风景的变化:考察家庭写作空间

The COVID-19 pandemic has brought an incredible amount of change to college students, 特别是那些今年在家学习的学生. 为2021社会写作中心协会虚拟会议, the 欧文康考迪亚大学 写作工作室 compiled a photo essay of students’ at-home writing spaces with the intent to help improve on-campus writing centers when it is safe to reopen. 学生 across years and disciplines submitted photos of their spaces and answered survey questions about how the pandemic has affected their writing habits and what they would change about their at-home workspaces if they could.

每张提交的照片基本上都是一样的——一台笔记本电脑放在桌子上. 然而,, each is also distinct in how the student chooses to dress up their space, 默默地谈论他们的个性和工作习惯. An exhaustive list could be created detailing the similarities and differences of the data, 但出现了四个主要共同点:

避免干扰. Several students noted that their at-home writing space makes it difficult to avoid distraction because it is located in a communal area of their home, 比如餐厅或天井. Many students’ least favorite part about their space is this lack of privacy. 一个学生写道, “I wish I didn’t have to have my desk in the living room. I wish I had a room specifically for an office space to sit down with just my thoughts.” Similarly, another student mentioned, “My least favorite part is that the TV is also in the room. I have to choose another space to write in if someone wants to watch something.“不仅仅是缺乏专注, students noted that this constant distraction has changed the way they write, 一个解释, “I have to write earlier in the morning when everyone is either not home or asleep because it is the only time I can focus.另一个人说，他们“……在短时间内写得更多。, rather than long hours like before because [they] naturally get interrupted often or distracted in [their] at-home space.” Frustration about a lack of privacy and the effects of distraction on productivity were ultimately the most common themes in the responses.

艺术与摄影.  工作空间的所有元素, art and photography are by far the most personal and sentimental to students and were found in nearly every space. 学生们喜欢照片和艺术让他们的空间更有启发性, 一种直接陈述, “墙上的艺术品给了我写作的灵感!另一位进一步阐述了这一概念, 解释, “我喜欢抬头看我头顶上的印象派画作. They’re only posters, but it’s nice to see them amidst all the busyness of the day.” Where the presence of pictures and art inspires students, the lack of it has an effect as well. One student’s least favorite part about their space “…is that it is very blank. I stare at a white wall with a single highlighted note card with my class schedule,甚至补充道。, “我真的应该添加一些海报或绘画来活跃气氛.“虽然艺术和照片没有任何功能性目的, students seem most content in their space when it is visually appealing

鼓舞人心的名言. A number of students mentioned that they like to display favorite quotes around their writing space to keep them inspired and encouraged. 一个学生写道, “I love keeping motivational sticky-notes on my desk to keep my energy high throughout the day.” Another student wrote that their quotes make them feel “…safe and at peace.另一名学生评论说，他们的报价板“……多变。, but it has been stuck on these lyrics from [their] favorite song for months now.” Though the presentation and effect of inspirational quotes in each space varies, the intention remains the same—students like to keep inspiring words close by, perhaps to encourage them when they are far from the people who might give that encouragement in person.

咖啡和点心. 也许不足为奇的是, many students mentioned snacks and caffeine as a key feature of their at-home writing space. One student mentioned that they have enjoyed being home because they have easier access to snacks than on campus. 这些零食和饮料通常放在附近, 在桌子的角落或容易触及的抽屉里. 一个学生写道, “My iced coffee is always on the right because I can’t study without it.” Another student echoed that sentiment, writing, “Coffee keeps me going throughout the day. The mug is constantly being filled—I will go through 2-3 pots of coffee a day (also an expensive and addictive habit).” Analyzing the coffee-drinking and snack-eating habits of students might seem excessive, 但是当一个作家感到舒适的时候, 他们似乎更有可能富有成效.

从这四个主题出发, the 欧文康考迪亚大学 写作工作室 compiled a list of suggested improvements for our 写作工作室 and writing centers across the country. 这些建议分为三个部分:舒适, 功能, and aesthetics—in hopes that they could be used to better on-campus writing studios across the country. 虽然这项研究的目的是告知写作中心的工作人员, there is a lot that other students can glean from the information as well, 最重要的收获是你并不孤单. 学生是否, 编写顾问, 或教授, 这项研究提醒我们，虽然我们可能在物理上是孤立的, 我们都有类似的经历. Seeing the at-home spaces of other students does well to remind this author that she has not endured the pandemic alone.

Thank you to all the students who took the time to snap a photo of their space. 你的反馈让这个项目变得有意义. 如果您想查看原始照片文章，请点击此链接: http://changeofsceneryphotoessay.wordpress.com/cui/

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Makenna Myers来自加州圣地亚哥. 她酷爱文字——阅读、写作和编辑文字. You can find her at her happiest with a pen in her hand and a blank page before her. 适当地, she is a senior majoring in Humanities with an Emphasis in Creative Writing and a minor in English. 除了她对创意写作的热爱, she has experience writing CMS and MLA formats and has written f或教授s such as Danger, 阿姆斯特朗, 和艾略特(以及其他许多人).