Week 3 of our dialogue-->now called DiaBlog!

You have such a cute family! I'm sure your mom is incredibly proud to have raised such wonderful children. And I'm impressed by your mindfulness in wanting to think about, each day, why you are here, getting out of bed (sometimes way too early :) to go to class and learn about so many new things--I know that I sometimes forget to be grateful for this opportunity, so thank you for reminding me.

I am very passionate about math as well! it makes sense to me and I've always look at math as a game. It's rare to find someone else who gets excited about math so seeing your post made my evening!

Hi James!
I'm really passionate about reading (and cats!) too! When I was in middle school, I could spend hours curled up with a book. Now that I have a bit less free time on my hands, that's not quite so possible, but it's still wonderful to be able to escape into a different town or city, or even world!

Because I love reading so much, I also love writing. For a long time I wanted to be a writer, but now I think I want to be a teacher (I enjoy interacting with groups of people and I think teaching writing would be a great way to merge some of my interests). Do you enjoy writing? Have you ever considered becoming one? Often, people who love to read have pretty strong imaginations – the perfect start for a writer!

And about cats: When I was eleven, a stray cat gave birth to three kittens in a neighbor's abandoned garage. My family and I took them in and I spent every day from May to July sitting in our bathroom (the temporary home for the kittens) doing homework or holding cat food in my hands to get the kittens used to human contact. By the end of July, two of them were ready to be adopted out to a kind and loving family, and the third (who'd been the most scared of them all!) became a sweetheart, whom my grandparents took in. It was one of the best experiences of my life.

Maybe you could follow your passion for animal rights and work for an activist group or an animal shelter! 

I'm from California, so I know UC Davis. It's an AWESOME school! The campus in beautiful they are renowned for their vet program. Good for you for a having a goal and a plan to achieve it. Hopefully I'll see you on the other side of the country soon! 

Marvin, 

I'm very passionate about art, too, and for a long time I considered applying to art schools as well as liberal arts schools for college. I ended up applying only to liberal arts schools because I'm also passionate about a lot of other subjects. The liberal arts college allowed me to continue studying all of my passions.

A few of my friends are going to art school right now though and they love it. I think a big part of their passion is that even when they don't love the huge amount of work they have to do, they push through it because they know they won't be as happy trying to spend their life doing something that isn't art. I wouldn't say this love is "automatic," though. And I don't think that your uncertainty means your not as "serious." I think it just means that maybe you need to keep your options open. Take art classes, and other subjects. Maybe you'll find you love doing biology as well as art – and then you realize you could combine your interests to become a science illustrator or a nature documentarian. There are a lot of different ways to combine the things you love. You just need to stick with them to figure it out!

Marvin,

I'm passionate about art too.  And I think that passion for art is not necessarily the same as "making it" in that field.  I love painting and feel pretty motivated about doing it.  I also love teaching, though, and this is how I make my living. 

I'm curious about what kind of art you do...

Marvin,

Your question resonates strongly with me.  My partner is a visual artist who struggles with this every day, so I asked him what he thought about how passion relates to one's ability to 'make it" as an artist.  First, he made the point that his own passion for his art waxes and wanes over time, so he's not always feeling passionate about it, and he sometimes even feels like it's something he should just let go of.  However, he also says that one of the ways he deals wth that is to keeping pushing for feedback from other people, and kind of chippping away at it when it doesn't feel as good as it usually does.  Most importantly, he says, he keeps his eyes open for positive results, and celebrates even the smallest ones.  This keeps him going, even when his other responsibilites make him feel like he has little time, or seem more important.  Finally, he says that comunity is important, and that you shoulld try to find ways to connect with other artists when you can, but never beat yourself up when you can't.  

It's hard to make a living as a visual artist, and it may be a good idea to have a "back-up" plan that allows you to still pursue your art,  For example, my partner works as a designer and screen-printer during the day, so there is always a creative component of his job, and then works on his personal art at night or through the weekends.  Though his day job is not always fun, it at least allows him to keep art in mind.  

I hope this helped, at least to let you know that all artists sometimes feel as though they are not working hard enough.

Do you play background music while studying? I do. In fact, I cannot study without it unless I am writing an essay and trying to think through the words. Music is my life. Its my sleeping pill too. Just like you, i am not interested in going professional. What genres do you fancy?

"You've got to learn to be taught." 

Cab,

I'm so impressed when people are so motivated in and interested by sports--I've never been much of an athlete, but I have liked playing soccer, volleyball, and basketball when I did those as a kid. It sounds like for you, basketball is a motivator both on and off the court--that you love it when you are in the game or watching it, but that in your academic work, you know you need to study hard to stay on the team. I think sports and academics can really be compatible, both in this way, and in helping students to learn teamwork, focus, drive, and dedication. Not to mention, it's terrific exercise! I have heard of studies that say that student athletes are more likely to perform well in school, because they are more organized in general about their schedules and getting everything done. Do you see this in yourself and your classmates? Do you think there is a way to encourage it for those who spend a lot of time in athletics, other than threatening being cut from the team if you don't keep up academically?

I think it's great that one of your passions is helping others! In high school, I was a huge volunteer, and I loved tutoring the middle school kids nearby. The best part about it was that it was mutually beneficial. I got a chance to help others and make them happy, but it also made me happy as well. Also, it's great to meet new people through volunteering--I met some amazing students and mentors that I still talk to today!