Victoria (Tori) Graves, senior social work major, is one of the most intentional and caring souls on campus. During her time on serve team junior year, Graves decided to set aside Sundays to honor rest and the Sabbath. Her commitment to rest, love of painting and bundle of unused art supplies eventually created a Sunday evening ritual of intentional community with friends and neighbors.
From the time she was young, Graves always enjoyed painting, and creativity seems to be in her family blood. Graves remembers painting with her father, a graphic designer, and sister, also a graphic designer, from a young age and throughout high school. When entering college, Graves even considered pursuing art therapy as a major but did not want creativity and art to become a required, stressful aspect of her life.
With the stress of college, taking time for intentional creativity became less of a priority for Graves, until her junior year. She decided to start watercolor, acrylics and calligraphy (her favorites) again, at first by herself, but then with others. Painting with a new person every so often became an important routine in Graves’ life.
“It’s important to set aside time to do things that you love and invite people into that time to do it with you,” said Graves.
Graves described how a lot of people are hesitant at first, especially if they have no prior experience with art, but she loves watching others explore their creativity for the first time. Some of her favorite memories are watching people finish their piece beaming with pride.
My time with Graves was surprisingly rejuvenating. I did not know Graves very well before walking into her dorm to paint and chat and was prepared for the possibility of an awkward experience (interview and conversation is a hard balance to strike.) But from the moment I saw her friendly smile and stepped into her peaceful dorm, complete with twinkle-lights, handmade pottery and artwork on the walls (truly a Pinterest dream), I immediately felt welcomed.
When it comes to hospitality, Graves is a natural. While painting little wooden slabs, the conversation quickly took off. Graves intentionally got to know me, asking questions about my family, what it’s been like moving across the country for college and my future plans. We discussed a whole host of topics, from family and church experiences to her recent wedding, and even perfectionism and people pleasing.
When walking out of her dorm, I left with not only an adorable painted wooden slab, but a new friend.
“It’s easy to make excuses for doing the things you love and are passionate about, but the Lord has always blessed the time I’ve spent with others. It’s worth it to spend the little bit of time in creativity or self-care. It’s always worth it. I don’t think you’ll ever regret making those decisions and taking that time,” said Graves. “Life is way more than just school assignments. When I look back at college, I probably won’t remember all the little grades, but it’s the conversations I’ve had that’ll be way more influential.”
