Triboro News

Every year on Halloween, I make a point of it to do something that terrifies me. I’m not saying I’ll go to a haunted house or watch the newest Halloween remake. No, I have to do something that really terrifies me. Maybe it’s something I’ve always wanted to try or needed to do, but have just been too scared. Setting this intention has done more than allow me to face my fears. I feel that these experiences have promoted my growth, self-awareness, and have rewarded me in unexpected ways. 

 

One year I decided to go to the doctor’s office on Halloween. This particular event may sound silly to some people. You might think, ‘what’s so scary about going to the doctor?’ Well, first off, I hadn’t been in many years, not since I was required to as a child. I was terrified of being examined by a stranger with cold hands and being asked all sorts of questions about my life choices. What if I couldn’t find the office and missed my appointment? What if the staff was rude to me? What if I required vaccinations and passed out at the sight of a needle? What if I discovered that I had an incurable disease?! I felt fine, of course, but it was all too easy to let my mind get away from me with all of the what if’s and the fear that a doctor’s visit would turn out to be terribly uncomfortable. But I had already made the appointment and I was honoring my tradition of facing my fear. So I went. 

 

My fears were confirmed; It was an uncomfortable experience. But, it was not anywhere near as uncomfortable or terrible as I thought it was going to be. In fact, it was quite reassuring in many ways and I also gained new insights due to the visit. First off, I discovered that I was in great health. I discovered that the doctor was very easy to talk to and now I feel comfortable going again if I need to. Now that the event is in the past, I feel happy about my decision to go. When I walked out of the building after my appointment I had a strong feeling of accomplishment. I felt proud of myself for taking care of my health and for persevering and doing something that scared me. 

 

Every year I’ve continued this tradition by doing something that scares me on Halloween. I’ve gone hiking alone despite being scared of encountering wild animals, kidnappers, or being stuck in a canyon for 127 hours. I’ve gone to Halloween parties where I barely knew anyone. I’ve gone climbing with friends even though I’m afraid of heights. Each of these things has benefitted me rather than hurt me, despite my fears beforehand. Each time I do something that scares me, I feel a sense of accomplishment and pride in myself for having the courage to follow through. Sometimes, I even discover new passions, hobbies, or friends this way.

 

I’ve come to find the value of facing your fear. I’ve learned more about myself in these experiences---about my abilities, my desires, and what makes me thrive. Now that I’ve had this tradition going for a few years, I feel even more motivated to do something on October 31st that pushes me out of my comfort zone. Each Halloween, I feel more equipped to face the scary challenges that I’ve set for myself. This Halloween, I’ll be going to New Orleans for the first time to speak at a conference for work. I’m not going to lie, the thought of the unknown that travel brings and the idea of speaking in front of a group of strangers is definitely uncomfortable. But I know that I will have learned something about myself and my fears after the experience. 

 

You can start a ritual around doing what scares you too! In fact, I encourage everyone to try it. It doesn’t have to be on Halloween, and it can be more often than once a year that you push yourself to try something daunting. When you do what scares you, you create the opportunity to learn more about yourself. You may come to find that all the what if’s were but mere imaginings constructed to keep you feeling safe. Break free from the confines of your comfort zone and grow! You will come out of the experience feeling more alive and more powerful.

Snuggle up with a classic or go on an adventure with a new arrival. All of these books are available for checkout in the RMCAD library. Grab yours today!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

COZY DAYS The Art of Iraville                                     

Ira Sluyterman van Langeweyde

A freelance artist from Munich, Germany, Ira Sluyterman van Langeweyde will transport you to autumn with her subject matter and soft warm tones using watercolors and colored pencil. Learn art tips and tricks, including how to make your own watercolors!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The Art of Heikala Works and Thoughts                                     

Heikala

This book will give you Halloween vibes with its subject matter of witches, cats, and crows. Enjoy beautiful watercolor and ink paintings along with a behind the scenes look into their art process.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The World of IT                                   

