August has been a month of “firsts”. I had the chance to work on my first full body painting and today I had my first experience as a college professor. I like the professor status a lot. I love teaching. I have a great group of freshmen and I had the chance to welcome them for their first class as undergraduate students at this university. I also believe that this is the first time the students were asked by a professor to take a selfie. We all took a selfie with some of the students in the background behind each one of use while the people behind us was also taking a selfie. You might ask “Why?”
Our seminar is about developing a process of inquiry and a selfie allows people to understand our reality that we can only see things from our point of view as everyone else. Therefore, if we allow our assumptions and interpretations of the world around us to be challenged by the fact that there are other points of view we can learn to be unbiased learners. Moreover, it also helps people understand the need to communicate honestly and respectfully. We don’t have to attack people for what they believe or for what they say but we can challenge the statement. We don’t have to agree with everything people say or do, but we can understand why they say what they say and why they do what they do. Above all that, I believe we all need to learn how not to get offended every time someone or a statement doesn’t agree with us and how we see the world. We can also present our position with camaraderie with the intention to grow together as if all the selfies were part of one big picture without offending people.
September promises to be an interesting month. Things will only get more interesting as we continue experiencing the inquiry process in class. During this month I will continue experimenting and exploring more in body painting. In relationship to that, I will be body painting during an art show opening at the Gallery at Elemar in New Haven, CT (Friday, September 18: more details to come), and I will also be body painting the next day during the MAC Fest in Downtown Milford, CT. Don’t forget to also check out the sculpting and painting parties. Hope to see you soon in any of these events.