODU's campus, specifically the lack of any type of true community. We discussed for almost two hours better ways to build community and a sense of identity at ODU. It was a fantastic discussion and I left inspired to continue building better relationships with people, even when my life seems just too busy. The idea that we continually impact one another every moment was driven home after this conversation!
Day Four:
Today I really decided to push appropriate social boundaries. I smiled and said hello to everyone. That is really hard... especially when you can tell people are in a bad mood or are uncomfortable and really want you to look away. But I kept catching people's eyes, smiling and saying a quick hello. I also tried to say whatever I was thinking (adhering to Thumper's adage of course... "If you can't say something nice... don't say nothing at all"!) so if I wanted to know what someone was listening to on their iPod I asked! If I had read the book they were holding, I talked about it. I complimented pretty much everyone wearing purple (it's my favorite color and so freaking pretty!) The hardest was when I was in line, once outside ODU's business office, once in Hamilton and once at the Post Office. People get really uncomfortable when you talk to them in line, probably because they can't get away! But I kept talking... I just really want people to start seeing other people... like really truly seeing them. And if that takes me talking to people I'm uncomfortable with and letting them see me as a person, that I might see them as a person... I'll keep doing it!
Day One:
I took extra food to a men's homeless shelter that I often donate surplus food to. Usually I only speak to the couple of men who run the shelter... white, well-dressed, familiar and comfortable. I chat and laugh with them but have always avoided the men who actually stay at the shelter. I always claim, "It's for my safety! I'm just being smart!" But as I got to think about it... I am often so frustrated by the problems in our world and recognize that they come about because we fail to treat each other as persons, we never really see one another. So if I would just smile, make eye contact and some small talk... maybe I could have some impact. And so I did and I could tell that so many of the men really appreciated a smile, appreciated being seen not as a homeless person, but simply as a person. I hold on to that part of the experience, because there also was the man who thought that a friendly smile and donated food were a green light to speak disgusting things to me and grab me. It was a reminder that we all have a long way to go to really see each other as persons not objects, not problems... people.
Day Two:
I participated in the trash collecting and really was surprised at how little I gathered. Granted I didn't take it to the extremes and put in toilet paper and leftover food (Though... I really should have!) I definitely related to Erin's desire to generate more trash to maximize the impact, it just felt like so little! Although I suppose had we invited the whole campus to participate we would have been shocked to see how much trash is generated on one college campus, in one city, in one state, in one country... multiply that by the whole world and the amount of trash we alone generated could have had an impact.
Day Three:
I run around most days barely engaging in small talk because my life is soooo busy. But today I decided to stop and take time to talk with a couple of acquaintances. This definitely took me out of my comfort zone because I really only want to engage in deep conversation with people who I am more than mere acquaintances with. But this risk paid off, we got to talking about some of the problems we have on ODU's campus, specifically the lack of any type of true community. We discussed for almost two hours better ways to build community and a sense of identity at ODU. It was a fantastic discussion and I left inspired to continue building better relationships with people, even when my life seems just too busy. The idea that we continually impact one another every moment was driven home after this conversation!
Day Four:
Today I really decided to push appropriate social boundaries. I smiled and said hello to everyone. That is really hard... especially when you can tell people are in a bad mood or are uncomfortable and really want you to look away. But I kept catching people's eyes, smiling and saying a quick hello. I also tried to say whatever I was thinking (adhering to Thumper's adage of course... "If you can't say something nice... don't say nothing at all"!) so if I wanted to know what someone was listening to on their iPod I asked! If I had read the book they were holding, I talked about it. I complimented pretty much everyone wearing purple (it's my favorite color and so freaking pretty!) The hardest was when I was in line, once outside ODU's business office, once in Hamilton and once at the Post Office. People get really uncomfortable when you talk to them in line, probably because they can't get away! But I kept talking... I just really want people to start seeing other people... like really truly seeing them. And if that takes me talking to people I'm uncomfortable with and letting them see me as a person, that I might see them as a person... I'll keep doing it!
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