Alyse Wax

Enjoy the haunting art for the making of the new movie IT. Get an inside look at the concept art, insane prosthetics, and makeup, along with behind the scenes photos.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The Last Halloween                                     

Abby Howard

"It's Halloween and 10-year-old Mona is stuck inside without so much as a scary movie to watch. She figures this Halloween couldn't get any worse, but a giant monster appears in her living room and proves her very, very wrong. She is chased out into the night where she encounters some odd new friends and finds herself on a quest to save humanity from billions of monsters. Though Mona is the textbook definition of a reluctant hero, she and her friends will do their best to keep this from being...the last Halloween."

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The Art of Sleepy Hollow                                   

Andrew Walker

"More than just a look into the making of a motion picture, this is a collection of film artwork that is, in its own right, a major artistic statement. Drawings and paintings from the production show the depth of artistry that goes into the creation of Burton's world."

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Frankenstein                                     

Mary Shelley

"A timeless, terrifying tale of one man's obsession to create life--and the monster that became his legacy."

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone                                     

J.K. Rowling

"Harry Potter has never been the star of a Quidditch team, scoring points while riding a broom far above the ground. He knows no spells, has never helped to hatch a dragon, and has never work a cloak of invisibility.

But all that is about to change when a mysterious letter arrives by owl messenger: a letter with an invitation to an incredible place that Harry and anyone who reads about him will find unforgettable."

It’s 11 pm and the world is dark and silent, except for the cold glow of your computer screen and the dead, spindly tree branch that taps against your window in the wind. The fireplace is lit but your body feels icy and tense, a familiar side effect of excessive homework and caffeine.
 

“I’ll be fine,” you mutter to yourself half-convincingly as you check the clock. “How long could this reading response possibly take?” 
 

You open a new Word document, something you’ve done a thousand times before, but what you see this time makes your skin crawl: a white screen staring back at you with vast, sinister eyes and a hungry grin. “I hope you don’t need these,” it whispers as it reaches into your brain, grasps your ideas between its treacherous claws, and begins to swallow them one by one. You want to write them down but all you can do is sit, your eyes glazed over and fingers frozen in place. So much for making your Sunday deadline.
 

While this scenario may sound like the chilling plot of the latest horror movie, the reality is closer to home: it’s a type of writing anxiety known as “fear of the blank page" and it afflicts writers of all levels, halting their productivity before they even begin to type. This can happen for a number of reasons. You might be so focused on writing perfect, eloquent sentences, for example, that the words just don’t come--or, if your brain associates Microsoft Word with deadlines and impending doom, it might freeze up at the mere sight of a blank white document. Sound familiar? Try out one of these strategies the next time you write:
 

• Stick it! Try writing each main point you’d like to make in your paper--as well as any supporting arguments, examples, or quotations you might use--on separate sticky notes. Then, after attaching them to a large surface like a table or wall, move them around to experiment with your paper structure and better visualize what you’d like to write. Using tactile materials like sticky notes can help stimulate your brain differently and, as a result, trigger new ideas!
• Keep an inventory. If you know you’ll be responding to a piece of writing in your paper, keep track of your thoughts while you read. Is the writing interesting? Confusing? Does it fill you with inexplicable rage? What do you agree or disagree with? Do any quotations stand out? Inventorying your reading experience this way can jog your memory and provide jumping-off points when it’s time to write.
• Freewrite. Set a timer for 5-10 minutes and, with your paper topic in mind, write anything and everything you can think of. Don’t worry about punctuation, spelling, or whether your ideas make sense; just keep your fingers or pencil moving until the time is up. While not all of your writing will be usable, freewriting can help jumpstart your thought process without the pressure of achieving perfection.
• Use a speech-to-text tool. For many, it’s easier to talk through ideas than it is to write them, and speech-to-text tools allow you to do just that. Consider downloading a smartphone app so you can take your writing process wherever you think best, whether that’s a long walk outside or a traffic jam.

