the better-late-than-never new year's post
January has been a bit of a trial thus far: lots of worries and troubles, and also lots to look forward to, but it's been hard to get my mouth around the stress-sandwich that my life has been lately.
I've been reflecting a bit on 2010, though, and I think I met most of the scattered goals I'd set last year. I trained for and kicked ass in a half-marathon; I continued to improve as a rock climber, dancer, and hooper; I learned to eat fire (as a first step to fire dancing); and I wrapped up my dissertation research and am on the way to a solid outline so I can start writing the thing.
Notable but unforeseen events of 2010 include writing for a sex blog, becoming part of the performing duo Circle and Spice, becoming a sourdough-focaccia-baking bad-ass, and performing in a humorously macabre show called "Sex/Death."
In 2011, I'd like to continue in much the same manner, evolving in my creative and physical pursuits, and getting enough academic work done that I can meet my eventual goal of being a professor when I grow up.
I realized recently that my creative life is inextricable from my life as a scholar; academics shouldn't have to apologize for having hobbies outside academia--if anything, they make us better scholars. Flexing your mind outside of your primary research and teaching areas is always going to be valuable and useful, making you more inventive, more inspired, more inspiring.
That, and although I hate to play into the "tortured artist" stereotype, I've come to terms with the fact that I am a creative person in large part because I need to be in order to cope with life and the world. I experience life very emotionally and immediately; I need to process my thoughts and experiences somehow, and art is the best way for me to do that. Art is the symbolic expression of how I think the world should be, and it's my way of reaching out to others about that. It's a way for me to communicate my values, which are not exactly mainstream but are, I think, less hurtful than a lot of mainstream (read: heteronormative) ideas and behaviors.
In short, creative outlets are one of the things I need in my life to survive, and to suggest that they detract from my academic labor or value is to seriously misunderstand not only me, but what art is all about. Obviously I can't dance for 10 hours a day and expect my dissertation to get done--balance in all things and all that--but I'm not giving up the creative outlets that make me happy and keep me sane in order to try to live out a normal fantasy of how people "should" work.
On that note, time to get ready for belly dance practice and hooping!
I've been reflecting a bit on 2010, though, and I think I met most of the scattered goals I'd set last year. I trained for and kicked ass in a half-marathon; I continued to improve as a rock climber, dancer, and hooper; I learned to eat fire (as a first step to fire dancing); and I wrapped up my dissertation research and am on the way to a solid outline so I can start writing the thing.
Notable but unforeseen events of 2010 include writing for a sex blog, becoming part of the performing duo Circle and Spice, becoming a sourdough-focaccia-baking bad-ass, and performing in a humorously macabre show called "Sex/Death."
In 2011, I'd like to continue in much the same manner, evolving in my creative and physical pursuits, and getting enough academic work done that I can meet my eventual goal of being a professor when I grow up.
I realized recently that my creative life is inextricable from my life as a scholar; academics shouldn't have to apologize for having hobbies outside academia--if anything, they make us better scholars. Flexing your mind outside of your primary research and teaching areas is always going to be valuable and useful, making you more inventive, more inspired, more inspiring.
That, and although I hate to play into the "tortured artist" stereotype, I've come to terms with the fact that I am a creative person in large part because I need to be in order to cope with life and the world. I experience life very emotionally and immediately; I need to process my thoughts and experiences somehow, and art is the best way for me to do that. Art is the symbolic expression of how I think the world should be, and it's my way of reaching out to others about that. It's a way for me to communicate my values, which are not exactly mainstream but are, I think, less hurtful than a lot of mainstream (read: heteronormative) ideas and behaviors.
In short, creative outlets are one of the things I need in my life to survive, and to suggest that they detract from my academic labor or value is to seriously misunderstand not only me, but what art is all about. Obviously I can't dance for 10 hours a day and expect my dissertation to get done--balance in all things and all that--but I'm not giving up the creative outlets that make me happy and keep me sane in order to try to live out a normal fantasy of how people "should" work.
On that note, time to get ready for belly dance practice and hooping!