What’s something that’s been inspiring you recently?
“One thing that I’ve noticed inspires me most is watching people make things without knowing what they’re doing. Basically, taking on a project having no idea what the outcome is going to be, and it turns out to be something extraordinary. It doesn’t necessarily have to be beautiful, but the experience of taking something on like that for the first time is, I find, very inspiring. When I do this, a lot of it is based on what I already know, just built on research and trial and error. But a lot of it is just…doing it. Not really worrying about the final result, just accepting that if it fails, it fails…but at least you learnt from it. I didn’t think this way up until this year, but now I know that it doesn’t matter if you have nice drawings — if your project is just really well thought out, you just need to put in the work until it works for you, because it’s also important what you gain from it. The first couple years at school were so structured, but this term it doesn’t feel structured at all — at the beginning that was pretty unsettling, but I actually found that this way, there’s a lot more joy in it, it’s less stressful, more relaxing. You’re not working because you have to work, you are because you want to work.”
“I’m building a rotor mould. They’re used to create a shell form with plaster, as opposed to just solid casting. I’m going to fill a box with a bit of plaster, and as this rotates it’ll just cast a shell around it, using the rotational movement to let it dry. It’s only theoretical — I don’t know if it’s going to work. If it does work, that’d be great. This studio’s been nice because all the others were just about digital space and producing a ton of drawings — I’d always wanted to get more into modelling, but I’d never had the chance. Working with my hands, doing more of what I want to do has been a lot of fun for me. It was weird at first though, because I’m not used to this freedom. There are usually a bunch of requirements we need to fulfill for a project, but not in this case. You can do whatever you want and get away with it. In the beginning it freaked me out because I felt like this method lacked direction, but it’s actually helped me figure out more of what I want to do and what I like doing. It’s gotten me really interested in the process of how things are made, not just the finished product. It’s fun to play with a bunch of different materials, and seeing everyone put in their own style in their experimenting has been really cool. I’m still working on finding mine.”
How has it felt coming from a dance-dominated background adjusting to life at this school for the past three years?
“Well, in the past year I’ve actually realized that I feel like I’ve moved away from that part of my life a bit more. I mean, in the first year, it was very hard. I would see a picture of dance or of people dancing and I would just break down and cry. A few weeks ago, I actually came to a realization that I would never be on stage again, that I would never be able to perform like I had before. I cried for a good half hour — it’s a feeling that I love so much, that thrill of being on stage. Dance meant so much to me — I mean, you just left everything at the door, all worries and stress when you entered the class, and you just danced. Being here, without dancing, I feel like I’ve lost that ability, that feeling it brought me everyday. I really hope I do get it back someday, maybe by doing something else. When it’s part of your identity for so long, and you don’t have it anymore…there are so many moments when you just question ‘who am I?’ I mean now, I feel like even if I wanted to dance, I couldn’t…I’ve had such a dramatic loss of technique. I used to be too afraid to go back, I mean, I can’t move my body the way I used to. But now, it’s been so long, that I couldn’t care less. I’ve accepted that I haven’t danced in three years, there’s no way I can move the way I did before. Now, it’s time to rebuild what I have. I have time to do other things now, I’m able to improvise more and focus more on myself when I dance. The pressure is off, there are no more harsh judgements, I’m just doing it for me.”
How long have you been working here at the Musagetes Library?
