Stress and Reflection
Part 1:
My level of stress Tuesday afternoon was high for a number of reasons. In general, Tuesdays are long days for me in terms of class, but there was some added stress due to dress rehearsals for the show performed in this past weekend. I definitely felt my self go into shut down mode, which occurs when I have a lot of things going on. I feel so burdened with things that need to get done that I sort of stop and watch TV instead. My state of being has been in stress mode all semester, and this is the time when it really starts to peak. I feel like I’ve really been doing to much this semester in terms of theatre, and my paper writing commitments have really been procrastinated. Stress and procrastination go hand in hand for me, and I’m really hitting the wall where I have to use the pressure of that stress to get it into gear and get my work done. This is the time of year that will make or break your grades because the bulk of what your graded on occurs in this last stretch. For me, I won’t be able to think about anything else until its over.
During the hour before the presentation I spent some time just sitting in the lounge at Nolte and journaling about my thoughts on stress and space. One of the things I wrote down about the lounge:
“A comfortable place to do work—and doing work is key right now because every space I’m in gets evaluated on the bases of whether it will hinder or help my ability to get work done.”
After jotting down some notes, I decided to go outside and walk to Northrop Mall. I particularly like the mall space on warm days because it is simply nice to see so many people outside lying in the grass or playing Frisbee. I sat down at one of the tables in front of Northrop Auditorium and continued to write about stress. I often feel guilty about enjoying the outdoors like that because I feel like I should be doing something else. And there are always other things I should be doing.
This nagging thought is always in my mind, so while I enjoyed the instillation, I still felt that the brief pause it provided for me from the outside world was all too fleeting. I certainly felt relaxed in the space, and I allowed my vision to blur as I picked up an especially circular stone and held it in my hand. I only wish I new how to carry that feeling into the world and still harness the motivation to get my work done. As of now, I use the high levels of stress as a motivating tool to get through the end of semester crunch time, and I don’t think that that is the best way to get things done in life.
Part 2:
If I were a student representative for an arts committee on campus, my evaluation of the Present Moment Project would be that the space created by the instillation is something that every student should take a moment to experience. It is, at the very least, a nice respite from everything else going on in the world. It is a space where a person can just sit and breath for a few moments with a blank mind. The rocks in the space ground the senses with the sound as one walks on them, the simple gray color with the soft blue lighting beneath them, and the wonderful feeling on picking them up and hold them in the palm of ones hand. I would say that the Present Moment Project is experiential art. Unlike some art, there is no statement being made or a hidden meaning of any kind. Instead it is art that purely engages the senses for the relief of the beholder. Art of this kind is meant to evoke something within the spectator, which I think is the point of any creation. What is unique about this piece though, is that it was created for the spectator and with their best interests in mind. I like art that aims at a greater good, and the aim of this one to reduce stress is very noble.
If I were to propose a project that addresses stress in student life, I think I would focus on creating a program or event that goes beyond providing momentary relief by teaching students, if it’s possible, to devise ways of reducing stress in the same moment as getting their work done. I think deadlines are a source of major anxiety for all of us on campus, students and teachers alike, and it would be wonderful to find a creative way to empower individuals so that they may reduce stress even during times when it may be quite high. I have no idea what form that might take, possibly a workshop of some kind where participants create an pocket size kit or object that helps them focus and relax without being a distraction.