An Afternoon of Art

I am back in Baltimore, and loving it! After a great night's sleep, I spent the morning doing homework, then ate lunch with Shaun and his Johns Hopkins co-workers. Since he had to return to work, I decided to enjoy the 66-degree day and walk around campus. Hopkins is an incredibly beautiful campus, and backs right up to the Baltimore Museum of Art.

I am ashamed to say that prior to today, I had never been to the BMA, but spent a delicious two and a half hours there, meandering alone through the corridors of modern and contemporary works by the likes of Matisse, Picasso, Van Gogh, Monet, Warhol, Pollack (click on the artists to see some of the works I saw), and many more. For six bucks, I got a student ticket and an audio tour guide that, through the voices of curators, Baltimore authors, poets, and storytellers, brought to life many of the pieces I observed.

I grew up in art museums. My aunt and uncle lived in Arlington, Virginia when I was young, and every visit meant a trip to DC to wander the halls of the National Gallery. I remember then that my favorite artist was Auguste Renoir, and I emulated his Girl With a Hoop painting (which hung on the wall of my childhood room) every Easter with pastels and big hats. While strolling through the BMA I felt like a 10-year-old again, marveling at the works of some of the most revered figures in the art world.

The BMA boasts a large collection of Matisse paintings, thanks to the Cone sisters of Baltimore, who were avid supporters and collectors of his work. My favorite Matisse is the Woman in the Yellow Dress, seen to the right. Matisse's work was never really appealed to me before, but I really liked the Cone collection, which featured a lot of his floral stills, and posed women- I am enamored with his use of bright colors. I also spent a lot of time marveling at Picasso's Mother and Child (left), which evoked Italian paintings of the Madonna and Christ child that I saw in Italy. I find the colors soothing and pleasing to the eye. I had also never seen Andy Warhol originals, so it was great to get a chance to marvel at his rendition of The Last Supper, the BMA's largest piece, measuring 6 feet high and 25 feet long, which Warhol completed just a brief time before he died.

There was a piece that I had to return to several times because I found it very powerful and intricate, but also painful to observe. In 1939, Billie Holiday wrote and performed a song called Strange Fruit, which you can listen to here. The fruit referred to was the bodies of lynched African Americans hanging from trees in the South. The BMA piece by the same name features a female figure in bronze, hanging upside down from the ceiling of the gallery against stark white walls. I had to stand very close, but the figure swayed ever so slightly in the air of the room, its face modeled to mimic some of Holiday's features, including parted red lips, in recognition of the song that inspired the piece. It was haunting, particularly as I have been reading so much about racism both for class and on my own this semester.

Though I didn't plan it, I am so happy that I went. If you are in town, either living like I did having never visited, or just passing through, the BMA is definitely worth a few hours of your time and reflection.

Ohmmm

My life is loud. I work in a very busy, talking-intensive environment, I go to classes that are abuzz with discussion, I coach (read: yell a lot) middle school lacrosse, and I myself talk all the time, as you may know. Last semester, I felt as though I didn't have any reprieve from the "noise" of every day life. Part of that was connected to what I was doing with my spare time: going to loud movies, hanging out at noisy bars, AND getting yelled at in tough spinning and aerobics classes at my gym. But, all that changed this semester when I rediscovered yoga, which I can honestly say has changed by approach to life this semester for the better.

Early this year, I stopped going to crazy, crowded cardio classes and began finding yoga and pilates offerings that fit my busy schedule. Since then, I have been squeezing 2-4 sessions of these classes in every week. Here's the Heck list of top 10 reasons why:

1. Peace and Quiet. I go into the yoga studio at the gym, a sound strip is placed against the door jamb, and soothing music plays. The lights are dim, my eyes are closed, the instructor's voice is soothing. It is as if nothing else in the world exists except my body and the sound of my own breathing.

2. No competition. I am in graduate school, so my life is competitive by nature. I compete in class and at work, whether intentionally or unintentionally. In yoga, I am so focused on myself, that the rest of the class kind of melts away... speaking of which...

3. I get to FOCUS on ME. This rarely happens in my day to day life. I am always counseling students, working on group projects, contributing to a larger whole, and in general trying to save the world. Yoga, for that 60-75 minutes, is all about me. No other part of my day is like that.

