Student Blog: Just Do It (Yourself)!

In the age of ChatGPT, Spark Notes, and Grammarly, it is so easier to ask yourself if it wouldn’t be easier to just have AI do it for you…..

BUZZER NOISE. WRONG. NO. BAD. STOP THAT. ENOUGH. NOOOOOPE!!

As performers and as people we need to recognize the importance of authenticity and originality. At the end of the day all we have is our own narrative voice and creative mind that is unique to us and only us. You are the only person on this planet who has come up with the set of ideas concepts and goals that you currently have rolling around within your brain and there is something definitively miraculous in that. 

Originality is so valuable in an industry society and world at large where everyone typically thinks they have to fit a certain type or standard to be considered great. You are great because you are you! Honing your individuality is infinitely more important than wasting time conforming yourself to fit some model archetype that sucks out any sense of self. Being yourself, being authentic and having integrity about your personal identity are valuable and in my opinion are criminally underrated. 

That’s why academic integrity is so important as well. Being true to yourself starts with being honest about your work ethic and capabilities. It’s about being upfront about what you can and cannot do, not lying to yourself and the consumers of your work about what you are capable of producing. Ask for help if you need it, don’t pawn off the responsibility of authentic creation onto a robot with no soul, or onto your friend who can “do it better than you.” Take on the weight of creation, and discover the bounds of your creativity, ability and intellect. 

Make your own art after so much time spent  engaged and creating. Carve out your own papers from hours of research and mental strife. Take your tests on the material you’ve consumed and excel! Or fail and realize you need to use your resources and ask for some help. Both options are A okay! You’re allowed to fail sometimes, it builds character and helps you become an original person with original experiences. It’s not consistently the optimal choice but it’s a fallback choice for sure. See: my article about why being bad at things is amazing! 

I’m not saying AI and other resources like book summaries and work processors aren’t an option and utilizing them doesn’t make you an automatic cheating academic criminal. I’m saying that before you use those tools, ask yourself: am I about to use this resource to enhance something I already understand, or to alleviate the burden of having to do the task by myself. Is the help you’re about to employ going to be the equivalent of academic Bibbity Bobbity Boo! or is it going to be the sprinkle of pixie dust on top of the knowledge you’ve already gained by stretching out your brain muscles and putting your nose to the grindstone (and all of the other teacherisms I’m unable to put to print because my education major arc ended before it began). Academic Integrity starts and begins with you and your perception of yourself. Don’t undersell how much you know and how much you can do!