Diary of an Artist: Entry 24

Entry Twenty-Four
April 16, 2008

I am really looking forward to this summer and the upcoming school year. I hope that my plans for transferring work out---either Richmond or New York would undoubtedly present me with opportunities that are simply unavailable here in Grinnell. I am trying to be as productive as possible here; I have discovered that my greatest method of exposing my work here is through the Internet, as there are few venues in the middle of Iowa. I am also thinking about what I can do to prepare for when I return home this summer. I want to immediately jump into creative projects when I go back to Arlington.

Just this morning, for instance, I tried coordinating the Neo-Indie Arts Festival with Arlington County. I'll probably host it at Thomas Jefferson Community Center but I still have to hear back from Kevin Clements, someone who works at the Office for Teens there. I also made some progress in a story I am writing for the Grinnell Herald-Register. Hopefully I can head out to the high school tomorrow to take care of photographs and wrap up the last interview so I can get to writing the actual story. I'm grateful for the amount of attention that Martha Pinder, the editor of the town paper, devotes to my work. I have a lot more experience in creative writing than journalism so it's interesting to learn about it in further depth. Of course, I can't wait to intern for The Washington Post starting May 28th. I am waaaaaaay too thrilled about that.

Right now I have to concentrate on where I am, too. I have to finish up the school year with good grades and stop getting distracted by all of the creative projects I've outlined for myself. It's just difficult to set my mind on school when there are so many educational opportunities out there in the real world. The isolation from culture as I know it is one of the most frustrating aspects of being here. Only one more month!