When I began listening to the talk, I was wondering what my visual journal should be. Should I draw the sunset around me? Should I draw my bedroom? Nothing really seemed right. As I began listening to the talk, it discussed the experiences surrounding the pieces. They were not just snippets of random moments of nothing, these pieces were each driven by a specific personal intention. The pieces, when built up over time, told stories. They spoke louder than words and were not done to simply appease a spectator.
Taking art is weird for me. Growing up, I was a dancer. I spoke through physical movement, not by strokes and brushes. Every art piece I’ve ever created, whether it be in this class or others, I have never drawn anything for me. I’ve always thought, “Will the teacher like that?” or “Will I get points off for that?” (or “Why is Adobe Illustrator ruining my life?”). When I take my next design class, I want to learn of course, but I also want to have intention. I want my pieces to embody my experiences in my life. I finally want to stop worrying about a point system and really express myself in a new way.
So when I thought about my life, my experiences over the last year(s), I thought about my old, crusty MacBook Air. I’ve had this computer since the 7th grade. (7 years!!!) As you could probably believe, it’s awful and barely works. Every time I open it, it sounds like a weird rocketship taking off. It crashes constantly, deletes my files, and for some reason, absolutely despises Microsoft Excel. So, yeah, probably not the best piece of technology to carry you through remote/pandemic college. Shockingly, I recently decided it’s finally time to get a new laptop.
This laptop is like an annoying younger sibling. It makes doing all my work pretty painful, but for some reason, I’m really going to miss it. It’s a chronicle of my life for the last 7 years– middle school, high school, and (1/2) college. I’ll remember the relief of me slamming it shut after finishing a paper, the endless Facetime calls, the rush of secretly texting my friends in class, and almost an entire year of college work and communication. So– My pandemic year? My last 7 years? My experience? The good, the bad, and the ugly? It’s this MacBook Air. I’ll definitely miss it 🙂