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.
05 February 2010
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!
31 January 2010
4 day Impact
Day 1:
I, along with Mac and Ally, went to see a free showing and discussion of In Transition at the Drexel, which I linked in an earlier post. This was very motivating until the comment period after the screening in which most of the people who made comments seemed to go out of their way to find negative things to dwell on. We were also the youngest in the crowd by about 10 years.
I, along with Mac and Ally, went to see a free showing and discussion of In Transition at the Drexel, which I linked in an earlier post. This was very motivating until the comment period after the screening in which most of the people who made comments seemed to go out of their way to find negative things to dwell on. We were also the youngest in the crowd by about 10 years.
On this day I also neglected to pick up some keys and ODU ID that I saw on the sidewalk by Fitzpatrick Hall. I honestly do not know what made me decide not to pick them up, but for some reason I was in a very self centered head space at that moment and "just wanted to get 'home.' " I began to feel very guilty about this over the following hours until I logged on to Facebook and saw one of my friend's status proclaiming they had lost their keys, which made me feel extra guilty as there was then a face and name attached. They did get their keys back that day due to the impact of one of their other friends who were not feeling so selfish that day.
Day 2:
I decided that though I usually make an effort to make eye contact and smile at people in public places I would make a greater effort throughout the week to do this no matter my mood. My efforts were met with the expected mix of friendliness and avoidance, as Corey noted this was biased towards the opposite sex and older generations responding positively more often
Day 3:
I had a hard time coming up with an idea for impact on this day. Fortunately one found me. A friend from my old job at The Blue Danube sent me a message saying that work was slow, she was sick and not having a very good day. I went in for a number of hours and ate and drank keeping her company durring the slow hours and hearing out her gripes of nasty customers and conflict with the kitchen staff. This worked well for both of us as I believe I brightened her day up slightly and I had a very merry meal and drinks at my old employee price, so we both got some positive impact (You're the best Amanda!)
Day 4:
I decided to follow Megan's lead and do something which I had been wanting to do for a long time, post signs with something impact driven on them. However, as campus is nearly deserted from Friday through Sunday I decided not to post them until tonight (Sunday) so that they may be there on Monday morning for more people to see. I decided to start with (I plan to keep putting up subversive and postitive driven quotes and messages throughout the semester, now that I've started) a quote I found from Jiddu Krishnamurti which was paraphrased in one of the Love Police's videos:
Krishnamurti was a Tamil (I believe) born in India who is well known for his writtings on spiritual and philosophical writings (his wikipedia description: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jiddu_Krishnamurti )
I also decided to try an experiment (hopefully it will yield positive impact!) with the notion of "Approved" signs. (also something I've been wanting to try for a while now):
I don't know who runs the Studnet Activities Office, but I think they are pretty cool for approving my poster! ; )30 January 2010
Day 1: The first day of impact I was leaving work (for those that don't know I work at an elementary after school program) and as I was leaving there was a little girl running into the school and as she was running she was wearing a tutu and I just so happened to scream "Hey, I like your tutu!!" Anyways that was really unlike me and in return she said thanks than as she got to the door she turned back around and screamed "Hey, thanks for saying that!" I was kind of like 'Wow, that was nice of her' and she really just loved that i complemented her little rainbow tutu.
Day 2: I was in my Bioethics class and there is a girl that sits in a row across and up from me that many people find as akward. Well, a lot of people make fun of her everyday and this day, going totally out of my element, I turned around in class and said "Hey, you guys need to stop!" I turned back around and was kind of shocked I said something but the girls shut up right away and it was a total impact on them.
Day 3: Today I gave all the kids hugs at work when they came in! It was awesome! Some of them actually started running towards me with their faces lit up! I decided to make it a daily thing when I go to work now because they loved it so much! Those kids look up to you as an adult and they love when you show personal attention to each individual!
Day 4: I was in class Thursday and I really had a bad day and Megan didn't know this but I was running out of time to impact somebody, but actually Megan was the one that impacted me. Not only did she yawn and right after it made me yawn, but then she hugged me. It was the sweetest embrace, she wasn't just hugging me but she cared and it was pretty awesome! THANKS MEGAN!!! for impacting me : )
Day 5: Friday at work I decided to FINALLY bring a garbage can into work. We go through sooooooooo many water bottles but they don't have ANY recycling bins there. I told them I would bring a garbage can so we can start recycling the bottles and I will bring them to school everytime we get a full bin. They loved the idea and after the work day there were 6 water bottles in the bin. (There are 5 people that I work with!) Gotta start somewhere, right?!!!
