I'm so grateful that I was able to participate in the Creative Adventures blog. As a writer I seek new experiences that inspire a drive to create. Adventures are perfect for this, but sometimes we need the comfort of a group and the pressure of a deadline to pursue one.
Although the prospect of giving away free hugs, writing a love song, and dressing tacky seem simple enough, with all three I felt my stomach fill with butterflies. It's not just these challenges though, in many situations I find that I respond to fear by flying away to the next place of comfort. But sometimes the steady rush of a beating heart can fill you with excitement. Imagine a girl with a hundred yellow butterflies glowing through her stomach. She is ready to take off, she has the potential--will she seize the day? I completed all three challenges, because creativity is approachable. Nothing and no one can stop me from expressing myself and creating my life but myself.
The free hugs challenge was a great way for me to communicate with the people I see every day on campus. Our student body is overwhelming, and as a transfer, out-of-state student, it was easy for me to get caught up in the routine paths to and from classes without thinking about the hundreds of anonymous faces I passed along the way. But I've left that autopilot mindset behind and will now walk through campus, downtown, even the supermarket engaged and aware of the space I share with people, some of whom may be in need of a hug.
Writing a love song was nerve wracking at first, but how could I not perform and write a song when I was faced with the challenge and had the equipment? The day after I posted my love song was my birthday, and as creations tend to be, the song was like a gift to myself. Hopefully, I won't need a challenge next time I want to write a song. Lyrics are lovely words strung together with sound, and I could definitely write more. I've tried to listen more carefully for melodies since then, and I've discovered that there are so many sounds and rhythms of the day.
Tacky day was fun and a tactful way of standing out. It made me realize the potential in every article of clothing. As of now I know I own too too too many clothes and plan of giving some away, selling some, and altering others. All in all it's not what you wear, but how you wear it.
I'm excited to finish up this school semester, but it's always sad to say goodbye to a project. Of course this won't mean an end to the adventures, and I have a few in mind. I recently disassemble my bed and put my mattress on the floor. Much more comfortable I must say, but I'm left with 5 long panels of wood in my possession. I think I might use them to put together a room divider to place over my doorway. This summer I'm also heading beginning an internship with this great alternative medicine website, and beginning volunteer DJ shifts at my school's radio station. I also have two guitars, a ukulele, and a tambourine. Songwriting will continue and hopefully flourish over summer break.
At the end of this Creative Adventure blog the real question is: What is your next adventure?
The DDD
Saturday, April 16, 2011
Adventurer 1 Signing Off
Well, it's been an interesting few weeks, and what started out as a list of stunts turned into something deep. I learned something from each challenge, but I have my favorites, and my favorites aren't at all what I expected.
The love song challenge takes the number one slot for me. I had it pegged for last place. I love creative writing and, in fact, it is my major as I'm sure I've mentioned somewhere on this blog. My song turned into the laments of characters for me. Seriously I thought about the "plot" of International Lullaby for days after I posted it. What I learned from the challenge is a new way to get the creative juices flowing. I haven't penned another song yet, but I plan on it.
In second place is The Free Hugs Challenge, which is right where I figured it would be. I'm not shy. I used to be, but life taught me (is teaching me) that it's productive to start up a conversation or voice an opinion. In fact, in the real working world, of which I've been a part of and am a part of (I'm a returning student), it's something everyone had better get comfortable with. This challenge solidified my opinion of myself as not being a wallflower when a situation calls for a leader. What I learned, though, is that I can use my personality to uplift others, and that people enjoy, really enjoy, kindness from strangers. Helping someone isn't always about giving financial aid. Anyone has the power to help if help can come in the form of something as simple as a hug.
And finallly, the challenge I thought would be my favorite...Tacky Day. The lesson was profound and I had a great time putting my outfit together. I was impressed with the level of respect people have for each other, though dissapointed that it didn't lead to any conversations. But would it have been better if people behaved badly? I thought so, but on rethink, no it wouldn't have. Why set out to lose faith in the human spirit? It worked out just the way it should have.
