Week 1 & 2: Prologue

I’ve always wanted to start a blog. Well, for a few years at least, since I realized blogs were a thing. I loved the anonymity of writing to someone, of communicating ideas or life in an interesting way with time to think before writing. I would research what made up a strong blog, what others wrote about, and questioned what I’d write about. Eventually, I came to wait, choosing that my voice would not add much value to any conversation yet. I’ve come to learn from my father that one of the most important aspects of writing is to have something to say.

So, today’s the day. I take a step out to try.

The first story that I’ll tell is my own. I’ve grown up in a small family of four in the Pacific Northwest, with an older sister of three years and two supportive parents. I was taught from an early age the importance of family, and the importance of loving learning. My sister and I are very close, bonding through ten years in the sport of competitive gymnastics together, and several years of homeschooling together. Through gymnastics, we learned about dedication, hard work, and teamwork. But we also learned about fear, about hard days, and about supporting each other. I have grown very much through this experience, and developed from many, many failures. In fact, I’ve failed a lot. I failed getting into Ringling College on my first try, I failed maintaining the grades that I set out to reach, and ultimately I failed being as strong as I should be. But I haven’t failed at learning. And I will keep learning, as long as I continue to move forward and opening myself up to knowledge.

I am a computer animator, as well as an athlete. I love to read, but I am terrible at keeping plants alive. I have a talent for getting lost, and a love for making cards. I am an optimist, a dreamer, and a Disney-movie lover. I am extremely lucky in the privileges of my life, from having supportive parents to participating in an expensive club sport to being able to follow my dreams of being an artist.

But at the same time, I am not a stranger to loss. I have lost three of four grandparents within a few years, two of which I was very close to. I have said goodbye to our Great Dane, and watched him slowly stop moving. I’ve been angry at the world for continuing to move when a loved one has left it, I’ve felt my heart break with the loss of goals. I have broken down so many times, in public and in private, feeling like the world would end. Others have helped piece me back together, have shown me what it is to love. Likewise, I work every to day to show others what it is to be noticed. I hold doors because I like to, say thank you because I appreciate other’s work, and write encouraging letters for others. Ultimately, I’ve learned that there is way more than meets the eye to everyone around us, and I work to open myself up to seeing.  

What – and who – will I see this semester? Let’s find out.