This ending is just the beginning

Fashion Journalism class is coming to a close today. Ten days of class, five credits, and more learning than I could have imagined were packed into two and a half weeks. For our final assignment we had to write a reflection on our learning. I could think of no better way to express my growth on this trip than sharing that reflection because as this class is ending I have this feeling of great opportunity, of beginnings.

At the start of each new quarter in school, I always think about what I can expect. Who are my professors? Have I had them before? Do others say the class is good? As I looked forward to this course and this entire trip, I did not know what to expect. I tried to imagine what I would learn and experience but I couldn’t even begin to picture it. That’s the beauty of new experiences. When you try things for the first time it is an experience like you will never have again. This is why exploration, adventures, and learning are so important. It is the only way to broaden your horizons, to understand the world more fully.

The last thing I expected from this trip was to have my thinking towards learning styles and fashion completely enhanced. The university I attend is very focused on classroom work, guidelines, and tests. It is a good way to learn a lot of information and I don’t want to make little of what I have learned there. Here however I have learned by experiencing. Each day I packed up my bag with water, a French phrase book, a notepad, bandaids, snacks, and probably most important—my camera. Then with bag in hand I went out to the city to learn through class, exhibitions, and exploration. Every assignment, lecture, and outing inspired me and increased my desire to continue on this path. Each moment, interaction, and passerby is a chance to arouse my creativity and discover beauty and style. Yesterday I sat on the ground by a tree to rest in the shade but my mind continued to spin. Before I knew it I was taking photographs from of those passing by to capture the perspective of looking up into the crowd along the Champs-Élysées. I have learned to never let my mind rest, to continually be experiencing and growing.

This time has taught me not to wait until I am assigned work to start learning. So often I have put off things because I knew I would eventually have to do it anyway for class. But there is no time like the present to learn. Waiting until tomorrow to pursue your dreams never works because tomorrow never comes. John’s (our guest lecturer during this middle of the class) lecture and work is so inspiring because he did not wait to start what he wanted to do. There is no waiting around for some moment when your life begins, that time is now. It is now that I starting taking notes, hounding out internships, and soaking it in so that I can turn around and make my mark on the fashion world.

When you are passionate about something there is no way to be partway into it. This class has also taught me total immersion. To be good at something you have to be interested even when you aren’t on the clock and being paid for it or getting a grade for it. The sketchbook and photographing street style was difficult at first but the more I worked on it, the more I felt I was developing and becoming comfortable with it. There is much more to learn but the foundation has been laid. This course has taught me to look, listen, and learn. To not wait for someone else. To go for my dreams. I am eager to continue learning by doing, by putting what I want to do into practice.