Self-Development – Ariba Khayyam

The Elective

It all began when schools started devaluing cursive instruction to prioritize science and technology.

Now, in 2026, cursive instruction has been mandated in 27 U.S. states, up from 14 states a decade ago.

This exact pattern is happening all over again. And the subject being quietly set aside is not handwriting. It is the arts.

The devaluation didn’t happen because the arts were useless. It happened because their usefulness was harder to measure.

The exact knowledge that was once framed as superfluous is now the most sought-after advantage in the room.

The Elective Read More »

I had gotten too good at simply thinking. Leaving a polychronic culture and moving to the west changes your perception of time more than anything else could, suddenly you might as well be competing with light.

I felt stagnant. Despite the knowledge I had spent years developing, I was standing still. What I understand now: there is a kind of knowledge that only comes through making. The hand knows things the mind hasn’t figured out yet.

The loop only breaks one way. You begin.

The Hand Knows First Read More »

Notes from In-Between

Liminal spaces are disorienting because they resist definition.

It’s been 9 months since I graduated. That’s enough time to have forgotten everything I learned, and enough time to have built something from it.

Here are 9 things I noted down over the years for any student who needs to hear it.

Notes from In-Between Read More »