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The B-Side

Collage of childhood photos of Michigan Daily arts writers
Evelyne Lee

We all had to start somewhere as people. And lately, I have been realizing more and more how much our selves emerge from what we immerse ourselves in. For many of us in this section, including myself, that was art, in several different forms, dating back to our childhood. It taught us about the world as it was, the world as it could be, the world as it would never be, though it was still fun to consider. It showed us the space outside ourselves, and how we fit into it. Art taught us about those we love and about what we wanted; it asked us to be honest and gave us the curiosity to look for a greater understanding of ourselves. Childhood art is often dismissed, rarely getting the credit it deserves for being the first art we connect with. It's the thing that, through patience from the creators and natural empathy from the children absorbing the work, taught us that our presence and soul are not only contained in our bodies but can be shared with others. In editing all these writers' pieces, I saw firsthand all the different experiences and stories they had to tell, but also felt the same thread of connection to and core understanding of each one. If you read on, I'm sure you'll feel the same. Introducing: the Childhood B-Side.

Senior Arts Editor Rosa Sofia Kaminski
A framed childhood picture of Camille Nagy. The frame is made of colored wood craft sticks held together by flowers.

Growing up and staying young in the Lost Cities

Daily Arts Writer Camille Nagy
A framed childhood picture of Swara Ramaswamy sitting on sand. The frame is made of a green floral background.

"All is well" and other life lessons learned from '3 Idiots'

Daily Arts Writer Swara Ramaswamy
A framed childhood picture of Rebecca Smith. The frame is made of colored pebbles.

Finding my family in the found family trope

Daily Arts Writer Rebecca Smith
A framed childhood picture of Hunter Bishop. The frame is made of tree branches tied together with rope.

The family quest for 'The Legend of Zelda'

Daily Arts Writer Hunter Bishop
A framed childhood picture of Emmy Snyder. The frame is green with a drawing of a boat on an ocean with the Sun in the top left corner.

Movie musicals, the arts and radicalization

Daily Arts Writer Emmy Snyder
A framed childhood picture of Graciela Batlle Cestero. The frame is made of colored paint blotches.

Harry Potter and the forced farewell to childhood

Daily Arts Writer Graciela Batlle Cestero
A framed childhood picture of Julian Wray. The frame is made of pasta.

Chasing ghosts at Borders

Books Beat Editor Julian Wray
A framed childhood picture of Ava Seaman. The frame is made of horizontally arranged colored wood sticks.

Me and my childlike artistic preferences

Daily Arts Writer Ava Seaman
A framed childhood picture of Kristen Su holding a basket of strawberries. The frame is a tiled red background. A few of the red tiles are darker than the rest.

The animation of my childhood: kung fu fighting pandas and good fun

Daily Arts Writer Kristen Su
A framed childhood picture of Zachary Taglia, sitting in a sand hole. The frame is purple with blue dots in the foreground.

The chokehold the 'Am I Gay' quiz had on my younger years

Daily Arts Writer Zachary Taglia
A framed childhood picture of Hannah Carapellotti. The frame has a blue background with white circles on top, giving a snowy connotation.

Writing myself in and out of childhood

Senior Arts Editor Hannah Carapellotti
A framed childhood picture of Serena Irani. The frame is pink and purple with yellow lines drawn on top.

On Nancy Drew, Scooby-Doo and the mysteries of childhood

Daily Arts Writer Serena Irani
A framed childhood picture of Claire Sudol in front of a horse. The frame is pink with curly purple lines drawn on top.

Songs of my parents

Daily Arts Writer Claire Sudol
A framed childhood picture of Meera Kumar. The frame is orange and has flowers on the four edges.

The first time you came across Rookie's website, it was already a graveyard

Daily Arts Writer Meera Kumar
A framed childhood picture of Lillian Pearce. The frame is made of light brown dotted loops.

Mario Kart is a blast to the past

Managing Arts Editor Lillian Pearce