Preparing to present your artwork to your peers? Working on a speech for your friend’s wedding? Giving a presentation or speech—whether it’s for a class, a conference, or a special event—can be daunting, especially when you don’t have a lot of practice. Nevertheless, knowing how to present yourself to a group of people is an important skill that you’ll encounter not only at RMCAD, but at other times in your life as well!

 

Here are a few tips and tricks to keep in mind when preparing to speak publicly: 

 

1. Identify your purpose. When putting your speech together, ask yourself the following questions: Why am I giving this speech? Why is it meaningful to me? What is my goal or desired outcome? Who is my audience? Knowing and writing down the answers to these questions will give you a strong foundation from which to build on, not only when creating the content for your speech, but also when delivering it! In other words, you’ll have a much better sense of what you should and shouldn’t include.
2. Practice (but be prepared to improvise). Make sure to give yourself time to rehearse your presentation out loud. If you’re particularly nervous about speaking in front of an audience, I highly recommend this step! Having friends, family members, or even pets stand in as an audience gives you a sense of what it feels like to present in front of other people. Bonus: these people can give you feedback and suggestions, too (unless, of course, your practice audience is your cat). However, don't memorize your speech word for word, otherwise it might sound too rigid, or you might be thrown off if things don't go as planned (technical issues, unexpected questions from your audience, etc.).  
3. Watch other presentations. Observing how other people present is a great way to see what you like and don’t like in a presentation, what works and doesn’t work, etc. Watch some videos of presentations or speeches (or even attend one in person). The TED Talks YouTube channel is a great place to start, where you can watch thousands of videos of people giving talks on all sorts of topics. 
4. Warm-up. If you have time, it’s a great idea to do a few vocal and full-body warm-up exercises before giving your speech. Try some tongue twisters (e.g., Peter Piper). Scrunch your face up as tightly as you can, then widen it all the way; repeat a few times. These exercises will help you with articulation, as they’ll loosen your tongue and the muscles in your face. If you can, practice a few yoga poses, such as sun salutations; it will help relax your body and calm your mind!
5. Breathe. Remembering to breathe before and during your speech is crucial to a successful presentation. When you get up to the front of the room, don’t launch into your presentation right away. Instead, start by taking two or three deep breaths; this might feel awkward, but your audience won’t even notice, and it will help you center yourself. Additionally, remember to breathe during your presentation! Don’t be afraid of pauses.
6. Project! Breathing not only helps you relax, it also helps you project. Projecting your voice is the key to ensuring that the people in the back of the room can hear you just as well as those in front. Projecting does not equal shouting, however; it requires you to breathe deeply from your abdomen rather than shallowly from your chest. It’s helpful to imagine that you’re sending your voice to the back of the room. 
7. Watch out for filler words. We use filler words, such as “um” and “like,” in everyday speech. However, filler words can be distracting when presenting. When you practice your speech, pay attention to your use of filler words and make a conscious effort to avoid them. 
8. Remember your body. Your body is the last thing you’re probably thinking about when you’re up in front of a group of people. Conversely, perhaps you’re acutely aware of your body! Our physical movements can enhance or detract from a presentation. So, plant your feet firmly on the ground. Or try walking a bit while presenting, if that feels more comfortable. Either way, avoid fidgeting or shifting too much from one foot to the other. Most importantly, make eye contact with your audience! Eye contact helps establish a connection between you and your listeners, and it will also help them stay engaged. If you’re uncomfortable making eye contact, focus on the space just above people’s heads.

 

Most people feel some degree of nervousness before they have to speak publicly, so you’re not alone if the thought of speaking in front of a group of people gives you butterflies! However, if you’ve prepared properly, those nerves can actually give you the mental focus and clarity to deliver a successful speech. 

 

If you want some outside help on your presentation or speech, schedule an appointment with the SLC at rmcad.mywconline.com or call us at 303-225-8605.