To celebrate the Daily this week, the arts section’s new assistant editors describe their experience with the Daily and what it has meant to them.
From Erin:
I had no prior experience with journalism until I joined the Daily this past semester, but I loved art. I felt as though books, movies, paintings and music provided many of the answers to the questions I had. If it didn’t provide answers, it offered a conversation. Often, after finishing a movie or closing the back cover of a book, the desire to articulate whatever reaction or emotion it elicited within me would rise and swell in my chest to the point that it felt unbearable. But the thought of publicly sharing an opinion, even for something as minor as a poorly made television program, was unnerving. As an act of compromise, I translated my thoughts into reviews in a journal. I considered these responses an incredibly personal thing, and so these reviews remained hidden in a desk drawer until the end of high school. But eventually, the dimensions of a notebook began to feel confining, and I became interested in learning how to bring my opinions to print. The Tufts Daily has been an incredibly supportive and passionate community, providing a space for me to learn and grow as a writer and assistant editor. The Arts and Pop Culture section of the paper offers the opportunity to not only share news about art but also to participate in the criticism that makes the art worth anything in the first place. I am eager to continue growing as a writer for the section and am excited to read the incredible reviews submitted by fellow students!
From Ava:
Because I worked as an arts editor for my high school newspaper, I was super excited to join the arts section of the Daily. My high school was small and not much attention was paid to the arts and entertainment section. It was difficult to get ideas off the ground, let alone find other people with the same interests as me. Suddenly, the Daily came into my life like a shining beacon of hope. I first found my footing by writing movie reviews — something I had always been passionate about. I had worried at first that my writing would not be of the right caliber for a college newspaper, but I soon found that the Daily welcomes all sorts of voices and stories. The people I worked with were so helpful and encouraging, allowing me to explore all sorts of topics that I never would have been able to. It would have been easy for me to keep my critical ravings to my Letterboxd account, but the Daily showed me just how to engage my artistic criticism with the world around me. So far, I have been able to interview Hollywood stars, explore events in the Boston area and amplify artistic voices in the Tufts community. Through working for the Daily, I have been given the opportunity to expand my art criticism skills and grow a platform (one that exceeds my nine Letterboxd followers). There is no other community I would rather be a part of on this campus.
From Megan:
I transferred to Tufts this fall, and when I came to campus, I knew I wanted to be involved with the Daily. At my old university, I also wrote for my student newspaper, and it was an invigorating and insightful experience that I wanted to carry with me at Tufts. Since joining the Daily, I have been surrounded by exciting and passionate people who care deeply about the importance and integrity of journalism. They seek to tell stories and shed light on current issues and events affecting our community. It is a vital aspect of student and university life, and I feel grateful to be a part of it. What the Daily does is create a space for students who love to write, tell stories, investigate or use media for other informative outlets and allow them to expand those abilities among each other. This is a community of students helping other students become the best writers, editors and leaders they can be, and that sort of support is hard to find. As a news editor and assistant arts editor for the Daily, I feel like I can delve into many facets of the community and use my interests to impact my stories, passions and insight to help others learn.
From Matthew:
I came to the Daily and journalism somewhat late. I never contributed to my high school newspaper, and I was not a part of the Daily for the entirety of my freshman year. As a history student, I always saw myself sitting among my old books rather than reading newspapers and viewed journalism as too contemporary to fit my interests. But since I started a job doing real historical research, I have realized the immense importance of journalism as a historical record. It is through journalists that the voices of real people are given a place to stand in history. Often what the news chooses to cover, or what the interviewer chooses to ask, constitutes our understanding and knowledge of history. The Daily has allowed me to partake in this fulfilling work while also providing me with a fun and creative outlet. While I’ve only written about music for the Daily so far, I joined the arts section because from music to film to books to paintings, I love everything arts, and I hope to branch out with my writing in the future. I have loved being able to write about my passions and look forward to future projects with the Daily!