“Well, I’m actually in the Geomatics program at main campus just doing co-op here, and I started here in the fall of 2014. With my program, I get to explore something called ‘remote sensing’ and ‘surveying’, and the GIS software used is applicable over here, which is how I got this job. I’ve been here quite a while, I mean, it’s so nice here. I’ve worked on main campus libraries as well, and there’s such a difference in the spirit of community here. Here, I’ll know the students that come in…sometimes to work, sometimes just to chat. There, people just kind of come in for course reserve and that’s basically it. Whenever I come down here, people say hi to me and recognize me and it’s nice being able to have that — people seem more together, because you kind of are all in this together in the same program, while on main campus everyone is kind of always doing their own thing. While being here is nice though, main campus does have a better student life, being in a more vibrant city. Here you have only about 300 students at the most, while there you’re looking at about 30 to 40 000 students on one main street, basically. It’s a totally different university vibe. Something I love about being here though, is that while I’m bringing in my knowledge of the GIS software, I’ve also been learning to handle the ropes of how you guys would use the software I learn about from a designer’s aspect. The way I always used the programs has been for a more or less ‘linear’ way of thinking, for environmental research and stuff like that. Here, I get to see things from more of an engineering as well as an artistic approach, so that’s been really eye-opening for me. It’s made me think that Waterloo should maybe have more ‘interdiscplinary-ness’ to it, it’d really be worth it to not have the faculties so separated. Getting in the mind sets of others doing something completely different from you is amazing.”
How does first year feel so far for you?
“I’m getting to used it, but it’s still stressful at times. I came directly from high school, and it’s been a crazy transition — it’s VERY different. Coming from a public school system, I’ve noticed that it’s a different kind of pacing, overall. They cram a lot more into one term, and you also get a lot more freedom here. It comes down to how you handle it personally, how you manage your own time. Sometimes it feels nicer to feel this free, but sometimes it’s also a bit tricky. It depends, at times it’s easier to have a schedule set for you, and other times it’s a lot easier to work at your own pace. So far though, I’ve been coping pretty OK. I’m not doing excellent, but I mean, I’m surviving. Living by myself has been a big thing for me though…it’s very different. You have to do everything yourself now, and it’s a big new step. Especially cooking for myself…now what I do is just cook a bunch, and pack it up into little boxes to save for a few days. It took time to figure that out though, bit by bit, realizing that cooking every time I needed to eat wasn’t working. But so far, I feel lucky — I haven’t actually pulled an all-nighter yet. A lot of people have, but I mean…it’s definitely not worth it. You could see it, when you come in and everyone’s like half dead. My stress just comes and goes, and I realize it’s just a matter of time to get over it. I’m at that stage of realizing that I have a lot to do, but I mean, a week from now, I will eventually have that done, and that’s comforting. I love the environment here, though…everyone is just so talented and unique in different ways, and that feels welcoming. Everyone is so friendly, even the upper years.”
Being here for three years, what are some ways you’ve dealt with moments when school and everything just felt too much?
“Last semester was probably the hardest. But I find that when you’re really busy, time just kind of flies by. I just don’t think about anything as too hard, I think about it as something that’s normal that I just have to deal with. I find when I see other people working at different paces, often faster paces than me, I use that motivation to keep myself going, to move along with them. You never realize how hard a certain time was until you’ve moved past it and reflect on it, just realizing ‘wow, I worked really hard.’ When I’m really stressed out, I get pretty anxious, my heart starts beating really fast — and I need to find a way to calm myself down. For me, that’s turning on some Chopin, just classical music in general. I also love Rachmaninoff. When I need to be motivated, to concentrate, I find symphonies help, like Beethoven’s. It keeps me upbeat, keeps me going. I don’t listen to a lot of EDM like a lot of people nowadays, it just doesn’t work for me. Listening to classical music puts me in a trance, it makes me feel detached, steady and comforted. In this mode, I don’t care about anything else, I can just work. I’ve always listened to Chopin’s pieces when I needed to be working, so when I listen to them at any time I automatically feel like I need to focus. I swear, it’s a form of hypnosis.”
Where are you coming from for exchange here? And how does it feel being in school here versus over there?
