Welcome to your soul’s place of fulfillment
Is your soul full? No, really. Answer the question; it’s really important. Do you feel fulfilled today?
Fulfillment means different things to different people. To me, fulfillment is feeling driven, passionate; inspired in a way that leads you to explore and feel curious. Fortunately, if your soul has yet to be fulfilled today, you’re in the right place. In this column, I serve food for the soul in the medium of pride in our fellow peers for the way they impact both the USC community and the world around us.
Every person you encounter has some kind of inspiration that brought them to where they are today. Sometimes, when trapped inside a day that consists of a class-to-class routine, it can be difficult to be reminded of our “why.”
When our “why” is threatened by the monotonous structure of life as a college student, our souls yearn to be fulfilled. Now, don’t confuse this for being more driven to attend class, we’re looking for something deeper. Instead, our “why” is reflected in what we’re passionate about. Are you driven by the joy of drinking a quality coffee in the morning? Are you motivated after working one-on-one with an elementary student on their reading? Are you ready for the day after you created your first scene in a webtoon? Any of these, along with a myriad of other possible passions, are examples of the most important aspects of personhood — our collective “why.”
Seeing others light up when asked “What are you passionate about?” motivated me to create this column. My column, “Food for the Soul,” will be your source of inspiration for as long as you need it. “Food for the Soul” will highlight the lives of creatives in our community and how they share their art and passions with the world. In a world where focusing on one’s self is crucial to succeeding in academics and your preferred career progression, my column will be a place for your spirit to explore the many passions of your classmates around you.
As a World Bachelors in Business student, I don’t regularly encounter creatives, despite their passion for their specialties being the most profound determination I have ever encountered. After speaking with students pursuing arts and entertainment at random — FYI, dining hall lines are great for networking — I have reason to believe that each of us can be driven by the sheer amount of ideas and experiences of these students.
One student I met is working to increase the representation of African Americans in media through animation. Another wrote five plays during their high school career, with three of them performed in their community. Their passion is enough to feed anybody’s spirit.
Most importantly, fulfillment requires grounding, and I got you for that too! Well, international grounds, that is. Since my column is catered to placing you in the creative center of our University, we will also explore how the passions of students on campus interconnect with art and entertainment movements around the world. While our “why” is important, our “so” is equally as critical. Our “so” is what produces the impact we seek to create. From the Afro-Cuban hip hop movement to the mockery of mass media in the works of KAWS, creativity always has an impact that deserves exploration.
Innovation exists all around us, and it’s up to us to explore the realm of possibilities that lie within it. Through “Food for the Soul,” I will explore how the innovators of the USC community work hard to push the bar of possibilities and how this relates to the importance of arts and entertainment throughout the world, to further emphasize the strength of arts and entertainment as a mechanism for change. In a world where the pursuit of arts and entertainment can be deemed “unrealistic” in the eyes of a mathematician, I strive to create an environment where these pursuits are just as important as “typical” pathways.
Soulenne (Soul) Githumbi is a freshman writing about the endeavours of everyday arts students. Her column, “Food for the Soul,” runs every other Thursday.