The last weekend of February, some of my professors and my fellow Seniors and I took a trip to New York City and packed in a full visit to The Metropolitan Museum of Modern Art, The Met Breuer, the Whitney Museum of American Art, the Museum of Modern Art, and a wide variety of galleries in Chelsea in four short days. We walked around the city soaking in more art than I had time to digest. I was emotionally disrupted by the awe inspiring experience of art works I have learned about for years as a college student and prior. The grandeur of these works in person reveal how underwhelming a PowerPoint presentation can be when trying to translate the magnificence of a work of art and I teared up a few times with sublime appreciation for the opportunity to witness these famous historic works. In fact, I cried again the last day while at The Met because my feet were killing me, but I was adamant about viewing all the work the museum had to offer (well, as much as I could). My friends and I grabbed some lunch and traded shoes and I sucked up my tears like a big girl. How embarassing!
However, the whole experience opened my eyes to new directions I could go after graduation. Upon returning from New York, a ton of people that I talked to about my trip asked if I wanted to live in the city, now. It's a tough call, honestly. I love the energy and the freedom of expression that thrives in the city and the people. With only a few days to tackle so much, I fear that I may easily get overwhelmed by the hustle of the city. The subway stressed me out the first day, but we were zipping around the city without any problems in no time. Everywhere you look there are people of all different backgrounds and lifestyles, not to mention the variety of fashions and individuality. Every few steps, I was walking past people speaking different languages, some of which I had never heard before. I would love to live in an international city and glean as much as possible from the cultural diversity New York has to offer.
As a Senior in college, I am aware of the importance of developing strong professional communication skills, as well as, building and maintaining confidence and momentum in my career. However, I know that I can be too introverted or lazy at times and I wonder if moving to a city like New York would cure me of these bad habits. While I fear being overwhelmed by the city, I also have a hunch that if I let the city "break" me to a certain extent, it may make me a stronger individual and artist. I think it's important to note that moving to a city with as many options for work and play as New York, it is crucial that you maintain your goals and have a flexible plan for reaching them. In a city with so many people who are focused on what is ahead of them, no one really notices you when you're walking down the sidewalk. Competition is at a maximum in just about any career field and developing professional and personal relationships is as advantageous to your progression as maintaining your mental health. You will have to be the one to make an effort to be noticed and take part. If you lose sight of your targets, you could easily get lost in the more dejecting environments of the city. I'm sure this goes for anyone anywhere, but New York has a much faster pace for success or failure and this can be relatively daunting.
New Yorkers are much more straightforward when communicating with others compared to slow-talking southerners and their social etiquette norms. They waste no time expressing themselves and this reflects the fast pace of the city as a whole. I think I do want to try living in a big city for a short period of time, maybe a year. I'd like to see what challenges I'd encounter and how they will mold my character and progress my career and worldview. Although, as graduation approaches, I can't help but have a burning desire to travel to many places to take in all kinds of new experiences and stimuli. I'd like to be nomadic for a while, making art and documenting my adventures and expand my worldview by actually viewing the world. Only time will tell, but my trip to New York has me inspired and daydreaming about the future.