shine a light on me ⊹₊⟡⋆

tombstuck / 27 / they/them / studyblr / autistic / main blog is @tombstuck / writing blog is @tombstuck-writes / spn blog is @sammys-doe-eyes / ao3 is tombstuck

[tombstuck-whimsical-studies]

My Studyblr Intro Post!

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Some Info About Me:

★ Marty, 27, Missouri USA, married and have a kid, neurodivergent and mentally ill in various ways, also queer in various ways.

★ My educational background is quite turbulent! I graduated high school by skating by barely passing in subjects I had no interest in, and easily got A's in subjects I did like. After high school, I immediately entered the workforce rather than pursue higher education. I attempted community college at 21 years old, but I dropped out after one semester. Regardless, I've always had an interest in becoming more educated for a lot of reasons. Chief of which is that it feels horrible to feel unintelligent and incapable.

★ So in the end I decided to pursue self-education, and strive to cultivate the skill of teaching myself and critically thinking about what I read and see online. The purpose of this blog is for me is to share what I've learned, not only so that it can help others, but so that I can share my projects and show pride in the work I've done, which hopefully will significantly raise my confidence around my level of intelligence.

★ Currently I am studying effective learning methods, because I'll feel more able to delve into topics that I fear if I'm confident that I know how to understand and retain what I read. (Not quite currently anymore. But I did really benefit from the research I did into the neuroscience behind learning!)

★ My other interests include various crafts like acrylic painting, crochet, and embroidery (and others!), and also fandom and fanfiction.

★ I love receiving asks, so feel completely free to send me one.

★ I also love seeing other studyblr posts and I'll frequently reblog those under the tag #other people's studies.

★ I have 3 other blogs than this, my main blog is @tombstuck, that is where i post anything i like that doesn't belong on one of my three side blogs.

★ One of my sideblogs is a writeblr @tombstuck-writes, and my other side blog is @sammys-doe-eyes, which is a supernatural fandom side blog. Completely fair warning, i am pro-ship, that sideblog is where i reblog content about that show, and my posts on that sideblog talk a lot about taboo topics that others may find icky. So please avoid looking at it if you don't think you would like it!

✧˖° in conclusion... ✧˖°

With that business out of the way, thank you so much for reading my intro and I hope you enjoy the scroll down my blog. I hope to cultivate a lifelong love for learning on my educational journey, and inspire others to believe in that as well. ♡

[tombstuck-whimsical-studies]

I haven't posted on this blog in a pretty long time. I have gone through intermittent periods of being intensely engaged in my self-studies, and then there are times like now, that my only effort is a half hour of math work per week.

That's not nothing, but I wish I was doing more. I'm still having a ton of trouble with reading comprehension and retaining memories of what I read. So if I were going to put any attention on something other than math, it would be that.

I did have some worksheets on reading comprehension saved somewhere at one point I think, so I am going to dig those out as a first step.

[tombstuck-whimsical-studies]

self-education journey update

It's been a minute since I started this thing. Let's reconvene.

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I've posted before about my history with education and my goal of learning more about the world I live in. If you want to read about that in more detail, here's my studyblr intro post. Today I just wanna talk about where I'm at with that and what I'm learning right now.

✧˖° getting my wits about me ✧˖°

For the first week or so of my studies (such as they were) I struggled a lot, and I even thought about giving up. I was just jumping into various resources with no forethought, expecting to magically be able to comprehend and retain everything with no effort. Obviously that didn't work out for me, and I was frustrated.

It all clicked when I read Barbara Oakley's book, "Learning How to Learn: How to Succeed in School Without Spending All Your Time Studying; A Guide for Kids and Teens". It's a mouthful, I know. This book walked me step by step through the process of learning new information, studying it, and then retaining it afterward. I wrote a post about my experience reading this book, if you'd like to read it.

After that I read one more book about meta-learning to keep me busy while I decided what subjects I wanted to study. That book was not as good as the first one. Regardless, I did squeeze out a bit of helpful information to move forward with, and -- you won't be surprised to hear -- I wrote a post about it.

✧˖° finding my love of learning again ✧˖°

I ended up settling on a few subjects to start with, and I will detail how that has been going, but first I want to point out two very big realizations that beginning these studies has made very apparent.