29 January 2010
Impact
Day 1 - Hugs...
I decided to continue the hug impact project done by Lauren and Charles last Monday night... I'm normally a person who does not like to hug often, and my close hug-full friends know that, so I decided to go against my antihugging.
This did have an impact on most of my friends, most were happy and surprised. A hug is a wonderful thing (I just have a space issue at times, when it comes to certain people...) and through a hug you can make someone else happy.
Day 2 - Personal Garbage Part 1
Day two was part of an attempt of a collaborative project. It started off as a few different ideas and eventually turned into the idea of collecting our own waste created in a day. The idea was the collect the garbage created, and walk around the entire day with this trash, as a reminder of our waste creation. I kept the trash in my backpack, which consisted of empty water bottles, wrappings, to a decent stack of paper which was a result of a class project. Since I am a resident on campus, I did not produce as much trash as I thought I would have, which is a good thing... This continued on to part 2.
Day 3 - Personal Garbage Part 2
The second part of this collaborative project was to gather up in Erskine approx 11:30 AM, and collect all of the trash together with the other participating students. The trash was separate into what could be recycled, and what couldn't. We did not have a decent turnout as expected but we did come up with a display of garbage and talked with a few people regarding the display. We had then recycled our trash before heading out.
Day 4 - ...and Kisses (Hershey Kisses)
I spent my last day of impact by handing out candy to people that I ran into throughout the day. It is really nice to see people get happy when receiving something as small as a piece of chocolate, then again a really small act of kindness can make a person's day, especially if they are having a tough one. I do plan on continuing this part on Monday as I do have a lot of kisses to hand out, (and probably some more hugs.)
I decided to continue the hug impact project done by Lauren and Charles last Monday night... I'm normally a person who does not like to hug often, and my close hug-full friends know that, so I decided to go against my antihugging.
This did have an impact on most of my friends, most were happy and surprised. A hug is a wonderful thing (I just have a space issue at times, when it comes to certain people...) and through a hug you can make someone else happy.
Day 2 - Personal Garbage Part 1
Day two was part of an attempt of a collaborative project. It started off as a few different ideas and eventually turned into the idea of collecting our own waste created in a day. The idea was the collect the garbage created, and walk around the entire day with this trash, as a reminder of our waste creation. I kept the trash in my backpack, which consisted of empty water bottles, wrappings, to a decent stack of paper which was a result of a class project. Since I am a resident on campus, I did not produce as much trash as I thought I would have, which is a good thing... This continued on to part 2.
Day 3 - Personal Garbage Part 2
The second part of this collaborative project was to gather up in Erskine approx 11:30 AM, and collect all of the trash together with the other participating students. The trash was separate into what could be recycled, and what couldn't. We did not have a decent turnout as expected but we did come up with a display of garbage and talked with a few people regarding the display. We had then recycled our trash before heading out.
Day 4 - ...and Kisses (Hershey Kisses)
I spent my last day of impact by handing out candy to people that I ran into throughout the day. It is really nice to see people get happy when receiving something as small as a piece of chocolate, then again a really small act of kindness can make a person's day, especially if they are having a tough one. I do plan on continuing this part on Monday as I do have a lot of kisses to hand out, (and probably some more hugs.)
Exercise 1 - IMPACT
Day One: Technologies IMPACT On Our Daily Lives
For 24 hours I recorded the usage of my cell phone:
Alarm Setting- 1
Event Reminder- 1
Text Messages Sent- 14
Text Messages Received- 11
Calls Made- 8
Calls Received-9
Calculator-1
I was really surprised in the number of times and different ways that I used my cell phone throughout the day. Ten years ago it was a luxury to own a cell phone, even for use in case of emergency. And today I don't even have a home phone line or an alarm clock because I use my cell phone for everything.
Day Two: Collection of Trash
For one day I collect all of the trash that I used throughout the day...
