C.C. Chapman's Blog, page 4

Not a COVID Commencement Speech

My favorite artist once said, "We are gathered here today to get through this thing called life." 

Another young black man once said, "I think we all need a pep talk."

At this moment, we are all trying our best to stay healthy and live some version of our lives. Some days are harder than others, and each of us is battling the demons of reality in our own ways.

I've spent many of the past weeks talking with my children, students, friends, and family about our current state of reality. This is new...

The Call of the Wild

This time every year, I get twitchy as my craving for time on the trails and in the woods grows stronger.

This year with the current stay-at-home orders and doing my part to help others, Im craving that time away even more than usual.

Yesterday, I took a walk around my front yard, taking photos of the budding trees. Spring is slowly sneaking into New England, and I have a new lens for my camera that I wanted to try out.

Those few minutes of fresh air in the sunshine felt great, but they...

No COVID-19 Hustle For Me

When future generations look back and wonder, What did Great Grampa Chapman due during the Quarantine of 2020? I would love them to be able to point to the book on their virtual shelf as the answer. But, as we sit here in the first days of April, I know that wont be the case.

The original plan for my Spring Break from Wheaton was to spend quality time diving into my next book. I have it roughly sketched out, but I wanted to firm up the outline and add some meat to the bones. Perhaps even knock...

Stay Safe and Be Well

Ive ended most email messages sent over the past two weeks with Stay safe and be well. It was the most natural thing I could think of replace my standard Make it a great day, which, of course, felt tone-deaf and not remotely appropriate in our new normal.

COVID-19 has changed our lives forever. Sure, some cant comprehend that truth, but we are going to be away from our offices and social gathering spots for quite some time, and we cant know what is around the next corner.

Ive stopped and...

Preparing to Teach During an Outbreak

For more than a decade, I’ve worked remotely with clients and co-workers around the globe. Thus I’m familiar with the technology and tools needed to hold meetings, give keynotes, run webinars, and anything else that involves me trying to share information with others through a computer.

Since making the career transition to teaching full time, I haven’t needed these skills as often. Now, my days are spent in classrooms teaching the fantastic students of Wheaton College. But, with the rising...

2020 GCSEN Social Venture Boot Camp at Wheaton College

Five years ago, I stepped into a classroom for the first time as a college professor. I had taught several classes online and shared my knowledge on stages around the globe throughout my career, but teaching in a classroom is a whole other level of experience.

Last week, I served as the ‘Dean of Students’ and a faculty/coach for the GCSEN Social Venture Boot Camp that they do every year in partnership with my employer Wheaton College.

Students apply to take part in this program, and every...

Parenting Young Adults

The evolution of parenting has been on my mind.

Yesterday, a friend gave birth to their first child. The reality of how far on the other side of the parenting spectrum they are from me gave me pause, and a bit of a head shake.

My wife and I have always been hands-on parents. We have an open relationship with our kids, which means we talk about a lot of things openly and honestly. We know their friends. We know their problems. I’m not naive in thinking that we know everything our kids do, but I...

OBEYing My Impulses

This morning I put a Harry Chapin record I bought recently in Phoenix on the record player, poured a second cop of dark as night coffee and sat down to read/view/consume a book I received for Christmas called Covert to Overt: The Under/Overground Art of Shepard Fairey.

Many people might not be aware of Fairey’s work outside of his Obama Hope poster or Andre the Giant Has a Posse stickers, but I’m a big fan of his work. Something about his aesthetic has always appealed to me. It would be easy...

Do You Have a Creative Calling?

Seth Godin recently said about creative people:

“There’s just one way to become one: Do something creative. It’s a little bit like leaders. What they have in common is that they lead. Simply begin.”

It truly is that simple and harder than most imagine it ever could be.

Since I took my first breath, I’ve had a creative calling. I’ve always enjoyed creating whether in my kitchen, nature or a classroom. The tools in my hands may change from crayons to cameras to a keyboard, but I’m always creatin...

PhotoNexus 2019

Boarding my flight for Santa Fe, I wasn't clear on what I'd be learning or who I'd be meeting. All I knew was that my friend Richard had launched a new event called PhotoNexus and he invited me to attend. Loving his photography, his appreciation for curated gatherings and his little chihuahua 'Soco' was enough to get me on a plane and travel across the country for the weekend.

While I didn't fully know what to expect as I placed my GORUCK in the overhead bin, I knew that I'd be meeting people...