The first is the realization that I know very, very little. Much less than I thought I did. I am not casting any judgement on myself (or anyone else) for not having a very wide base of knowledge. It's simply a fact I've become aware of. And my overemotional brain does seize me at times, and cast those judgements on myself that I know are unfounded. So it's been a path of acceptance I've had to walk on recently, and I do think I'm approaching that acceptance now.

The other realization is really wonderful and positive, and that is that I've regained my love and passion for learning. In elementary school I adored learning, but sadly I had some experiences in middle and high school that made me not care if I ever learned a single thing again. But after 15 years (holy moly that's a long time) I've finally found that feeling again.

✧˖° learning u.s. history ✧˖°

One of the subjects I decided I wanted to go after was history, and I thought it would make sense to start with the history of the country that I was born in and currently reside in. I decided that I just wanted to have a basic knowledge of a timeline of significant events in the nation's history, and a basic knowledge of the facts about significant historical figures involved in those events.

So far, I'm admittedly feeling completely out of my depth. My plan for now is to create a list of events and people I already know of, and pick out a book to read to fill in the gaps. I'm aiming I think for a book written for middle schoolers, because my reading comprehension still has room to be improved.

✧˖° learning early math ✧˖°

In school I was quite naturally good at math until the 7th grade, and when it got harder for me, I just completely checked out and did barely enough not to get in trouble. This time I'm using Khan Academy. That way I don't have to seek out my own resources, and honestly the little confetti when you get it right doesn't hurt either.

I started with early math review, and I'm okay at it. I'm currently having some trouble with adding and subtracting three-digit numbers. I will get there! And even better, I'm enjoying the challenge.

✧˖° learning earth science ✧˖°

Science was the scariest subject for me to decide to pursue. When I was younger, I didn't ever have the natural talent for science that I had for math. And unfortunately, I had a physical science teacher in high school who would use me as a public example in class of what not to do. This upset me, as you can imagine.

So my approach to the subject as an adult was extremely gentle. I simply browsed the children's non-fiction section at the library, looking for the simplest, shortest book about science that I could find. I ended up choosing a book about the rock cycle.

I read it at the park on a nice day, and it almost makes me emotional how joyful the experience was, because it was the first time joy and science were ever in the same room as me. I'm going to pick up another book about earth science soon, and I'm so genuinely excited about it.

✧˖° learning to improve my reading comprehension ✧˖°

Before starting this whole thing, I had been under the impression that english was easy for me. I have now realized that reading a book and then never thinking about what I read again is what was easy. Understanding what I read and remembering it later is also something I want for myself.

I have found so far that, for me, lessons and activities for 5th and 6th graders are most helpful right now. I'm currently working on being able to read a short passage and answer basic comprehension questions about it.

Surprising myself totally, I am actually enjoying it. I cannot stress enough that before I started, I was certainly determined, but I was not excited or expecting to enjoy myself at all. This really is the best case scenario.

✧˖° learning to improve my writing skills ✧˖°

With writing, I am a bit more skilled than I am with reading. I write fiction and I've been working for many years to improve at that -- I also have a writeblr sideblog if you'd like to look at it -- so I have some background at putting effort into it at least. However, I didn't know what I didn't know, and it's becoming apparent to me that there is work to be done yet.

I'm finding that lessons about writing for 7th and 8th graders is most helpful for me in this area, and I'm currently working on writing non-fiction informative pieces.

✧˖° here's a recap ✧˖°

★ I'm learning to accept how little I know about any of the subjects I want to study, but I've got my passion for learning back and that's what matters.

★ I'm working on building a base knowledge of a timeline of significant events in u.s. history.

★ I'm working my way through the early math review course on Khan Academy.

★ I'm beginning to gather new information on earth science, a bit more hesitantly because science has always been a sore subject for me.

★ I'm working to improve my reading comprehension.

★ I'm also working on improving my writing skills.

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✧˖° in conclusion... ✧˖°

Overall, I can honestly say that my studies are one of the most fulfilling things in my life right now, second to parenting.

Thanks for taking the time to read this, and be sure to follow my blog if you want to keep seeing the new things I learn, because I'm on a journey to try and educate myself. And if you liked it, please reblog it so more people can see it and benefit from what I've learned!

