Timing is everything...

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If I'm totally honest, right now doesn't seem like the best time for me to be starting this course; I am currently in isolation after testing positive for COVID-19, I'm stuck 4500 miles away from home after not being back since Christmas and I'm about to have a potentially career-ending surgery on my hip in just over a months time. All of this mental stress really is not creating the best headspace for me to be embarking on a Bachelor's degree in Professional Practice, however, thinking logically it's also the perfect time for me to do so. 

Commencing this course is particularly daunting for me as throughout my education both in dance and academics I've always been taught there is only one correct answer. This course, on the other hand, aims to explore reflection and creativity. With the extra time I now have on my hands and the possibility of having to alter my career path, there really is no better time to reflect on what I have learned throughout my training and career thus far, how that has shaped my identity and who I am today, and how all of these experiences can help me in the future.

Through the welcome Skype call I attended I was able to connect with students working on modules two and three and gain some helpful advice and insight into what I should expect to experience. It is helpful to know that my apprehension is shared by others and I'm not alone in starting this journey. One of the main takeaways from this Skype call was the importance of connecting with my peers, whether it be through blog posts or Skype calls, in order to get a sense of community. Being a distance-learning course it is easy to become overwhelmed with your studies and feel like you have no one who can relate to what you're going through. By looking at the blog posts of others I can see that many people are in the exact same situation as me and I’m really not alone. Another piece of advice I found particularly useful is to avoid creating a strict plan in my head for what I want to achieve from this course. For someone like me who likes to have three different plans for everything to accommodate every possibility
this seems counterintuitive, but by avoiding creating strict plans in my head I will allow my mind to be more open to creative and out-of-the-box thinking, allowing me to find and investigate ideas that otherwise would never have crossed my mind. 

Although I'm kind of nervous to start this course, I'm excited to develop my critical thinking and analytical skills in a more creative way and to see how the process of reflection will guide me in shaping my professional identity. 



Comments

  1. Serina FaullSeptember 18, 2020 at 1:42 AM

    Hello Kirsty! You are a long way from home, but this blog community will help you connect to other students. It is easy to feel alone on a distant-learning course, hence why it's important to attend Skypes. You are going through a lot right now, so well done for starting the course whilst everything else in your life is uncertain. The course will give you structure and clarity hopefully! (Miss you x )

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    1. Kirsty WalkerSeptember 23, 2020 at 8:01 AM

      Hi Serina! I definitely feel like the blog community is helping me feel little closer to home and reading others posts is providing me support and helping me feel less alone. I'm going to try to attend as many Skype calls as I can but again this is difficult with the time difference! I too hope this course will help provide something structured and stable in this tricky time! x

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  2. Emily SmithSeptember 19, 2020 at 4:03 AM

    Hi Kirsty I am starting this course now too! Bless you I hope you manage to get back home soon! Sometimes life has a funny way of putting us on a new track doesn't it! I am hoping everything falls into place and soon we will have some clarity of whats to come!

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    1. Kirsty WalkerSeptember 23, 2020 at 8:05 AM

      Hey Emily,I agree life does have an odd way of working sometimes but I'm hopeful that everything I am experiencing right now will help me to look at things from a different perspective and help me develop the meaning of my practice further! I'm excited to be starting this journey together!

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  3. Roanne CoxSeptember 20, 2020 at 12:29 AM

    Hi Kirsty, I have to say I think you are an incredibly strong person to be handling what you are going through with such grace and ambition. I truly admire that. I am starting the course too, and I completely relate to being a person who is used to looking for the 'correct answer'. It will definitely be a challenge but a valuable growing experience to take on learning in this new way, and the support I have already experienced in this community fills me with hope and excitement for the possibilities it holds. I hope this course really helps you to find your path and makes you glad you took it on even in difficult circumstances! x

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    1. Kirsty WalkerSeptember 23, 2020 at 8:13 AM

      Hi Roanne, It's so lovely looking at everyones blog posts and seeing how supportive everyone in the community is. It will definitely be a big learning curve for me thinking in a more creative and subjective way instead of looking for one correct answer but I'm super excited to develop that kind of thinking! Hoping all is starting out well for you! x

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  4. Theresa TanSeptember 20, 2020 at 9:13 AM

    Hey Kirsty, welcome to the community! Something I wished I started earlier is reading blog posts from others, because when I finally started to do so more often, I found it inspiring as I am able to see points of the module/course from another perspective, and also feel connected to everyone else on this course.

    I'm happy to see you being part of this course. Looking forward to read more of your blog posts! Also, sometimes it's when things seem to be all falling apart, that life pops a little pleasant surprise in the corner waiting for you. Tessa X

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  5. Kirsty WalkerSeptember 23, 2020 at 8:17 AM

    Hey Tessa! Will definitely take your advice in looking at others blog posts within this community- I agree it's super important to connect with others to help gain perspective. I'm super excited to be joining you on this course and hope all is well with you! x

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  6. Clare IsaacsSeptember 24, 2020 at 2:23 AM

    Hello Kirsty,
    What a lovely post. Im so sorry that you are having to have this surgery that will alter your life. I went through a life changing experience that ultimately ended my career. At the time I was devastated but now I look back I feel it was almost a butterfly effect moment. Don't get me wrong...its not an easy process but you will soon where you want to be.
    I can also relate to you 'three plan process'. Im am that person. My bf thinks im crazy and an over thinker.... he is correct..but I must always plan for the worse and expect the best. Which means 3 or 4 plans must be thought over in my head! hahah but yes.. I don't think this course is going to be that straight pathed... but I do also believe that you have massive resilience and can do anything you put your mind too x. can I ask where are you isolating and where is home? x

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