10 June 2006
Dear Reader,
Chelsie Murk
Reflective Essay
I came into this program expecting a year long art class. I think I received that in a way and much, much more. After a year of challenges and tribulations I am happy to say that I have survived.
Although I expected myself to do well, I was also hoping for a challenge; needless to say I didn’t register for this class hoping that it was something I could just show up at and easily acquire an “A.” I wanted to learn, I wanted to feel like I was doing something worthwhile and that every bit of tuition money spent was completely worth it.
I have to say that my expectations were met. Now that I look back over the year and reflect over my assignments, I can see some of the changes that have occurred in this last year. I learned many things, from how to use scholarly articles in a research paper to how to multitask, de-censor my writing and just get things done. I think my organizational skills have vastly improved and I’m much more efficient with writing my papers and communicating my thoughts.
Before coming into this program, I think I had been taught to suppress a lot of my opinions and ideas, but I now how to to be a little more forthcoming and confident, which definitely is reflected in my papers. I think it’s hard to go back and read things that I thought were decent at the time, but now are far below the new expectations that I have for myself. I think writing so much, so often, and under a lot of time constraints have really helped my papers to become a little more chiseled and not so full of fluff, which is a positive achievement for me.
Looking back over this past year, I think one of the highlights was the photojournalism project, which is a surprise considering the initial problems that my group faced. I think this is where I really learned how really communicate with my classmates and make them understand my vision, while also responding to their own individual needs. This project not only helped me with leadership skills, but also helped me to better communicate, deal with problems and people, and to really work hard in order to make the end result the best it could possibly be. These kind of skills are things that I will take me with everywhere and I’m glad I had the opportunity to work in a group in order to further develop these skills.
Although the first and second term, I really questioned all of these goals and projects we had to do, I can now look back and see how things are connected. Everything dealt with the artistic process from the artist as critic to the artists role in history. I feel that as things are coming to a close, this story is complete and I can now move on with a much better understanding of the magnitude of the role the artist plays in society. I first saw these links while working on the photojournalism project. Part of the project was choosing a goal to further develop and it was then that I saw the connections between the roles in which each artists plays.
My group and I chose to analyze the artistic process and how the environment plays into the end product. At first we encountered difficulty in making this happen, but after three group members turned into two group members, we were better able to turn our visions into a reality through extensive communication and a lot of patience. I think for the first time ever, I worked in a group where the communication was great and the work was equally divided and aimed at showcasing our strengths. In the end, we were successful in our endeavors and after reviewing all of the new and old photo’s, I’m really proud the growth we made as a group and the way in which our project turned out.
Overall, this course has made me much more aware of the people around me and how they effect me whether I know it or not. I think before I came into this class, I floated around in my own little bubble, but I now realize how everything is interconnected and the choices we make effect much more than just own person. I now look forward to further examining different viewpoints because I think in doing so, I have learned a lot about myself.
Although there was bound to be problems, challenges, and minor feuds along the way, I feel like the friends I have made and the things I have learned over the year in this class has been a really valuable experience and I wouldn’t have changed anything or done anything differently. I look forward to next year and the person I will be a year from now, however in looking back over this year, I know that I’m not the same person I was Fall Term and I know that’s a step in a positive direction.
Thanks,
Chelsie
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