Prologue
My project, although technically is only supposed to
be a semester, started about 2 years ago. At that time I was an art student
looking to understand where my life was headed as a freshman in college. As
most freshman come in, either all or none of the classes sound interesting. For
me, I would have loved to take all of them if I could. Obviously money is a bit
of a restraining order on learning and imagination. I am only permitted to
learn so much before it gets difficult and becomes a waste of time and precious
money.
I had broad interests that needed to be fulfilled and
I happened to find some answers to a class I took called Stress Management
through the physical and health educational department. I had already been
researching into changing my major but I had no idea into what focus. I was
considering a double major in Art and Biology so that I could go into
Alternative Medicine.
I had always been interested in the field because of
how I was raised with the balance between western and eastern medicine. I had
been introduced later on to Yoga which talked about the chakras and energy
levels of the body. That subject I was all too familiar with and started to
build a connection between art and health that I never thought of before.
Through other classes, I started creating this odd tie
between multiple subjects. In psychology, I learned about the development of
the mind, physiology of the brain, and the phenomenon of synesthesia. Synesthesia
is the blending of senses and I started to wonder if because of the plasticity
of the brain, if we could actually train ourselves to control multiple senses
at once to take the senses to a whole new level. The stress management class
introduced me to PNI which is also known as psychoneuroimmunology. PNI means
that the mind and the brain have an influence over the health of the body and
vice versa which takes things a step further from mind over matter. I even found a course on color therapy. I did
not know that such a course existed and it has been the most interesting read
and study I have ever done. I even started to incorporate that into my
understanding.
Never the less, all this work was not a waste of time.
I started to understand my classes better as well as a new way of looking at things.
It was fantastic to learn in this new way that has helped me exceed and gain a
better appreciation for education.
Not only that, but this was only the beginning. I
started looking up grad schools and courses that are normally taught to be in
the alternative medicine field and started making lists of classes offered at
my university. I had a pretty good list going but I knew that it wouldn’t last
long without being in a declared major that would allow me to explore a field
that doesn’t exist. I even tried finding people that studied what I wanted to
study. The conclusion was I was going to be a pioneer in a field that no one
was really in. I sought to research schools that would allow me to make up my
own major and what it would even be called. I even started asking my professors
about synesthesia, PNI, and alternative medicine in general. Only one of them
actually new what I was talking about ironically and that was because there
wife did alternative medicine.
I was alone in more ways than one but then I found the
Interdisciplinary Program where I could claim multiple colleges and not lose
any of the credits I have already taken. I also found out through even more
research that there was an association that had been organized for years with
schools that even provide programs with the exact major that I thought didn’t
exist. Since then, things just started to ease their way through. I now had a
major, a school, a future, and a head start on a project to graduate.
Beginning the Project
When starting a research project I knew that it was
going to take a lot of work so I started as soon as I had an idea of what I was
going to do. It started out really complicated. I personally did not think that
it was but when trying to explain it, it got simpler and dumbed down the more I
did. I thought I could still pull it off with this huge process but alas, my
own mother did not even understand it.
It had then been suggested to me to take all my
questions and start off with the most basic. This was the hardest part that I
have had to do in this whole project. I felt like nothing could be excluded. I
cannot even say how I finally did it but I did.
I had been sending out emails for about a year to the
psychology department, class professors, and the art department to find people
interested in the project that could help me out with this new idea. Having
professional help and a good way to get people was a start but it didn’t go
over well. I had a total of 3 students and 2 professor that replied at all and
it was the students interested rather than any staff. I then tried emailing
specific people rather than mass emails to the departments. No one was either
available, interested, new anyone, or replied. When talking to my advisor I
knew I had to find a professor but the luck of finding anyone wasn’t working.
My problem was that the art department could help me
with a project but the psychology department could help me with the study.
Neither department would be able to help me with the other so I knew I
technically needed 2 professors, not just one. I found the art department to be
the easiest to work with and the most willing. The psychology department was
much the opposite. I decided to try and work with the psychology department
anyways. I signed up for my last semester the senior project/intern class. I
get online only to find there is no professor, just college advisors that
aren’t going to be your professor at all.
I ended up making a meeting with the college advisor
to discuss my problems in finding professors for the last year, not just that
semester. I was advised to talk to CAPS and see if any of them would be willing
to help me, even a grad student that needs the hours. So, I did just that. The
secretary told me about when they were meeting next and to email the main guy
on the business card to see if anyone could help me or if they had a
suggestion.
I got the fastest reply from the psychology department
than I have the last year. I was so happy and then my heartbeat quickened when
I read that I should have signed up a semester ago, no graduate student could
help me until I went through that training. I couldn’t work with them so I
should talk to FCHD department.
Joy. It was frustrating that I had been emailing for
more than a year and only now do I get help, when it is too late.
I talked to my advisor about my dilemma and the
approaching deadline to change classes and to graduate. I got put under her
advised internship as well and was asked to just write what my project is, do
it, and turn it in. Hallelujah.
When attending my classes, Jackson Pollock was
discussed and his painting style and movement he started for modern painters.
It was similar to what my project would entail so I talked to the professor
about my project and any help that I could get. We decided that a grant would
be my best option. I had completed it, turned it in to my professor to get it
approved and touched up only to find that the suggestion that was given to me,
is not available and that deadline was approaching fast. I decided to try to
get the information I needed anyways and hopefully get it in last minute. My
problem was that the likelihood of being able to get the grant without basing
my research off of something that exists is low because it means my plans and
success are very tentative.
My major doesn’t exist at the university, the research
done on it is not available to me. The art therapy I could find was not journal
articles or studies but ads, magazine articles, and textbooks. In order to find
that info I needed special permission, a lot more time than I was crunching
for, and the resources to find what I needed.
The grant was a no go but at least I was able to do
the research I needed on pricing what I would need for my project as well as
the start of getting things going. I would just be pulling the money out of my
own pocket than getting help from the college.
I then started finding a place to do my project. I
knew that I would need a place to keep everything as well as I would need a
place that would be ok with paint. There are the art studios but there is not
tons of room, there are classes that would be interrupted, and paint could
possibly be beyond everywhere. My other problem was that I also wanted people
not in the art department.
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