Introduction
Hi everyone!
My name is Ashley Batac and I am a junior majoring in psychology. I also play for the women's basketball team here. I am excited to be working on this blog and share a little bit of my life through art!
I was born on the island of Guam, lived in Hawaii, and grew up in Texas. I am an island girl living in the mainland trying to navigate my way around this world. I want to share my experiences growing up on an island and being able to take in nature's true beauty on a daily basis. Often, when people ask me where I am from and I respond with something along the lines of "Yeah I grew up in Hawaii," people are shocked as to why I would ever want to move anywhere else. People dream about vacationing or possibly retiring at a place like Hawaii, but to say I used to live there is pretty cool.
What does it mean to live on an island? You may recognize the word "ohana" from the movie "Lilo and Stich." The characters repeatedly state that "ohana means family, and family means nobody gets left behind or forgotten." I was always surrounded by family. The concept of "ohana" or family involves creating loving relationships with more than just blood relatives. There is a sense of togetherness, and you could feel the love and the welcoming nature everywhere you went. I miss having potlucks on the beach and enjoying company with my friends and family eating good food. I am so grateful to have experienced such a loving culture at a young age.
7-year old Ashley ready for her Hula performance
I would not consider myself the "artistic" type, but I am excited to share the little things I am grateful for from living on such a beautiful island. For this blog, I intend to post images five days a week for the next ten weeks of anything that reminds me of home. This can range from images from Hawaii, embracing nature, and anything that makes me feel at peace. I want to express gratitude by taking the time to appreciate the simple things that are often overlooked. In The Social Photo on Photography and Social Media, Nathan Jurgenson mentions that "the normal rhythms of life are opportunities for making and browsing social photos and are as such experienced in relation to the photograph" (Jurgenson 2019, 12). We are constant tourists, looking for potential photographs to capture our special moments.
Loving the Ko 'Olina sunsets
Peace, solitude, silence
With love,
Ashley <3
I love how you are using mindfulness to curate your art for this project! Art definitely doesn't have to be defined by one thing and there is so much power and beauty in highlighting the simple things that are often overlooked. Very excited to see how your collection and project grows throughout this term!
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