It is with disbelief that I write this for August’s conclusion; a month that always seems to pass quickly. Dunedin has been recently graced with the presence of sunny days, and despite the intermittent rain and wind, these Dunner Stunners have been exactly what we’ve needed for the end of winter. To, most importantly, end the first half of semester on a high note, rather than a deep exhaustion. Watching campus come alive across these gradually warming days has been a joy. Blooming magnolias around Quad, cherry blossoms wherever the eye goes, sunbathers around the Leith. I wonder, were we jumping the gun as we walked around in shorts and jandals? The ending of winter has also melted away its dragging unproductiveness. It’s true, I suppose, that spring is all about new beginnings. I am witnessing around me, whether subconscious or not, a renewed sense of determination. This has manifested itself, most predominantly, in a resolve to reduce screen time. What’s interesting, however, is how this discussion reintroduced itself, oblivious to the current government’s recently proposed legislation to ban social media for under 16s. In halls, I’ve found we’re not always up to date with news. Without a paper on the table during breakfast, the TV in the background over dinner, we’re quite detached from the real world. Our dinner conversations revolve around the Dom Dolla concert, Laneway tickets and if we want to go out on Thursday. Ironically, this disconnection might be what encourages our extensive screen times. Yet we remain attentive to the impacts of social media, and we are aware of how much it distracts us from other hobbies. The rapidly enclosing spring days fill us with an urge to give them another go. Activities as simple as colouring-in, long forgotten to our childhoods, have been revived. For me, I’ve been inspired to read more, write more. Notably, all these hobbies are creative. Taking the English paper, Controversial Classics, this semester has been a hidden gem, creating waves of impact throughout my day to day. Poet Allen Ginsberg, whose Howl we studied, appeared in the readings for my Communications paper. Milton’s Paradise Lost is inescapable throughout all literature, I’ve discovered. The gorgeous poetry in Plath’s Ariel astounds me. But it’s difficult to maintain a balance between social media and creativity. Mindless doomscrolling is easier than reading. A phone seems to fit into a hand better than a book, these days. It’s a strange phenomenon. On TikTok I often come across videos explaining how to reduce screen time; of what to do instead of being on your phone. In theory, it’s against that creator’s self-interest to be promoting anti-social media rhetoric. The ideas offered often revolve around something creative: writing a letter, or painting. It all adds up to the concept of one or the other, but actually, I think technology and creativity have the ability to intersect, to compliment each other and work together. We can use social media as a tool to benefit our creativity. Find other artists in the world, gain inspiration from their own works. Balancing creativity in life has been a struggle throughout this year. Law students, who perhaps once loved reading, find it difficult to pick up a book again after pages and pages of case readings. Dedicating yourself to full-time uni work often takes away from time spent exploring creativity. Once you stop practising, it creates a block. Can I actually just go back and start creating again? Something which has brought me comfort is a change in mindset. You can still call yourself an artist, even when you’re not actively creating. That ability remains, even if it hasn’t made an appearance in a while. It’s this that has enabled me to pick up a pencil again. Just simply carving out a time to try something creative, without any pressure, has been impactful. A couple weeks ago, Otago University’s op shop, Te Oraka, held its Crafty Club night. A few old magazines, some glue and a pair of scissors, and each of us had created something brand new: pages of scrapbooking and junk journaling, individually styled and unique. The transition to spring is, indeed, a time of new beginnings, but perhaps also a time to revisit former habits winter might have taken. Mid-sem break has come at the perfect time, to reset and to rediscover. Maybe August is an important month after all. Eleanor Wong is a Dunedin, first-year, University of Otago student. She writes the Between Lectures column for the ODT.
