The Common Creative

For a person from a quiet suburban town in a large city like Lowell, finding a peaceful moment is magical; to only hear the sound of water flowing and leaves rustling in the wind, to not hear the cars rushing by, occasionally blowing a horn, is like music to the ears. The hardest thing to do is find a place to yourself, where no one will walk by and disturb your peace, where you can turn your phone off and disappear in your thoughts for an hour, because even that basic privacy has been stolen from you since you came to live in a dorm with one or more roommates and an entire hallway of loud college students. Any place you go to is full of people, you can't even find a bathroom that will stay empty for more than five minutes.

A walk down the canal might seem perfect, but then you see the mill chimneys in the distance and you still hear the sound of cars and you realize the canal is not a good enough refuge from the city.

You see a path behind your dorm and the reds and oranges and yellows of the leaves blanketing the ground call out to you and you think that this path may very well be the quiet place you seek.

You walk along the path, searching for a spot to sit and you make your way down to the riverbank which provides the perfect place to sit and let your thoughts take you out of the present...or so you think.It only takes fifteen minutes for the first smoker to arrive, with his joint rolled up and held firmly between his fingers. You think that you're fine and you won't be bothered, as long as he is quiet and does not bother you. Soon enough, the smell of weed permeates the air around you and he even comes up to offer you some...you glare at him and walk away; this was not the magical spot you were seeking.

You head back to the path and walk further along it, hoping to come across another spot by the riverbank, away from the smoker hangout and in your irritation at the people who had to choose such a beautiful place to get high, you almost miss the little trail leading back down to another spot by the river. This spot is much smaller, only enough space for a few people to stand, but the view of the water and sky and the opposite bank is beautiful. There is even a large rock with a good vantage point so that even if someone were to come alone, they would not notice you and you would be left in peace. You let yourself relax, believing that since you barely managed to find this spot, others would not find it either.

And this time you are right; you found a peaceful moment and it was magical; no cars, no people, no trash littering the ground. Only you, the trees, the water, and the occasional squirrel or bird.

You think about your day and your friends and you simply watch the river flow and watch the birds dive into the water and watch the squirrels dig around in the blanket of leaves on the ground...and for the first time since you came here, you forget about the homework due at midnight, you forget about your roommate issues, you forget about all the things that added up and that you did not even know where stressing you out until you forgot about them for that one hour. And that was magical.

 I based my Common creative assignment off of a series of photographs from Issue 9 by Teju Cole (pages 31-41). In his piece, Cole has a set of photographs of different places in Switzerland and also includes a brief story at the beginning that coincides with the photos and shares a little bit behind what the though process was or what is happening in that photo. I chose to base my assignment off of this piece for a few different reasons, most important being that I very much enjoy photography. I also liked how Cole told a story at the beginning with many different interpretations; I chose to look at it as the story the photographs were telling.

My own piece tells my story of finding  a quiet place to relax and be alone in. As a large city, Lowell is full of people and cars and even in the dead of night sirens can be heard as the police are called from one emergency to the next. This noise and busy atmosphere is part of what makes Lowell the city that it is. However what makes it special is that despite its high level of activity, one can still find a quiet and secluded place, far away from the loud and obnoxious students in the dorm and away from the stressors in life. By choosing to share photographs from along my endeavor, I shared a unique side of Lowell that few people see and and get to appreciate as they go through their hectic and day to day lives, unaware of the silence and relaxation that can be found only a short distance away. For me, this spot is a two minute walk from my dorm building and it is a perfect spot to go to for a late night walk (not alone, of course) when I need a break from studying for a big exam or writing a paper due the next day. It is this side of Lowell that I enjoy the most, and much of this enjoyment comes from the feeling of fulfillment from having found a special and magical spot that I can almost call my own. 

The photographs I included in this assignment reflect my feeling of contentment and helps portray the natural beauty and quietness of this special place in Lowell. Doubtless, there are many other places like this in Lowell, where the sounds of the city fade away and a person can get lost in their thoughts and by sharing this assignment, I also hope for others to be able to find a spot of their own like this for when they themselves are stressed out or just need to be on their own.