A Sense of Accomplishment

Today I feel a sense of accomplishment today because I actually met goals I set for myself. This is Midterm week and last week I made a plan to not do anything all weekend except study! I had 3 Midterms for Art History, Marketing (which I took one yesterday and today) and then one tomorrow in Italian. I feel like devoting all that time to study was very necessary and as a result I think I did pretty well on both of my midterms so far. We will see how I did when I get back to class after fall break.

                I have found a lot of growth in myself since coming to Italy. Getting out of my comfort zone has really caused me to see the world in a different way and even and has expanded my mind. I have defiantly notice more of an aggressive attitude within me that I knew was there all along, just waiting to come out. I find that when I set my mind on doing something I do it. For example, one day I said I would study abroad, look where I am. I said I wanted to travel the world, look where I am. I said I wanted to cut all my hair off and go natural, look what I did. And it’s all by the grace of God and the desires he put in my heart. Accomplishing the things I set out in my heart to do make me feel so empowered!

                My recent example is that since I arrived in Rome, I’ve wanted to sketch  the city and I to visit this absolutely amazing statue in which my entire semester is dedicated to painting called the “Blessed Ludovica  Albertoni”  by Gian Lorenzo Berninii in the church S. Francesco a Ripa. I’ve been using a sculpture book as my source, but I actually wanted to see this work for myself.

 So, Yesterday I was determined to go visit the statue after my Art History final. My Painting professor gave me directions, but they were pretty much hard to understand. So I became pro active and searched for the address using a map and online resources. I ended up finding exactly where it was and my professor’s directions were pretty accurate. Upon arrival to the church I found it to be closed for wonderful convenient “Siesta” which is the Italian way of a lunch break where most shops close for a about three hours each day (varies depending on the shop). It wasn’t going to open again until 4, but I wanted to spend my evening slaving away at studying for my Marketing exam.

                I decided to go to the church the next day (today) after my Marketing exam. I didn’t t want to go straight home, but felt inspired by the beautiful architecture of Rome all around me. So, I walked. I walked until I made up my mind to take a trip to the Tiber, sit under a bridge to sketch. When I looked at the stair case to get there it looked a little sketchy and I was semi afraid of getting mugged thanks to the many pick pocketing stories I’ve heard. Instead of being afraid I said a little prayer asking for God to protect me (as I always do) and took the steps down to get closer to the river.

                It was cold out and was raining on and off, but I decided to stick it out. The water of the Tiber isn’t the cleanest, but is this very pretty shade of blue green. I walked passed a cute couple having lunch at the river’s edge and sat not too far from them. I figured if someone did try to mug me, they were right there and could come to my rescue (LOL). As I sat and sketched I felt a sense of accomplishment. I didn’t stay too long because all I had with me was a red colored pencil and no eraser. Plus, it was cold. As I walked back to the tram to go home I really took the time to soak in the fact that I am actually in Rome!

                Today after my Midterm I finally made my way to the church. I was going to take a bus, but decided on walking instead just so I could enjoy the city. When I arrived I was a little creeped out. This may sound odd, but Catholic churches always give me the creeps. I’m not sure why, but I get this eerie feeling.  Maybe it’s all the old statues and that they always seem to have dark lighting and are cold. idk… Anyway, after tip toeing around the church looking for the statue, I finally found it! It’s much smaller than I expect, but still an awesome sight to behold! T

                To think that someone actually sculpted this out of stone is beyond me! Sculptures are one of my all time favorite types of artwork. I couldn’t get as close to her as I would have liked but pulled out my sketch pad and went for it. First I started out with trying to remember everything I ever learned in art class, but then decided that I didn’t want to be so formal. I just wanted to understand her. Many people came in and out to view the statue, but I pretended like no one was there. That is until someone tapped me and told me they liked my sketch.

After about an hour I decided to finish and walked out with a smile because I actually accomplished what I set out to do and got to see this magnificent masterpiece! The sketch didn’t come out to bad either!