[tombstuck-whimsical-studies]

self-education through projects

Is a project-based approach really how I wanna do this self-education thing?

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I have been trying to find out more about project-based learning, to see if it's the right approach for me. On the surface it seems like it, I have a very project-oriented mind and the tasks I need to do are usually organized into projects in my mind.

So I decided to read one of the only books I could even find on the subject, and unfortunately it is not a guide for adult learners teaching themselves (which is what I am), it's a guide for homeschooling parents to use to implement project-based learning with their kids. It's "Project-Based Homeschooling" by Lori McWilliam Pickert.

I still decided to give it a go, open to anything I might find in the book that speaks to me, while staying aware that "homeschool mom" isn't really a trustworthy qualification to me.

I want to share with whatever tumblr users might find this post what this book taught me about how I want to move forward with trying to educate myself. Here's some notable things from the book I want to point out.

✧˖° this looks familiar ✧˖°

The author describes a kind of learning cycle. It involves being curious about a subject, trying to find the answer, learning the information you wanted to know, and then using a project to represent what you have learned.

At some point during my reading, it hit me that all the learning I've ever done has existed within the cycle she's describing, maybe without the curiosity part at times, i'll be honest. Even things I did in school, learning some stuff from a powerpoint, studying my notes to learn the information, then writing an essay to show what I learned. The essay is the project here.

I think I began with this mythical project process in mind, where doing the project itself is the thing that teaches you. I'm now aware that that isn't how it works, and it never did work that way, but I'm glad I figured that out before I went on a years long wild goose chase.

✧˖° business in the front, party in the back ✧˖°

She also describes the project work needing to come from a genuine place of curiosity and interest. Children (and all people) sometimes need to know information that they aren't curious about or interested in, and she suggests learning those things (obviously), and putting time and effort into becoming well-rounded, but then having your passion project alongside that. The necessary work alongside the work you're truly interested in.

✧˖° getting to the fun part ✧˖°

Where the things in this book really shined was when she would casually mention projects that her children or their friends had created. This opened my eyes more than anything else in the book! Essays and tests are good ways to show your knowledge, absolutely. But they aren't the only way! She described puppet shows, and art exhibits, and video projects, and sculptures, and comic books, and a zillion other things! This excited me so much that as I was reading I collected all of the good ideas, and then I searched the internet for more possible types of projects. I came up with many, many ideas, and I actually posted the list on tumblr. You can read it here if you want to!

✧˖° what i'm bringing forward with me ✧˖°

★ keeping the cycle of research, learning the info, and showing what i've learned in mind as i take on new subjects

★ taking on subjects i love and that i'm interested in, while also putting effort into subjects i don't enjoy as much but still want to learn

★ being creative with the types of projects i'm doing, and really having fun with it

★ the knowledge that project-based learning absolutely IS how i want to go about all this, which is comforting

✧˖° in conclusion... ✧˖°

Thanks for taking the time to read this, and be sure to follow my blog if you want to keep seeing the new things I learn, because I'm on a journey to try and educate myself. And if you liked it, please reblog it so more people can see it and benefit from what I've learned!

[pianopandas]

09/09/25. - 17/09/25.

Can't believe it's been over a week since I last posted! It's been such a hectic and stressful week, so here's a little recap of my school work: 3 quizzes (maths, science, french) that all went pretty horribly, a new science project due next week, and another maths quiz on monday.

Piano has been going pretty well, with up to measure 16 of "Mysterious Summer's Night" just about memorised, and my technique getting better. Only issues are that I haven't done my ear tests in a few days (oops.), and my sight reading definitively needs more attention.

I will try to post almost everyday, mostly for accountability, because this week was pretty bad and I really need to lock in and make sure it doesn't happen again if I want to have time for my hobbies.

[tombstuck-whimsical-studies]

complete list of creative project ideas

Literally every creative project type I could think of!

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I have a project-oriented mind, which means that when I am learning something, I don't want to just read about it. I want to create something about it, too. My only problem is that I get stuck in a loop of drawings and paintings being the only thing I can think to make.