4. The stretch factor. 80-90 percent of my day is spent sitting at a desk. Yoga twists me into a day's worth of crazy positions that melt the stress points in my back, shoulders, hamstrings, and neck that build up after a long day of class, work, and doing more work for class.

5. Posture for days! I can honestly say that I have the best posture of anyone I know. I sit up straight at work, in class, while driving, everywhere. You would be envious of my posture, I bet. I thank yoga for that.

6. Visible results. Those who know me know that I work out regularly, and have done a lot of athletic things. I trained for and ran a marathon last year, have played and coached team sports, and consider myself somewhat of a gym rat. But, I have never seen results like those bestowed upon me by the yoga/pilates gods. My stomach is flat, my legs are tight, and I have lost some inches as well. Which leads me to...

7. Feelin' hot hot hot: I don't often say this, but yoga makes me feel hot. After a long class, I feel limber, slimmer, I walk taller, and I feel more confident. Money can't buy this!

8. Rationality? Terry recently said to me, "You are so rational. Girlfriends aren't like this!" (T. Brock, personal communication, March 2009). I know yoga isn't totally responsible for this, but it is at least partially responsible. All that deep breathing, slowing down the pace of life, walking out with a clear head stuff has made me more focused, rational, and positive in other areas of my life.

9.Balance. You should see my tree pose. I can literally stand on one foot for like, 10 minutes, and not fall over. My core is so much stronger, I am less clumsy and more poised in every day life. and finally...

10. Yoga is hard as (insert expletive here)! I know some of you are thinking, yoga is a big waste of time, you are not really working, it's all stretching blady blah blah... If this is you, you either a) have yet to have a really good instructor b) haven't devoted enough time to learning the basic poses so that you can really put effort into them or c) need to talk to me. The results I've seen and felt speak for themselves. I'll convert, you I promise.

Ohmmm. Have a great week!

This I believe

I know that Stuffwhitepeoplelike.com says I'm cliche for liking NPR, but I can't help it and I'm not ashamed! This semester, I have been downloading podcasts from NPR to listen to on my 15 minute walk to and from work each day. As nerdy as it sounds, it helps to jumpstart my brain and I always end up learning something. Or, awkwardly crying on the MSU sidewalks, as those of you who have listened to Story Corps or This I Believe totally understand.

Next week, I will be leaving Michigan yet again for the Annual ACPA Convention at National Harbor in my home state. In preparation for that, my old boss, Laura, asked if I would consider writing a statement of my beliefs about my work and life in student affairs. I was a little nervous at first, but decided to give it a go, and write my own, This I Believe. Since I will be sharing it publicly at the conference, I figured I'd share it with the blogosphere as a warm up. Here it is:

I believe in the power of one. One moment, one gesture, one kind word, one person can change a life. For me, Dr. Scott Johnson, my college academic advisor and professor at the University of Richmond, was “the one.” After four years drifting through my majors, involving myself in countless activities, and questioning everything, in April 2005 Dr. J asked me one question that profoundly changed the course of my life: “Ashleigh, what sets you on fire?”

Dr. J liked analogies. He wanted to know what it was about my college experience that motivated me to get out of bed every morning, to work so hard, to invest so much of myself into the campus community. And though many others had asked me about my college experience, no one had ever asked where I found my purpose, what “set me on fire.” At that moment, a light bulb clicked on in my head. In class, Dr. J referred to such occurrences as Ah Ha! moments- the instant in which everything falls into place. I answered him; “orientation.”

My involvement in my college orientation program was the beating heart of my undergraduate experience, and in that one moment, in response to Dr. J’s one, simple question, I finally recognized it as such. That day, I began searching for my first job in higher education.

There are very few career paths and choices that result in so many opportunities to both embody and experience the power of one than our work in education and student affairs. Our roles provide us daily opportunities to help, heal, teach, and empower. To liberate, counsel, encourage, and empathize. To, in some way, be the one that can make the journey through the maze-like college experience a little more navigable for our students.

To work in student affairs is to know what it feels like to celebrate with a student who has surpassed a major milestone in life, and hold the hand of a student whose world is crumbling; to give a student the extra push needed to take a big, but worthy risk, and pull a student back when the safety net relied upon is faulty; to be the advisor, confidante, administrator, and educator of students, sometimes all at once.

