Semester 4

Arts TRYathlon #1: Choose Your Own Adventure

Paints and Shells - UMD Art Club (February 7th in ESJ)

#visualart

For my first TRYathlon of the semester, I went to a meeting for UMD’s Art Club. I didn’t know what to expect initially, since most other events I’ve attended have had more structure or a clearer focus. Instead, this was a room full of people working on their own projects- some shared, some independent, and some just there to spend time in an environment that fostered creativity. I was intimidated when I first sat down. I could see everyone else’s work and was immediately flooded by fear that I could never compare to some of them. Thankfully, that anxiety was quickly subdued. I had mentioned a project I wanted to work on, and suddenly I had not only active encouragement but eager support. As I drew, a new friend sat next to me to do the same. Every time I felt ready to call it quits and move on, they encouraged me to push a bit harder and get just a little more done. It was refreshing to be in an environment where it felt like skill or talent didn’t matter. Everyone was there to do what made them happy. No one was forced to be in that room or to work on something they didn’t care about. Being surrounded by people genuinely interested and excited in their work helped make me more excited about mine. It made me more comfortable taking a step back and admitting that my work wasn’t perfect, but knowing it was still something I was proud of. I can happily say I’ll be going back to that room again.

Arts TRYathlon #2: Choose Your Own Adventure

Bird Journaling (March 8th at Lake Artemesia)

#visualart

For my second TRYathlon of the semester, I attended a bird journaling workshop held by the campus Art Club and Audobon Society. We planned to spend the morning walking and bird spotting, with everyone bringing along a sketchbook to draw the birds we saw. While birding is not my area of expertise, I do love being able to explore the natural areas around College Park, and this felt like a good way to do so with friends and make art along the way. We left campus bright and early to walk to Lake Artemesia in the hopes of seeing some wildlife worth drawing. The walk gave me the opportunity to learn more about the local birds and gave me the opportunity to practice new skills. I am not the fastest when drawing, but having a moving subject that could fly away at any point forced me to speed up. Being surrounded by other people doing the same made it feel easier and less stressful though. It felt similar to our typical weekly workshops- a group of people, all with different skill levels, practicing something new together. While the drawings I did were not my best, it was rewarding to try something new and push myself out of my typical comfort zone. In the future, I’d like to try more things that blend art and nature in ways that I haven’t done before.

Arts TRYathlon #3: Arts Scholars Event

Peer Mentor Zoom Hangout (March 25th & March 27th on Zoom)

#presentation

For my third TRYathlon, I helped host a peer mentor event for freshman scholars. My fellow peers mentors and I came together to host 2 meetings to give rising sophomores the opportunity to ask us any questions they may have about scholars, Arts Fest, or anything about the university as a whole. Having the opportunity to interact and connect with other scholars, especially the freshmen, is always exciting, but is often easier said than done given how busy everyone can be, especially this time of the semester. That being said, I was pleasantly surprised by the turnout and more than happy to answer the questions we received. We were able to break down some of the ins and outs of Arts Fest, explain what capstone projects were like, and discuss what the second year of college can feel like. Bringing people together for events like this isn’t easy, but seeing how many people took time out of their nights to chat with us helped remind me how important it is to give people the opportunity to connect. I may not have gotten a chance to talk to many of the freshmen without a structured event like this, but giving people a space where they can feel comfortable asking questions helps everyone. It not only gave them the opportunity to get their questions answered, but also gave us the opportunity to understand what was most important to them. The event may not have been the most exciting or flashy, but it was a welcome opportunity to bring people closer together and give them access to resources that can help them succeed.

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