On my Tacky Day, I went to visit my dad in the big four-hour gap between classes on Tuesdays. About an hour after arriving, I couldn't help myself and I asked him what he thought about my outfit. He said he hadn't noticed it, then upon inspection, said it was cute. What he was seeing was the person inside that getup. The person who he used to stand on top of his feet and dance around. The person who was visiting because he wasn't feeling well.
We should all be so lucky as to experience a world seeing us for the people we are and not for the made-to-impress junk that we wear.
It's been real, folks, and a wonderful experience. Keep daring to be different, and remember, the comfort zone is not your friend.
See you in blogland.
Adventurer 1
The love song challenge takes the number one slot for me. I had it pegged for last place. I love creative writing and, in fact, it is my major as I'm sure I've mentioned somewhere on this blog. My song turned into the laments of characters for me. Seriously I thought about the "plot" of International Lullaby for days after I posted it. What I learned from the challenge is a new way to get the creative juices flowing. I haven't penned another song yet, but I plan on it.
In second place is The Free Hugs Challenge, which is right where I figured it would be. I'm not shy. I used to be, but life taught me (is teaching me) that it's productive to start up a conversation or voice an opinion. In fact, in the real working world, of which I've been a part of and am a part of (I'm a returning student), it's something everyone had better get comfortable with. This challenge solidified my opinion of myself as not being a wallflower when a situation calls for a leader. What I learned, though, is that I can use my personality to uplift others, and that people enjoy, really enjoy, kindness from strangers. Helping someone isn't always about giving financial aid. Anyone has the power to help if help can come in the form of something as simple as a hug.
And finallly, the challenge I thought would be my favorite...Tacky Day. The lesson was profound and I had a great time putting my outfit together. I was impressed with the level of respect people have for each other, though dissapointed that it didn't lead to any conversations. But would it have been better if people behaved badly? I thought so, but on rethink, no it wouldn't have. Why set out to lose faith in the human spirit? It worked out just the way it should have.
On my Tacky Day, I went to visit my dad in the big four-hour gap between classes on Tuesdays. About an hour after arriving, I couldn't help myself and I asked him what he thought about my outfit. He said he hadn't noticed it, then upon inspection, said it was cute. What he was seeing was the person inside that getup. The person who he used to stand on top of his feet and dance around. The person who was visiting because he wasn't feeling well.
We should all be so lucky as to experience a world seeing us for the people we are and not for the made-to-impress junk that we wear.
It's been real, folks, and a wonderful experience. Keep daring to be different, and remember, the comfort zone is not your friend.
See you in blogland.
Adventurer 1
Thursday, April 14, 2011
Reflection
These last three weeks have been fun. I learned a lot about myself. I learned I can wear any outfit and still feel comfortable. I learned I can write a song. Basically, when put to the test, I can do pretty much anything I try. I think I just get lazy at times and I don’t do things because of that reason, but no more, I believe the most challenging things are the most worth it.
My favorite challenge was the love song challenge. I had the most fun coming up with the story for my song. I’m a novel writer, so it challenged my skills in a completely different aspect of writing. I have a new-found respect for song writers. It is one thing to write a poem, but a song is spoken. It has to sound good when read and sung, so certain sound devices have to be considered. I had the most fun coming up with the story for my song.
My least favorite challenge was the tacky day, just because it was hard to find something to wear that was actually tacky. Just a theory, but I think subconsciously I tried to match. When I was a kid, I couldn’t match for the life of me. But eventually, I trained my brain to recognize what matches and what doesn’t. Just a theory though.
The challenges I had the most trouble with were tacky day and free hug day. I’m a shy person when it comes to strangers. Free Hug Day really put me out there and into the spotlight, so much so, I wasn’t use to all of the attention.
Overall, it was a great three weeks! :)
Sunday, April 10, 2011
Wrap up and Reflection
The third and final challenge week has come and gone. The group originally planned to do three weeks, and each member has succeeded in all of the challenges. Since this is the end, we will now do a week of reflections concerning what we each learned through these three weeks and how this challenge blog changed us.
