School

When I was in elementary school I attended Montessori school. The classroom was an open room with mostly floor space. There were no chairs and we would usually sit on the floor. I can still picture the layout of the space. There was a corner across from the door that allowed us entrance into the classroom. In this corner there were stacks of books. In the book corner existed a list that had many recommended readings on it. I made it a point to check off as many of these readings from this list as I could.

If you turned to your right, when in the book corner, there was one larger table with chairs. We mostly used this space to make art or any project that you were working on that required a table. Every year we would create a group art project and present it at the Boulder Art Museum. We would go on a field trip to see it. One year we created a quilt inspired by the artist Faith Ringgold. We came up with the concept as a group and then each of us created a square that was later sewn into one larger whole.

Most of the space; however, was just an open floor. Here we would sit in a circle and play music, write, study, and learn. Every morning we would start the day out by journaling in a notebook. I still have the stacks of black and white etched composition books that we would write in. It was here I learned about poetry and wrote many of my first poems. It was also here I learned about astronomy and became fascinated with the stars and the history of all the men and women who had travelled to the moon. Each subject flowed into the next. There were no lines or distinctions. The space was safe, bright, and inviting. It was in this space I began developing many of my strongest skillsets.

When I finally began attending public school I found it challenging to sit in the classroom the way they expected us to sit. The desks were uncomfortable and I found it difficult to listen to the teacher as they droned on about who knows what. I would get in trouble for doodling on my notebook, or doing my homework in class, but I still managed to get straight A’s. Mostly I was just bored. It was easy to just remember information and regurgitate it, and writing seemed pretty natural to me at that point. I don’t have many clear memories about my classes and what I learned during this time. What I do remember were my friends and the social connections I made.

When I reached college I rediscovered my passion for learning. My classes were harder, I could choose what subjects I wanted to study, and I had a big beautiful open campus to explore. I still struggled to sit in a desk ‘properly’, but for the most part I was excited and stimulated about the knowledge that was to be gained. Pretty quickly I learned that the university didn’t have a program that integrated all of the subjects that I was interested in so I devised my own program combining physics, psychology, art, and music.

I was amazed at how many people would ask me how these subjects connected. To me it was obvious. Physics was the study of optics and acoustics, psychology was sensation and perception, and art was the application of these studies. I think it is the drive to make these connections and the realization that they are not immediately apparent to everyone that makes me have the desire to create the art I wish to create.