Trying New Things & Getting Back Into The Old

By Ava Jones

During my Global Scholars summer experience, I have quite a few goals and aspirations that align with  my own self development and the progression of my research. Firstly, I’d like to get involved with event coordination and exhibition development outside the hours of my internship at LeMoyne. While I already work on various tasks regarding upcoming installations, open houses, and gallery events during the hours of my internship, being on staff during the events is a great opportunity to meet donors and artists at a one-on-one level, fostering a network of those heavily involved in Tallahassee’s art community. Also, since the membership demographic at LeMoyne is primarily made up of retired folks, I’d love to hear the range of opinions the older generation has regarding the recent AI immersion exhibits. This goal also means developing my professional and communication skills. Talking to members casually and politely is one thing, but emphasizing my research aspirations and securing contacts is another. This starts with being present, dependable, and consistently meeting my manager’s expectations – i.e., developing my professionalism – and segues into developing effective communication strategies to expand my network.

Secondly, and more personally, I’d like to get back into acrylics and try out oil painting this summer. I used to paint very frequently, but my course load and dorm space restrictions made it difficult this past year. Now, however, I’m living at home and I’m not enrolled in summer classes, so I’ve got no excuse! I’ve already begun getting familiar with acrylics again, so soon I think I’ll try my luck with oil (I am quite intimidated by them). While this is something I want to pursue in my free time, spending my days in a gallery means constantly getting to observe beautiful art, and getting tempted by different mediums I’ve never tried out. In that sense, my summer experience kickstarted this goal.

Thirdly, I’m kicking off the first semester of my primary major, Digital Media Production, this fall, so I’m planning to dabble with video editing this summer. Not only is this stimulating creatively, but it’ll help me feel a bit less intimidated by the heavy amount of production work iI’ll be thrown into next semester. It could also end up being a great medium for my final  project in Global Scholars or down the line in further research!

Currently a song that encapsulates how I’m feeling is Lorelai by the Cocteau Twins – it’s one of my all-time favorites! I feel like its sound captures a very specific and obscure emotion, and the lyrics are, (like with most Cocteau Twins songs) literally indecipherable, which I fear is how I feel most of the time.

Here’s a picture of the acrylic piece I’m currently working on!