A Message to My Capstone Students
Hey everyone - I know it's spring break and that there's a global pandemic in progress. The temptation is to totally shut down and lock ourselves inside in front of the news and Netflix. I get it. I've had some hard moments of anxiety over the last five days. Seriously. My wife had to remind me that I wasn't patient zero in Cincinnati. I feel pretty okay today, but I'll have more moments. So will you. Life as we know it has changed rapidly. It's going to take some time to get adjusted. It's okay to be shaken. We all are.
That said, I want to encourage you to use capstone projects as a distraction from what's happening in the world. Don’t do it the grade or display at DAAPworks. Do it because the world needs good stuff right now, and every one of you has a good thing to contribute to the world.
The world needs videos that will:
Teach us how to respond to the cards we've been dealt. (Cara)
Encourage us to learn a new hobby like perspective drawing. (Zach)
Give us tools to make decisions in a time when hard decisions are necessary. (Jared)
Illuminate why boredom leads us to brilliance when we're all terribly bored at home. (Ben)
Expose the truth. (Maria)
The world needs campaigns that will:
Stifle online bullying between middle schoolers, especially now that their education relies on social media tools for communication. (Ava)
Celebrate the introverts who have brilliant ideas if we would only listen to them. (Hannah)
The world needs books that will:
Illuminate the big picture and remind us that our perspective isn't the only perspective. (Rachel)
Facilitate us past the challenges of creative block. (Josh)
Remind us to be grateful. (Alyssa)
Teach kids [and adults] not to bury the scary stuff that life will inevitably throw our way. (Hannah)
Carry us away from the normalness of everyday flavors and open us to a vibrant culture through cooking. (Mal and Sivan)
The world needs digital tools will:
Guide us toward self-discovery. (Annemarie)
And, finally, the world needs stuffed animals shaped like [you know what] that will:
Crack a smile and help us feel comfortable talking about contraceptives. (Alaina)
As you can see, each of you has something good to share with the world. You won't be able to share it through DAAPworks as usual. That sucks. But, it doesn't stop you from finishing your project and sending it through the mail to someone special. It definitely doesn't stop you from publishing your project online for the world to see and use. At the very least, 18 other people on this planet would like to see (and hold) your finished project, including you.
I get it if you're burned out from working on your Capstone. That may be true with or without Cov-19. If you need a break, try to make something else. It's always helpful to have multiple projects going at once. That way, when one is boring, you have another to divert your attention. I like to collage. It's supposed to be a good exercise when there's chaos because it's a chance to pulls things together. That's not the only option, though. You could write poetry, learn a new skill, design something for somebody who needs it, etc...
While you’re at it, consider Arbitrary Stupid Goals. For example, if you are going to watch Netflix, aim to watch every movie by a particular director (Meg and I made a list of Hitchcock movies to go through). Another goal might be to read every book on your shelf by authors whose first name begins with D (or any other letter). One more arbitrary goal may be to call a random person in your contact list every day for a 15-minute chat. For more on Arbitrary Stupid Goals, read the book by illustrator, Tamara Shopsin. It’s fantastic. I wrote more about it here (2 years ago).
In closing, I'll quote one of my favorite authors who recently wrote an article about how to cope with the pandemic. I think his words encompass what I'm trying to communicate in one short, but effective, paragraph:
"Distract yourself with value-driven action; lots of action. Serve your community, serve your kids, serve yourself (both body and mind), produce good work. Try to fit in a few moments of forced gratitude, just to keep those particular circuits active."
Cal Newport
P.S. Let's all strive to be more like these Italians.