When stepping into another culture, I always challenge myself to contextualize the sociopolitical issues facing the people in that place. Stopping short of inserting my own views on the issues, I strive to listen louder than I speak. Some of the most important growth in my thirty years of life have come from experiences outside the United States. For me, it’s always about context, context, context. I will never fully grasp the issues facing other cultures I am not a part of, but I can certainly try to weave together an appreciation and an empathetic perception. If you really pay attention, listen closely, and dig deeper to place yourself in the context of what is going on, you can expand your capacity to empathize and build an authentic global understanding. This is especially true when viewing local issues through art.
Read moreLearning Unlearning: Unlearning Not Asking Questions
Asking questions can be tough for some people, and I was one of them. I used to think that by asking questions I would be conceived as incapable and lacking knowledge. I don’t know where I picked this notion up. It certainly wasn’t from life at home growing up, where my parents constantly encouraged us to ask questions. Maybe it was daycare? School? Work? Regardless, I had to unlearn my bad habit of not asking questions.
Read moreLearning Unlearning: Dear Diary, Why Does Learning Art Hurt?
I believe the creative space to be healing. I believe it to be sublime. It is intrinsically validating and reflexive of life. It is a place where one can be enough by providing exactly what you have.
Read moreIf I Only Learned it the Right Way
Humans have the capacity for empathy with relevance being one of the main characteristics. Because we crave understanding, a big component of life is finding those who relate with oneself. But another one lies with the notion of legacy. As knowledge is passed through generations it contains a power constructed through mentorship, which is mentioned because learning is just a series of moments where people absorb from each other to reap rewards.
Read moreLearning Unlearning: The Start of a Journey
Throughout my career, I have always sought to gain as much knowledge as possible, as fast as possible.
From a young age, I worked to achieve a version of myself that was professional, knowledgeable, and with the credentials to do the types of things I wanted to achieve in my life and career. What I didn’t realize at the time – and I what I am starting to come to grips with now – is that the many systems within which I engaged to learn and achieve my aspirations are actually perpetuating the many challenges I seek to eradicate from the world.
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