Semester Reflections

Semester 4

All of my assignments had a part in demonstrating my growth in presenting my ideas through various forms of communication. Something that really helped me in my journey of discovering the arts and applying them to my life was my TRYathlons, which I talked about a lot throughout my semester reflections. I watched podcasts, films, movies, attended events, etc. What these assignments pushed me to do was to really delve into each medium. Instead of stumbling upon a podcast and just listening to it as it is, the prompts we were given to answer made me listen for intentionality, and I got so much more out of it than if I had not had prompts to challenge my thinking. This applied similarly with my TRYathlons from this semester, which were watching a short film and a movie. Altogether, as I realized and learned more from the arts and how certain information is conveyed better in __ way, I began to be more aware of how I presented my own ideas. My oral speaking became more confident and intentional, and my writing abilities started becoming more creative. I had more ideas flowing once I started to ask myself more questions to challenge myself. The TRYathlons, which were discussed, as well as the curation of my individual capstone, have changed my perception of art as a result of these experiences. Since I have already expanded on the experience with TRYathlons, it is worth discussing the bulk of what led up to the academic showcase. The workshops that we had during our CPSA250 class times opened my eyes to the creativity of my peers. I was truly amazed and inspired by every single person’s capstone idea, and their feedback was crucial to my creative process. I learned that creating art is not an easy feat. It requires so much research, so many changes to the creative process, and countless feedback from those around you (including faculty, peers, family members, etc.). The field trip to the World Tour Embassy was also an eye-opening experience. I was extremely inspired by the theme of the tour, where all the embassies in a central location host activities that serve food to encourage cultural immersion. It showed me how uniting the arts can be, and what greater purpose it can serve in bringing people together. My capstone project drew upon a lot of the things I learned throughout the two years in the program. The biggest lesson I drew from colloquiums and supporting courses is that art is so diverse, and that art requires patience. Even in my workshop from last year, I saw how differently people interpreted different mediums of art. While working towards the arts fest, I realized that the arts require patience and appreciation. Rushing through the creative process is never going to work in your favor, and I am glad I learned that earlier on. Techniques I used, which I was introduced to during the cpsa250 class, are the time boxing techniques and the pomodoro technique. These time management techniques really helped me in keeping track of my capstone project, and ensuring that I am allocating enough time to work on it without getting burnt out. The pomodoro technique especially helped with easing my brain by pushing me to take short breaks, which I did through short walks. By using these techniques and gaining knowledge of how to go about the creative process, I deepened my existing artistic talents and interests. I have been exposed to so many diverse artworks, and hearing about each creative process has been rewarding from my perspective. This alone has expanded my creative abilities to think outside the box and reinforced my appreciation for the arts as a whole. A specific way I have been able to demonstrate my ability to collaborate effectively with those holding diverse artistic perspectives, interests, and abilities is by always listening first. It is way harder to collaborate with others when you are not fully listening and comprehending what the other person is saying. In this way, I have been able to collaborate effectively with my peers, because once I start listening intentionally, I reach a level of understanding that allows me to offer more respectful advice/opinions. Personally, I believe that my Arts Scholars experience will carry on to my next phase of life. I have found a greater sense of belonging and appreciation with and for the arts, and found this experience very rewarding as a part of my undergraduate studies. Particularly, I fell off playing the piano, because I have not found the time to play it. Truthfully, it has been hard prioritizing playing the piano on top of everything that has been going on in my life. However, I have, since my Arts Scholars experience, been able to get back into that. Piano is a safe space and outlet for a lot of the stress that gets pent up, so that is something I am grateful to be carrying into my next years of life.