My life in student affairs has been a study in these contrasts thus far, but also incredibly rewarding. And in remarkable ways, my work with and for students brings the power of one right back to me. I have learned more from my students about life than I could have imagined when I made the decision to enter student affairs, for which I am incredibly grateful.

One moment, one gesture, one kind word, one person can change everything.

Every day, my work with students affirms my path and motivates me to continue learning, developing, and becoming a better person. Every day I hope in some way, I help students do the same; to affirm their paths, to motivate them to continue learning, developing and working toward better selves and a better world. I believe this is my calling. I believe in the power of one.

For once, I don't have the words.

For those who are wondering why I did not continue my spring break entries, I have a defense. There is no conceivable way to describe the Grand Canyon or Sedona, Arizona in words. Instead, I will show you some of my best shots of the trip: In order, here's what you'll see: 1. Mom and I standing on the edge of Oak Creek Canyon 2. A beautiful sunset over Camelback Mountain in Scottsdale, AZ 3. THE Canyon itself 4. 1 of hundreds of pictures of the red rocks of Sedona, and 5. My mom, sister, and I, halfway up Camelback Mountain, approximately 2000 feet up! Enjoy!

Spring Break 2K9!

Spring break, wooo! I have arrived in Glendale, Arizona and spent my first full day in the Southwest today. My aunt and uncle moved here about 3 years ago, and this is the first time I have been able to visit. My mom, sister, and I will be here for the whole week, and let me tell you, being away from grad school is perhaps the most fabulous thing ever! (though I'm never really away, and have a book bag full of homework to consider)

Temperatures have held steady at 70 degrees since my arrival yesterday and there is no humidity. It's truly a delightful change from last week's -16 degree wind chill in Michigan.

When I arrived at the Phoenix airport yesterday, I witnessed two military couples reuniting, complete with tears, small children, and the pick-up-and-spin move. It was so wonderful to see, an uplifting moment and great first experience of the trip!

We spent most of yesterday lounging by the pool, eating fresh citrus fruit off the trees in the backyard, and smelling the sweet lavender and honeysuckle blooming around us. Heaven. Today we traveled to Old Town Scottsdale and did some window shopping, and topped it off with a great Italian meal at a very authentic little place called Veneto. But, the highlight of the day was definitely the scenery. From most parts of Scottsdale, you can see Camelback Mountain (the one in the pic) looming in the background. We will be hiking to the top (hopefully) on Thursday!!!

On deck for the week: tomorrow, lounging; Tuesday: Cubs vs Mariners spring training game Wednesday: Sedona and Grand Canyon (!!!!) Thursday: Camelback Climb... Stay tuned!

Being the metaphorical "Duck"

A very wise student of mine once told me, "Ashleigh, you've gotta be the duck." Perplexed, I remember asking her what she meant by "be the duck." "Well," she said, "think about ducks on the lake. We see them floating across the surface of the water. They look calm, at ease, not a care in the world. But under the surface, those little legs are kicking like crazy. The duck has purpose, the duck 'floats' but is totally in control. That's gotta be us. We need to be the duck."

Hmmm. Be the duck. Okay. To give you some context, this student was an Orientation Leader, and we were preparing to welcome the new freshman class at St. Mary's College of Maryland, a small liberal arts place with both a lake and river, and many ducks for us to observe and philosophize about. Her wise words about finding one's inner duck jived well with what I was trying to instill in the student leaders- be excited and show that excitement, but keep a cool, level head, know what you are talking about, and have some direction in your work with new students.

I have been thinking for a long time about creating a blog. And part of the reason it has taken me so long is because I was unable to think of a witty title. In my brainstorming, I recalled this duck story, and find it to be totally applicable to what I am going through right now. I am struggling to remain calm, cool, and collected as I cruise through the often perilous waters of graduate school and mid-twenties life, but under the surface, I have so many ideas, so much to say, and no personal, satisfying outlet to express those ideas.

This blog represents by attempt to follow my student's advice. It will be my outlet for ideas, for talking about issues or events that threaten to break my calm exterior. To show you what's going on under the surface. I hope you enjoy, and that maybe entering a dialogue with me as I post here will allow you a chance to embrace your inner duck as well.