dayOne

So the first day of Seeing Sideways has come and gone. I've got to say that I'm certainly looking forward to this class. I only wish it lasted longer than six short weeks!

I think my favorite part of today was going around and listening to each student talk about him or herself. It gave me an inkling of who some of my fellow classmates were. I found a couple of kindred spirits, too.
More importantly, though, I was able to reassess what my goals for the class were after listening to some other opinions and expectations. I first signed up for this class thinking it might be therapeutic, after listening to some other people describe. My expectations changed when I heard the class was more challenging than I originally thought, and thought maybe it would help with problem-solving skills. This morning, I entered the room expecting a class that would, simply put, help me find a new perspective, a new lens, through which to look at my challenges. All of these are all well and good, I suppose.
After listening to some of my fellow classmates' ideas and goals, however, my own wants changed. I didn't want just a new perspective. Frankly, I wanted--want--freedom. I want freedom from the chains of other peoples' expectations, freedom from the "rules" of art and development. Mostly, I want freedom from myself. Too often I allow the opinions, anticipated or real, of others to dictate what I do. I allow it to trap me on a set path of creation, in which creativity is stifled to fit the stencil of perceived culture. I do it to myself, really.

Will Seeing Sideways with Beth Lykins help me to snap these chains which bind my wrists? I don't know. But I'll damn well try to see that it does.