What's Next: Part Deux

I've already explained that tonight is my last dance recital ever. I'm so extremely sad about it. Like I said, it's been the best experience ever. It has taught me how to show my emotions through movement. I know that sounds dumb and cliche, but it's actually a thing. If I go to dance grumpy or sad, I always leave feeling loads better. Dance is a form of expression. Okay, I'm going to stop writing about that because I'm going to start crying again.

So the question for me is what's next? I'm going to have so much free time on my hands. Maybe I should take up knitting (already tried that and hated it), or maybe I'll learn another language (I do want to travel the world some day). I have my painting, which I will definitely be busy with over the summer. My goal is to start selling some of my work because I need money. Plus I just like when people get to enjoy my paintings instead of having them sit on my art table in my basement under a layer of dust.
I also need to start playing the piano more. I'm finally starting to appreciate classical music more. I used to hate it and think it was so boring, but now I have a new-found respect for it. There are so many variations to classical music. Every key sounds like a different mood and it can be played either fast or slow. Personally, I like playing Preludes. Bach is my favorite.

Since I won't be dancing almost every day of the week, I should probably find some other means of exercise. I think I'll just force Serena to drag me to the gym. I really, really despise running. My knees are already awful, it just sucks to run. Plus, my stamina is awful. You would think that after a few years of intense cardio I would have pretty good stamina. It's probably just because I like food a little too much (and not healthy food either).

After the summer is over I will be moving to Hays to attend Fort Hays State University and become a Tiger. If I had a choice at what big cat I wanted to be I would be a lion, but I guess tigers will have to do. I plan to major in studio art with Zoey. She's going to be my super awesome roommate. I'm excited, but kind of nervous at the same time. I know a few people who are already attending FHSU and I know a few of my classmates who are going to be going in the fall, but I'm not close with many of them. I'm also not very good at making friends. I'm really awkward and never know how to start conversations. I'll probably need to find some way to get involved in something so I'm not just sitting in my dorm all day, every day. The thing I'm most excited about is being able to learn more about art. I really hope the professors there are good. Mrs. Copeland has been the best teacher for the last four years. She's taught me so much. People ask me if I'm just talented, or if I actually had to work to be good (not saying I'm some prodigy or something). I scoff and say, "duh, it takes soooooo much work". I don't think I would be half as good as I am not if I didn't have good teachers along the way. So when I go to Fort Hays I really hope they are as good as I'm expecting them to be (or better). Because I want to actually learn more, not just sit in a room and do the same things that I've been doing for the last however many years.

When I went to visit Fort Hays I had the greatest experience ever. When we first pulled up to the campus, I saw a sign that said, "Welcome to FHSU, Allison!". Like, they put my name up on a sign just for visiting. Then I got to take a tour of the campus, which is really nice. It is spread out enough that I feel cramped, but it also isn't ginormous. When I went to talk to one of the guys in the art department building (his name is Joel and he is a ginger with an awesome beard), he introduced himself and then immediately asked what I wanted to do as a career. I'm the type of person that likes to plan out every aspect of my life, so of course I already had an answer (I've known for a while what I want to do). So I told him about how I plan to work in art galleries until I have enough experience to open my own. Then what Joel said next is why I chose to go to Fort Hays. When I went to K-State, the lady sat me down in a dingy room and went through all of the classes that I could take, relevant to what I wanted to do in the future or not. It was all so confusing and she wasn't even that nice. But Joel told me, "Allison, here at Fort Hays, we want to teach you how to take your talents and turn them into a career", and I just knew that this was the place for me. I had been so worried that I wasn't good enough to do anything. I don't know anything about making connections with people. I actually don't even know much about running a gallery (note to self: visit the Strecker-Nelson gallery). My hope is that at FHSU I can learn all of those things.

So, as they say, when one door closes another one opens and I'm excited for what the future holds!