Moving Forward

Here we are, at the end of the semester - I can hardly believe it's actually here! In looking back over the work I've done in this class, there are a few things that stand out to me; I thought, in way of closing, I'd mention them here.

First of all, it's hard to tell when you're inexperienced and optimistic exactly how much work something is going to be! All of these projects surprised me with intricacies and questions I hadn't foreseen. In a way, that made each one more meaningful and even more fun than I had really expected coming into the class. Even though few of them turned out especially pretty or even useful, I find I'm proud of what I was able to accomplish nonetheless.

The second thing I find interesting as I read through my posts one more time is just how much was contributed by others. Even though I often felt a little out of place, struggling with my misshapen coiled pots while awesome artists around me brought dragons and bowls and mugs to life with the very same clay I was using, I definitely did not make my projects what they are alone. From Kay's help with whistles (and pretty much everything else as well!) to my coworker pointing me in the direction of new cool discoveries to consider, people have been contributing to these projects all along. Of course, that's how it should be - somehow in originally envisioning this semester's work, though, I had forgotten about that integral part of learning.

Lastly and perhaps most importantly, to me at least, everything I encountered this semester gave me proof. Proof of something that maybe I had suspected before, but not yet seen in action: proof that the outcome of the project does not have to be perfect in order to inspire thought and create connections. Nothing I worked on was an exact replica or a precisely accurate procedure, and yet still everything served its original purpose - to expand my frame of mind and give me grounds on which I could approach ancient artifacts and people with even just a little bit more understanding and admiration - exquisitely.That's a lesson I will definitely take forward with me as I begin focusing my education on archaeology and communicating archaeology to the public, and I am very grateful for the opportunity to have learned it.