Here we are at the beginning of a new semester. New Year’s resolutions have already been dropped (don’t fret, it’s going to be okay), and we’re back to the old habits that we had last semester.

The only big difference is that half of the first-years are now affiliated with a greek organization.

Things have already geared up and you can see stress lines forming upon once well-rested faces. Winter break has ended. Life begins anew under the shadow of Dallas Hall.

Throughout the break I reflected on the previous semester and came to several realizations. One of the most important, I think, was that there was little creative expression in my life during the fall. This semester, I look forward to changing that.

On Monday nights I will sit in a three hour photography course that I hope will teach me how to take my fancy DSLR off the “Auto” setting.

I feel silly having a nice camera and treating it like a point-and-shoot.

Not only am I excited to learn more about my camera, but I’m excited to be forced to take time to create some form of art. Rarely do we take the time to observe our surroundings for more than a passing second. It is even more rare for us to explore the city in which we reside. Sometimes, stepping out of Highland Park feels like too great a stride.

Yet, I know this class will force me to explore, create, look and listen to everything around me. I am thrilled.

Having a creative outlet is an essential part of one’s life and should be encouraged, especially at a liberal arts school.

The purpose of our education is to make us well-rounded individuals more than dump information in our minds. Therefore, the opportunity and encouragement to create something original is one of the most essential parts of our education.

One does not have to express one’s creativity through painting, photography, drawing, writing or music. Perhaps you are an economics major who, like me, cannot even draw a circle (see, there are reasons I take classes like photography and not painting).

Your creative outlet may be through strategic planning or even conversation where you develop a new theory in your mind.

You can even draw ideas from the business culture of Dallas. Just because you are not creating something that can be displayed in a gallery does not mean that it isn’t creative or doesn’t have artistic worth.

Therefore, start a new semester with a new resolution you can actually keep. Take time to be creative. Your academic work and overall outlook will greatly benefit from your mind’s opportunity to explore, make, and grow.

Graves is a junior majoring in communication studies and religious studies.