1 Muffin Wrapper
1 Gatorade Bottle
1 Plastic Wrapper for sliced apples
6 Tissues
1 Plastic Fork
1 Plastic Salad container
I truly expected to have created more trash today. I was really surprised when I realized that I didn't fill up even one trash bag. But, at the same time I am obviously not the only person on this planet and it only takes a little bit from each person to create a mountain of trash. After looking through my bag I also realized that almost all of my trash was related to food and drink packaging.
Day Three: Life Is Too Short
This morning I attended the funeral of a good friend. He died of cardiac arrest at the age of 28. I'm convinced that there is no greater impact in life than death. It was surreal to see his body lying in the casket with so many of us together simultaneously grieving. The entire experience was heartbreaking, but the ritual of all of us gathering together to mourn and support the family as well as one another was soothing. His life was much too short... RIP D.W.
Day Four: Trash Challenge
After the results of Wednesday's trash collection I decided to challenge myself to not creating any trash. Knowing that most of the trash I created was due to food items I tried to pack foods for my day that would create less or no trash. What I was not considering was the amount of waste created at work. Due to the nature of my job I am forced to unnecessarily use and waste piles of paper. Although I end up shredding most of the paper at the end of the day because it contains sensitive information, it is still a waste. It was nearly impossible to diminish my creation of trash. That is sad, and maybe something we should address?
IMPACT
Making an Impact Day 1: Living “In Transition”
On Tuesday evening I went to the Drexel Theater with my friend Alli and Ryan Chitwood to see a free screening of film about sustainability and responsible living. The whole film can be found at the link Ryan posted if you are interested. The film focused on small towns and villages that are making the transition from oil based life styles. These communities are using alternatives to oil in their food, economy, transportation, and government. As Ryan said in his post, after the film we discussed the idea of an ODU community garden, and other ways ODU can make the transition.
Making an Impact Day 2: Opening the Door
On Wednesday, I made it a point to open the door for others when entering buildings, classrooms, the fitness center, etc. This is a very small gesture, but many people said thank you and flashed a smile. It is amazing how a small gesture can have a big impact on someone’s day.
Making an Impact Day 3: Lift the Ban
A friend and myself started lift the Ban as part of a class project regarding society and the common good in the fall of 2009. The initial project focused on the lifting of the ban on gay and lesbian individuals in the U.S Military and the Don't Ask Don't Tell Policy. Lift the Ban now hopes to expand beyond that initial class project to raise awareness and fight other injustices in our society. Lift the Ban is an organization dedicated to eliminating social barriers and stigmas and ensuring equality for all people regardless of their sex, age, religion, race, or sexual orientation. Our generation has a responsibility to make the world we live in a place where all people from all different walks of life are respected and appreciated. I am currently booking shows for the Spring and Summer, and on Wednesday decided that a portion of the proceeds from these shows would go to Lift the Ban and The Human Rights Campaign (HRC) Columbus chapter. The HRC is an organization that has made an impact on a lot of peoples lives, including mine.
Making an Impact Day 4:
We all make impacts every day whether they are large or small. Some days we make an impact on society, and sometimes we just make an impact in an individual’s life. Recently a close friend of mind and I had a serious argument that resulted in our not speaking to each other. Today I decided to break the silence. This decision made an impact on our friendship. It hopefully proves to be a positive one.
On Tuesday evening I went to the Drexel Theater with my friend Alli and Ryan Chitwood to see a free screening of film about sustainability and responsible living. The whole film can be found at the link Ryan posted if you are interested. The film focused on small towns and villages that are making the transition from oil based life styles. These communities are using alternatives to oil in their food, economy, transportation, and government. As Ryan said in his post, after the film we discussed the idea of an ODU community garden, and other ways ODU can make the transition.
Making an Impact Day 2: Opening the Door
On Wednesday, I made it a point to open the door for others when entering buildings, classrooms, the fitness center, etc. This is a very small gesture, but many people said thank you and flashed a smile. It is amazing how a small gesture can have a big impact on someone’s day.
Making an Impact Day 3: Lift the Ban
A friend and myself started lift the Ban as part of a class project regarding society and the common good in the fall of 2009. The initial project focused on the lifting of the ban on gay and lesbian individuals in the U.S Military and the Don't Ask Don't Tell Policy. Lift the Ban now hopes to expand beyond that initial class project to raise awareness and fight other injustices in our society. Lift the Ban is an organization dedicated to eliminating social barriers and stigmas and ensuring equality for all people regardless of their sex, age, religion, race, or sexual orientation. Our generation has a responsibility to make the world we live in a place where all people from all different walks of life are respected and appreciated. I am currently booking shows for the Spring and Summer, and on Wednesday decided that a portion of the proceeds from these shows would go to Lift the Ban and The Human Rights Campaign (HRC) Columbus chapter. The HRC is an organization that has made an impact on a lot of peoples lives, including mine.
