It's been almost three years since I last published anything in this blog. Not that I believe I have any readers, but I feel a bit guilty for neglecting what was shaping up to be a pretty nifty (to me) blog about things museumish in nature.
What happened? Everything, just about.
Following the previous post, my personal life took a sudden left turn, mashing me up against the side window, and taking me on a dramatic journey of rediscovery. In a bid to stop the mad spiral, and find renewed purpose, I applied to the University of Toronto Faculty of Information doctoral studies. This was not my first attempt to commence a PhD, although it was my first attempt to do it at UofT (my undergraduate alma mater). Fearing the worst, I decided that if I was not accepted, I would completely change careers and go drive motorcoaches for Greyhound.
UofT's gain is Greyhound's loss, I suppose. In March of 2017, I was accepted and so that's where I've been for the last 2 years. I continue(d) to work and volunteer with community museums and had to learn how to go from thinking at a purely practical level to a theoretical level. This has been both tremendously challenging and rewarding. There are many places where museum practice and museum theory intersect, but often the barriers to smooth intersection (such as language, funding, politics, timelines, etc.) are enormous. Hopefully, when I'm all done, whenever that is, and I have my fancy piece of paper, cap and gown, I'll be in a much better position to intervene in how theory is applied in practice, and how practice can influence theory.
PhD studies are a very special kind of struggle. Imposter syndrome and anxiety are rampant among students, young and old, regardless of gender. Many's the time I have felt baffled by my assignments, undermined by my lack of understanding of what others seemingly grasp with ease, and honestly re-evaluated my life decisions. It's a slog. But it's also exciting, eye-opening, satisfying, and I am grateful to have been accepted into the program.
With that said, I hope to breathe new life into this blog, talk about some of the things I've studied and experienced, as well as just museum talk as before.
