Shaun Speck

This picture was taken in September of 2020. I was taking 16 credit hours at ACC and my entire world existed in this small area, having been laid off in March I readjusted my life to pursue education full time. Culturally, going to college right out of high school is the norm. I was 24 when I took this picture and I hadn’t been a full-time student since 2013. So there was a huge learning curve that I had to overcome to be successful. I believe the thought behind taking this picture came from the pure joy of being lost in schoolwork. I remember sitting here and marveling at all of these interesting books and materials. This table full of haphazardly sprawled books, papers, face masks, and laundry was a site that I would have never imagined just 7 months prior. Before the pandemic, this table was used as a gathering spot for my friends and family nearly every weekend. This solid wood table has been in my family for over thirty years and was given to me by my grandmother. In the winters, our family sold candied pecans at my grandparent’s produce market. This table extends to over nine feet and my entire family, aunts, uncle, cousins, and grandparents would all sit around this table shelling pecans for about ten days straight in late October to be sold in the holiday season. This brought in a lot of extra income for my family at the time. Now fifteen years later and there is no longer a produce market, our family is smaller, and spread out over long distances, but in a small way, the table kept me connected to them.  

This picture was taken in April 2021. In January, my partner and I moved in together. Living alone during the pandemic and losing a significant portion of our income we learned of the utility of living together and sharing bills and responsibilities. We now have combined our things, and the only spot for my desk is in our bedroom. I spend most of my time here, disconnected from the outside world. My social circle has become small since I recently moved to a new city and have done all of my labor from home. My partner works full time and therefore all of the domestic responsibilities are more or less on my shoulders. However, being a student and essentially living off of savings has touched a point of pride with me that I’m sure only exists because of the societal expectation that a man must provide for himself at the very least and not depend on anyone else for financial stability. I have had to swallow my pride to work toward my goals, but in doing so I have brought to light a societal pressure that I did not know existed before.  This pivot to student and homemaker has made me appreciate what it takes to keep multiple lives running smoothly. Furthermore, the calendar on the wall is something that I depend on to keep track of time. My relationship with time has become drastically different in the past year. I have joined the regimented and exact time culture of the professional world. I often don’t know what day of the week it is, and only by crossing out days and having it all mapped out in front of me am I able to form a somewhat normal routine.