Making an Impact Day 4:
We all make impacts every day whether they are large or small. Some days we make an impact on society, and sometimes we just make an impact in an individual’s life. Recently a close friend of mind and I had a serious argument that resulted in our not speaking to each other. Today I decided to break the silence. This decision made an impact on our friendship. It hopefully proves to be a positive one.
A week of micro-impact
TUESDAY - As others chose to do the same, I started my first day of impact to gain reaction from a smile. With this type of attempt to gain impact, i can immediately tell if there is any gratification or a negative reaction. I would start the day off in my car, and staring into others vehicles, giving a smile, and observing the reaction. Coming into this I knew that ones sex would matter a great a deal in reaction, however, i did not expect the setting you are in, is just as crucial as ones sex. In a car, i've never really cared to stare into every car in near distance, and look into ones face. There's too many important things to do while driving, i've never cared to look into a car at somebody, or for this matter attempt to gain their reaction. About everybody gave me eye contact, and many gave me a smile. However the majority of smiles came from women and elderly people, whereas men did not give any reaction back from my smile other than a quick withdrawal from eye contact.
At the school and a store, in public it seems the majority of passerby's would look me in the eye and like the car, women were in the majority that smiled back, while men would make eye contact, but quickly draw there eyes elsewhere.
WEDNESDAY - Once again I took my impact studies to the car with myself, but this time with risk. With life giving stress from deadlines and timing, the road can be quite stressful. I had a few ideas which were legal, but would most likely be an obvious answer to assume. I chose to drive the speed limit on cruise control in the fast lane for a day. On a normal day alone without this experiment, I always wonder the reason why people drive erratically. What are they late for, where do they need to be, or why do they drive the way they do?
I found the majority of people took the right lane if available to pass me, giving no reaction other than their commitment to going faster than the one ahead of them. Some just wanted to be ahead of the pack and swerving through every lane, battling the next to be the fastest on the road. Others which happened about 1/4 of the time genuinely freaked out. Though results were scattered and some happened more than others, I encountered some words i could read from ones mouth, honking, or just dirty looks. We all know the consequences, but we still hurry no matter the situation, or who we pass, as long as one with a badge isn't near by.
THURSDAY - On this day I decided to impact myself for the better. I do have to give Megan a shout out, as she demonstrates this a lot, and I respect her for it. It seems being busy is a topic that is important in all of my impact experiments. As a commuter it takes a lot of gas to go to school, work, the store, and much, much more. Though 2 of my classes were canceled this day, I still came in, to turn something in, and just keep busy with my homework around quiet campus areas. Though my mind told me to turn my work in and go do something fun with friends until class, I wanted to reduce my unnecessary consumption of gas. At school, it's a much easier setting to get school work done as it has less distractions for my mind. I got a lot more done than I would've with my normal study habits. Everybody needs a break from school work. Sometimes I would get up and walk around, other times I would walk a distance to get something to eat, drink, switch locations and more. It felt good to consume less and get more things done to lessen the stress school ccan bring.
FRIDAY - After getting so much school work done yesterday, I had a little free time today. I decided to impact two people today. I really didn't have many expectations or what I wanted to do for my grandparents to impact them, but knew at least something would come up in conversation I could gesture myself to do for them. Before heading over to visit my grandparents, I decided to print large and use my photo matte, to give them something of my own work, while I had the recourses laying around. As with most grandparents, they love to feed me. After I enjoyed my Dinner/Dessert, I took all of our dishes to the sink and washed them. Through conversation, i found their oil was in need of change in one of their vehicles. Winter in Ohio keeps us indoors, so it was understandable why it hadn't been changed in so long. With weather not a bother to myself, and my grandpa in supply of the correct oil and filter I was pleased to change it without ruining my clean clothes. It was obvious through the day that my courteous gestures were greatly appreciated and elevated their moods. At first I could say the large print was planned to bring gratitude, but throughout the day my random courtesy was not expected to planned to be, therefor I feel it was true.
