Student Blog: What My Friends Are Teaching Me

As seen in my last blog, I’ve been thinking a lot about self-care and how that can mean different things for different artists. Finding footing at the beginning of a new semester can be difficult, but I’m extremely lucky to be surrounded by such incredible humans whom I can turn to for guidance. So, I wanted to talk to them to see what their start of the semesters are looking like, and how they’re taking care of themselves. My conversations with them focused on where they feel they're at in this new semester, what they’re doing and looking forward to, their self-care rituals and goals, and what keeps them grounded. Here are some of their thoughts:

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Sydney Lotz (she/her/hers)
Freshman MT, second semester – feeling recharged after a much-needed break, excited for the new semester

Current self-care goals:

• Getting to bed earlier
• Turning her phone off earlier at night

Sydney’s thoughts and what keeps her grounded in her busy schedule:

“Having my people here. Just having a group of like, solid people is nice to come back to at the end of the day after being in class all day long. Being back, um, it's definitely a little bit weird getting back into a schedule, but I definitely was missing it over break. I feel like im the type of person that like, I need to be doing something like 24/7.”

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Irene Weinhagen (she/her/hers)

Sophomore CT, second semester - feeling motivated for the new semester while also acknowledging the stress of the Fall semester, but excited to make connections and expand her artistry.

Goals/rituals and current thoughts on self-care :

• Focusing on fueling her body, making time for meals and hydrating
• Using bath and shower time as a way to reset to feel both “grounded literally and metaphorically refreshed.”

“I feel like it's so hard to lose self-care when youre like getting really busy, but it's so important. Like, literally just drinking water and making food is like so hard, but so important. I feel like its the first time for a lot of us that we’ve like, lived fully on our own, not in a dorm, not with a meal plan. It’s fully your responsibility not only to like, go to class and be a person, but also like to literally keep yourself alive which is so much harder than you realize. ”

What keeps Irene grounded in her busy life:

“My friends and like, the community I have around me. Having people who have the same goals as you and the same interests, and are also just at the same age as you, and having the same changes happening in their lives. Finding those connections, I think, is really important to not feel like you’re alone.”

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Jordan Millet (he/him/his)

Sophomore MT, second semester - feeling curious about all of the unknown things ahead, but also feeling grounded and focused on the now in this new semester.

How Jordan is keeping himself grounded:

“Really, I mean, this is so simple, but just like taking my alone time. Just genuinely being okay with silence. Having moments before I go to bed, having moments when I wake up in the morning, and just being there, focusing on my breathing. And then before going to bed like, breathing, being grounded, and genuinely focusing on that.”

Current focuses on self-care:

• Taking alone moments throughout the day to breathe & recenter
• Meal prepping and having things planned and accounted for

What helps to recenter Jordan in his busy day-to-day life:

“My roommates, my best friends. There’s something about being surrounded by my friends 24/7 that is so amazing. I love that half of the time it’s work and art, and the other half is just pure gratitude and happiness. But also art and creativity and all that jazz!”

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Sofia Daniel (she/her/hers)

Junior MT, second semester - feeling really excited about the new semester and looking forward to working on a new show, while also focusing on planning ahead and self-care.

What Sofia’s working on this semester for herself:

“I have been getting up every single day, two hours before my class, so that I can have time for myself and have time to get ready. Like, look good, feel good mentality! Even if it's a 9 a.m. class, I’ve really been trying to do that. Also, I need sleep. We are getting at least eight hours this semester!”

Self-care goals:

• Keeping personal spaces cleaner to reduce anxiety
• Planning ahead and having things scheduled for a more organized day-to-day
• Getting rest while also allowing for alone time throughout the day

Sofia’s thoughts on what keeps her grounded:

“It’s gonna sound cheesy but, I think one thing that helps me feel super grounded is thinking about how lucky I am to be able to do this full time. There are a lot of people that aren’t able to do that. I have to remember this, especially during the stressful times and stuff like that, because that really helps me get through it. And also thinking about the people that I love too, because they've put in a lot of effort to make it possible for me to do this. So like, thinking about those things keeps me really grounded.”

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Doing this reminded me how much we all have in common, and how often we look to each other in moments of need. It made me so happy to hear everyone talking about how much the people around them help them to recharge and stay grounded in hectic moments. I have so much love for these people, and seeing how they navigate a busy life and program with heart and honesty inspires me so much and teaches me something new every day.