So, I've compiled a list of all the projects one could make about a favorite subject, organized by what sort of thing it is. Some of these are very silly, so if you've lost your childlike wonder you might not be into them. I hope everyone can find something they like in here though! ₊˚⊹♡

✧˖° list under the cut! °˖✧

★ bound book: half-page stapled booklet, spiral or coil bound book, coptic bound book, japanese stab bound book, perfect bound book (aka glued, like a paperback), zine, three ring binder with punched paper, magazine, instruction manual, handbook, memory book, themed calendar, children's book, book of interviews

★ individual writing projects: newsletter, news article, business card, flier, timeline, photograph, relief print, journal or diary entry, postcard, infographic, writing challenge, review of a movie, book, or product (or anything else), blog post, essay, newspaper

★ fiction writing and related things: drabble, fanfiction, choose your own adventure story, novel, novella, short story, poem, original character, pinterest board, playlist, moodboard, anthology, vision board

★ drawn and painted projects: acrylic or watercolor painting, wall poster, matching game, bookmark, map, mixed media art piece, calligraphy piece, comic strip, mural, blueprint, floor plan, costume design, collage

★ decorations and celebratory stuff: wall hanging decoration, bunting or other banner, greeting card, holiday card, painted or decorated t-shirt, a "___week/month" program/schedule (ex. novel writing month), themed party decorations, decorated gift bag or box, balloon arrangement, floral arrangement or bouquet, flags, mobiles, wind chime, dream catcher, easter eggs, painted rocks, christmas ornaments, holiday decorations in general (millions of options!)

★ digital projects: digital artwork, video tutorial, documentary, slideshow, video, animation, news segment, music video, charts and graphs

★ crochet and knitting: hats, scarves, bags, clothes, blankets, curtains, plushes, pillows, scrunchies, sensory toys, bunting, keychains

★ embroidery: anything that's fabric can be embroidered on! decorate clothes, bags, hats, blankets, pillowcases, towels, potholders, curtains, tablecloths, and anything else made of fabric

★ sewing: pillowcase, pillow, quilt, clothing, bags, hats, plushes, clothes alteration, sensory toys, scrunchies, cosplay, bunting, keychains

★ sculpture/modeling: clay sculpture, found object sculpture, lego sculpture, paper mache sculpture, a build within a video game (ex. minecraft), perler bead creation, diorama, carved wood, stamp, stencil, miniatures

★ culinary arts: baked good, homemade meal, garden, original themed mixed drink (name and recipe), cookbook, recipe book, decorated sugar cookies, custom themed tea blend

★ memory keeping and collecting: scrapbook, junk journal, art journal, project journal, photo album, time capsule, memory box (build a box with visuals that highlight themes of the experience, then fill the box with relevant information and artifacts from the experience), curated collection (ex. i have a playing card collection), preparedness kit (ex. survival kit, first aid kit, novel writing kit),

★ fashion and style: makeup look, haircut design, outfit design, jewelry creations (earrings, bracelet, necklace, ring, keychain), capsule wardrobe, upcycled thrifted clothes, crocheted hats and bags, sewn and embroidered patches for clothes or bags

★ woodworking builds: shelf, cutting board, picture frame, birdhouse, fairy house, small stool, pen and paintbrush holder, planter, box with lid, coaster set, wooden toy, many many more options

★ performances: screenplay, original song, gymnastics performance, acting performance, stage play, dance performance, improv or scripted comedy performance, music performance, oral storytelling, interactive exhibit, podcast episode, monologue, speech

★ games and other play: pretend play scenario, scavenger hunt, board game, card game, dice game, role playing game, costume for toys/plushes, dramatic play backdrop, props (for plays, pretend play, or cosplay), origami fortune teller, origami art, game show, handmade plushes or other toys, pretend food out of painted rocks or sewn felt

★ gallery: photographs, paintings, drawings, sculptures, diy projects, woodworking or woodcarving projects, and many other things

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I hope you got a hundred ideas from this and you go start a fun project soon! If there's any you're curious about, but don't think you know enough to make it, there's lots of videos and articles online about everything imaginable. There are even experts teaching on youtube. Thanks for reading my post, like it and reblog it if you want. And follow me for more self-education and project-based learning kinda stuff!

[mathilda-studies]

[05.09.25]

Did something that undergratuate (and postgraduate!) Mathilda never really did - I studied in a cafe! Had a seasonal bun and some tea as my company in reading for my seminar next week, and it was really nice.

