What I Know

I studied Art History in college. (Raise your hand if you know what that is.) My love, the thing I'm most passionate about is architecture. I love it! Why do we build what we build? Whose idea was it to invent the cubicle in offices? Do you really know why Frank Lloyd Wright is considered an amazing architect? Have you ever wondered why modern homes are designed the way they are?

I went to college because I wanted to work in a field where architectural preservation and understanding of our history as a people was valued. Which led me to minor in Sociocultural Anthropology. Then I took a required class in Islamic Art and Architecture concurrently with a class on Egyptian Art and Architecture. (For any students out there, this is not a good idea for a semester choice unless you have no alternative. 40 hours of studying just for the Islamic class alone, outside of 6 hours in lecture=burnout.) Which led me to double-minor in Ancient Near Eastern Studies.

If you have never taken an Art History course it is difficult to describe. We call ourselves masochists because there is so much work involved in one course. I was studying one time in the cafeteria at BYU because I literally needed a table to spread my books, notes, images, etc and I can't study in a library; it's too quiet and I fall asleep. I had an acquaintance walk up to me and tell me how much he admired me because he could never do what I did. There was just too much work involved. In fact, a lot of art history majors end up working either in the State Department or as analysts because of their educational background and their ability to see connections that others don't. I thought about working for the CIA until my dad told me to watch "3 Days of the Condor." That changed me mind.

In an Art History course, you have to not only study the specific works assigned, but you have to know who created it, who it was created for, who paid for it, why did they want it made, the history and culture of that geographic area, the religious influences, and linguistics. Then, know complimentary works to argue a comparison/contrast essay on any exam after going through and identifying works by title, artist, date, and provenance. Plus, you have to know how to identify an unknown work to authenticate it. To culminate the semester, we had a 12-25 page research paper due. That was all for just one 3-credit course in a semester where I typically took 15-16 credits. Oh, and you have to take language courses because in order to move on in the Art world, you are required to be fluent in either French, Italian, or German, preferably all three. And if you want to venture outside western civilization, then the predominate language of the area, such as Arabic, Hindi, Japanese, or Mandarin, becomes another course you have to take.

I am fascinated by sacred spaces in all religions of the world. Especially Islamic-Judeo connections or those connections that center around what we call the Middle East or Orient.

Now, this is all well and good if you have no desire to make a living before the age of 40 because you can't really get a job unless you have your Master's Degree. Which led me to my current profession--healthcare. Which, coincidentally, is the family business. I always wanted to be a doctor, just not an MD. But as I have gotten older, the pull for financial security has gotten stronger. When you're 30+ and have never made more than $20,000/year your entire adult life, it starts to take its toll on you no matter how thrifty you are.

Eventually, when I grow up, when all my dreams come true, I will be a professor of Architectural History somewhere and an RN. Now if I can only figure out how to pay for the education.....

So, I decided to re-vamp some papers I have written and presentations I have given so that you can see and read what I know. And then you may understand why I am a bit oblivious to things. I watch people do things or I see what we have created as a people and I want to know WHY did they do that. What were they trying to say? What do you see when you look at this? How does it make you feel? I know about art, architecture, maths, languages, history, cultures, and music. I read books and miss being in a lecture room discussing those books with other people who choose to be there.

Look for upcoming posts on the Ka'aba, the Salt Lake City LDS Temple, and what I remember of two papers I wrote about the concept of a home in the Vedic hymns and the Pharaoh as deity myth from the Temple at Luxor.



Fun fact: Did you know that the children's story of Babar the Elephant and his queen Celeste are loosely based on real people? He was the first Mughal Emperor of India. Babar is the great-great-grandfather of Shah Jahan, who had the Taj Mahal built for his beloved wife, Mumtaz Mahal. Taj means crown, Mumtaz means beautiful, and Mahal means palace.