Story by Abigail Wissing
Illustrations by Olena Makhnovets
Video by Everett Wold
Inspired by William Shear’s “A Mug of Life” social experiment, I ventured around Downing Student Union to conduct something similar on the Hill this past week.
According to Joe Coshan’s “Meet the Man Behind ‘A Mug, A Life’- the social project involving cups of tea, Shear’s project explores how small, intentional interactions, such as offering a cup of tea or starting a simple conversation, can break through barriers.
Shear is a filmmaker based in London, United Kingdom, and brings subtle ways to highlight the human connection that continues to slowly diminish in this digital age.
Today, college brings several challenges for students. Some of these challenges may include dealing with homesickness, troublesome professors and above all, meeting people. While there are organizations on campus that can make it easier to build connections, some students don’t have the social battery for it.
Before social media and personal devices, walking on campus was a prime opportunity to meet new people. Now, the growing use of these devices and headphones makes it seemingly impossible. Even giving a quick smile or wave can go unnoticed.
Before conducting this social experiment I reached out to Shears through his personal Instagram for advice.
“My biggest advice is fill a flask and go out to the local park and give it a try,” Shear said via Instagram direct messages. “You’ll have a lot of fun, good luck.”
I trekked up and down the Hill with an Alani in hand, looking for a conversation with an unfamiliar face. After a few polite rejections, I met Emma Denton, a sophomore art and education major from Campbellsville, Kentucky. The cracking of our cans and soft laughter that carried over the frigid wind was the start of a conversation that revealed more than just a new acquaintance.
Denton said she chose WKU for its well-established art program. In her first year in the program, she said she faced the challenge of a difficult professor, who she said taught her across multiple classes in her freshman year. Despite the struggle, Denton said she learned an invaluable lesson, being that perseverance is key.
“You just have to push yourself to keep going because you’re going to have hard professors, hard bosses, hard co-workers,” Denton said.
Denton said she was driven by a desire to help others express themselves. She said her passion comes about giving students a space to process emotions.
“I just want everybody to have the chance to express themselves through art, their emotions, their feelings,” Denton said. “If they’re having a bad day, they can use art to get that out.”.
Denton said her path was originally influenced by her mother, a middle school math teacher, who encouraged her to pursue art as a meaningful outlet for students struggling in core subjects.
Although Denton has not committed to a specific post-college destination, she is open to teaching anywhere, as long as the environment is supportive of their none-core subject educators.
Although Denton said she wants to teach art students the how-to behind art, she expressed her excitement towards the history behind the many mediums and periods.
Denton said the impressionism era in particular is her favorite. She said that ‘Water Lilies’ by Claude Monet fueled her love for the time period.
When I asked Denton about something she wished people asked more often, I was met with a response that connects to this project as a whole.
“I wish it was more common for people to just ask you how your day is going, rather than immediately delving into a deeper or more serious topic,” Denton said. “I feel like if people just go straight into the deep stuff. Just ‘how’s your day?’— that kind of thing needs to be asked.”
When I went about doing this experiment another day, I remembered from Denton’s interview that asking someone how their day has been is all I need to ask.
This time around, I was not using Alani. Instead, I used a flask of hot chocolate, just as Shear recommended in my Instagram messages with him.
Unfortunately, the campus was snowy and frozen over at this point, so the chance to sit outside and talk to students sounded like an extra cold death wish. However, walking inside DSU was almost worse. The number of rejections crowded every floor we climbed.
Soon, I met senior Symone Smith. Our immediate interaction was awkward, but as the hot chocolate coated our throats and anxieties cooled, we had an extremely touching and relatable conversation.
Check out the video below to hear more about Denton and I’s conversation.
Reflecting on this conversation, Shear’s experiment holds true. Even a brief, casual interaction can leave a lasting impression.
Denton said that stopping to talk was out of the ordinary, as she is usually introverted and minds her business.
These interactions reminded me that community is built, not just for the classroom or organizations, but it comes from smaller acts of connection, shared laughter and a genuine interest in the other person’s day.
In a world and campus where devices can isolate us, taking a moment to engage with someone, even a stranger, can create a much larger ripple effect.
In this way, both Shear’s project and my own brief experiment on the Hill gives proof to a wider truth. Human connection, even in the form of a topical conversation, has the power to build community.