No One Ever Told Me

Please excuse the lack of post yesterday. I was working on projects from dawn until 3 a.m. this morning. I almost drank a cup of coffee at about 9:30 last night, but Kaleigh told me it would keep me up until 2 a.m. and I obviously did not want to be awake until 2, so I opted out. Silly me. I had no idea it would take me 3 hours to glue squares of paint onto pieces of paper.

This happens to me a lot. I know exactly what I have to do for a project and how to do it, but for some reason it takes so much longer than I think it should. Even when I finish, I still cannot explain which part of the process was so time-consuming. It's one of the great mysteries of art school.

I don’t know why no one ever told me this, but college is hard. A great big 'thanks' to everyone who has ever gone to college and spoken to me for withholding that vital bit of information.

There’s all this stuff you have to do for classes, and then you have to decide what you want to do for the rest of your life, and you realize that your whole future practically hinges on all these critical, but relatively unassuming decisions that you made say, 2 weeks ago.

And then you must involve yourself in all these organizations and have friends because you should be well rounded. And on top of these things there are scholarships to apply for and taxes to do and tours to give for Student Ambassadors and volunteering to do and laundry to wash and—and—and—

It’s a lot, people.

At any given moment this quarter, I will probably have a paper to write, a presentation to plan, and two massive, all-consuming art projects to complete. And not just to complete—complete well. That’s the kicker. College isn’t so hard if you don’t care. It isn’t so hard if you have yet to realize that your future depends upon what you do now—like deciding on a major.

It’s totally hindering my whole life objective of “just have fun.”

Do not mistake this for complaining; I am not complaining. The original intent of this post was to offer a warning to people approaching college.

Run for the hills.

There’s the warning. I’m not even joking.

Yes I am. Go to college Marisa. You can’t use this as an excuse to get out. Just some advice from your big sister.

Which is not to say I am big. Marisa don’t you dare call me big! I’m little.
Relatively speaking.

Anywho, here’s some real advice for you. It’s easy to let everything make you feel overwhelmed, but don’t let it.

I can’t tell you how to do that because I haven’t completely figured that out. I just pray a lot. A LOT. For focus, for motivation, for inspiration, for everything.

"I can do all things through Him who strengthens me."
Philippians 4:13

"Whatever you do, do your work heartily, as for the Lord rather than for men."
Colossians 3:23

“For I know the plans I have for you," declares the LORD, "plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future. Then you will call upon me and come and pray to me, and I will listen to you.”
Jeremiah 29:11-12

“With God's power working in us, God can do much, much more than anything we can ask or imagine.”
Ephesians 3:20 NCV

Arielle