Reading Reflection 2
This week's reading really caught me off guard. I'm so used to feeling like I have power over and awareness of advertising and brand identity, but Berman's writings in 4 The Weapons made me have to reconsider this idea.
I remember when I started getting deep into skateboard culture in my very young years, reading about (and experiencing) a very negative reaction from others for my involvement in the activity. I remember loving this feeling, that I could be hated for something as simple as riding a piece of wood with four wheels. I loved owning anything that represented that I was a part of that culture. When I was in the fourth grade I got my first t-shirt with a skate company logo on it, a bright red Independent Truck Co. shirt. I wore that shirt at least once a week, more if I could get away with wearing it dirty. I felt so cool. I wore that shirt and continued to stock my wardrobe, trying to replace my entire t-shirt collection with shirts that I thought represented who I was through what I liked.
Then, in middle school it became a fad. Skateboard brands became enormously popular and this confused the sh*t out of me. I went to middle school and suddenly was surrounded by people wearing Independent, Innes, Etnies, ES, Flip, DC, the list went on- and I thought that I had just walked into some dream world where everyone was a skater! However, it turned out that it had just become "cool" to look like one. I was very bitter and often asked kids wearing skate logo t-shirts "if you don't skateboard why are you wearing that shirt?" and being so confused and really pretty mad about the whole thing. How dare these people pretend to be skateboarders, especially when for the last twenty years before this they were the same people who would have been yelling obscenities and throwing trash at someone riding a skateboard. This continued to grow as people began to wear skateshoes and I would increasingly have my hopes shattered to meet a fellow skateboarder only to find their shoes in near mint condition day after day while mine were worn through on the side of the toes after a couple of weeks.
I still feel somehow, that these logos can in some way identify and express some aspect of my personality, or maybe it is just such extreme brand loyalty that I can't stop wearing them, for the same reason I continue to buy their original products - their skateboard decks, shoes, wheels and trucks. And this is where David Berman has caught me off guard.
I am forced to ask myself, does it make sense to buy t-shirts from a company who makes skateboard decks that I have an affinity for? When he asks this question about Nike tshirts, when it is their shoes people are supposed to like them for and Chanel glasses when it is their clothing that is the product I was forced to ask myself the same of the t-shirts, hats and hoodies that I seek out featuring my favorite brands that allow for my favorite activity.
The crazy part is, after much internal debate, I still feel a weird allegiance and justification in wearing clothing from these brands like Independent, I Path, Alien Workshop and Habitat skateboards. Is it wrong? Maybe it is. Somehow I still feel justified in being a walking billboard, even proud to be one for these companies. It's like wearing a band's t-shirt, it somehow feels like you are helping them out by being their billboard. It is a weird phenomena for sure, and I feel a bit silly now . . . though not enough to start wearing logoless t-shirts exclusively.
Reflecting on IMPACT
Well all of my IMPACT ideas went excruciatingly horrible and I am not real sure if any of them worked but at least I learned what not to do and how to expand on my ideas to make them a little more successful.
DAY 1:
I decided that anyone who made eye contact with me I would smile at and well some people smiled back awkwardly and sometimes I forgot and would draw back myself. I never realized how difficult it is to make eye contact with people. Why do we fear contact with others?
So, I realized that I need to put myself out there more and I realized how isolated people have really become. I would like to see our community go back to caring about one another and making those personal connections that we fear so much.
DAY2:
I decided to carry all of the trash that I accumulated in one day. I noticed that I barely filled half of a garbage bag. I also noticed that instead of try to limit the trash that I accumulated I tried to maximize it for a greater effect which was the complete opposite of what I was trying to do. I wanted to try and reduce as much as I could but kept thinking about how undramatic it looked and felt it would not make much of a difference.
learned though that maybe I should have done it for a week and them it would have worked out more and I learned that I am not that wasteful physically but I am energy wasteful, so if I could find a way to represent that then I think it would be more successful.
Let me know if you think of any ideas, please?
DAY 3:
I chose to take my trash to Erskine to demonstrate how much trash I and other students accumulate in a 24hour period, but only three students showed up and it was still less then half a bag of trash so it back fired.
I learned though that we should include others besides those in our class and maybe expand the time period to a week, lay out more specific rules and to make a more dramatic demonstration we could have dumped the trash on a tarp in Erskine and sorted it out in a certain way. That could have made this demonstration on human waste more powerful and dramatic.
