Three Essays Written Circa 2004
By: Kevin M. Gallagher
Tags: Essay, Culture, Information, Internet, Art

I can still remember what it felt like at such a young age to discover that I could tell a computer to perform a desired action. Later I became amazed with how much it would reveal to me. Today we find that the Internet is a device for learning, which has prompted its being implemented in the classroom as a research tool, and allowed people to acquire degrees online. I mention this only because the question asks of my educational background, and my poor marks aren’t worth bragging about. The Internet’s role in my intellectual enrichment cannot be understated. If I could, I would argue that I learned more sitting in front of a screen than I ever did in class. The truth is, I was so consumed by the availability of information and my immediate interests that I seldom brought myself to work outside the time alloted for school. Which is not to suggest that high school was a waste — I simply would not excel within the given environment, a composite of things I felt like I already knew and became easily bored with.

From its introduction I always had an inexplicable aversion to homework, which made for a troubled academic career. Counselors used terms like “motivation” or “effort” in describing my case. Often my teachers offered me deals or extra time on an assignment to ensure that I would pass. I wondered if I were even deserving of such leniency, without which I would not have made it this far. At my worst I even neglected the opportunity they gave me, that is to say, sometimes I passed and sometimes I didn’t. But I am thankful to them, if only for wanting me to achieve, and perhaps recognizing some sort of innate talent.

After my sophomore year, I participated in a summer program at the Berklee College of Music for jazz guitar. The competitive atmosphere had a stimulating effect — I was around players as young as me and faster, more knowledgeable of theory, who knew more tunes. I came out of this experience with the realization that I was capable of more. In my junior year I was fortunate enough to visit the great cities of Italy with my Latin class. The images of Venice, Rome, Florence, and Assissi will forever be impressed upon my mind. Also during my junior year I landed the lead role in a short play, which was closer to a monologue, leaving me with most of the lines. The extensive memorization proved to be a challenge, but again affirmed my own capabilities. These are examples of experiences that can transform an individual, and what I am really looking for in Lang is another.

Thinking I had screwed up irreversibly in school I began to absorb and expose myself to whatever I could find. To me there is nothing more powerful than discovering the work of a great artist in any field. This type of discovery incurs an immensely valuable transformation in one’s ways of thinking. The person may be an author, musician, painter, performer, filmmaker or theorist: I have considered them my real teachers. I am fascinated by those who conduct their work outside the realm of what is socially acceptable. I am drawn to those who make sacrifices, who are willing to experiment and subvert conventions. This type of education is entirely self-motivated. If my schooling has taught me anything, it is only what distinguishes me from others.

Of culture, I consider myself equally a receptor and a participant. Every generation should have a chance to respond to the prevailing style, and I am worried that mine will be more focused on earning a dollar than contributing to humanities. My interest lies in the stories of life told through literature, the endless varieties of human behavior, and the absurdity of modern existence. These may be things that younger people are losing their grasp of, and I believe that scientific advancement, rather than narrowing, brings about more possibilities for art and abstraction.

I have observed how language shapes all of our experiences. I have decided that I would like to devote my life to something greater than me: the study and creation of art. It is because of this insatiable thirst for more knowledge and the dire need for something challenging, that I aspire to study at Lang. I have sought fluency in every discipline, hobby, or art form I’ve encountered. The acquisition of artistic sensibilities resembles a web; by reaction one idea leads to the next, branching further from the center. I can make no estimation as to whether my education thus far has prepared me; I wonder if my case does not represent failure of traditional pedagogy and assessment, of an educational system that left me behind because it wasn’t tailored to my unique needs and interests. In conclusion I explored a life outside of school that was infinitely more engaging, that had no dead ends — I could approach the subject how I wanted, and it would possess more meaning.