Well, it’s been a year. And this time, we mean that both as “it’s been a wild time” and “it has been 365 days.” Hal recently invested in a motivational calendar – it has cool affirming messages on it, but having it on the desk reminded Hal of the date. March 16th, 2020 is the day I came home early from my study abroad program, and the day Hal moved out of his apartment in Ann Arbor. On his way out, Hal snapped a selfie with his friends and roommates. He realized today that hasn’t seen them in person since.
It has been quite a year, but Hal and I talked through it to find some positives. As much as Hal misses his friends and roommates, he’s glad they’re all safe. He’s also thankful he gets to study what he loves even though it’s been different and more stressful recently. If you haven’t had the time to chat with someone about how this past year has gone, we highly encourage it! It’s better to process the feelings as they come instead of storing them away for another year.
If this is your first time here, thanks for coming! Hal is a U-M senior who’s been remote alllll year. He’s here Tuesdays to share his experiences, but if you can’t wait, check out the Study Hal tag to see all the posts!
Happy Groundhog Day, everybody! Totally unrelated, but… Does anyone else feel like everyday is the same? Hal has settled into something of a routine, which has led to something of a slump. I’ve got to break him out of it, and soon. Maybe we could watch some good classic comedy movies! Any suggestions?
Though the days blend together, Hal and I are trying to keep track of the little things that make us happy through the day, like fun ringtones, good headphones, and coffee. What good things keep your days from blurring together completely?
If this is your first time here, welcome! Hal is a senior at U-M, but he’s studying completely remotely for the year. Come back on Tuesdays to see new videos, or pop over to the Study Hal tag to see his archived adventures.
Staying physically active is hard, especially being at home all the time, and especially with all this snow. Being so sedentary sparked Hal to make a change! He found a workout game to follow and started off strong… But, he didn’t consider how hard it would get after just a few minutes! He’s still resting. He says he’ll sleep it off.
In spite of online classes, I hope you’re taking time to move your body. Don’t be like Hal, though – start small and make some little changes! Even if it’s an extra trip up the stairs, it makes a difference when you spend all day at a desk. And don’t forget to stretch! It’s helpful even if you haven’t done so many squats that you fell over.
If you’re new here, welcome! Hal is back every week with his experiences studying at U-M from home his senior year. Check back next Tuesday for a new video, or check out the Study Hal tag for the archives.
I know it’s been a long week (even with Monday off) so pat yourself on the back for making it through. Whether your semester seems like it will be a breeze or your hardest one yet, remember to be kind to yourself and find moments for celebration.
A new semester means a fresh start in many ways, but some people can feel trapped in the extracurricular activities they committed to in the first semester. I wanted to take some time to remind you that most student organizations gladly welcome new members during the second semester. MUSKET is producing a show, Basement Arts is partnering with Blank Space Workshop to produce new work, and many performance groups are holding auditions, just to name a few of the opportunities this semester.
Even if you don’t have the time or interest in fully joining these organizations, I encourage you to attend their events as much as possible. Not only will it bring some joy into your life and introduce you to new groups and artistic expressions, it will also help support these student groups through what is sure to be another strange semester. With most of their performances being virtual, along with classes, attending these events shows that we still support these groups, even if we can’t cheer them on in person.
So in the next couple of weeks, I challenge you to scroll through MaizePages and jot down a couple of organizations you’re interested in learning more about. Then, see what day they’ll be attending the virtual Winterfest and have some questions ready – maybe about the process for joining, or what their plans are for this semester. Finally, as you’re scrolling through Instagram or walking around campus and you see an advertisement for an upcoming arts event, add it to your calendar. That way you won’t forget, and when it comes along maybe you’ll put aside your homework for an hour or two to experience the creativity our campus has. Think of it as a new form of self-care.
That’s all from me this week. Good luck to everyone in their classes!
Happy first day of classes! Did you enjoy your break? Hal certainly did, but, his transition back to classes was… A little rough. Wouldn’t we all rather be on a beach somewhere? Especially when the alternative is this classic Michigan snow-rain.
Hal and I are sending good vibes for this semester. How was your first day of classes? While it might have been challenging, the bright side is that it’s nice to be back in a routine again. Keep up the great work!
If you’re new here, welcome! Hal is a U-M student studying remotely this year, and graduating with me after this winter! He’s back on Tuesdays with fun adventures, so be sure to check in or to check the Study Hal tag for more.
Happy Friday! I hope you’ve all had a chance to recharge over the break, whether you celebrated Turkey Day or not. The holidays look a little different this year, but that doesn’t mean we can’t make the best out of them and still find ways to connect to friends and family (albeit virtually).
This week I had the chance to talk to Katie Lorenz, a member of APG (Arbor Promotion Group) Presents, about how the org is adapting to the year as well as how she views the arts scene on campus acclimating to the health and safety guidelines. Read on to learn more!
Founded in 2018, APG Presents is one of the more recent groups to enter the music scene on campus. They have two main focuses: producing and promoting live events, and helping students in the organization with professional development. In a typical year, they help put on shows at Necto and other venues around campus, bring in speakers from the industry to talk to members of their organization or the larger UofM community, and help with resumes, internship searches, and interview prep. They currently have over 50 members, with leadership opportunities for those interested in learning more hands-on about the industry.
This year, APG Presents has had to pivot, as all of us have, but they’ve done a great job of maintaining much of their usual programming. They’ve moved their weekly meetings to be virtual, as well as their professional development programs. Their live music events have also been moved virtual, but have been able to shift to include things like artist Q&As as well. Katie explained that, although it’s obviously a bummer that they can’t all be together and produce their normal concerts, there have been bright sides to the changes, too. “Virtual experiences do a great job for [these] events of bringing people to us who might not have been able to, like, fly to us directly, people all across the world… So I think that’s been working in our favor kind of this year.” If you’ve read other posts from Looking Forward, this is a theme that a lot of people have come to notice over the pandemic – the musical theatre department, the Shapiro Design Lab, and now APG Presents. The limitations of geographical barriers seem to be non-existent now, and it will be interesting to see if that trend continues once things start returning to “normal”.
I also asked Katie to share her thoughts on the state of the arts on campus right now. She told me that she sees creativity and the
10/1/20 UMMA Ibrahim Mahama Exhibit installation (via UMMA website)
way that arts organizations on campus have expressed themselves during this time as being really interesting – people are finding new ways to commit to their ideas and what they stand for. One example she brought up is the UMMA showing support for the Black Lives Matter Movement. If you’ve walked by the UMMA recently, you may have noticed that half of it is covered in stitched-together canvas sacks. This is by artist Ibrahim Mahama and is meant to “[celebrate] the often-invisible labor of Black and brown people behind global exchange and commerce while acknowledging the troubling histories of colonialism and slavery in the Western world,” (from the UMMA website). Personally, I found this interesting because although I had walked by this installation many times, I didn’t really understand what it was saying. Katie’s comment reminded me that there is always something to uncover about the arts on campus, always something new to experience, and that gives me a lot of hope for the year ahead.
If you’d like to learn more about APG Presents and stay up-to-date on their future events, be sure to follow their Instagram @APGPresents and their LinkedIn page. If you’re interested in joining the organization, you can email Talia Rizika at trizika@umich.edu.
If you wanna read more about the UMMA installation I mentioned, you can check it out here.
That’s all from me this week. I hope you have an amazing rest of your week and stay safe!
