The First Blog Post

 I did not have a great time in graduate school. 

I barely managed to graduate with my Master’s in Art History and lost virtually any interest I had in the field. I managed to find various entry-level, temporary work in university libraries, museums, and archives despite applying to literally dozens of positions. I finally found a full-time, permanent job at a for-profit archiving company where I manage cataloging, curation, and digitization for film and photography collections. It's a fascinating job, I get to work with collections from movie studios, private sources, and corporations; I learned how to inspect motion picture film and handle nitrate. But I cannot tell anyone the specifics. I do not get to research. I do not get to publish. I do not get to talk about any of it. Everyday I discover such interesting things in my projects, things that could be just curiosities for film enthusiasts, but others could have an actual impact on the historical field. And I cannot get it out there. It became infuriating.

I hate that there is such a huge divide between professional historians and the general public. I hate that so much history is trapped behind obstructions: the pedestal of academia, basements of companies, paywalls, private attics etc. I hope that this blog might help even just a few people rediscover their passion for history in a space accessible to folks with any level of knowledge. I want to help people move into a more interactive relationship with history; it is no longer good enough to passively accept what you have been told, it is no longer enough to ignore the lessons of the past. You can take control of the narrative and learn how to ‘do history’ for yourself.

Over the past year, I slowly trudged and clawed my way back into history and research. I started a few projects, but found it difficult to maintain momentum even though I want to just do the thing. I want to get my work outside of my brain to a place where people can find it, use it, engage with it. I want to talk about the process, how ‘doing history’ is done. A blog seems like a good place to start. Eventually, and especially with the insanity of 2020, I started to realize that I could become an independent scholar and historian on my ‘off time.’ Why not? 

I’m interested in a lot of different aspects of history, archaeology, and architecture. Why not? 

Nothing is stopping me, so many resources are available online, even for someone without research funding. Why not? 

I could even put some of my research online, maybe a blog or a podcast. Why not?

And thus, the Long Arch Project. A place for me to keep myself accountable to my own work, but also somewhere I can hopefully start conversations. I want to facilitate access to historical knowledge and foster curiosity into history and architecture. Maybe this can be a space where, at least if anyone finds the blog, folks can learn a little something about history through my projects. Maybe I can help others with their projects. Maybe I can help someone find an answer to their history questions. 

So, intrepid reader, if you find this - join me as I post about the projects I am currently working on, my thoughts on the field, and commentary on current events.