Self Shape

I have been a fan of Childish Gambino for years and can see the correlation between real and fake he tries to have his audience reconsider. I was unsure what to put as my shape and mostly what I could put into it. After many failed attempts, I decided to take my talents online and made the shape of a diamond. The hardest part was trying to find a color and an image that depicts who I am. I ended up choosing a shade of grey and a baseball. I came to this conclusion after thinking about what is the most closely associated with me.

Picking a baseball as the image that defines me seemed to make the most sense. In times of distress, I knew that the sport would ail any woes and act as a form of meditation and introspection. Many people say chess is the actual game of the mind, and I'd contest baseball has its stake in the claim. On occasion, going to random ball games, acting as an assistant coach, or just playing catch puts me in my best frame of mind. I'll bet, though, online, it is tough to see how much this sport means to me. My digital perception of the world does not have baseball at its focal point; sadly, it's barely mentioned even though it has been for many years of my life. I'm not sure why it must seem that way, but it was never motivated or done on purpose. During this exercise, I realized more about the persona I put forth online and how much it differs from the person I am. Next, I assessed my decision in choosing the color for the shape.

Growing up, I never had a favorite color. I liked all of the colors and felt that each looked good, but it depended on the other variables present. For example, if I had a red hoodie on, I'd wear my red shoes, so red would be my favorite color for the day. Nevertheless, I realized that is the case with most all things in life; they depend. Issues tend to be less black and white every day, and they all now stand in different shades of grey. Over time, I've learned to embrace this notion of ambiguity. A big part of who I am relies on making the right decisions based on morals and values. By identifying these shades of grey and making the correct choices that make me the person, I am today. The color grey doesn't scare me but is a depiction of the life around me. Finally, I had to create a shape to encompass myself.

I chose the shape of a diamond because I feel that it plays to several meanings. The first and obvious meaning is the correlation to baseball. I only played on the diamond and never stepped foot into the outfield. There is a special love for the dirt and the bases on a baseball diamond that is truly inexplicable. One of my earliest memories, my father had the opportunity to take me onto Wrigley Field. I remember standing at home plate thinking that there is nothing in the world as beautiful as this. I have yet to find suitable competition to that moment.

Moreover, the shape means more than just a thought of the baseball field. My mother used always to call me a diamond in the rough, only in need of polishing. Polishing happened through school, the acquisition of skills, and professional and social growth. I found that I enjoyed refining my skills and becoming a better version of myself—the metaphor of polishing a diamond found in the rough comes from my grandparents from India. My family has been in the jewelry business for decades, and I felt that there could be no better shape to describe me as a person. I think that there is also the fact of continuous improvement and never being satisfied. Diamonds only appreciate with time and have the ability to cut through glass.

In conclusion, I found this blog post assignment to be exciting and eye-opening. I would never have thought this deeply about a shape that's representative of me. I was able to connect the diamond shape to my family and myself. The color portion helped me think about the world around me and the meaning behind them. And finally, I was able to think about the passion that has been a personal beacon of hope, baseball. Overall, I learned about the person I am and the correlation between online and who we are.