CreAKtive Moments.

If you had asked me to list out a few adjectives concerning my traits before I embarked on my journey of service, the word “creative” would not have been on the list. Almost three years later and I feel that this characteristic is not only my most marketable skill but also the one that I am most proud of.

True fact: I’ve wanted to be a DJ for as far back as I can remember.

Don’t get me wrong, I’ve always been drawn towards creative things. In school I thrived in subjects such as writing and theater while shying away from curriculum that required me to work closely with the left side of my brain. However, when it came time to develop a pathway to my collegiate future, I went for a more rigid business based path because I wasn’t sure how to take the subjects I loved such as music, acting, writing, video, and communication and turn them into a job. Afterall I was no artist – I loved music but had never committed to learning how to play an instrument.  While I found acting and writing to bring a lot of joy into my life, I couldn’t see myself moving to New York City to make a lifestyle out of a meager hobby.

The things I truly enjoyed seemed out of place in the future I was carving out for myself.
This is where service comes in. While the left side of my brain remembers that the service opportunities I have taken have allowed me to develop my resume and work towards some concrete life goals, the more playful hemisphere remembers that in the last three years I have composed music about Iditarod mushers, produced rap battles about benthic macroinvertebrates, directed educational pieces on topics such as recycling, worked as a dinosaur to promote environmental education, spent countless hours acting as a superstar DJ for Western Alaska, acted as my own paparazzi here on the KNOM blog, and so, so much more.

Making Eva look even more awesome that normal is also part of my freetime.

When it comes to developing my talents, each year of service has worked as matryoshka stacking doll. My first year taught me the importance of finding play amongst hard physical labor. My second year allowed me to spread my wings with my interest in writing, music, and content production.  And my time at KNOM? I’d like to think that I’m leaving the cocoon as  a butterfly or at least a compelling-looking moth. Everyday I get to write spots and shows for air.  Everyday I get to analyze and select music for our listeners. Everyday I get to spend time with Western Alaska and use my voice to help inspire. Everyday is a welcome challenge to use my creative abilities.
Not that long ago I would have been an unbeliever that I could do a job like this. I simply did not feel confident in my abilities. Still to this day I find myself asking if the content I’ve produced is up to par, or if my time on air is interesting and worth attention. Luckily I’ve had wonderful people backing me up and helping me find my way when I don’t know where to go next. If this text happens to reach the eyes of someone who is interested in pursuing a service opportunity, specifically that which is available at KNOM, don’t let the responsibility scare you. Maybe you don’t consider yourself creative at all. Perhaps the word outgoing is last on your list of adjectives used to label yourself. Whatever your hesitation might be, I believe that a journey in service can teach you as much about yourself and the adaptability inside of you, as it can about the communities you serve. Take a risk.

There’s always a photo op in Nome.

Another note about this particular service experience – it is a great way to develop your interests in your freetime as well and integrate them into your work. Western Alaska is a vast and open place which allows your heart and mind to mirror those free and unbound characteristics. Perhaps you’ll use your free time to meditate on a mountaintop overlooking the frozen ocean?  Maybe you’ll finally get around to writing that novel you told your friends about. Whatever it is, I know that all of us current KNOM volunteers have found the time to dive into our hobbies and passions while serving here.  Speaking for myself, my free time meant finally developing my dabbling in music production to solidifying myself as an amateur musician. I’m not the next David Guetta or Calvin Harris, but I have enjoyed my many weekends spent composing and producing music. The challenge and the time was ever present and I will leave here knowing that I made something of it.
What will service bring out in you?

From Marble City To A Gold Rush Town.

When my friend Jason traveled from Knoxville to Nome the other week, he seemed to bring a few suitcases full of that warm Southeastern sunshine with him. The evening he arrived was the first of about a week of snow melting, come-out-and-play kind of weather. And what does one do after spending an Alaskan winter indoors? Well, you make the most of the new playground that has been defrosted.
Maybe it was simply the excitement of having a good friend from home by my side for a few days. Maybe it was the excitement of seeing all the flora and fauna that I haven’t even thought about since winter began. Maybe it was the realization that my time in Nome is beginning to come to a close. Whatever the contributing factors may have been, I think I lived more of Alaska in those couple of days than I have in the entirety of my stay here.
I sometimes get nervous about playing the part of tour guide. After months of living the day-to-day in Nome, I have forgotten how exciting this place is from an outside perspective. As much as I don’t like to admit it, I take so much of the novelty and beauty of Nome for granted by just looking at it from my bedroom window. As silly as it may sound, I get so comfortable with my work and home routine that I forget we are living in the aptly named Last Frontier.
Luckily my friend Jason can be described as “adventure ready.” In his short stay, we went snowshoeing, explored an abandoned dredge, tracked down the largest herd of muskox I had ever seen, all while introducing him to the ins and outs of Nome daily life as well as that of the KNOM community house. In some respects, it is the latter that I enjoy showing off the most. I won’t paint a picture that our humble home is always brimming with energy, harmony, and laughter – but when our paths do lead towards those things, it is something else to experience. Dance parties, family dinners, movies, and just time spent standing in the kitchen talking – we have gotten comments from all of our visitors about the quality of our family time and our ability to easily open our hearts to hospitality.
*All photos are by my wonderfully talented photographer friend, Jason R. Scott.

On the frozen ocean.

The White Alice site.

In a dredge.

Snowshoeing!

Muskox!

On Anvil Mountain.

Ptarmigan.

Post dance party photo opportunity.

Arctic fox.

In the abandoned dredge.

Steady as a mountain goat.

Margaret and Josh.

The burled arch.

The Late Afternoon show with Josh!

Time to explore.

Knoxville, in a sense, is my spiritual home; where I will return when my time as a KNOM Volunteer is over. Having someone from there, who was part of my life before I set off on this adventure, and who simultaneously fills the role of being an individual who will be part of my life when all is said and done here, put me in the kind of mindset I really needed. It reminded me a lot of why I wanted this to be my next stepping stone in life; why I wanted so badly to be a part of KNOM’s mission. As I look back on my time here, I am, of course, so grateful for the time I have gotten to spend with my fellow Nomeites, but when it came to opening my eyes to view the wonders that reside around me, I really have to thank all of those who have come to visit us during our time in Nome and all of you who are visiting us through the content of this blog.
Thank you for sharing this adventure with us. You help make it even more worthwhile.