Object Analysis
Take inspiration from Jenny Odell by disconnecting, as much as possible, from your screens. Observe your world. Let your senses wander to different sights and sounds. Settle your awareness on an object or phenomenon, like Orwell’s toad or Odell’s crows, that allows you to contemplate a course theme. Write an essay using that object or phenomenon as your entry point.
When Time Stops
By Sydney Eck
No one teaches you how to do nothing around horses. I have always been taught the importance of making my time efficient. Sometimes you are handed a list with fifteen horses that need out and a mountain of chores. You have until the sun goes down to get it done. Not this time; the list had vanished and I sat on the mounting block twiddling my thumbs. It is sort of ironic; the place that I could not imagine doing nothing at, became the best place for me to do absolutely nothing.
Playing Quiet in a Loud World
By Winston Clayton
Rod building is a form of rebellion, even if it is not dramatic. It is inefficient and largely invisible in a world that optimizes. Nothing about that time produces results that can be measured. I have spent entire afternoons doing nothing that would count as progress, simply staring at a pattern, wondering if Steve would like it.
Under the Glow
By Victoria Rodriguez
The streetlight at Library Walk has transformed from an unnoticed fixture into a site of reflection, awareness, and observation. Its glow illuminates not just pavement but the rhythms of human behavior, the interplay of nature and artificiality, and the potential for mindful engagement with the environment.
Where the Concrete Breathes
By John Popko
And yet, the day I decide to stare at it, really stare, UCSD hands me two truths at once. It can feel like hell. And it can be beautiful, if you approach it with effort and intention, like youʼre learning how to see again.