Amelia Som de Cerff

Activist, Artist, Brainstormer, Change agent, Idea generator, Student, Writer/Editor

I'm a student at TU who believes that ideas worth spreading are worth sharing across my campus and community.

everything. outer space. art. singing poorly. listening to new music. listening to my favorites on repeat for a week. tv reruns. public television. public radio. public spaces. parks. roads where the trees block out the sun. snow. quantum physics. starry night by van gogh. making friends. being kind. singing well. books. reading. knowledge. learning. trying new things. watching netflix. getting to know someone. short conversations with strangers. long conversations with strangers. catching up with someone who you haven't seen in years. smiling at the same face every day. smiling to strangers. falling down, apart, out, together. social justice. social reform. social media. analyzing american media. modern media. discussing racism. discussing politics. discussing reality tv. time. space. the space between spaces. typography. things that are right under your nose. elephants. sharks. whales. anything that's the biggest of its kind. mathematics. science. procedure. systems. womens rights. civil rights. human rights. etymology. origins. history. art history. stories. non fiction books. fiction books. scientific journals. movies where i can predict the ending from the trailer. movies that make me feel things. things that make me fall in love. love. sleeping. driving on interstate highways. sunsets. mirrors that make rooms feel endless. the ocean. the sky. most shades of blue. black and white photos. portraits both painted and photographed. paint. the way paint raises up on top of the canvas. mountains. ice. glaciers. climate change. change. progress. development. parks and recreation. volcanos. archeology. dinosaurs. algae. fish. definitely octopus. numbers. letters. random number generators. poetry. prose. reading. writing. talking just to hear myself speak. listening just to see how someone else forms words. listening just to see how someone else sees. accessibility. wheels. pulleys. simple machines. digital machines. the laws of thermodynamics. maxwell and ampere and gauss while we're at it. magnets. wood. trees. plants. buying things i don't need. eating good food. making food. making things with my hands. making a difference. the idea of differential equations. solids. liquids. gases. plasma. telling stories. hearing stories. discovering clues. learning secrets. going to sleep after an exhausting day and slowly slipping into dreams.

Go placidly amid the noise and haste, and remember what peace there may be in silence. As far as possible without surrender be on good terms with all persons. Speak your truth quietly and clearly; and listen to others, even the dull and the ignorant; they too have their story. Avoid loud and aggressive persons, they are vexations to the spirit. If you compare yourself with others, you may become vain and bitter; for always there will be greater and lesser persons than yourself. Enjoy your achievements as well as your plans. Keep interested in your own career, however humble; it is a real possession in the changing fortunes of time. Exercise caution in your business affairs; for the world is full of trickery. But let this not blind you to what virtue there is; many persons strive for high ideals; and everywhere life is full of heroism. Be yourself. Especially, do not feign affection. Neither be cynical about love; for in the face of all aridity and disenchantment it is as perennial as the grass. Take kindly the counsel of the years, gracefully surrendering the things of youth. Nurture strength of spirit to shield you in sudden misfortune. But do not distress yourself with dark imaginings. Many fears are born of fatigue and loneliness. Beyond a wholesome discipline, be gentle with yourself. You are a child of the universe, no less than the trees and the stars; you have a right to be here. And whether or not it is clear to you, no doubt the universe is unfolding as it should. Therefore be at peace with God, whatever you conceive Him to be, and whatever your labors and aspirations, in the noisy confusion of life keep peace with your soul. With all its sham, drudgery, and broken dreams, it is still a beautiful world. Be cheerful. Strive to be happy. Max Ehrmann, Desiderata, Copyright 1952.

art, conversation, team building, telling terrible jokes

drawing really straight lines.