You Are Always Home by Nicole Niderman
On the first day of my Drawing II class during my Freshman year at the Savannah College of Art and Design, my professor assigned us to create a drawing with a ball point pen that emulated an aspect of home. Since many of us had ventured from the secure embrace of our parents and the soothing comforts of our hometowns, many of us were ill with spells of homesickness. Worries about navigating around town, making friends, managing the strenuous workload, and coexisting with roommates made us dizzy with anxiety.
After I had experienced a preview of these symptoms during a pre-college program at the Rhode Island School of Design, I knew that the only way for me to ground myself during these first turbulent weeks was to focus inward and immerse myself into the yoga practice. Even as the culture shocks of college threatened to knock me off-kilter, yoga stabilized my mind and warded off my nervousness. When asked to convey an aspect of home, I immediately decided to depict myself standing confidently and calmly in tree pose amidst the chaotic clutter of my freshman dorm. One thing that yoga has taught me–even as a current sophomore trying to settle myself in both Savannah, Georgia and my hometown of Denver, Colorado–is that yoga allows a person to access the deepest part of themselves, the home that never evades us no matter how far we travel across the world. And as long as she remembers that safe retreat she’s always welcome in, she finds it easier to immerse herself out of her comfort zone confidently.
Post and sketch submitted by Nicole Niderman.