Living is a way of learning, part 2
Just a few months after starting as a PhD student, I attended my first academic conference at my university, where I presented the conceptual foundation of my upcoming thesis (dissertation, avhandling). At first, I thought I wouldn’t have much to say due to the limited time. However, the real challenge was narrowing the material and ideas into one coherent story. Although my master’s thesis was based on the same material, my research extends beyond academic studies, raising questions about what it means to be human, formulated through the very act of living.
As I mentioned in the previous post, living is a form of learning. However, focusing on academic goals can influence how we learn and what we learn. In my early years at university, my goal was clear: graduation. Every course, assignment, and exam was a stepping stone. What to study and prioritize was straightforward. When I returned to university, it was because I wanted to learn more about photography. I enrolled in a part-time 30-credit course in the philosophy of photography at Karlstad University. For a while, I worked at a local newspaper, where I fell in love with visual media, sparking my desire to learn more. That was in 2011. Afterwards, I took occasional standalone courses. Everything I learned, I aimed to apply practically, trying to develop my own visual language through doing and experimenting.
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During an early meeting with my PhD supervisor, we discussed the PhD process. He advised me to spend the first three months reading and exploring, as it’s a vital part of the PhD journey. In fact, it’s essential for students at all levels. However, most young students are forced to work to finance their studies, which my supervisor found unfortunate. And I agree; the eagerness to learn can get lost in the modern educational system and its curricula. Adding a job that pays can take a toll on any student.
Exploration, like creativity, requires time and space — time not squeezed into gaps in the schedule, between seminars, assignments, and work at a local café; time long and unstructured enough for the mind to wander without expectations of a specific outcome. However, unfilled time is often seen as wasted — simply waiting to be scheduled, in other words, filled.
During the first three months of my PhD, I followed my supervisor's guidance and explored the library, including resources on Aby Warburg, academic English, and other relevant topics. Writing the script for the paper I presented at the conference made me realize that my learning process and collection of materials haven’t been limited to my time at Victoria University; they’ve been ongoing throughout my life.
To be continued…
Blogspot from 23 Augusti, 2025
