Mastering the Art of Being a Novice

Shit-Hot-Damn. Its 2012. As predicted last semester was so chock full of craziness that I managed to not post a single thing. And here I am, about to embark on the final semester, perhaps of my life, as a student. I cannot express how truly exciting and terrifying that is.

A lot of kids do nothing but complain about school and how they can't wait to get out. I did my fair share of bitching and moaning too but as I got closer to the end of my college days, I realized that I didn't want school to be over. For the semester, sure. But for good? Never in my life had I ever thought I would go to graduate school but shortly after graduation I knew I wasn't done. And now here I am again, staring down the barrel of graduation and not wanting it all to end.

I recently attended a conference where I assisted the moderation of a graduate student round table discussion of "Why Book Arts Now?" Aside from the awesome discussion which I'll talk about in a later post, I was surprised how many students were shocked that my program is three years. "I couldn't imagine being in a three-year program," one student said to me. In all honesty, I feel like three years is not enough. Can you really "master" an art, a craft or any discipline in a mere three years? Two? One even? In a little more than four months I will be able to claim that I am a Master of the Book Arts and a Master of Library and Information Studies. I won't be. I am but a novice.

But isn't that half the fun of being in a bigger world than yourself? I have never been the best student, but those who know me best know that learning and education is a big deal for me. I am constantly wanting to learn new things, read new things, see new things. Isn't that why we are here? To check out the wondrous variety that is out there and decide for yourself what is beautiful and fulfilling? In my lifetime I would like to become a "master" of the following:

The Culinary Arts
Photography
Rock Climbing
Deck of Cards Shuffler
Ambidexterity
Creative Writing
Creating new words that people think are real
Drawing
Building a house that will be my Home
International Travel
Magic
Pianistry
Spanish, French and Italian (in that order)
Swimming
Reading
Identifying living organisms by sight (plants, birds, puppies, etc)
Adobe Creative Suite
Performing basic math operations in my head (multiplication, addition, counting, etc)
Wit

Can I possibly master any of these feats in my lifetime? I doubt it. But I'll sure try.