#oddandproud

[allthecanadianpolitics]

I have been busy with work and finding an apartment. I have been told I can register at the polls, but I have trouble finding what I would need to do so. Is this a thing?

This is the ID you need to vote:

Elections Canada: ID to Vote:

https://www.elections.ca/content2.aspx?section=id&document=index&lang=e

[huzzahitsthedoctor]

hi whats ur fave colour do you like zuchini

Green, and zuchinni is one of my absolute favourite vegetables

[clarityofhatred]

So I might be moving overseas...

So, it’s been a crazy long time since I’ve really talked about stuff on here. The biggest news is: I’m applying to a school in the Netherlands. The application had a “motivation letter” instead of an essay. It’s supposed to be all about why I want to go there, why I care about art (the school I’m applying to is Arts and Culture), and all that. I wrote something really personal and emotional and I the only feedback I’ve gotten is from my parents. While they are both writers, and I respect their opinions, I’d kind of like some from people who aren’t genetically obligated to like my writing. I’d really appreciate input, from anyone at all, so please read (it’s below the break, since it’s long).

Art saved my life. To those who see paintings as nothing more than smears of color, this will make no sense. But to me, art saved my life. There was a time after I had lost the innocence of childhood when I looked into the future and saw a void. I was depressed. Not because I was made to feel unhappy, simply because I didn't feel. I was vaguely content with my life, but that was it. I lacked the passion and fire needed to truly live.

While I’d always appreciated the skill and beauty of art, my attentions had been superficial. I would note the brushstrokes and position of the subject in an almost clinical way. But then, when I felt the most lost in my life, the most hopeless, I chose to lose myself in art instead. I let the passion of the artists long gone fill me with what I had lacked on my own. Instead of looking at the shape, I saw the movement. Rather than a blank edge of the canvas, I saw the meld between the artist’s view and reality. I admired van Gogh’s outlook in life, the determination to find beauty in the world, even more so the more he felt the universe was cold and apathetic. And piece by piece, that attitude became my own. Rather than a void, I saw my potential, that my life was a blank canvas and I was free to make it my own. To mold what I was seeing into whatever I desired.

But even with this mentality, I still felt stuck. My fear of the unknown became fear of permanence. I held the brushes in my hand, but was too afraid to put them to canvas. What if I changed my mind? What if I regretted my decision? I was frozen, holding all my potential in my clutch, but petrified to use any of it. And so I’ve spent years making the safe choices. I followed the expectations set for me, but never varied beyond them. I don't resent the decisions I've made. They've made me who I am today. But now, with my mind free, I want my future to be the same. I've found my passion with a history far away from where I've lived my whole life. I've finally realized my dreams, to witness the beauty of the world and revel in it. I want to stand on the ground that's been shared with those who have felt the strongest, who have lived the brightest lives.

I have never lived further than an hour drive from where I sit now. Never traveled beyond North America. Never learned past these borders. I used to not be able to picture myself living anywhere but the city I now know as home simply because I know it. I have spent my life on hold, held back by my fear and hesitation. But even if I cannot control my fear, I refuse to continue letting myself keep losing opportunities to get the life I want because of it. I may be afraid, but now I am determined to continue my strides, even as they take me into the unknown. In only a few years time, my vision changed from staying where I've always been to traveling the world. Following in the footsteps of the artists, seeing the countrysides that inspired them so. I see myself in Rome and Paris and Vienna and Amsterdam. I see a future that is unclear and undefined, but most definitely brightly colored. And the way to start on that path, to get to where I want to end up, is to stop limiting my choices.

Erasmus University Rotterdam opens doors where I've only ever seen walls. My fear was often based in my limitations, with language since I only speak English fluently, and the fact that my aim was to expand my horizons, and most degrees would limit careers to the nation they come from. Erasmus nullifies these causes for hesitation, making it the perfect path for me to take. It's a university I could feel at home in, yet still allow for a broader future. I see a future of beauty and joy because of art that originated thousands of miles from anywhere I've ever been. All I want in life is to be able to explore that world, to see it through an artists' eyes, to see the splendor where others see none, and Erasmus gives me that chance. I want to experience this, and I want to share it with anyone who listens.

Art saved my life and has made it so much more than I thought it could ever be. I think of how hopeless I felt, though it feels longer ago than it is, and my heart breaks for those who feel that way still. I have no doubts that working in the world of art history, whether it's teaching or curating or art therapy, can help people explore the idea of life, just as I did. I want to share the world with those who bear it's weight the most, and help them see that there is more than the pain they may feel now. I truly believe that I can change the world for the better, even if it's only for one person at a time.

[luckyjadeturtles]

oddandproud replied to your post:

Living on your own is eating pop tarts and mashed...

still have those poptarts do you

not anymore

[emmagoldmans]

thomas jefferson

How I feel about this character: john lennon of the 1770s rly he was a scumbag hypocrite piece of shit but he rocks those big innocent farmer eyes but underneath it is fifty shades or racism and straight up dweebery 

All the people I ship romantically with this character: alexander hamilton, maria cosway

My non-romantic OTP for this character: tbqh still alexander hamilton

My unpopular opinion about this character: idk cos??? my opinion is already unpopular but for trying to dislike him as much as i do he sure is cute so it's a mixed bag rly

One thing I wish would happen / had happened with this character in canon: he had learned the error of his freakin ways

[luckyjadeturtles]

oddandproud replied to your post:why must i be sitting here in class while my...

aww, there there, dear. you can see the bf soon!

that fucker better show me his pictures

[clarityofhatred]

Hey so

a couple nights ago I was in a car accident. I`m totally fine, no broken bones or anything (I mean I won`t exactly look back fondly on getting glass picked out of my eyelid...) but I do have a concussion. I will not be on like at all for about a week or so b/c I need to limit how much my eyes focus on things (aka computer, tv, reading) so I won` be on here like at all. Just wanted to update people so you won`t wonder where I went (as if anyone would wonder, but yeah....).

[huzzahitsthedoctor]

oddandproud replied to your post “I'm honestly very confused by that last string of anons.”

it seems like a number of people would disagree with you on that point!

Oh, and that absolutely baffles me! (Though, I'm thinking it's probably just one person)