I apologize for the lack of updates recently. We've been so busy this past week doing studio stuff and hanging out on the weekends. I'll try to give you a detailed enough update to fill you in on what I've been doing for the past week!

We spent a lot of time in the studio last week, which was so incredible. We were able to finally come up with a specific idea, break into groups, and begin planning out how to use the space appropriately. Its been awesome to finally begin work in the studio and really being able to envision how this exhibition will work. However, we have dealt with some conflicts along the way. As many of us are visual artists, we're used to being able to draw/paint what we want to, how we want to, and when we want to. Now we're thrown into an area with nineteen other artists and twelve staff members who are also artists. This project will be highly collaborative which means that, in the end, the audience won't be able to pick out who did what. We have a little over a week before our exhibition so we're all feeling a little anxious about finishing it on time...we've even started planning out what our all-nighters in the studio will look like.

Being in the studio with so many other artists has taught me so much about what it truly means to pursue a career in art and what it means to be a Christian artist. Its been such a blessing being able to have this experience and be able to learn so many skills that I can take back with me. The most important thing though is knowing that I can use my skills to glorify God. This is terribly exciting to me!

On Wednesday we had a guest speaker, Sy Rogers, who gave us a six hour lecture on his testimony and what to take away from his story. It was INCREDIBLE! I've always been really interested on human struggles with sexuality and the whole concept of attraction, which is exactly what Sy Roger's talk was about. He used to identify as a homosexual, but through some life events he eventually married a woman and has a child now and identifies as straight. He spoke a lot about human sexuality and the struggles that come along with it, especially as a Christian. I was so happy that he talked about how straight people struggle with sexuality too...I feel like that gets forgotten a lot. I really wish I could write about everything he spoke about, but I dont think I could do it justice. You guys should check out his story at syrogers.com

The weekend was an amazing experience. On Friday everyone on project was given free tickets to a Staten Island Yankees baseball game. We were given all the free food we wanted and a free hat! Getting there was a little iffy since we had a scary lightning encounter. The game, however, was so fun! We all had a great time hanging out, and it was such a good way to de-stress after a week in the studio.

Saturday we tried to get Shakespeare in the Park tickets, but the line was just too long. We were a little bummed about it, so we went off to go find something else to do. We went around Times Square and got to go to this HUGE Toys R Us. Three of us girls got practically front row tickets to the Little Mermaid on Broadway for that night...and they were cheap tickets too! When we got to the theater we realized our seats were amazing. The show was awesome...we could see every little detail of the makeup, costumes, sets, and facial expressions. Seriously, the show was phenomenal. Afterwards, the three of us were able to meet the cast, get their autographs, and get pictures with the cast. We were on cloud nine for the rest of the night. I cant believe how blessed we were to be able to experience all of that. I don't think I'll ever forget that night :)

Sunday was another awesome day. We went to a different church and it was fun to experience something I usually dont get to. Afterwards we walked around Central Park for hours. We got to see so many performers in the park, got to see some fun fountains and little ponds, and just got to enjoy good times together. It was awesome! I got to see the apartment building that was used for the outside shots of the Friends apartment building. I'm sure you all know how excited I was. We watched the sunset on a pier at the end of the day...just more good hanging out and relaxing time...so delightful!

This week has a lot of work in store for us as we prepare for our art show. I have more I want to update about what scripture I've been reading and stuff like that, but its late and I'm tired. I'll update that stuff soon.