🎧 Everybody Scream - Florence + the Machine

[liones-s]

one of the biggest things I can advocate for (in academia, but also just in life) is to build credibility with yourself. It’s easy to fall into the habit of thinking of yourself as someone who does things last minute or who struggles to start tasks. people will tell you that you just need to build different habits, but I know for me at least the idea of ‘habit’ is sort of abstract and dehumanizing. Credibility is more like ‘I’ve done this before, so I know I can do it, and more importantly I trust myself to do it’. you set an assignment goal for the day and you meet it, and then you feel stronger setting one the next day. You establish a relationship with yourself that’s built on confidence and trust. That in turn starts to erode the barrier of insecurity and perfectionism and makes it easier to start and finish tasks. reframing the narrative as a process of building credibility makes it easier to celebrate each step and recognize how strong your relationship with yourself can become

[macgyvermedical]

Took me until about halfway through college before I realized “study” means “play with the material in a variety of ways until you understand it” and not just “read the assigned chapters and do the homework” and I think that probably should have been discussed at some point prior to that.

[learnelle]

What I carry in my bag, September 2025 edition :-)

[freak-a-lick]

you don’t need perfect conditions to start. you just need to start. five minutes of focus is better than waiting for motivation to come.

[tombstuck-whimsical-studies]

the art of self-education

I'm fighting the brainrot and the doomscroll.

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High school was so hard for me that I've been avoiding learning anything for the 8 years since then. I constantly feel unintelligent and incapable, and it's not a good feeling. I crave to know more about the world around me, and I want to follow that craving. So, I read "Learning How To Learn" by Barbara Oakley.

I learned a lot in this book about retaining information, improving my memory, and avoiding pitfalls that could sabotage my learning. There's a LOT of good info in this book and we don't have time to unpack ALL that, so I will share my favorites.

✧˖° retaining new information ✧˖°

Long-term memory is virually unlimited in the amount of information it can store, but it's easier for the brain to store visual memories rather than abstract info. This means that visualizing what you're learning with a metaphor will help you retain it.

The author mentions a method for memorizing large amounts of information and retaining it in the long term. It's called the memory palace. It's fairly complicated but the gist of it is that it's a method that helps you memorize complex sequences of information by connecting the ideas to a place you are very familiar with. Be sure to go read about it, I haven't tried it yet but it's so interesting.

✧˖° fully involved learning ✧˖°

It's really important to engage very actively with the material you're learning. Rotely reading the source material or taking word for word notes is going to be less effective than taking notes in your own words as you read, and even engaging with the material outside the context of the source. You could do this by reading internet articles, watching videos about it, or even doing a personal project related to what you're learning.

✧˖° pomodoro timer method ✧˖°

We've all heard of this. But what struck me about this book's description of it is that they have finally told me WHY this works. I am a kind of person who will not do something unless I know how it's going to help me.

The brain needs short breaks between sessions of deep focus, because your brain is spending this break subconsciously trying to solve the problem you were focused on earlier. The book describes this process much more eloquently. But basically, the 25 minute timer is your focus time, and then you take a short (generally 5 minute, but the author recommends 10 minutes) break and when you come back to focus again the material will make more sense.

✧˖° mental flexibility ✧˖°

As you're learning, it's so important to identify your mistakes and change your mind when you realize that you were wrong about something. Doggedly sticking to what you've always believed no matter what new evidence comes to light is the antithesis of progress and intellect.

✧˖° what's the point of learning anything at all? ✧˖°

The book poses this question in the last chapter, and I found that really wonderful because sometimes remembering why you wanted to do something in the first place is the best way to make it through the hard parts. So please take the time to identify your personal reasons for wanting to keep learning.

✧˖° quick recap ✧˖°

★ Make metaphors of new information to retain it more easily

★ Take active notes and engage with the material in different ways

★ Take a short break after focusing for a time and the material will make more sense when you come back to it

★ Change your mind when you realize you were wrong about something

★ When it gets difficult, remind yourself why you wanted to learn this in the first place

✧˖° in conclusion... ✧˖°

Thanks for taking the time to read this, and be sure to follow my blog if you want to keep seeing the new things I learn, because I'm on a journey to try and educate myself. And if you liked it, please reblog it so more people can see it and benefit from what I've learned!