4022
A culture of creativity
JOSH
Major: Philosophy
Hometown: Pagosa Springs, CO
Year: Senior
On deciding upon going to Fort Lewis I had two main thoughts: I wanted to grow intellectually and I wanted to grow creatively. Coming into college I had been writing hip-hop lyrics for about two and half years. Although I have taken my education seriously throughout my whole college career, I have also taken music seriously. The liberal arts degree that Fort Lewis provides opens up a lot of opportunities for creative individuals, like myself, to incorporate their creativity and passion into their schoolwork.
I have written and performed four different songs for graded assignments between different classes and one song for Beta Alpha Psi (an honors accounting and finance club). In my composition classes, I wrote three songs about mindfulness, altruism, and different types of love that humans experience. In my Beta Alpha Psi performance, I wrote a humorous rap that incorporated accounting terms and concepts with positive influences for students to go to college and think about what they want to study. I performed this song in front of a class of high school students during a financial literacy workshop that Beta Alpha Psi put together. In one of my economics classes I wrote a song portraying Karl Marx and his theories about historical materialism and the slave master dialect of capitalism. These are only a few examples of the opportunities that arose through my liberal arts degree.
Most of the opportunities to grow in my creativity that I experienced were due to the culture that Durango cultivates. With a good number of people who make music, as well as those who simply love music, the music scene in Durango never has a dull moment. Although there isn’t a big name band that comes into town on a weekly basis, the music lovers of Durango make sure to fill in every night with the sounds of their souls. Holding onto a “can’t stop won’t stop” mentality, the network of musicians and artists that I’ve come to know are always getting into something musically productive. Whether it’s playing a show, attending mic nights, or going to poetry slams, the Durango culture holds the music scene close to their hearts. Naturally, as Durango offers such great opportunities for me to stay musically productive, I have truly come to hold Durango close to my heart.