New Blog!

Welcome to my new blog. Here, I will be documenting my experience while studying abroad at the Burren College of Art in Ballyvaughan, Ireland! I have spent the past few weeks traveling and getting a feel for the country. The landscape and culture are incredibly rich, and I look forward to getting to know it better over the coming months.

The environment here at The Burren is both isolated and in the middle of everything. The community is warm and inviting. Although this town is small, there are plenty of local activities and events to keep me nice and busy. I think it’s safe to say that there are more cows than people. Ballyvaughan is by far the most rural place I have ever lived, but I bet The Burren will be the perfect place to hunker down and focus on my work.

Today was my first day of school. After an introductory presentation by the President, Dean, and other faculty, we were asked to choose from a series of workshops.

The first workshop featured exercises in performance art. The experience was uncomfortable, spontaneous, and freeing. I have never before participated in performance art that featured my own body, but after today, I’m sure I’ll be doing it again.

The second workshop consisted of exercises in the creative process—one was drawing like a kid again. We scribbled so hard and fast that the paper burned our hands… but it was so worth it. I hope that my future days at BCA will be as challenging and rewarding as today.