Little Pieces of Art
November 5th, 2025
Photo: Char Elkin
Writer: Auburn Marriott
Editor: Hana Pitchon
When I was in kindergarten, my mother would lay out my outfit for the next day every night before I went to bed. She would tuck me in and tell me I was prepped and “ready to go” for the next day. I used to think setting out clothes at night was unnecessary when I could just pick an outfit in the morning, but here I am, fifteen years later, practicing what my mother taught me at five years old as a senior in college. I have learned over the past twenty years that the people I surround myself with leave a lasting impression on me; this habit is just one example. I like to think of myself as a living piece of art, painted and sculpted by the hands of both my past and present.
I am an only child and very much the stereotype of being wickedly independent and extremely stubborn, making taking advice from others somewhat challenging. An epiphany I started to acknowledge since transferring to the University of Michigan in the fall of 2024 is that advice, connections, suggestions, and even critical critiques towards all aspects of my life are what make me who I am today. U of M is an excruciatingly competitive environment, where we tend not to want to take advice from others because of the feeling of being inadequate or even failing. As an incoming junior transfer, I was petrified by the thought of how far ahead other students were or that they must be smarter than I ever could even dream of being. However, instead of letting my independence and stubbornness get in the way, I decided to start listening to anyone's and everyone’s advice: a definite change in tactics for me.
I started talking and connecting with past transfers and attending different events related to my major and career goals. I tried to absorb all the advice and adapt to this newfound life I knew nothing about. I now reflect on this as a senior and realize if I had never taken anyone’s advice or sat down and listened to the experience of former transfers, then I wouldn’t be exactly where I am today: thriving and grateful for my time here at Michigan.
I reflect on this realization, even further back in my life; I think about the music that I listen to daily that my friends from my hometown told me I would like, or the curly hair product that I’ve been using for over two years because my ex-best friend told me it would work with my hair type. Even if I am not close with someone now, a part of them still lives on with me in a positive way. What I have learned I love about taking advice is that you can take a negative situation and quickly turn it into a positive, even if it is just a hair cream.
While growing and adapting to this new lifestyle over the past year, being at U of M, I’ve learned the strategic art of accepting and adapting to advice. Good or bad, every piece leaves a mark on us, shaping who we are and who we will become. Every single person in your dorm hall, apartment building, or class is crafted by the people in their lives. We are all intricate masterpieces, shaped by countless artists whose paintbrushes leave traces on who we become, and there is something profoundly beautiful in that.
