New Year, New Life

Whaaattt??  Emily actually posted something on her blog?!  Yes, ladies and gents, after more than nine months, I am bringing ViennaSong back to life.  No, I did not get pregnant and have a child during this time; that number is just a coincidence.  I have, however, made other life-altering decisions since March, so let's dig in, shall we?

My music scholarship increased by $2,000 per year, and while that is certainly nothing to sniff at, I did not receive money from Art & Design, and my federal financial aid package decreased by $10,000 because my mom is working now, so I finally hit a brick wall trying to pay for Michigan.  I didn't find out about the federal aid until June, and between the time I came home at the end of April and the time I received the letter, I could already tell that my artistic interests had shifted.  Instead of practicing for hours on end, I preferred watching documentaries about typefaces or fashion designers.  I lost the thrill of the challenge of studying the bassoon, and I enjoyed being able to learn about various elements of design or create a painting when I wanted to.  After much deliberation, I was finally ready to pack up the bassoon for the last time and focus my energy on my art.

Everyone was extremely supportive, and some of my Michigan friends were actually glad that I was finally simplifying my life.  My bassoon professor said that while he understood my decision, he thought that the music world would lose something and that art would gain greatly from it.  I couldn't ask for a higher compliment or a more gratifying conclusion to our student-teacher relationship.

I applied to the Savannah College of Art & Design, one of the largest and most renowned art schools in the country, and I was accepted with a significant amount of scholarship money.  I chose to apply to SCAD's Atlanta campus rather than the main campus in Savannah because  prefer the bustling city to a smaller historic town, and a cousin of mine who lives in Midtown graciously agreed to let me live with him while I'm in school.  Once again, God flipped a switch, the questions disappeared, and all of the details fell into place.  Four and a half months after leaving Michigan, I began my new college career as a Graphic Design major at SCAD.

My new lifestyle is so completely different from anything I've ever experienced.  Firstly, I sleep at night, which is magical.  I take fifteen credit hours at a time, instead of the thirty or so that I spent in class or rehearsal in one week at Michigan, and I don't have class on Fridays.  Pair a wide-open schedule with living in one of the greatest cities in the world, and you have time to study at a Starbucks next to lawyers and image consultants, run errands on Peachtree Street, walk the dog to Piedmont Park ... it's heavenly.  I regularly attend ChristChurch Presbyterian (PCA) in Buckhead, and I got involved with Reformed University Fellowship (RUF) at Georgia Tech.  There is nothing like having a huge group of friends my age who share my beliefs and values and whom I regularly hang out with multiple times a week.  Also, I resumed performing with the Symphonic Wind Ensemble at Georgia State, which I will get paid for beginning this Spring!

SCAD is a lot of fun in a lot of ways, and I anticipate it only getting better from here.  I love being in an environment with so many other artists, where we never have to explain ourselves because the unusual is expected and creativity is the norm.  Classes are easier than I presumed they would be, but I love the faculty, and my classes will probably become more demanding in time.  I also love hearing about SCAD students and alumni in the news, and the big event this quarter was our Open Studio Night, where we showed works by faculty, alumni, grad students, and some undergrads (yep, including me), and had hor d'oeuvres and a live band to entertain the 1500+ guests.

So as much as I miss Michigan football and all of the other wonderful things God gave me last year, I love the life I'm leading now.  Every day brings something new and exciting, and I hope to share a great deal of it with you as Atlanta brings out the artist in me.

eb