DAY 4:
I have always been concerned about abortions but since it is such a sensitive subject and I do not like to get into arguments or confrontations I have always been quiet about it. So, I really wanted to do something to get information out about how disturbing this situation has gotten and how most people do not even know what or how it happens. First, I thought of printing off fliers with aborted babies on them and then put safe sex phrases and statistics on the posters to really bring this situation into public eye. But, I have to admit I backed down because of fear of getting into trouble and of dealing with closed minded people.
Instead I went and researched the stats and printed then out in labels of 48 count attached them to suckers and placed them in different areas of the student center. I don't know if these stats will change anyone's opinion or make anyone care but even if it changed one person's mind about the whole thing I feel successful.
I would like to someday do something more dramatic to really put a face to these unborn babies but at least I did something besides just sitting back and letting it go like I usually do.
This subject is the only one I felt the most passionate about and the only one that I want to do more than anything, because "If a mother can kill her own child what else is there left to destroy in the West" -Mother Theresa. There are so many other options that a mother has as opposed to abortion. There are some reasons for it I do agree but when it gets to the point that 93% of the abortions are for birth control reasons and ONLY 1% because of RAPE or INCEST then we are doing something wrong!
I could improve this by doing more of the candy or instead of candy I could use condoms or the horrifying posters. I hope to build up to this.
DAY 1:
I decided that anyone who made eye contact with me I would smile at and well some people smiled back awkwardly and sometimes I forgot and would draw back myself. I never realized how difficult it is to make eye contact with people. Why do we fear contact with others?
So, I realized that I need to put myself out there more and I realized how isolated people have really become. I would like to see our community go back to caring about one another and making those personal connections that we fear so much.
DAY2:
I decided to carry all of the trash that I accumulated in one day. I noticed that I barely filled half of a garbage bag. I also noticed that instead of try to limit the trash that I accumulated I tried to maximize it for a greater effect which was the complete opposite of what I was trying to do. I wanted to try and reduce as much as I could but kept thinking about how undramatic it looked and felt it would not make much of a difference.
learned though that maybe I should have done it for a week and them it would have worked out more and I learned that I am not that wasteful physically but I am energy wasteful, so if I could find a way to represent that then I think it would be more successful.
Let me know if you think of any ideas, please?
DAY 3:
I chose to take my trash to Erskine to demonstrate how much trash I and other students accumulate in a 24hour period, but only three students showed up and it was still less then half a bag of trash so it back fired.
I learned though that we should include others besides those in our class and maybe expand the time period to a week, lay out more specific rules and to make a more dramatic demonstration we could have dumped the trash on a tarp in Erskine and sorted it out in a certain way. That could have made this demonstration on human waste more powerful and dramatic.
DAY 4:
I have always been concerned about abortions but since it is such a sensitive subject and I do not like to get into arguments or confrontations I have always been quiet about it. So, I really wanted to do something to get information out about how disturbing this situation has gotten and how most people do not even know what or how it happens. First, I thought of printing off fliers with aborted babies on them and then put safe sex phrases and statistics on the posters to really bring this situation into public eye. But, I have to admit I backed down because of fear of getting into trouble and of dealing with closed minded people.
Instead I went and researched the stats and printed then out in labels of 48 count attached them to suckers and placed them in different areas of the student center. I don't know if these stats will change anyone's opinion or make anyone care but even if it changed one person's mind about the whole thing I feel successful.
I would like to someday do something more dramatic to really put a face to these unborn babies but at least I did something besides just sitting back and letting it go like I usually do.
This subject is the only one I felt the most passionate about and the only one that I want to do more than anything, because "If a mother can kill her own child what else is there left to destroy in the West" -Mother Theresa. There are so many other options that a mother has as opposed to abortion. There are some reasons for it I do agree but when it gets to the point that 93% of the abortions are for birth control reasons and ONLY 1% because of RAPE or INCEST then we are doing something wrong!
I could improve this by doing more of the candy or instead of candy I could use condoms or the horrifying posters. I hope to build up to this.
Student Activities MUST approve WISDOM (?)
Well as I was typing my previous post, I heard the familiar disgusting sound of walkie-talkies and loud boots. Then crumpled paper. Crumpled paper again. Voice on the walkie talkie:
More crumpled paper.
