COVID-19 might still be a mystery to us, but it is definitely is no stranger. Will we ever get back to what we deem normal living? Who knows, but instead of staring at the clock constantly throughout the day, realize that this is a perfect opportunity to self-reflect and express yourself.
Learning a new artistic skill or talent that you can do yourself is a perfect way to pass the time and to keep learning without slowly feeling you might go insane. There is always going to be a new art form or skill you haven’t mastered that you wish you could and now would be a more than opportune moment.
Art takes many shapes and forms to us all. Some people are painters and aspire to be bigger than Bob Ross himself. Others are dancers who believe they could give Jennifer Lopez a run for her money. Some people like to create music from classic smooth jazz all the way to grimy dubstep. I take a slightly different approach with my art and modify my car.
Car modifications are something everyone will do to their car one way or another whether they know it or not. Anything changed performance-wise or aesthetically to any vehicle is considered modifying. That includes fuzzy little dice hanging from our rearview mirror.
Modifying is simply making partial or minor changes to something to make it better or to make it less extreme. In my case, I wanted to make it as best as I could with what I was given. I got tired of bringing my car to a mechanic every couple of days to only have to wait hours on end to get it back with a whole new list of problems. I’ve always heard the saying if you want something is done right, you have to do it yourself.
A key thing to keep in mind is the art of modifying your car can open up so many doors. Which direction you choose to take is completely up to you. Just because someone mentions that something is not going to fit doesn’t mean you can’t make some minor changes to make it fit.
I can guarantee that even learning to do basic maintenance on your car will make you feel more confident and worry less about whether something might be wrong with your car or not. You’d be surprised what you can learn from reading about your car.
I encourage every student to send The Telescope pictures of your self-creative art or what you’ve been creating during this pandemic. You could inspire others to follow suit or have something in common with another student and do a collaboration. It does not have to be about or feature cars. It can be photos or paintings, woodworking, knitting – all kinds of art are welcomed and perhaps you’ll get featured in Palomar College’s Impact Magazine or even on The Telescope.