#quid est studiosus sine studio

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The Name of the Rose by Umberto Eco

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The thing I love about learning is that as you learn new things, you realize there’s always more to know. Always. You will never run out of things to find out, and when you find them out, you will always find more. It’s both inspiring and frightening.

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i'm feeling like.. very tired and sad. I just cant even read, or concentrate in my writing and studies. I have no depression, but is a strong feeling that overcome me this days, i dkn why. Is like all my pasion goes away... like if it was just wandering in the void. Can i ask for any advice if you have one, or idnk any perspective or reflect on this feelings? Have a nice day.

Almost everyone I know right now is completely drained and unable to focus on reading or writing or anything creative -  which is ironic, because we have so much time to ourselves that we feel like we should be doing those things.  There was a cartoon from The New Yorker a few weeks ago (I can’t find it, so if  someone sends it I would be mightily thankful) of a man fishing in a rowboat surrounded by sharks, and the caption is “Now’s a good time to get working on that novel” or something to that effect.  There’s so much going on and it’s so stressful, it’s alright not to have the motivation to do anything.  I don’t think  anyone really does right now.

In any case, regardless of the state of the world and how that affects you, it’s okay to have ebbs and flows motivation or passion for your studies. If you were  constantly and consistently passionate about something and producing nonstop, you would burn out!  It comes and goes, and that’s alright.  It’ll come back.

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Hey! I saw that you're studying art history and wondered if you'd be willing to talk a bit about it? I'd love to hear anything about your experience w classes, career aspirations, further education plans, etc. I would love to go back to school one day and study something that I could actually do for a living and love (hence my interest). Also if you've gotten this question a million times and are sick of it that's fine - no hard feelings :) Thank you so much xx

I’m always happy to talk about it!  People will often ask “what do you plan on doing with a useless degree in art history/medieval studies?” and personally I intend on going into academia because I just love learning so much and it’s a way (despite all the red tape etc.) to do that and share it with other people, which is ultimately my goal.  I’m not sure if that will mean working in a museum or at a university or in something like an archive; however I definitely don’t want to work at an auction house or for-profit gallery.  I want to spend my time doing research and writing and teaching.  I plan on getting a PhD, focusing on the Italian Renaissance.

As for classes, I’ve been really lucky to have great professors at my school.  So far I’ve taken the survey intro course (which is considered a classic/must-take at Vassar; it’s taught by the entire department so each professor gives lectures on their specialty), 15th century Italian art, Medieval art, a class that was meant to focus on the ethics of collecting antiquities (but it became something rather different and more about the collection at our museum on campus, which was difficult considering that we weren’t even on campus for half of the semester), a short class on ancient urbanism, and seminars on Italian garden design and Raphael (which was meant to go along with the celebrations for the 500th anniversary of his death this year but, again, didn’t work out).  Next semester I’m going to take Islamic art and architecture and a seminar on Baudelaire and mid/late 19th century aesthetics.  I also work in special collections at our library so I get to work with professors and all the lovely old books we have, which range from Roman papyri to Medieval breviaries to modern small-press prints.

You know, though, it’s interesting - two of my favorite art history teachers started their careers in another field and then found that they were unhappy and decided to go back to school for art history.  I know that that’s a rather privileged thing to be able to do, since you have to have the time and resources, but I suppose it goes to show that it is possible to change your career to something you love even after having made a choice.

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Hello :) sorry if I am disturbing you but I LOVE all things dark academia / autumn vibes and stuff like that. I am going back to college next year but I still feel like all these other people are like ‘real’ dark academia or something 😅 I’m also trying to learn 2 languages which I tell myself that at least I’m learning something but idk if I belong 🙃

“Real” dark academia isn’t a thing in real life!  You can dress how you want and read what you want and eat what you want, the only thing that makes you an “academic” is being passionate about what you do and being interested and devoted to your studies.  And that can be different for everyone!  Wearing pajamas and practicing your languages is academia, but wearing tweed and being exclusive is not.

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about the last post you’ve reblogged: i can’t stand people who dismisses the arts like that; art is everywhere nowadays, do they believe that books, movies and music aren’t art? do they believe that they aren’t manipulated by people who know how to write/talk and are journalists? editors? presenters? i feel like they’re out of touch with reality, i’m sorry for this little rant in your inbox that is probably confused and incomprehensible...

It’s ok! I completely agree, and I think it’s really offensive when people say things like “oh, you study [some humanities topic]? how are you ever going to do anything in life with that?” as if there aren’t infinite options.  Pardon the personal anecdote but at the dinner I had after my high school graduation, a guy at a nearby table at the restaurant asked me what I was going to study in college and I told him Medieval and Renaissance studies/art history (which I’m majoring now) and he said “oh yeah? I know somewhere that’s looking for people with that!” and I was like, yeah sure but politely asked where and he said “at the deli” and slapped his knee like it was the funniest thing.  Going into this field I know that, ya know, writing articles on pageantry in 15th century Florence might not “change the world” the same way that a cure for cancer might, but there’s a reason we have these jobs and majors in the first place, ya know?  There’s a reason people keep going to museums and reading books and producing art and literature.  It’s not like modern society is so “advanced” we’ve moved beyond needing art and literature.

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Are there any unknown or obscure theories/texts you think about time to time? The absolute mystery of The Voynich Manuscript is one of my favorites!

The Voynich Manuscript and things like that are so fascinating. I work in the special collections of my school’s library so I love manuscripts and herbals and things like that - I’ve been meaning to ask my boss (an expert on manuscripts and early printed books) what he thinks about it. I honestly don’t know enough to have my own thoughts on it. It is very mysterious

Anyway, as much as the big mysteries like that are mesmerizing, I honestly just wonder about all the little tidbits there are waiting to be discovered in archives and libraries. You could spend your whole life digging through them and organizing and cataloguing. It’s just so amazing. I used to worry that everything in my field had been done and that I wouldn’t be able to come up with any interesting - but there’s just so much to do when you think about what there is out there waiting to be found.

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I don’t mean to start a big discourse and I don’t quite consider myself a dark academia blog but I do certainly float in those circles and enjoy the aesthetic – but I feel compelled to add to the discussion by saying that, in my experience, being an “academic” really only requires devoting oneself to their studies, to whatever extent one’s situation may allow.  There may be an “aesthetic” attached to the ideal of this, but that’s variable, and doesn’t make you an academic.  I love misty mansions and taxidermy deer heads and antique books and wearing tweed as much as the next guy, but all this doesn’t make you an academic.  What makes you an academic is your passion for your work.

Some people I studied with last summer came up with a saying that I think is relevant: quid est studiosus sine studio? What is a scholar without his passion?  And the answer is sus, a pig (it’s a pun, cause if you take away studio from studiosus you get studiosus).  The only thing that matters is your passion.  And unfortunately the ability to nurture that passion is related to one’s resources – but being an academic doesn’t mean turning your nose up at people because they don’t have opportunity or because they don’t know Latin or something like that.  It’s about passion for your topic and encouraging that passion in others.

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Favourite latin motto?

It’s not even an ancient one but some friends that I studied with came up with “quid est studiosus sine studio?” which is a pun because if you take away the “studio” from “studiosus” you get “sus” which was a running joke.