Really?
We have to have someone APPROVE a piece of paper, that is just doing...GOOD?
This could be from JESUS himself! I say, Student Activities can suck it. I pay too much to go here and be censored. I could see if it was rambling obscenities, but it wasn't.
Disappointing, and dumb. I think I may make more impact this weekend.
"These signs everywhere that say FREE WISDOM aren't approved by Student Activities. Yeah they have quotes on them..."
More crumpled paper.
Really?
We have to have someone APPROVE a piece of paper, that is just doing...GOOD?
This could be from JESUS himself! I say, Student Activities can suck it. I pay too much to go here and be censored. I could see if it was rambling obscenities, but it wasn't.
Disappointing, and dumb. I think I may make more impact this weekend.
Making Impact on this little campus.
In no particular order:
[1]
I stole something from a site that Chitwood posted a week or two ago. On the chalkboard in Erskine hall I wrote:
I came back about 30 minutes later and what do you know:
Although it may seem small, we sometimes forget to evaluate what we feel and why. I know I'm too busy to even stop to consider if I'm busy with things that are making me happy. It felt good to kind of create an opportunity for someone else to let themselves and others know what they are feeling and why.
[2]
I printed out about 20 of these and posted them all over campus.
I guess with both of these I'll never truly know how much of an impact I could have made the other people's days...but I do think that both of these were unexpected and may have caused others to take some kind of change of direction in thought. It was funny, because I was scared to do both of these. That is so dumb, I was scared to be caught by someone doing something different. I even walked past the chalkboard a couple of times because I knew that this was something that hadn't been done here before, and I was a little timid in fear of getting in trouble. I guess from this exercise the biggest thing I've learned is we have to put ourselves out there, without fear. We can't be afraid to do something different, or everything will remain the same. In order to make impact, someone needs to be a leader and think outside of the box.
[3]
My senior show class consists of nine other students who I am very close to. We sometimes get discouraged in the class because it involves a lot of critique, so I tried to do something to remind them how much I cared about them and their individual work. Before class began I told them I had a small honest note for them to read. I'll make fun of Corey now, but I'm sure he would be fine with it. His read, "Athough people think you are a bit unusual, I admire you for being yourself." I wrote one to my professor who has been with me a couple of years and hers said, "If it weren't for you, I would have changed my major, and have been very unhappy."
I know it is small, but maybe that impact moreso for myself. How often do we take the time to consider why we appreciate the people in our lives (even if they are just classmates.?
They had nice reactions and said thankyou. I think though since I took the time to try and understand why they are significant in my life, I can appreciate our relationships more.
I also brought them cookies, which I'm sure made an impact on their day.
They didn't eat all of them so...
[4]
I set up the rest of the cookies on a podium in the middle of Wehrle with a sign that read,
Some of the professors said they were really pleased, and the next day ALL of the cookies were gone. SUCCESS.
[1]
I stole something from a site that Chitwood posted a week or two ago. On the chalkboard in Erskine hall I wrote:
I came back about 30 minutes later and what do you know:
Although it may seem small, we sometimes forget to evaluate what we feel and why. I know I'm too busy to even stop to consider if I'm busy with things that are making me happy. It felt good to kind of create an opportunity for someone else to let themselves and others know what they are feeling and why.
[2]
I printed out about 20 of these and posted them all over campus.
I guess with both of these I'll never truly know how much of an impact I could have made the other people's days...but I do think that both of these were unexpected and may have caused others to take some kind of change of direction in thought. It was funny, because I was scared to do both of these. That is so dumb, I was scared to be caught by someone doing something different. I even walked past the chalkboard a couple of times because I knew that this was something that hadn't been done here before, and I was a little timid in fear of getting in trouble. I guess from this exercise the biggest thing I've learned is we have to put ourselves out there, without fear. We can't be afraid to do something different, or everything will remain the same. In order to make impact, someone needs to be a leader and think outside of the box.
[3]
My senior show class consists of nine other students who I am very close to. We sometimes get discouraged in the class because it involves a lot of critique, so I tried to do something to remind them how much I cared about them and their individual work. Before class began I told them I had a small honest note for them to read. I'll make fun of Corey now, but I'm sure he would be fine with it. His read, "Athough people think you are a bit unusual, I admire you for being yourself." I wrote one to my professor who has been with me a couple of years and hers said, "If it weren't for you, I would have changed my major, and have been very unhappy."