Feel free to elaborate on which was your favorite challenge, your least favorite, and the one you had the most trouble with. Anything you feel readers need to know, Group, is what we need to know!
Feel free to elaborate on which was your favorite challenge, your least favorite, and the one you had the most trouble with. Anything you feel readers need to know, Group, is what we need to know!
Tacky Day!
I did the challenge on Tuesday, and I found it was pretty hard to try to dress tacky. I tried to put on colors that would not go, but somehow, it still looked good. Even my hair in two little buns on the sides of my head looked cute, which I've always found to be tacky. The only things that were actually tacky were my cuffed pants, knee-high monkey socks, and sandals.
When walking around campus, no one said anything to me. A few people just stared briefly. In my classes, a few of my classmates asked about my wardrobe, but most didn't even notice. I guess in college, people are used to others wearing outrageous clothing.
This challenge also did a lot for my confidence. I knew I was in ridiculous clothing, but I didn't care. I smiled at the stares. I definitely rocked it.
I probably won't do Tacky Day again, but then again, all of the stuff I pulled out was cute. So maybe I will one of these days.
When walking around campus, no one said anything to me. A few people just stared briefly. In my classes, a few of my classmates asked about my wardrobe, but most didn't even notice. I guess in college, people are used to others wearing outrageous clothing.
This challenge also did a lot for my confidence. I knew I was in ridiculous clothing, but I didn't care. I smiled at the stares. I definitely rocked it.
I probably won't do Tacky Day again, but then again, all of the stuff I pulled out was cute. So maybe I will one of these days.
"Is it pajama day?"
As a way to explore the phenomenon known as "wearing pajamas to class," which I have always found a bit tacky, I decided to wear the worse combination of sleeping clothes I owned.
My pants were hot pink fleece with a Hello Kitty print; my shirt a yellow tanktop with assorted small print; my jacket a cropped gray heart-embroidered creature; and my shoes overly large leopard print boot slippers.
Walking to class was probably the hardest part. I passed so many people, including a little girl who looked enthusiastic to see Hello Kitty. Many were businessmen with scowls on their face, but I decided that if I was to wear anything, I would do it in confidence.
Arriving in class, I found that I was more comfortable than normal. Many people laughed and said my pajamas were cute or that I looked comfortable, and I assured them that I was. No one was outright rude to me or even ridiculed my strange clothes, something that I hypothesized was a social convention not to openly insult someone who dresses ridiculous--at least to their face. While I cannot vouch for what was said in secret, I was met only with openness and excitement.
Would I wear my pajamas to class again? Well, no. Not unless I was running really late in the morning. But I did find that acting confident even in strange clothes gives you an air of normalcy. Wear anything with your chin up, and no one will bother you.
My pants were hot pink fleece with a Hello Kitty print; my shirt a yellow tanktop with assorted small print; my jacket a cropped gray heart-embroidered creature; and my shoes overly large leopard print boot slippers.
Walking to class was probably the hardest part. I passed so many people, including a little girl who looked enthusiastic to see Hello Kitty. Many were businessmen with scowls on their face, but I decided that if I was to wear anything, I would do it in confidence.
Arriving in class, I found that I was more comfortable than normal. Many people laughed and said my pajamas were cute or that I looked comfortable, and I assured them that I was. No one was outright rude to me or even ridiculed my strange clothes, something that I hypothesized was a social convention not to openly insult someone who dresses ridiculous--at least to their face. While I cannot vouch for what was said in secret, I was met only with openness and excitement.
Would I wear my pajamas to class again? Well, no. Not unless I was running really late in the morning. But I did find that acting confident even in strange clothes gives you an air of normalcy. Wear anything with your chin up, and no one will bother you.
