Metaphors and Associations in the Writing Center: What Connections we Make with our Writing Space and Why

  Everyone has experienced an instance where a smell or sound has brought us back to a distant memory. Our brain is actually expert at making these connections and fostering nostalgia through a part called the hippocampus. Being in a specific location, seeing a certain image, hearing a certain song, and more can trigger these associations that our brain so creatively develops. 

   Now that we are in our spring '25 season at the Coe Writing Center and our consultants have all been well acquainted with the writing center for a semester or longer, I was curious to see what metaphorical associations they have developed to connect with our experiences in the Coe Writing Center space. So, I reached out to five fellow consultants to discuss their sensory associations with both our writing space and its atmosphere, and what shapes, colors, songs, and seasons they associate with the CWC. 

   These associations, developed by the hippocampus, will stay with us in our long-term memory; interacting with these metaphors consultants have developed as representing their time working here will remind them of distant memories working in the CWC for years to come. 

The Coe Writing Center in its Collaborate Glory!

Aiden Olofson (new consultant)

Shape: Star

    Aiden explained that a star is very detailed and has multiple points. It is a unique shape, one of a kind and special, just as he associates his time in the CWC as unique and special. 

Color: Blue

    Aiden sees blue as calming and signifying of creativity and rarity. He tries to approach his conferences with calmness and sees all writing as creative and rare, unique to the person. 

Song: Moonlight Sonata

    This song is beautiful and calming. It starts with a very simple rhythm and gradually transforms into a complex sonata, just as how the writing process starts with simple ideas and gradually focuses on complexities of grammar and structure. 

Season: Fall

    Aiden likes to think best of the CWC when there are lots of plants surrounding the space and cozy drinks to promote academia, just like in fall. 

A light blue star signifies the calming and unique atmosphere of the CWC for Aiden.

Stephanie Keil (new consultant)

Shape: Circle

    Stephanie associates the writing space with feelings of friendliness and well-rounded conversations, just as a circle is well-rounded and not aggressively pointed.

Color: Blue or Yellow

    Stephanie sees the writing center as blue or yellow, both calming colors that invoke feelings of safety and comfort. 

Song: Beethoven

    Stephanie associates the writing space with study music that invokes intellectual thought and calming energy, just as how Beethoven performs his music. 

Season: Winter

    The CWC reminds Stephanie of cozy warm drinks and hospitality, just as how Winter brings that feeling to her as well. 

Hot Cocoa in the Winter Reminds Stephanie of the Coziness and Hospitality of her Shifts.

 Courtney Rhinehart (3rd-year consultant)

Shape: Square

    Courtney associates our writing center with feelings of structure and uniformness just like a square. Not to mention, the CWC is literally in the shape of a square too.

Color: Neutral Yellow

    Courtney sees this color when she thinks of the CWC because it invokes feelings of friendliness and welcome. 

Song: Smooth Jazz (for slow shifts), Dubstep Rave Music (for chaotic shifts)

    For slow night shifts, Courtney thinks of smooth jazz that is calming and relaxing, like when she gets to work on her homework. When the shifts are in busy hours, Courtney has fast Dubstep music playing in her head because it feels like "crunch time". 

Season: Fall

   Courtney sees the CWC as full of "chai lattes and sweaters" which reminds her of a cozy space in the season of fall. 

Intense Dance Beats Remind Courtney of Managing the Chaos in Busy Shifts.

Shannon Grogan (2nd-year consultant)

Shape: Square/Rectangle

    When Shannon thinks of the CWC, she thinks of squares and rectangles because they are what encapsulates our space (rectangle writing papers and square writing boards). 

Color: Light Blue

    Shannon thinks of light blue when she sees the CWC, because it brings her brain to a place of calm.

Song: Beethoven

    Another Beethoven enthusiast, Shannon thinks of "academic vibes" both when she enters the writing center and when she hears Beethoven's music. 

Season: Autumn

    Shannon associates the CWC best when it is in Fall, because it reminds her of the cozy couch and nice calming conversations. 

Multiple Consultants Found that the Academic Nature of the CWC Reminds them of Beethoven.

Maya Schweiger (new consultant)

Shape: Circle

    Maya thinks of a circle when she enters the CWC because it is a shape with no edges, just like how our writing space isn't "edgy" to her. 

Color: Dark Red/Maroon

    Maya associates this color with feelings of calmness and coziness, just like how she feels working her writing shifts.

Song: Smooth Jazz

    To Maya, smooth jazz is calm and creative, just like how she tries to approach giving consultations.

Season: Spring

    Spring is the season of growth, and Maya thinks of the CWC as a place where writers come to grow just like in that season. 

The Season of Growing and Learning Reminds Maya of her Time Learning as a Consultant.

    The Coe Writing Center has certainly invoked feelings and associations unique to working as a consultant in our fellow centaurs. Common themes our consultants expressed were feelings of "calmness" and "coziness", because not only is the CWC a place to work, but it is a place to unwind and feel comfortable working in a space of welcoming friends. Metaphorical connections like shapes, colors, songs, and seasons in association will help us remember for years to come the feelings of safety and relaxation we feel coming into the Coe Writing Center.