I know it is small, but maybe that impact moreso for myself. How often do we take the time to consider why we appreciate the people in our lives (even if they are just classmates.?
They had nice reactions and said thankyou. I think though since I took the time to try and understand why they are significant in my life, I can appreciate our relationships more.
I also brought them cookies, which I'm sure made an impact on their day.
They didn't eat all of them so...
[4]
I set up the rest of the cookies on a podium in the middle of Wehrle with a sign that read,
Working hard? Have a cookie & Keep it up.
Some of the professors said they were really pleased, and the next day ALL of the cookies were gone. SUCCESS.
27 January 2010
C.S. Lewis
"...Every one is to work with his own hands, and what is more, every one's work is to produce something good: there will be no manufacture of silly luxuries and then of sillier advertisements to persuade us to buy them." - C.S. Lewis, Mere Christianity (Book 3, The Three Parts of Morality)
"...What is the good of drawing up, on paper, rules for social behaviour, if we know that, in fact, our greed, cowardice, ill temper, and self-conceit are going to prevent us from keeping them? I do not mean for a moment that we ought not to think, and think hard, about improvements in our social and economic system. What I do mean is that all that thinking will be mere moonshine unless we realise that nothing but the courage and unselfishness of individuals is ever going to make any system work properly. It is easy enough to remove the particular kinds of graft or bullying that go on under the present system: but as long as men are twisters or bullies they will find some new way of carrying on the old game under the new system. You cannot make men good by law: and without good men you cannot have a good society. That is why we must go on to think of the second thing: of morality inside the individual." - C.S. Lewis, Mere Christianity (Book 3, The Three Parts of Morality)
I thought that it would be interesting to post these after doing some reading for my philosophy class (379b). This section is based on Morality, mostly focusing on Christian Morality, but the above posted did have, I guess, an impact on me.
"...What is the good of drawing up, on paper, rules for social behaviour, if we know that, in fact, our greed, cowardice, ill temper, and self-conceit are going to prevent us from keeping them? I do not mean for a moment that we ought not to think, and think hard, about improvements in our social and economic system. What I do mean is that all that thinking will be mere moonshine unless we realise that nothing but the courage and unselfishness of individuals is ever going to make any system work properly. It is easy enough to remove the particular kinds of graft or bullying that go on under the present system: but as long as men are twisters or bullies they will find some new way of carrying on the old game under the new system. You cannot make men good by law: and without good men you cannot have a good society. That is why we must go on to think of the second thing: of morality inside the individual." - C.S. Lewis, Mere Christianity (Book 3, The Three Parts of Morality)
I thought that it would be interesting to post these after doing some reading for my philosophy class (379b). This section is based on Morality, mostly focusing on Christian Morality, but the above posted did have, I guess, an impact on me.
26 January 2010
Transition Culture
I also just went to the Drexel theater to see a free film about sustainability with a few people. The whole film is embeded on this site: http://transitionculture.org/in-transition/
It was pretty interesting, very positive and inspiring- showing examples of smaller towns and villages which are making the transition from oil based life styles. It was broken down into categories: Food, Economy, Transport, Government ect. It reminded me heavily of the kind of activity David Berman had in mind in his speech and in the book.
Check it out if you're interested.
After the film we were throwing around the idea of an ODU produce garden and what the possibilities of that were? (or even an off campus urban gardening project)
It was pretty interesting, very positive and inspiring- showing examples of smaller towns and villages which are making the transition from oil based life styles. It was broken down into categories: Food, Economy, Transport, Government ect. It reminded me heavily of the kind of activity David Berman had in mind in his speech and in the book.
Check it out if you're interested.
After the film we were throwing around the idea of an ODU produce garden and what the possibilities of that were? (or even an off campus urban gardening project)
25 January 2010
Designers Helping Haiti
I found this article on a blog I visit frequently. It includes examples of design work that people have done for Haiti relief. Many of the images are amazing, and good examples of how designers can inspire the public to do good. There are more links included in the post of other ways designers have helped during this tragedy.
http://designinformer.com/help-haiti-designers-getting-involved/
http://designinformer.com/help-haiti-designers-getting-involved/
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