Saturday, April 9, 2011
Tacky is the New Cute
Tacky day sprung up on me this week. It’s my birthday weekend and as such, a time to look cute! Before I knew it the week was coming to an end so I had to squeeze in the tackiness for Thursday. I anticipated this challenge to be the most difficult for me as I usually dress the way I feel. Sometimes not doing so can throw my day off balance.
I rummaged through purple bins of clothes and picked out an aqua blue shirt with the kanji symbol for serenity printed in black. I thought of this shirt immediately when I heard of the challenge; a perfect excuse to wear a shirt I love, but always thought was more appropriate for …sleep attire or sick days. Matched together with a black and white striped skirt the tackiness was increasing. This skirt is also one of my favorite pieces, but I would have never thought of putting the two together if tacky hadn’t been on my mind. I slipped on some coffee colored penny loafers and went outside to check out the weather. The morning was a bit chilly so I picked out my favorite fuchsia knit hoodie, and a glittery fuchsia and turquoise scarf for pizzazz. “Matching is tacky,” I heard the high school fashionista in me cry. And with that I believed my outfit was tacky approved. On to face the public.
In deciding what to wear, I thought about what tacky really meant. I don’t believe it means feeling uncomfortable about what you’re wearing. But was I tacky enough? I actually liked what I was wearing. It’s definitely something I wouldn’t have worn normally. It was, however, colorful and different and I liked it! Not your t-shirt and jeans kind of outfit. As I walked to my car, the trees seemed to look at me funny. Inside my house, sure it was fun to place dress up, but with the world in the background it became something else. My bold colors were striking, but throughout the day I didn’t notice any strange glances. I had a meeting with my advisor and she said I looked cute. I had my computer with me, which is also fuchsia. I guess if my outfit matches my computer, tackiness is truly accomplished.
The outfit and I drove 5 hours to Kentucky where I picked up my friend who was going to ride back with me to celebrate my birthday in Atlanta. I had a birthday dinner with my parents who didn’t say anything about what I was wearing. They were only happy to see me. I guess this proves that you can wear anything this day and age. I am happy with my tack experience. If I ever get bored with neutral colors, I’ll keep tacky day in mind. I’m sure come up with something ridiculously awesome.
The DDD
I rummaged through purple bins of clothes and picked out an aqua blue shirt with the kanji symbol for serenity printed in black. I thought of this shirt immediately when I heard of the challenge; a perfect excuse to wear a shirt I love, but always thought was more appropriate for …sleep attire or sick days. Matched together with a black and white striped skirt the tackiness was increasing. This skirt is also one of my favorite pieces, but I would have never thought of putting the two together if tacky hadn’t been on my mind. I slipped on some coffee colored penny loafers and went outside to check out the weather. The morning was a bit chilly so I picked out my favorite fuchsia knit hoodie, and a glittery fuchsia and turquoise scarf for pizzazz. “Matching is tacky,” I heard the high school fashionista in me cry. And with that I believed my outfit was tacky approved. On to face the public.
In deciding what to wear, I thought about what tacky really meant. I don’t believe it means feeling uncomfortable about what you’re wearing. But was I tacky enough? I actually liked what I was wearing. It’s definitely something I wouldn’t have worn normally. It was, however, colorful and different and I liked it! Not your t-shirt and jeans kind of outfit. As I walked to my car, the trees seemed to look at me funny. Inside my house, sure it was fun to place dress up, but with the world in the background it became something else. My bold colors were striking, but throughout the day I didn’t notice any strange glances. I had a meeting with my advisor and she said I looked cute. I had my computer with me, which is also fuchsia. I guess if my outfit matches my computer, tackiness is truly accomplished.
The outfit and I drove 5 hours to Kentucky where I picked up my friend who was going to ride back with me to celebrate my birthday in Atlanta. I had a birthday dinner with my parents who didn’t say anything about what I was wearing. They were only happy to see me. I guess this proves that you can wear anything this day and age. I am happy with my tack experience. If I ever get bored with neutral colors, I’ll keep tacky day in mind. I’m sure come up with something ridiculously awesome.
The DDD
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