Semester Reflections

Semester 3

Art serves as a vessel for the creator’s own experiences. In viewing art, we are able to see the world through a new lens. It connects us to backgrounds removed from our own and shows us what the world can look like from a different perspective. Before this year, I never thought I would try West African drumming- I have no connection to the music or the culture it comes from. And yet, through Scholars, I tried something new. 

The ability to be creative is deeply dependent on the creativity around you. By surrounding yourself with novelty and the passions of others, the creative process becomes a part of life instead of a standalone task. Having friends around me that want to show off their work and new adventures has helped me fuel my own desires to create. When my friend told me she wanted to try printmaking for the first time and asked me for tips, I was suddenly excited to try making things on my own again (for the first time in quite a while).  

In order for your work to have the most impact, knowing your audience is key. Taking the feedback is the best (and arguably only) way to understand how your work is being interpreted. It can be hard to keep an open mind all the time, especially when people don’t view your work in the same way that you had hoped they would, but taking note of how outsiders see what you create and blending that with your goals can help you create something more powerful. 

As everyone is well aware, the recent election evoked strong feelings. People came together in its wake, though unfortunately few did so with joy. As dark of a time as it was, it gave people the opportunity to look back on other moments of togetherness brought out of fear and pain. People were reminded of projects like the AIDS Memorial Quilt and other resistance movements. Seeing the way that people have been able to support each other through past times of turmoil showed the world that not all hope was lost then, nor is it now. Community, no matter how big or small, is key in times of struggle. Whether that community is building a quilt or attending colloquium together, any amount of connectedness helps show that no one is ever alone. 

This semester, I chose to take an English class (ENGL134) centered around the ideas of discovery and colonialism. While we discussed numerous themes, I most often thought about how each of the authors presented their own ideas in their writing. Some were simply trying to document their journeys, while others aimed to point out the flaws within their societies and the actions being taken overseas. Just like we’ve discussed in colloquium over the last three semesters, the identities of the writers showed through in their work. Simple things, like Marco Polo spending so much time cataloging the trading systems he encountered because of his profession (a merchant), reminded me of how everything we create is influenced by our own passions and experiences. 

Having Scholars as common ground has made it easier to connect to my peers. Even if we didn’t know each other, there was an understanding that we were both coming from a point of shared interest. It becomes easier to get to know someone when you know you have something in common to begin with. Even within the program, I got to know my peers better this year. Serving as a peer mentor helped connect me not only to incoming freshmen, but also my fellow sophomores. Whenever we were struggling to come up with ideas for a project or needed to ask a last minute question about an assignment, we were able to turn to each other so that we could all succeed. 

Being a peer mentor this semester has helped me feel more connected to the scholars community as a whole. The program helped me connect with Arts Scholars as well as the other programs within the community. The events I helped host (hopefully) served as a way to connect the new freshmen to their peers in the same way it helped me connect to mine. I was able to contribute to activities held by my fellow Arts mentors as well as those sponsored by Scholars as a whole. I loved nights like Fall Fest where the whole Cambridge Community could participate in something new and fun to destress, and I’d love to help facilitate more events like it in the future. 

Being in Scholars has helped me connect to so many new people, and with that, so many new ideas. I’ve found that I’ve learned the most about the complexity of people and how multifaceted people can be. Some of my best friends in scholars are in science-based programs pursuing STEM majors, and yet I’ve seen how they create their own art and engage in their own passions that seem otherwise removed from the rest of their interests. Being surrounded by people that create for the sake of joy has helped push me to want to do the same.