A U Diary

Alumnus Clay Bolt, a natural history photographer, photographed the world’s largest bee species, called Wallace’s giant bee (Megachile pluto), which was thought to have become extinct, in the wild in Indonesia. His photograph is in the October 2019 issue of National Geographic .

Having grown up only a couple of blocks from Anderson University, I must admit that I was reluctant to enroll in a program that was so close to home. I had dreams of going farther afield to study art and immersing myself in what I thought at the time would be a superior experience. Little did I know that another world lay within walking distance of my childhood home.

W hen I started my tenure at Anderson I was obsessed with finding new ways to express myself through drawing and painting and rather clueless about what it took to make a career from the arts. I had the drive, but very few practical skills that could take me there.

I w as incredibly fortunate, then, to make the acquaintance of several professors who made an indelible mark on my life. While all of my professors offered me the technical skills that I needed to improve, they also offered me something that I needed even more deeply at that time: compassion and real mentorship.

I w ould spend as much time as possible at the University, staying late to work on assignments, and hanging out and sharing ideas with friends. The school proved to be a fertile ground for allowing me to grow into the person that I am today. I remember late nights after class helping Professor of Art Peter Kaniaris as gallery assistant. Once, we had the privilege of hanging a collection of images that included prints by famous photographers like Edward Weston and Minor White. I felt so proud to be trusted with such an important task.

I would ramble on about ideas and Peter would give me his honest impressions about my art. Once I created a self-portrait in clay, to which Professor Kaniaris responded, “That looks like Dana Carvey.” Sometimes the truth hurts.

I remember spending many hours discussing life with Professor of Art Dr. Jo Carol Mitchell-Rogers. She was always so incredibly patient with me during a time when I really needed guidance. Today, my partner, who is an art history professor, tells me about her own students who come to her for advice, and I have a greater appreciation for just how busy professors are. There is always so much work to be done with grading, class prep and trying to squeeze time for work of their own. Yet none of my professors, Dr. Mitchell-Rogers, Professor Kaniaris, or retired

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Professor of Art Susan Wooten, ever made me feel as if they didn’t have time for me.

I’ve gone on to do a lot of pretty amazing things in my career so far. I’ve worked on assignment for National Geographic , explored remote parts of the world, spoken before a Congressional briefing on Capitol Hill and helped place a rare animal on the endangered species list. Yet all of the things that I’ve accomplished wouldn’t have been possible without my time at Anderson University.

I realize now that the most important thing I learned during my tenure there was how to live a life worth living.