Which is not surprising to me because as an e9, we tend to not know what we really mean to the world. Our "potential." (I despise that word.)

For example, I only JUST realized that the reason why I can't achieve things in life is because I can't show up for myself but for others. For someone else, people, or something else. I don't know if I am even capable of showing up for myself. I tend to fall asleep to my own needs and desires. I avoid them like the plague, everything I do in life is either because someone else told me to do it or I am expected to do it.

This might sound like I would want to become a psychologist or a teacher but no. I want to be useful in quieter ways. Like, ways that tend to go unnoticed but would become painfully obvious if it was gone. This, of course, is overlooked in this society. Especially with the rise of ai but that's another topic for another day. And if an e9 lacks the proper guide they need in life, then they'll inevitably fall behind and when they fall behind they'll be labeled as lazy and nothing more by others. (Hi I am that e9.)

Ur girl is romanticizing life; the world is cruel, i shall do things that brings glimmers to my life 🫶🏻✨️

Hey!Hey!

I hope everyone is doing well and is SAFE! I live at the tippy top of Florida and my city has been put on curfew due to protest! I’m doing my part in whatever way that I can as safely as possible, and I hope that everyone who is protesting is doing the same. These issues run deep for my family, and it’s not something I plan to be silent about.

Since we need to be united on various topics I thought I’d thought I’d talk about collaboration!

(Collaborative Installation“Rainbows and Rain” )

A lot of us are striving to become artist on our own and be the best among everybody else but what a lot of artists don’t realize is that it’s really, REALLY important to collaborate, support, and work with other artists! I’ll be discussing the benefits of collaboration since the majority of my spring semester delt with art in collaborative ways.

The first key thing that collaboration teaches is working well with others. Individuals attempting to get into the art industry need to understand that these companies are made up of teams. While you are being hired for your skills, being able to work in harmony with others over long periods of time is crucial. So building up good working relationships with your peers will benefit you in any working situation.

The next big thing is being able to take feedback. When you work on a team you’re going to be receiving feedback from every angle, even when you don’t want it. My favorite part about our group project this semester, was that despite the original proposal for “Rainbows and Rain” being my idea, we all came together as a team to make it something that we were all satisfied with. What was really amazing was constantly talking to my teammates and bouncing ideas off of each other. So it’s imperative to take criticism and suggestions from others to actually help improve your final product.

Finally, the biggest part about collaborating with other artists is showing that you can articulate your artistic ideas with others. This is something that they hammer into you in art school, because you need to be able to talk about your ideas and design choices along the way. For this project, I was in the position of being the Art Director, and my teammates being able to present their ideas effectively helped immensely when figuring out the best path forward. Better material choices were made, functionality improvements, visuals, project title and so on were all elements changed in the brainstorming process. Depending on the project, working in teams could give you the opportunity to share your ideas and you should if you can.

I encourage anybody who has the opportunity as an artist to collaborate (whether it’s with one artist or with a whole group) definitely give it a try. Collaboration is something that’s going to take you out of your comfort zone, but it’s going to take you to better places as an artist overall!

I hope this gives some insight on collaboration for anyone who’s interested in trying it! If you have any questions or thoughts you would like to add please feel free!

Kimberly’s still in India, I’d be lying if I said I didn’t miss her. Zack and I are debating on whether or not we should show Alpha Cards Against Humanity. Mom’s been a pain as always, she’ll fuss over the simplest things I do. The twins wanted to see a movie so I took them to see one, we ended up seeing A Wrinkle in Time, I told Dad I was taking them. When I got home Mom told the boys to go the room before she took me aside and said I did not have permission to go (I did), I took them to see an R rated movie (it’s rated PG), and that someone from church saw me get out at some one’s house and drop something off. I went by Billy’s to drop off his extra towel he let me borrow after training, I wasn’t going to keep it until Wednesday and forget about it while I’m already falling into the water. I went over to Billy’s afterwards, needing to get out of the house before I say something I might regret or make matters worse. His mom let me in and told me I’m always welcome, she’s the best I swear to god, Billy met me halfway down the stairs to his workroom, he had a lego set half sorted on a desk. We ended up completing the set with enough time to take it apart again so we could glue them in place. It was nice, Billy’s nice as always....but I still miss Kim.