All About Me (Rianna Seelig)

Hello, my name is Rianna. I am a sophomore English major with a minor in Writing. Although I have made it a point to engross myself in literature and all of its facets (including the love of writing that often comes along with it) for what seems to be my entire life, I am often caught off guard by certain requests from the professors here at SUNY Fredonia. I will admit I did not expect to ever be describing the importance of my body concerning the person I am (a sort of reverse character analysis on myself). However, I am willing to try, and am oddly intrigued by the assignment. So, here we go...

I have never been one to outwardly draw attention to myself. I am always walking as though there is something urgent I am on my way to do, even if this is not the case, often frustrated by those who walk at a leisurely pace. Arriving to my destination on time has always been important to me, and you will always find me walking with a determined expression on my face, my arms firmly at my side with my shoulders tensed. I slouch ever so slightly when sitting, never due to laziness or inattentiveness (well, okay, maybe sometimes it is...), I just enjoy being comfortable; it helps me concentrate.

I can be antsy. I shift my weight when speaking to people, bounce my feet when sitting through lectures, crack my neck, crack my knuckles, stretch... I like to keep my blood flowing. If appropriate, I usually will have one of my feet on my chair, tucked under the other leg, with a bit of a slouch going on. I like feeling a little more laid back in learning environments. That is not to say I am never stressed-quite the contrary. More often than not I am stressed. I am always chipping my nail polish off, or just doing fidgety things with my hands in general. I am always very aware of my hands; I like having something to hold all the time. Cups of tea or coffee, a pen, a water bottle... just something solid to grasp, something to entertain my hands for extended periods of time. I write constantly (I prefer the traditional pen and paper), so my hands play a big role in how I express myself, a much bigger role than I tend to remember. In addition to all of this, my roots are Italian; it is physically impossible for me to carry on a conversation without large, exaggerated, dramatic hand gestures.

I would attribute an even greater form of expression involving my body to my skin. That is to say, I would attribute it to the skin I have purposefully altered. I have a few tattoos, and don't plan on stopping any time soon. My tattoos are a direct expression of the things I think, feel, believe... I love them. I use tattoos to express myself constantly. This may be too specific, however, it was the first thing I thought of when this assignment was announced. My body allows me to express the millions of thoughts and feelings that are going through my head at all times, and I am very grateful to be able to call this body my own.