Art Beat: I've got a feeling

Hi, my name is Jacob Mann and I cover the Art Beat for the Mat-Su Valley Frontiersman.

Stories start in many different ways. This story is about finding rhyme and reason to suss out our paths, trudging through the wilderness of our hearts and minds to discover what’s on the other side of the mountain.

May is an eventful month. For starters, it’s that energetic time of year when students across the Valley prepare for the end of the school year. Every time I cover high school graduations, I’m shaken and stirred with feelings of nostalgia. I can’t help but reflect on my final days of high school and how my own graduation unfolded.

I recall my shaggy hair being extra crispy because I used the straightener too long that day. Yes, I used to have hair. It was amazing. I always wanted to grow a mustache and since I was a quirky little hipster, I threw on a fake handlebar moustache right before my graduation photo.

Our graduation song was “I Gotta Feeling” by Blacked Eyes Peas. Every time I hear it come on the radio, I see the confetti falling on my face and the unforgettable feeling of excitement and fear of having my whole life ahead of me.

I graduated from Colony High School in 2010. Like many local high schools do today, my graduation was held at the Menard Sports Center. I remember the jittery feeling of the realization that this was the final act of the play that was grade school. At the time, adulthood and its freedoms beckoned me. I grew up in the Valley and wanted to live and the total opposite, a big city. I ended up attending art school in Portland in the fall.

Long story short and to put it lightly, I came back to Alaska at the end of my first semester after changing my mind about the whole “college thing.” Years later, shortly before I found out I was going to be a father, I tried my hand at the Mat-Su College. I joined the campus newspaper, the Mat-Su Monitor and fell in love with journalism.

When I was in high school, I never wrote for the school paper and I didn’t know enough about what an actual day in the life of a reporter was really like so I had no appreciation for the craft. I knew I always liked to write, but the idea of having to suppress my options for an objective news story didn’t seem like the kinda thrills I was looking for. I never knew how wrong I would be.

After 5 years of being a community journalist for the Frontiersman, I’ve learned firsthand how enjoyable it can be to learn about the people in the place I grew up and share their stories with one of the few things I’ve always had a knack for words. It was like seeing the world in a whole new way and I was hooked.

I have to thank Micah and Audrey from the Mat-Su Monitor for always believing in me and supporting my ideas and machinations. They led me down a path that’s been an exciting and enriching adventure every step of the way.

I’ve learned there’s a beautiful freedom in restrictions, whether it’s making a person’s inner voice shine even when they’re shy and can only muster up a few quotes, or making an otherwise dry story pop while utilizing actual facts and writing techniques without the use of my own opinion.

I eventually had the opportunity to start my own column which is the only time I speak in the first person and write with my own personal thoughts. I feel like it’s all the sweeter because it was earned and I now have years of varied experiences to draw from to color the paper with.

May is also National Military Appreciation Month. High School students everywhere are making the decision whether or not to enlist. While I’ve never enlisted, I can tell from personal experience talking to active and retired military that there’s a lot to be said about how much the experience can help someone build up their internal tool chest to live a successful life. Above all, the thing that seems to last the longest is the universal sense of connection when one vet talks to another.

My Grandpa Bob served in the National Gaurd when he was a young adult. He was a frequent flier at all the local veteran posts. Mostly, I’m sure it was due to the fact that he could always be found wherever beer or horseshoes were involved. Really, I know it was due in large part to his social nature.

From what I’ve gathered, the sense of comradery among military branches, in spite of their playful rivalries, is unshakable. We can’t all serve, but I think we can all be thankful for the sacrifices of those who do. I also think we can all learn something from the loyalty of a soldier and how it plays out before during and after their time serving their country.

Last but not least, May is the month my sister, Hayle was born. I remember that she was a little jealous that she had to share her birthday party with my graduation party. She’s busy building her life out of state, but she always finds time to video chat with me. Every time we talk, it’s like we haven’t skipped a beat.

Over a decade later, I look back at all the memories of growing up around the Valley, I laugh at silly things I did as a teenager, and I cringe at the embarrassing choices I made. Above all, I look back and I smile because it happened and it all led me to this point. I found my place in this crazy, mixed-up world.

I think we all try to come up with creative ways to navigate through the uncertainties of life. We often try to make sense of it all. Only after years of fumbling through the darkness do we start to gain a better understanding; and if we’re patient, diligent, and a little lucky, we can gain a better footing for a life that feels right and rings true when we say it out loud.

Contact Mat-Su Valley Frontiersman reporter Jacob Mann at jacob.mann@frontiersman.com