The Art of the InstaCram

Reuben Chavira
The Paw Print

What is it about waiting until the last minute that transforms lethargy into hyperactivity? It’s as if some primal instinct is triggered, some survival mechanism of the mind, becoming a resource for students in distress. It’s a quasi-impressive ability that the general college population possesses.
We all know that patience is restless, and that it’s best if we don’t focus on one thing for so long that we burnout. But some things require commitment and dedication. Flowers don’t forget to photosynthesize, that’s how they grow. Yet, for procrastinating students, studying can become an unbearable burden.
We never know what we have until its gone – like all the time in the world. There’s nothing like the last minute to remind us of how precious fleeting time is. Only then does it become apparent. We don’t know, until we learn. Even then, many have learned the importance of time after missing an assignment or failing a test, yet they still don’t know better. So, how can we help them study better? We convert language into letters to supplement sound, so there’s got to be a similar solution lying around.It’s true; we never know what we have until is gone – like good grades. Once again, it’s not until a good thing goes bad, that we wish we could have what we had. Truly, hindsight provides the most potent insights. It’s as if wisdom lies dormant inside of us and only blossoms when we blunder. It’s said that there is no greater engine of progress than war. This also must be true, for there is no greater motivation for a college student than the uphill battle of having waited until the last minute.
The Art of the InstaCram… picture-perfect in its inspiration. And as the student is inspired, a quilted patchwork of half-forgotten facts mix with undercooked ideas to produce a distorted sense of accomplishment. But that’s Art isn’t it? Merging half-remembered memories with undernourished perceptions to form an abstracted sense of reality… it’s a quasi-impressive ability. One might even go so far as to say that the Art of the InstaCram is underappreciated, but that would be a distorted abstraction. The reality that the Artist exists in is magical and inspirational, yet is ambiguous and often unsustainable. The life of the college student on the other hand is much more detail-oriented, dictated by empirically-driven constructs.
But ahhhh, the Art of the InstaCram… if loving you is wrong than I don’t want to be right. My only advice is to add this vice to your repertoire of college skillsets. Make no mistake, I don’t encourage cramming, nor do I condone waiting until the last minute, but a deed worth doing is worth doing well. I was raised to do the best I can with what I have; so if all you have is a last minute and the ability to cram, cram well my friends. Be exceedingly efficient with your thoughts and exceedingly effective with your studying. Know what you have to know, and learn to attack what you need to learn. Motivate yourself to innovate your own abilities. This is how battles are fought and wars are one. This is the Art of the InstaCram.