Art Block and Its Unfortunate Struggles Against Me

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Every so often, an artist goes into an art block. Doesn’t know what to draw, doesn’t know what to write, doesn’t know how to play music, doesn’t know how to create. You try writing? It’s not good enough to draft, so you delete it. You try drawing? The head shape looks like a potato. You try playing music? The tabs are too fast, and you want to smash your instrument.

I, unfortunately, felt like this from the start of August to just a few days ago. Being influenced by comics such as The Umbrella Academy (before it was a show) and Deathwish, I felt like I needed to be like the artists, taking some of their aspects of art and putting them in my own. Coming back to just a few days ago, I spent the night with my uncle Dan and my aunt Julia.

They influence me in art and music in more ways than one, showing me songs that were prominent back when they were near my age and showing me their own art, on Dan’s side of things. They showed me Queens of the Stone Age, Gorillaz, White Zombie, and so much more.

Back to whenever I went to their place for the weekend. We were planning on playing Dungeons and Dragons, but that all went into a mess of just talking about music and our lives. Nonetheless, it was fun, and they gave me two new sketchbooks I could use to draw.

Coming home, I asked myself, “What should I draw?” I sat on it for a minute, deciding to doodle a bit. First one? Looked like a mutilated animal. Second? Yeah, now we were getting somewhere. I proceed to draw one of my Original Characters, Hal Smith (First name pronounced hall…), a character in the book I’ve been attempting to write for the past year.

Hal is one of my favorite tropes in all of media, labeled as ‘Haunting the Narrative’. That’s whenever a character in a show or a novel’s presence is absent or minimal, yet their actions, choices, and existence have a profound impact on the plot. Some examples of this are Pink Diamond in Steven Universe, Doug Rattman in the Portal franchise, Mark Heathcliff in The Mandela Catalog, Sauron in The Lord of the Rings, John Kramer in the Saw franchise, Caleb Wittebane in The Owl House, and so many more.

With this new motivation, I draw him and paste him in my new sketchbook, admiring the new piece of work in the book I had previously decorated. I’m working hard to get out of art block, but that’s what comes whenever you’re an artist.

– Pinterest

Cross country

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The three long miles of cross country are some of the most painful moments to ever experience, but ultimately worth it in the end. The hills and the long stretches of dirt show the true pain and misery of the sport. Each day of training is painful and boring, but once you get to the moment in the race when the finish line is in sight, it is all worth it. Every runner is fighting, putting all their strength into finishing those miles as fast as they can. With all the torture of running through the heat, the hills, and the injury, that feeling when you pass the finish line is unlike anything else. Not only do you have to be in amazing shape, but you also need to have an amazing and powerful mindset. With the right mindset, the chances of succeeding are much higher, and as long as your mindset is strong and you have a very strong willpower, you can do anything. Even with the pain, cross country is a sport like no other and will always be one of the most mentally challenging but the most rewarding sports of all time. 

Life as a cross country runner; Breaking down a typical week for the Bucs - Charleston Southern University

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Senior Slump

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Junior year is famed with being the hardest year of high school. Since I finished my junior year I’ve been ecstatic to go back to something easier with my senior year. I was lied to.

Difficult schoolwork and intense memorization. Sports until the sun sets and games until my eyes droop. Senior Capstone and overwhelming deadlines. College essays and applications galore that I can’t keep track of. I’ve never been so overwhelmed before in my life.

At the end of my junior year I was giving up and not putting in good effort whatsoever. I assumed that the summer would regenerate my motivation like it had every other year, but no. I feel the exact same as I did last May. I go through the motions but don’t truly memorize work. I participate in sports at the expense of my energy and time spent on schoolwork. I procrastinate the Capstone because I keep telling myself I have five months to work. I write my college essays and fill out my applications. Is it good enough? Will all of my hard work finally pay off?

I don’t know how my senior year will play out yet but I do know it will be difficult. I hope to get back into the groove and stay consistent. I also hope that people will stop lying about junior year being the hardest because senior year surpasses it drastically.

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Mexican Parties

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Over the summer, my sister turned 15, and since we are Mexican, she had a quinceañera! Her party wasn’t very traditional; it was in someone’s backyard, and it was planned a week before. Her dress was beautiful, but it wasn’t the traditional ball gown. It was sparkly and blue with many flowers. Although it wasn’t your typical quinceañera, it was still a long night full of fun!

This party was the last Mexican party I have been to. Mexican parties are very different from American parties. Every party I go to, the music is so loud I can hear it in my bones, and my heart beat is replaced by the tempo of the music. The dance floor is never empty; you can always count on someone’s drunk uncle or aunt to bust a move. Not to mention the food is always delectable. At my sister’s quinceañera, we had birria tacos, rice, beans, and tons of snacks. Birria is a stew with meat that is slow-cooked for multiple hours on end. The longer it is cooked, the better it is.

Parties are a group venture; they help bring the community together, especially quinces. We had about 10 people offer to buy stuff for the party, from the cake, to the table decorations, to even a mechanical bull. It was so much fun! I miss going to Mexican parties.

credit: Pinterest

Doomscrolling

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Last night, I sat down to write this blog when my phone buzzed. I tried to ignore it by muting my phone and telling myself I would look at it later, but I couldn’t resist. My intention was just to open it, respond to a few texts, and then go back to writing. Next thing I knew, an hour had passed, lost to scrolling through different apps and fulfilling my need for stimulation.

Is doomscrolling ruining our attention spans? We consume so much media in 10–20 second clips that it becomes harder and harder to concentrate on anything less stimulating.

Simple tasks that aren’t instantly rewarding feel impossible to complete. Students struggle to pay attention to lectures or to read long pieces of writing.

