Personal Narrative: Deep Roots In My Religion

I have always had deep roots in Christianity, as my parents were diligent church-goers and religion was a prevalent tradition in my home. Thus, my path to Christianity was my acceptance of this tradition of faith in my family at a young age (Detrick “Religion”). My level of conscious choice in my religion has fluctuated over my lifetime. As a child, my surroundings were filtered through a Christian lens, and I was only exposed to ideas and activities that echoed Christian values. This lack of exposure to any contrasting worldviews prevented me from ever challenging myself on my own beliefs. It was not until I was older that I began to learn about different religions. When I moved out of my home, I found that I was finally able to examine my …show more content…
My default genre is typically an indie/rock mixture. I like an upbeat rhythm that contrasts with a mellower mood created by instruments like the acoustic guitar or banjo. When I want to dance, I’ll listen to house music with a heavy bass. Only in the summertime while driving with the windows down will I turn on the country music station. I am very conscious in my choice of music, and I will often aggravate my friends by skipping through one hundred songs until I find the perfect one that fits my mood. I will spend longer searching for the music I want to hear than I do actually listening to it. A key component of music that I look for when choosing a song is a strong melody, as strong melodies are easier to harmonize with (Detrick “Components of Music”). I have always loved to sing, and was an alto in my high school choir. Being an alto, I was always assigned the harmony. I have grown to have an obsession with harmonizing, and it is now easier for me to pick out the harmony that the melody, which feels awkward to sing. I am willing to expand my musical exposure, yes. I had an amazing choir teacher all throughout high school that worked diligently to expose us to all genres of music. I am able to appreciate most music for its own unique characteristics. However, I am predisposed to favoring certain genres over others and I am not able to control those predispositions. Music has a way of …show more content…
I knew what colors I liked. I knew that I preferred pretty, cohesive art over disjunctive, chaotic art. Yet, I did not know much else. The only art I have in my apartment are the paintings of pineapples and coffee that my friends have made for me. I have also tried watercolor painting flowers as a hobby, but I have never taken a class or learned technique. My level of conscious choice for my art was also very low prior to this class. I was not aware of the specific terms assigned to the aspects of art that I found important, but after our discussion in class, I know that I prefer informal art that uses patterns with unique rhythm and vibrant colors that form unity and balance in a piece (Detrick “Art Composition”). I am also very interested in seeing more Surrealism paintings, as the mix between the real and the absurd made the paintings very intriguing (Detrick “Art History Notes”). I am not only willing, but excited to utilize what I learned about art in class to enrich my life. I would love to make a trip to the Urban Institute of Contemporary Art in Grand Rapids to look at the art they have on display. Additionally, I have always gone to ArtPrize but I am sure that I did not noticed many art components that I will now be aware of. As a Christian, I believe that God was the creator of the Earth and all of nature. Being in nature is my way to escape from the hectic pace of the world, and I love art that