A professor of Geography and Natural Resources at Virginia Tech teach a class called Seeking Sustainability. Dr. Tim Baird encourages creativity in education. As the quote in my "education" page states, "creative adaptability is the key to successful conservation." There is a lot to be said with that, which I will explore later in future blog posts.
One activity Dr. Baird implements into his course is something called "Pink time" which is essentially an activity that allows you to explore yourself at a much deeper level and find out what it truly means to be motivated. The concept comes from a guy named Dan Pink, if you'd like to get a better understanding just google "Dan Pink TedTalk." What the activity boils down to is 1. taking a week off of class 2. teaching yourself a new life skill or even exploring the idea of sustainability in a creative way, etc. 3. give yourself a grade. What this teaches is that a grade or score does not matter in the same way that making money does not define success or create happiness. What creates happiness is your gratitude of the interesting things that have given you fulfilling experiences and allow you to be empathetic toward others. In other words, break the norm of what public education has created. Again, creative adaptability is the key to successful conservation and we must explore ourselves and others to really reach social equity and conservation of natural resources.
One could say that learning how to build this website could be considered "Pink time" because it is something I chose to do to learn a new skill so that I may provide assistance and encouragement to a person from a foreign place that may have had very limited exposure to technology and may see a website creation as something that would not be able to do. Now that I know how to do, I could lend a hand and get someone started by encouraging them and explaining it is something they CAN do and that it is actually quite easy (given that I provide proper training and explanation to the individual, which I know I could do.)
This blog is the first of many, it something I will spend my time doing that week that I would have otherwise been in Dr. Baird's class. This is simply the starting line that will lead to a heavy dose of other blogs that will allow me to explore ideas and things deeper within. It is almost like a form of meditation, similar to a diary entry. The starting point has been established but the finish line is much, much farther away in time way beyond "Pink time." I will discuss what sustainability means to me, ideas I have regarding its fate in this world, My dog Esri, my 6 tattoos (which my next pink time will be to design my next one), my failures and successes, etc. The only question is what grade will I give myself? Oh wait, who cares???
I must add how great I think this activity and ideas is. I look forward to what I may learn about myself and how that may lead to a new avenue in my appreciation for the things in my life and why it is that I am so passionate about this career that has chosen me.