I found out Santa did not exist the first Christmas I can remember; the Easter bunny freaked me out; I was pissed when I turned 11 and no letter arrived from Hogwarts; and when my first baby molar came out, I didn’t tell my parents — I waited skeptically to see what the cold side of my pillow would surprise me with in the morning. Clearly the “tooth fairy” dropped the ball on that one.
Childhood magic was a lost art for me — something elusive I always seemed to know I missed out on in its conventional connotation. Instead, I found enchantment in all 28 Magic Tree House books, the tide pools of southern California and, most enduringly, in cameras.
I fell in love with photography because it didn’t dare diminish the magic of the everyday — the only magic worth capturing. The first time I developed film in my hands, I knew there was something magical about being able to share my personal reality, to give snapshots of my worldview to another person. Photography became my special way of showing there was extra in the ordinary.
Cameras retained their allure for me, especially as technology evolved, allowing me to latch on to new and exciting mediums. My disposables were soon replaced by DSLRs. I spent all my gift money, allowance and expendable income on photography equipment. I started a business. I worked freelance. I was published. I was passionate.
Cue my bright-eyed arrival at the University. Nikon in hand, I chose to forsake art school in the pursuit of an “illimitable liberal arts education” — that is I let buzzwords and adults with a vested interest in me attending this school turn my fear of wholeheartedly pursuing my passions into a reason to come here.
However, in pursuing my passion at U.Va., I met obstacle after obstacle. If there is one thing I have learned at this institution, it is that being “steeped in tradition” is only a euphemism for “lacking creative innovation.”
Why must I take a prerequisite painting class to secure a spot in any photography or cinematography class at the University? Why must humanities majors delve into the theoretical underpinnings of a subject, rather than unprecedented application and hands-on study of the material to gain any sort of legitimacy? Why are prospective interdisciplinary majors met with such passivity and, arguably, a measure of disrespect from the student body?
The University is steeped in a tradition of pragmatism, left over from an archaic Jeffersonian era, which leaves the innovative potential of the student body untapped.
It is up to us to make the change we wish to see in the school we govern ourselves. By promoting design thinking — a burgeoning school of thought that promotes problem solving through creative collaboration between pragmatic and artistic disciplines — at the University, as outlined by Prof. Dana Elzey in his recent TEDxUVA talk, we can unleash the full potential of the student body by utilizing spaces like OpenGrounds to join the most powerful analysts, engineers, designers, thinkers, builders and artists from all areas of the University.
Something must be done to shift the paradigms that govern the College’s curriculum from practical, theory-based discussions to innovative, application-based workshops. We must unleash the power of design thinking to produce students who will thrive in our world — a world that will remain stagnant if met only with minds possessing “illimitable liberal arts educations,” which are far more limiting than Jefferson ever intended.
Lauren’s column runs biweekly Fridays. She can be reached at l.jackson@cavalierdaily.com.
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