“I’m from eastern Slovenia — the country is shaped like a chicken, and the city I’m from is at the ‘head’. I study architecture in Austria though, in Graz. I think the co-op program here is very interesting, and what makes this school very good. Where I’m from, most people studying don’t have much working experience. I like that here, everyone can just kind of let their imagination out, it doesn’t necessarily have to be realistic with a cost break down or anything. Back in Graz, we always have to do cost calculations of our projects — but that’s also because we don’t have anything like co-op to learn more about real architecture. It might also be because in third year, as I see over here, the program is a lot more free and artistic. It’s great, I can do more free artistic experimenting like casting and collages. It’s not actually so different here from where I am in Graz — the people here are more polite, I think, like they hold the door for others and everything, but that’s it. In Austria and Slovenia, we also really like and appreciate nature, we love to hike in the woods and in parks, just like you guys here. I would say the parties are actually quite different here. They usually end around 2, same with the bars. Back home, we start at 12 normally and everything stays open until about 5am. We also drink more in Slovenia — we are the best drinkers. There is a huge wine culture there, so I think people are just more used to drinking. I like it here though, I’ve met some very nice people, the environment in general is very welcoming. It’s also great studying in english over german, I’m much better at english.”
What’s something that you’ve built that you’ve found to be very proud of?
“Well, I build a lot of my own furniture for the house. In general, I like the idea of making my own things…I cringe at the idea of having to go to IKEA to buy a bookcase. But it’s a lot more work. You can walk into IKEA and $50 later you have a full-sized book case. By yourself, you’d never be able to build an actual bookcase with $50 or less. In a little bit of time, I can build a piece of furniture that is worth way more than I’d be able to actually afford buying it for. My dining room table at home is probably a $2000-3000 table, but I essentially made it for a few hundred dollars. We have about a third of the house that I’ve built on my own, it’s been an ongoing project. I’m trying to do it on my own to save money, but also, once you get your own elbow grease into it, the return is far greater that way. For every dollar I’ve spent on materials, I’d easily get two to three times that back on the value of the house. The house is easily the biggest project I’ve ever done, and probably one of the things I’m most proud of because of its scale. I also made that piece behind me there that made it into a woodworking show in the States for woodworkers under 30, which was pretty cool. If you’re wondering why it looks like a big spoon, it’s because it went into the ‘boxes and containers’ category, and I wanted to make something as ‘unbox-like’ as possible, since I knew everyone else would be presenting literal boxes. It was nice and pretty validating to make it into a larger show like that, on a quasi-international level. I’d like to do more shows like that for professional makers, that’s how you improve your game. If you’re just building for yourself, which is what I usually do, the standards get a little bit lower. You understand what you can live with and without, and when you make a mistake, you just kind of sigh and say ‘whatever’. If you’re not trying to impress anyone, you just leave it instead of doing what needs to be done to fix it, especially when on a time crunch.”
What’s something you’re passionate about (it doesn’t have to be school related)?
“All of it. Everything here…it’s all synthesized to me now. I find I’m able to only do what I enjoy now, and I can do that while I’m here. Not to sound like a cliché, but I am a cliché, so…something else I’m passionate about it is ‘going west, chasing the sunset’. The American Dream, the Cowboy Dream. You know, the wide open horizon and blue sky. I’m happiest when I have that to go towards. You know, metaphorically, when the sky is clear, and I don’t have anything to worry about. It’s calm, it’s peaceful, you have a destination to go towards. A transcendent existence. Sometimes it’s hard to know that you can’t have that at that point in your life. I always really enjoy those moments and thinking about them, getting ready to plan for the next chapter, the next adventure where I can feel that, it’s exciting. I’m also very nostalgic. I find when you start going through certain paths in life, they’re always exciting, always interesting but the choices you make always influence where you go. I’m nostalgic for the lack of definition that happens when you’re just undefined and full of potential. The idealized version of something is also something interesting because it ends up being whatever you want it to be. I’m nostalgic about having the ideal versions in mind, instead of already knowing the real side of things. For not how things used to be, but the historicism of how you hear things used to be.”
What’s your idea of a good time, what do you like to do to destress?
“Sleeping…just sitting and thinking about nothing. Just taking a break. I don’t know, you just…keep calm and carry on. Let it go. I like to talk to people about whatever problems, and they’ll always say ‘there’s always another day…good will come soon…’, OK no. In the end, you just kind of have to accept whatever happens, and know that everything happens for a reason. I believe that. When you get super anxious over something like a deadline, the only way to get over it is to just calm down and divert your attention from time to time, to just accept what’s happening.”
What’s something that always makes you laugh?
“The Mindy Project.”
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