We have the option to scroll aimlessly, constantly fluctuating our emotions—but in real life, this option doesn’t exist. That’s why we so often give in to our addiction.

Our concentration skills are rapidly decreasing. In the future, the real world may feel too understimulating for us. At what point does “brain rot” become irreversible? And how soon will it come?

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Rise of AI: The Degredation of Passion

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Within recent years, artificial intelligence capabilities have increased dramatically. It seems as though, through our efforts to improve and optimize every aspect of our lives with AI advancements, humanity is diminishing its ability to act for itself. Resultingly, artificial intelligence poses a risk to a variety of jobs, typically ones that are repetitive or data-intensive, such as data entry, analysis, and calculation-based jobs. While computer systems may be more “accurate” and “efficient” in performing these tasks, it contributes to the perception that humans are becoming obsolete, with the people in these jobs no longer having any use for the time and passion they poured into developing their skills.

By far, the most egregious modern implementation of artificial intelligence is with generative AI in creative fields. The primary reason why we as humans create art is our instinctive desire to express. All art forms, whether it be writing, drawings, or film, are products of the human imagination, fueled by the soul to encapsulate an individual’s vision in a tangible piece of media. While AI is once again more “efficient” in terms of time and labor, it lacks the passion and expression that drives humanity to create art in the first place.

The Rise Of Generative AI In 2025: Transforming Content, Art, And Design - Boston Institute Of Analytics

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Weather

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The weather often has a profound impact on one’s mood. Sunny days feel uplifting, while a cold and gloomy mood feels lazy and exhausting. Temperature shifts change the feeling of a day. The feeling of driving to school on a crisp, cloudy day feels nostalgic and calm. But driving to school in blistering heat feels draining. I haven’t decided my favorite season because I feel like they all have different memories and feelings attached to them. Summer is sweet and warm. Anytime I hear waves crashing against the beach or fireworks, I’m brought back to summers in the past. Fall feels like a fresh start, the school year is still new, and the weather starts to change. The taste of pumpkin and a feeling of nostalgia from summer in the air. Christmas is the best of all. The feeling that comes with Christmas time is unexplainable. Being a child and opening gifts on Christmas morning in pajamas. I would do anything to feel Christmas again as a child.

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AP Psychology

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The original meaning of Psychology was the “study of the soul.” Now, through time, it has been twisted and turned into the study of the human mind. You sit in class as a bearded man is preaching to you, the functions of the mind and brain, your conscious and subconscious, that you have no control over. But how? How can my mind and soul be controlled without my knowledge? What is making me remain seated to write, and what is making you read and listen to me blab about nonsense that you don’t have a care for? Is that the unknown subconscious, is that my subconscious? The study of the mind and soul, yet you and I have no idea of the unknown. Psychology is the study of behavior and how the mind functions. Each branch that you explore has a deeper meaning than it portrays; all of that living inside the brain attached to your neck, surrounded by nerves and flesh, and muscle, and hard, spongy bone protecting those branches. The original meaning, “study of the soul,” is so close to yet so far from the science of Psychology.

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Math

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Ever since I started math in elementary school its always been my least favorite subject. Something about it makes it the hardest subject to learn for me. Some people make math look simple but when I try I fail and make it seem difficult. Math is different from other subjects because you cant write a story or learn a verb, you have to substitute letters for numbers, memorize formulas, and measure shapes. Exams in math are more difficult than other exams because there is often only one right answer for each problem. I can enjoy math sometimes when I start to understand the topic and it becomes simple to complete, but when the class moves into a different unit I get lost again. Even though I don’t enjoy math it’s important for many jobs and it helps to understand the world better. The only concept I find confusing about math are the formulas, they are supposed to make math easier to solve but formulas make solving problems more confusing than it needs to be. An academic subject I actually do enjoy is writing creatively because there isn’t one specific right answer and I think it helps to become a more creative person.

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Monday Munchies

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I had just gotten home from football practice and ran to my room to grab my clothes and jump in the shower. I cleaned myself in the hot water then got out to shave my face. I was in a rush and accidentally nicked myself. Despite the blood I felt fresh in my dapper outfit, and headed out the door towards The Oak at the Ojai Valley Inn.

When my Father, my Mother and I arrived we were greeted by my grandmother and her cousin, they’re in town for the week. My Grandma hugged me and handed me an envelope, it’s a card for my birthday which is on Wednesday so that was very nice of her.

Right after we went to our table and were assisted by Danny who gave us ice waters and some warm bread and butter, which was amazing. Shortly after Tyler, our server came and I requested a Diet Coke which was brought to me. All 5 of us examined the menu and the growls in my stomach only got louder. Tyler came back and oh boy we were ready. Small but pricey was the restaurant, I ordered the Scallops, Bistro Steak, and a charred and cheesy side of Brussel Sprouts.

After I ordered we waited and waited for our food and all of had great conversation. From my school, to camping , to my parents at work almost everything was covered in that 20 minute wait for our meals. But I believe it was all worth it.

The food came and in an instant I absolutely slammed my meal, everything was so delicious I just put my head down and went to work. After I absolutely housed my food and Danny came back to clean the table Tyler brought out the check and a surprise dessert for my birthday.

The small Mason Jar was aglow on the outside patio complimented with a single spoon and a tiny chocolate with the words “happy birthday” spelt out in gold. The tiny yet deliciousness of that chocolate lavender concoction just put a smile on my face. The simplicity of the desert and presentation made it all worth it and man oh man I loved that thing.

That was my Monday Munchies and I hope you aren’t hungry reading this, because I was one happy little boy.

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