This pep talk is for anyone preparing to write their college essay, at any point in their future: don't keep the bar low. Your college essay should be a work of art because works of art are unforgettable. The work of art comes somewhere deep from within the artist. It is influenced by the matrix in which that artist exists. No two people create the *same* work of art, though themes may be shared. Even professional copyists have revelatory imperfections. Your college essay --humble, precise, maybe even funny-- will be a work of art, too. Fresh, honest, imagistic. With ingredients that do not appear in the same way elsewhere. With a turning point from which there is no turning away, or back. So don't go bullshitting yourself. Start priming your materials, now. Art is not lofty, yo! It's not a lofty goal. Art is for everyone, in every culture, and every life situation. For many of us, art is what gets us through the day. It defamiliarises reality, and offers new light. Through making art, we gain space from ourselves, and closeness to ourselves. We love helping you find the art in your college essay, and making it a work of art. Seed Your Draft We don't recommend beginning to work on your actual formal essay draft too early. What results might be belaboured, and aspects of ourselves still need to mature. But we do recommend seeding your field. Take notes in the field (yourself)-- journal, voice memo, sketching. Notice things about yourself and the environments you spend time in. What makes your body-or mind-- feel most alive, or most not alive? What catches and keeps your attention? When do you feel most you, or most in touch with life at large? What stories do you schlepp around with you, what themes? What is the thing you think you're not supposed to say...but that you secretly know has weight, meaning? Notice, jot, notice, jot. Whisper. Scream. I'm not an artist. Sorry, that's bullshit! We'll see you in the Continue Reading …