Back when I had to “pull all-nighters” for studio, I dreaded the occasion. All night under the unpleasant lights, surrounded by cranky students, eating garbage from the vending machines, hacking away at tiny models or CAD drawings… The Worst.
The Peak: The last 3 days of freshman year were terrible. Awake all day normally Wednesday, spent all night working on a project due Thursday morning. Classes Thursday, then up all night in studio working on the big final group project due Friday. Presentation in the morning, and then finally the sweet release of bed. I was awake and productive for 54 hours straight. Then I slept for 21 hours straight.
Nowadays, however, the all-nighter is less dreadful, as they’ve all been for writing assignments. I can do these at home, in the comfort of my room. I can play music of my own choosing (I always play music softly, waking housemates is not a concern), there is a pleasant bathroom nearby, and I can eat normal food from the fridge, and make tea.
Full Disclosure, of an Uncouth Nature (Because if I can’t share personal things publicly and indiscriminately to the entire world, where can I share them?): Guess what is a good break from writing that will reinvigorate you, that you certainly can’t do in studio. That’s right, masturbation.
Anyway, to me an all-nighter makes some sense. Sure, I could have worked on this project more over the weekend, but there is something special about having this uninterrupted block of time with no other responsibilities. There aren’t even things like “lunchtime” getting in the way. Just me, Microsoft Word, peppermint tea, The Hood Internet, and only 2 more pages!
